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India - Sweden Virtual Summit

Why in News Indian Prime Minister held a Virtual Summit with the Prime Minister of Sweden to discuss bilateral issues and other regional and...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Gender & Sanitation

This article is based on “In sanitation, put women in charge” which was published in The Indian Express on 06/03/2021. It talks about...

06 Mar 2021 News Editorials
Falling Rupee Reserves of Iran

Why in News Recently, Indian merchants have almost entirely stopped signing new export contracts with Iranian buyers due to caution about...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Technology

Why in News The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the test of the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Biju Patnaik

Why in News The birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik was celebrated (5th March). He is remembered as a freedom fighter, an Indian politician, an...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Dumping Inert Waste in Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

Why in News The Supreme Court-mandated Ridge Management Board has decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the proposal of dumping...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Pench Tiger Reserve: Maharashtra

Why in News Recently, a female cub of 'man-eater' tigress Avni has been released into the wild in the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) of Maharashtra. Key...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
CSIR Floriculture Mission

Why in News Recently, CSIR Floriculture Mission has been approved for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories of India. CSIR’s...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
QS World Subject Rankings 2021

Why in News 25 programmes offered by higher education institutions in India ranked among the top 100 in the world in their respective subject...

06 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Changing Climate and Deglaciation: A Warning Call

This article is based on “Climate and Consciousness” which was published in The Hindu on 04/03/2021. It talks about the impacts of...

05 Mar 2021 News Editorials
Ease of Living & Municipal Performance Index 2020

Why in News Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs released the final rankings of Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020 and the Municipal...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Technology And Innovation Report 2021: UNCTAD

Why in News India was the biggest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies than the country's per capita Gross Domestic Products (GDP)...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Fast-track Courts to Clear Dishonoured Cheque Cases

Why In News A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has proposed setting up fast-track courts for a limited time to clear dishonoured cheque...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
EPFO: Interest Rate for 2020-21

Why in News Recently, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) recommended that subscribers be given 8.5% interest rate for Provident Fund...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Food Waste Index Report 2021: UNEP

Why in News Recently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the Food Waste Index Report 2021. It has revealed that 17% of all...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
India-Bangladesh Bilateral Meet

Why in News Recently, India’s External Affairs Minister visited Bangladesh for a bilateral meet. This meeting comes ahead of Indian Prime...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Appointment of CBI Director

Why in News A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the appointment of a regular Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Objections to New IT Rules

Why in News The latest norms for social media intermediaries in the New IT Rules 2021 have drawn objections from privacy experts and lawyers. The...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Amendment Of Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017

Why in News Recently, the Union government amended the Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017, bringing insurance brokers within the ambit of the Insurance...

05 Mar 2021 News Analysis
Knowledge Diplomacy

This article is based on “Knowledge and diplomacy” which was published in The Indian Express on 03/03/2021. It talks about the...

04 Mar 2021 News Editorials

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			'title' => 'India - Sweden Virtual Summit',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Indian Prime Minister held a <strong>Virtual Summit</strong> with the Prime Minister of Sweden to discuss bilateral issues and other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Summit provided an opportunity to discuss the international situation and response to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19#:~:text=Covid%2D19%20pandemic%20is%20a,crises%20in%20recent%20human%20history." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> as well as regional and global issues of mutual importance including climate action, sustainable development, gender equality, counter-terrorism and disaster resilient infrastructure, among others.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615035039_image6.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615035039_image6.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Highlights of the Summit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Economic Cooperation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the <strong>launch of a second joint industrial R&amp;D call on Smart and Sustainable Cities</strong>, Transport Systems, Clean Technologies and Digitalization and Internet of Things under <strong>India-Sweden Collaborative Industrial Research &amp; Development Programme.</strong></li>
<li>Confirmed the ambition to scale up bilateral research and innovation on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-australia-circular-economy-hackathon#:~:text=Meaning%3A%20It%20is%20an%20economy,as%20a%20source%20of%20energy." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Circular Economy</strong></a> including the themes of Health and Life Sciences and Waste to Wealth during 2021.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation in Other Sectors:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the creation of a <strong>Sweden-India Health Hub at AIIMS-Jodhpur.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Noted advances in hydrogen research and their possible applications</strong>, i.e. in the Energy and other key industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation at Multilateral Forums:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed Sweden&rsquo;s decision to join the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-solar-technology-summit-isa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Solar Alliance (ISA)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Sweden <strong>congratulated India on its eighth term as an elected member of the UN Security Council for 2021-2022.</strong></li>
<li>Reaffirmed the <strong>importance of the urgent reform of the UN Security</strong> <strong>Council</strong>, including its expansion not only to sustain credibility of multilateralism but also to deliver on the several serious common challenges facing humanity.</li>
<li>India <strong>thanked Sweden for its support to India&rsquo;s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.</strong></li>
<li>India <strong>congratulated Sweden on assuming the Chairmanship of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Action:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the USA re-entry into the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris agreement</strong></a> which gives new momentum to global climate action ahead of <strong>COP 26</strong> to be held in <strong>Glasgow, UK.</strong></li>
<li>Agreed to continue their outreach to expand the membership of the<strong> Leadership Group on Industry Transition (LeadIT).</strong></li>
<li>Agreed further to intensify their collaboration within the framework of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/arctic-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Arctic Council</strong> </a>to address global environmental protection and combating climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Security:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the finalization of the <strong>General Security Agreement in 2019</strong> on the exchange and mutual protection of classified information, enabling a comprehensive partnership in all defence sectors.</li>
<li>Indian Prime Minister <strong>invited Swedish defence firms to participate in the "Make in India programme&rdquo;, especially in the two Defence Production Corridors</strong> in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India - Sweden Relations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Political Relations:</strong> The first <strong>India-Nordic Summit</strong> took place in the year 2018.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The King and Queen of Sweden gave a Royal Visit to India in December, 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic and Commercial relations:</strong> The bilateral trade between two countries presently stands around USD 2 billion. After China and Japan, India is Sweden's third largest trade partner in Asia.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The main items of <strong>Indian exports to Sweden</strong> are articles of apparel, clothing accessories; textiles yarn, fabrics, made-ups; manufactures of metals; road vehicles; general industrial machinery and equipment.</li>
<li>The main items of <strong>Indian imports from Sweden</strong> are pulp and waste paper; road vehicles; paper and paper board, general industrial machinery and equipment etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Being a member of <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>European Union</strong></a>, Sweden can play an important role in India&rsquo;s partnership with the European Union and EU countries.</li>
<li>The close relations will <strong>further the values of democracy</strong>, rule of law, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech, and respect for human rights.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>First India-Nordic Summit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was held in April, 2018.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> and five Nordic countries - <strong>Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark</strong> held the summit to deepen cooperation.</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Nordic for India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Discussion of key issues of <strong>security, economic growth and climate change.</strong></li>
<li>India can imitate the <strong>Nordic approach</strong> to innovation systems, characterised by a strong collaboration between public sector, private sector and academia.</li>
<li>In areas like <strong>clean technologies, maritime solutions, port modernisation, food processing, health, life-sciences and agriculture</strong>, Nordic solutions can be useful.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Leadership Group on Industry Transition</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the <strong>Paris Agreement</strong>.</li>
<li>It was launched by the <strong>governments of Sweden and India at the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/un-climate-action-summit-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UN Climate Action Summit</a></strong> in September 2019 and is supported by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/davos-dialogue-world-economic-forum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Economic Forum.</strong></a></li>
<li>LeadIT members subscribe to the notion that energy-intensive industry can and must progress on low-carbon pathways, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1702753" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Gender & Sanitation',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/womens-needs-are-key-to-swachh-bharat-success-7216123/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;In sanitation, put women in charge&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 06/03/2021. It talks about the role of gender in sanitation and hygiene.</p>
</div>
<p>The sustainable development goals (Target 6.2) require India &ldquo;by 2030, to 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.</p>
<p>In this context, the government of India has launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/swachh-bharat-mission-grameen-phase-ii-approved#:~:text=The%20Union%20Cabinet%20has%20approved,Liquid%20Waste%20Management%20(SLWM)." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swachh Bharat Mission</strong></a> (SBM), which envisages the implementation of the infrastructure of water &amp; sanitation and makes India Open defecation free.</p>
<p>Though the SBM is a people's movement for improving health and hygiene, still there are instances that girls and women face a situation where access to sanitation facilities is not easy and even it is unsafe.</p>
<p>As gender is an important notion in sanitation and hygiene, there is no doubt that women can help to drive change and bring about lasting change as the Jan Andolan of swachhta, health, and sanitation gains momentum.</p>
<h3>Challenges Involved in Gender and Sanitation</h3>
<p>As per the census 2011, more than fifty percent of India&rsquo;s population defecated in the open, and recent data showed that about 60% of rural households and 89% of urban households have access to toilets.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Marginalized Decision-Making:</strong> In practice, the promoters of swachhta rarely encourage women to participate in water and sanitation committees, which does not guarantee their participation.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, the age, position in the family, and societal and cultural barriers for females are some of the factors that determine the participation of women in sanitation decision-making.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gender-Based Sanitation Insecurity:</strong> There is a disproportionate burden faced by women especially shortage of or the non-availability of sanitation facilities that can be also called &ldquo;Gender-based sanitation insecurity.&rdquo;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The desire for privacy during bathing and defecation is different in the case of girls and women than men.</li>
<li>Thus, the non-availability of proper sanitation facilities creates a helpless situation for females and leads to the risk of faucal-orally transmitted diseases, urogenital tract infections, urinary incontinence, and chronic constipation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Risks Involved With Open Defecation:</strong> Women face threats to their life and feel unsafe while seeking a toilet facility or while going out for open defecation. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This leads to the consumption of less food and water by the women to minimize the need to exit the home to use toilets.</li>
<li>The risk involved with feeling unsafe while searching a place to go often to the toilet after dark or early in the morning; and dropping out of school at the onset of menstruation due to a lack of safe and private disposal facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Ensuring Behaviour Change:</strong> Information, education, and communication, which aims at behavior change of the masses, is key to the success of the Swachhta mission 2.0. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Swachh Bharat Mission 2 .0 speaks of sustained behavioral change while embarking on the newer agendas of sustainable solid waste management and safe disposal of wastewater and reuse.</li>
<li>A proactive SBM messaging that reflects major transformations, attempting to popularise and portray stories of women groups will create the much-needed social ripple that would inspire women to take complete charge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Positive Case Studies Bringing Behavioral Change</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are spirited instances of women leaders in sanitation: Uttara Thakur, a differently-abled panchayat head from Chhattisgarh, was determined to improve sanitation services in her village. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>She went door-to-door to motivate people to use toilets. Her contagious spirit mobilized the whole village to join hands and become open-defecation free.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In Jharkhand, trained women masons built over 15 lakh toilets in one year, and helped the state achieve its open defecation free (rural) target.</li>
<li>Besides the government, the role of non-state actors, including that of institutions like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Unicef, and several NGOs, must be lauded as we pursue sustainable sanitation using a powerful gender lens.</li>
<li>The government has also very effectively used over 8 lakh swachhagrahis, mainly women, who for small honorariums work to push through behavioral change at the community level.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Linking Sanitation &amp; Hygiene With Livelihood:</strong> The India Sanitation Coalition has helped link micro-finance with self-help groups run by women for sanitation needs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Such interventions with these groups should be promoted to drive livelihoods and produce income and well-being impact with the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tracking Gender Outcomes:</strong> A national monitoring and evaluation system to track and measure gender outcomes in SBM is necessary. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Several researchers in this space have commented that gender analysis frameworks have a long history in development practice.</li>
<li>We can learn from these frameworks to support design, implementation, and measurement that can bridge the gender equality gap in sanitation.</li>
<li>There is a need for effective communications and training programs to build the capacity of stakeholders on gender targeting, both on the supply and demand sides of interventions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>There are no quick solutions other than adopting concerted approaches to ensure the survival and protection of the girl child through good health from sanitation and nutrition, and provision of water to liberate women from collecting water and enabling their education.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffffc;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>As gender is an important notion in sanitation and hygiene, there is no doubt that women can help to drive change in achieving the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kx77bJWC8DY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/efficacious-too-the-hindu-editorial-on-covid-19-vaccine-covaxin/article33991750.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Efficacious too: On Covaxin&rdquo;</strong> </a>published in The Hindu on March 05<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Falling Rupee Reserves of Iran',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, Indian merchants have almost entirely stopped signing new <strong>export contracts</strong> with Iranian buyers due to caution about<strong> Iran&rsquo;s falling rupee reserves</strong> with Indian banks.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier in 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs informed that <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India is no longer involved in the Farzad-B gas field project of Iran.</strong></a> The reasons included <strong>policy changes by the Iranian government, Iran&rsquo;s uncertain finances, </strong>and<strong> the USA sanctions situation.</strong></li>
<li>In 2020, Iran also passed a bill allowing the government to slash four zeros from the Rial and authorizing its replacement with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/currency-change-in-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>another basic unit of currency called the toman (redenomination).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615029906_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615029906_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Falling Reserves:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Iran&rsquo;s rupee reserves in India&rsquo;s <strong>UCO and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/rediscovering-development-banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IDBI Bank</a>,</strong> the two lenders <strong>authorised to facilitate rupee trade,</strong> have depleted significantly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>USA sanctions</strong></a>, <strong>Iran is unable to use US dollars</strong> to transact oil sales.</li>
<li>Iran previously had a deal to sell oil to India in exchange for rupees, which it used to import critical goods, including agricultural commodities, but <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-oil-import-waiver-lifted" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India stopped buying Tehran&rsquo;s oil in May 2019 after a US sanctions waiver expired.</strong></a></li>
<li>Iran <strong>continued using its rupees to buy goods</strong> from India, but <strong>after 22 months of no crude sales, Iran&rsquo;s rupee reserves have fallen.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Iran&rsquo;s reserves have reduced significantly and will be over soon probably because trade has stopped.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implications:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Apprehension of Exporters:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Exporters are<strong> not sure whether they would be paid on time</strong> for new shipments and they are avoiding dealing with Iran since payments are getting delayed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Falling Indian Exports:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India's overall exports to Iran <strong>fell 42% in 2020</strong> from a year ago to USD 2.2 billion, the <strong>lowest in over a decade.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> fall is continuing in 2021</strong> and in January this year exports more than halved from a year ago to <strong>USD 100.20 million.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Growing Influence of China:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Recently signed deals between Iran and China will<strong> vastly expand Chinese presence</strong> in banking, telecommunications, ports, railways and dozens of other projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Saving India's Interests:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>China Iran strategic partnership</strong> fructifying USD 400 billion deal may be an impediment for Indian entry routes into Afghanistan through <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chabahar-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Chabahar</strong></a> and further connectivity to<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/india-central-asia-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC)</strong></a>, although Iran has not given any signals of disruption of these projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India's Role in the Region:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Maintaining ties with Iran even as it forges a new relationship with Saudi Arabia and Israel is critical for<strong> its balancing policy in West Asia.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Avoiding Sectarian Tension:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Since <strong>India is home to sizable populations of both Shia and Sunni Muslims</strong> and seeks to isolate itself from any <strong>sectarian tensions</strong> in the region, India should do well to neither completely break off ties with Iran nor go against the United States outright.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India's Energy security:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has stopped purchasing Iranian oil, which accounts for around <strong>90% of its imports from the Islamic nation.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India was Iran's<strong> leading oil client</strong> after China until <strong>mid-2018.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Peaceful Afghanistan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India, having made significant investments in Afghanistan, will always hope for an Afghan elected, Afghan led, Afghan owned peace and reconciliation process and a popular democratic government in Afghanistan.</li>
<li>However, India has to be watchful of<strong> Iran - Pakistan- China axis</strong> developing in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan, with tentacles in the form of terror groups inside it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pakistan's Influence:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pakistan is very active in the Middle-east. Using the platform of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)</strong></a> and making connections with the particular Arab countries, Pakistan is trying to get support on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pakistan-s-provincial-status-to-gilgit-baltistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kashmir issue.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2019, New Delhi seems to have weighed in favor of Indo-USA ties by deciding to halt oil imports from Iran. However, it will have to find a way, either by persuading Washington to grant an exemption or by circumventing USA sanctions like it did in 2012-13, to continue its relationship with Iran in order to <strong>secure its energy supply</strong> and its regional foreign policy objectives.</li>
<li>India is very <strong>reliant upon Middle East oil and gas</strong> and must maintain cordial relations with most of the major suppliers, including <strong>Iran,</strong> UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Iraq.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/as-irans-rupee-reserves-drop-traders-almost-halt-exports/article33991532.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/falling-rupee-reserves-of-iran'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Technology',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong></a> has successfully conducted the test of the <strong>Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology,</strong> which is crucial for the indigenous development of long range air-to-air missiles.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) Technology:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SFDR technology is a missile propulsion system based on the concept of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hypersonic-technology-demonstrator-vehicle-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ramjet Engine</strong> </a>principle.</li>
<li>The system utilises a<strong> solid fuelled</strong> air-breathing ramjet engine.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Unlike solid-propellant rockets, the Ramjet takes up oxygen from the atmosphere during flight. Thus, it is light in weight and can carry more fuel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>DRDO began developing SFDR first in 2017 and had conducted successful tests in 2018 and 2019 as well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Successful demonstration of SFDR technology will enable DRDO to <strong>develop indigenous long range air-to-air missiles.</strong></li>
<li>At present, such technology is available only with a <strong>handful of countries in the world.</strong></li>
<li>Air-to-air missiles which use SFDR technology can <strong>achieve longer ranges</strong> as they <strong>do not require oxidisers</strong> (take oxygen from the atmosphere).</li>
<li>The missile based on SFDR <strong>fly at supersonic speeds and high manoeuvrability ensures</strong> the target aircraft cannot get away.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) works under the administrative control of the <strong>Ministry of Defence, Government of India.</strong></li>
<li>It is working to establish a world class science and technology base for India and provides Defence Services decisive edge by equipping them with internationally competitive systems and solutions.</li>
<li>It was established in 1958 after combining<strong> Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army</strong> and the<strong> Directorate of Technical Development &amp; Production (DTDP)</strong> with the <strong>Defence Science Organisation (DSO).</strong></li>
<li>It is responsible for carrying out <strong>Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).</strong></li>
<li>Some of the recent tests conducted by DRDO:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/helina-and-dhruvastra-anti-tank-guided-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Helina and Dhruvastra: Anti-tank Guided Missile</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/smart-anti-airfield-weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Smart Anti Airfield Weapon</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/army-variant-of-mrsam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Army Variant of MRSAM</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-attack-version-of-brahmos-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Land-attack Version of BrahMos Missile</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/quick-reaction-surface-to-air-missile-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile System</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/enhanced-version-of-pinaka-mk-1-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Enhanced Version of Pinaka Mk-1 Missile</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nag-missile-anti-tank-guided-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NAG Missile: Anti Tank Guided Missile</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ramjet</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle&rsquo;s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor.</li>
<li>Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds but they are not efficient at hypersonic speeds.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGMDP was the brainchild of renowned scientist <a href="/blog/dr-apj-abdul-kalam-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.</strong></a></li>
<li>It was intended to <strong>attain self-sufficiency</strong> in the field of missile technology.</li>
<li>After keeping in mind the requirements of various types of missiles by the defense forces, the program recognized the need to develop five missile systems.</li>
<li>The IGMDP formally got the approval of Indian government on 26<sup>th</sup> July, 1983.</li>
<li>The missiles developed under IGMDP are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Prithvi</strong></li>
<li>Intermediate-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Agni</strong></li>
<li>Short-range low-level surface-to-air missile &ndash;<strong> Trishul</strong></li>
<li>Medium-range surface-to-air missile &ndash; <strong>Akash</strong></li>
<li>Third generation anti-tank missile &ndash; <strong>Nag</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1702670" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/solid-fuel-ducted-ramjet-technology'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'Biju Patnaik',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik</strong> was celebrated (5<sup>th</sup> March). He is remembered as a freedom fighter, an Indian politician, an aviator and a businessman.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brief Profile:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615024521_image5.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615024521_image5.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="191" height="263" /></a></strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bijayananda Patnaik was<strong> born on 5<sup>th</sup> March 1916,</strong> he is popularly known as Biju Patnaik.</li>
<li>He was an ace pilot and joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1936.</li>
<li>He was the two times Chief Minister of Odisha.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role in Freedom Struggle:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Biju Patnaik started his career as a freedom fighter in 1942. He <strong>joined the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/quit-india-movement-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quit India Movement</a></strong> under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi to make India free. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>He became a prominent leader of Congress and was engaged in the Quit India Movement with<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jayaprakash-narayan-and-nanaji-deshmukh-jayanti" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Jay Prakash Narayan</strong></a> and<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dr-ram-manohar-lohia" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia.</strong></a></li>
<li>In 1943, he <strong>underwent imprisonment for about two years</strong> for his participation in the Quit India Movement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>He fearlessly undertook covert missions, ferrying freedom fighters to secret meetings with their supporters, and even airdropped leaflets in support of <strong>Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose&rsquo;s <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/subhash-chandra-bose-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian National Army</a>.</strong></li>
<li>He played a major role in <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/world-war-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World War II</strong> </a>and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/external-intervention-on-kashmir-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kashmir War of 1948</strong></a> as a pilot in the Indian Air Force.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role in Kashmir Integration:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Biju Patnaik had fearlessly flown a DC-3 transport aircraft to Srinagar on 27th October 1947, ferrying soldiers of the Sikh regiment after the tribal invasion from Pakistan in Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role in Indonesian Freedom Struggle:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>On the request of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Biju Patnaik flew to Java and brought Sultan Sjahrir out of Dutch controlled territory in Indonesia for a meeting in Delhi. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For this act of bravery, he was given honorary citizenship in Indonesia and awarded the <strong>&lsquo;Bhoomi Putra&rsquo;,</strong> the highest Indonesian award, rarely granted to a foreigner.</li>
<li>In 1996, the Biju Patnaik was awarded the highest Indonesian national award, the <strong>&lsquo;Bintang Jasa Utma&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1702783" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/biju-patnaik'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Dumping Inert Waste in Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Supreme Court-mandated<strong> Ridge Management Board</strong> has decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the proposal of dumping<strong> inert (non-reactive) waste</strong> in the mines of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asola-wildlife-sanctuary" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary</strong></a> (Delhi).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Inert Waste:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inert waste is waste which is<strong> neither biologically nor chemically reactive</strong> and is waste which <strong>will not decompose</strong> or decompose very slowly.</li>
<li>Inert waste includes, but is not limited to: <strong>construction and demolition material</strong> such as metal, wood, bricks, masonry and cement concrete; <strong>asphalt concrete; metal; tree branches;</strong> bottom <strong>ash from coal fired boilers;</strong> and waste <strong>coal fines</strong> from air pollution control equipment.</li>
<li>These wastes <strong>usually don't pose a threat to the environment, or the health of animals or other people </strong>and will<strong> not endanger the quality of watercourses.</strong></li>
<li>However, when there is a large amount of this type of waste, it can become an issue as it <strong>begins to take up a lot of space.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary covering 32.71 sq km area lies on the Southern Delhi Ridge of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/aravallis-a-mountain-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aravalli hill range</strong></a>, one of the oldest mountain systems of the world, on Delhi-Haryana border.</li>
<li>An area of 1km around the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Gurugram and Faridabad is an <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/eco-sensitive-zones" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Eco-sensitive zone.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Activities such as commercial mining, setting up of industries, and establishment of major hydro-electric projects are prohibited.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Asola wildlife sanctuary has <strong>both floral and faunal diversity</strong> in form of<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.</li>
<li>Large numbers of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sanctuary comprises around 200 species of <strong>resident and migratory birds.</strong></li>
<li>Wildlife habitats inside the sanctuary act as <strong>a water recharge zone</strong> for Delhi, Faridabad and Gurugram.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022762_image4.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022762_image4.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Ridge Management Board:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong> The<strong> Supreme Court mandated</strong> the Delhi Government to constitute a <strong>Ridge Management Board for protection of the Delhi Ridge</strong> through their orders in <strong>the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strict-vs-absolute-liability-principle#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%2C%20in%20the,case%20of%20Delhi%20in%201986.&amp;text=complex%20at%20Delhi%2C%20causing%20damages%20to%20several%20people." target="_blank" rel="noopener">M.C. Mehta case 1987.</a></strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>Delhi Ridge is the northern extension of the Aravalli Range</strong> covering a distance of about 35km.</li>
<li>The Delhi Ridge acts as the <strong>green lungs of the capital</strong> and, through various government orders over the years, all construction has been banned in the Ridge in an effort to preserve it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Date of Establishment:</strong> 6<sup>th</sup> October 1995.</li>
<li><strong>Members:</strong> The Chairman of the board is Chief Secretary of Delhi and Head of the Forest Department of Delhi Government is its Member Secretary. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Board also has members from the<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/non-governmental-organizations-ngos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/panel-to-look-into-proposal-on-dumping-inert-waste-in-bhatti-mines-7216319/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dumping-inert-waste-in-asola-bhatti-wildlife-sanctuary'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Pench Tiger Reserve: Maharashtra',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a female cub of 'man-eater' tigress Avni has been released into the wild in the<strong> Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) of Maharashtra.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is located in <strong>Nagpur District of Maharashtra</strong> and named after the pristine <strong>Pench River.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Pench river flows right through the middle of the park.</li>
<li>It descends from north to south, thereby<strong> dividing the reserve into equal eastern and western parts.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>PTR is the<strong> joint pride</strong> of both<strong> Madhya Pradesh</strong> and <strong>Maharashtra.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Reserve is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hills in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts in Madhya Pradesh, and continues in Nagpur district in Maharashtra as a separate Sanctuary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It was <strong>declared a National Park by the Government of Maharashtra in 1975</strong> and the identity of a <strong>tiger reserve was granted to it in the year 1998-1999.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, PTR Madhya Pradesh was granted the same status in 1992-1993. It is one of the major Protected Areas of <strong>Satpura-Maikal ranges</strong> of the Central Highlands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is among the sites notified as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asian-waterbird-census" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Important Bird Areas (IBA)</strong></a> <strong>of India.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The IBA is a programme of Birdlife International which<strong> aims to identify, monitor and protect a global network of IBAs</strong> for <strong>conservation of the world&rsquo;s birds</strong> and associated diversity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Flora:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The green cover is thickly spread throughout the reserve.</li>
<li>A mixture of<strong> Southern dry broadleaf teak forests</strong> and <strong>tropical mixed deciduous forests</strong> is present.</li>
<li>Shrubs, climbers and trees are also frequently present. <strong>Some of them are unique varieties and possess medicinal as well as healing properties.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Bamboo plantations</strong> are also present nearby the water banks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fauna: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mammals:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These include &ndash; sloth bear, jackal, nilgai, wild dog etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Birds:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This comprises peafowl, magpie robin, pintail, drongo, unia, myna etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Major Tiger Reserves of India:</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022051_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022051_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cub-of-tigress-avni-released-back-into-wild-after-over-two-years-7216145/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pench-tiger-reserve-maharashtra'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'CSIR Floriculture Mission',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>CSIR Floriculture Mission</strong> has been approved for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories of India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>CSIR&rsquo;s Societal Portal</strong> has also been launched along with the Android App.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the MIssion:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Floriculture is a branch of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/horticulture-sector-in-india#:~:text=Mission%20for%20Integrated%20Development%20of,and%20reducing%20post%2Dharvest%20losses." target="_blank" rel="noopener">horticulture</a> that deals with the cultivation, processing and marketing of ornamental plants</strong> vis-&agrave;-vis landscaping of small or large areas, and <strong>maintenance of gardens</strong> so that the surroundings may appear aesthetically pleasant.</li>
<li>The mission will <strong>focus on commercial floral crops, seasonal/annual crops, wild ornaments and cultivation of flower crops for honey bee rearing.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Some of the popular crops include Gladiolus, Canna, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera, Lilium, Marigold, Rose, Tuberose etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the mission, available knowledge base in <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/council-of-scientific-and-industrial-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)</strong></a> Institutes will be utilized and leveraged to help Indian farmers and industry.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Indian floriculture market was worth Rs. 15,700 crore in 2018. The market is projected to reach Rs. 47,200 crore by 2024 during 2019-24.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Along with <strong>CSIR, other implementing agencies</strong> involved are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indian-council-of-agricultural-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)</a>,</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-7th-may-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)</a>,</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/apeda-trifed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APEDA and TRIFED</a>,</strong></li>
<li>Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj, and</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-commerce-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ministry of Commerce</strong></a> and <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-micro-small-and-medium-enterprises" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of the Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Raising Income:</strong> Floriculture has the potential to <strong>provide employment</strong> to a large number of people through nursery raising, floriculture farming, <strong>entrepreneurship development</strong> for nursery trade, value addition and export.</li>
<li><strong>Agro Climatic diversity:</strong> India has diverse agro-climatic and edaphic conditions (physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil), and rich plant diversity, still it shares only 0.6% of the global floriculture market.</li>
<li><strong>Import Substitution: At least 1200 million USD worth of floriculture products are being imported by India every year</strong> from different countries.</li>
<li>The <strong>convergence</strong> of Floriculture with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/beekeeping-development-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Apiculture (beekeeping)</strong></a> as envisaged in the mission will yield even greater benefits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Related Initiative (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is a <strong>Centrally Sponsored Scheme</strong> for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root &amp; tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About CSIR&rsquo;s Societal Portal:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This Portal has been developed by CSIR Team with the help of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/Aim-&amp;-mygov-launches-innovate-india-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MyGov Team</strong></a>.</li>
<li>The Portal is to <strong>facilitate the public to submit the societal problems</strong> that can be resolved using S&amp;T interventions.</li>
<li>This is the first step in terms of seeking inputs on challenges and problems being faced by different stakeholders in society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Council of Scientific &amp; Industrial Research</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body. It comes under the <strong>Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</strong></li>
<li>It is known for its cutting edge research and development knowledge base in diverse science and technology areas.</li>
<li>It has been<strong> ranked first in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nature-index-2020-index-of-scientific-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Ranking Index-2020</a>.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Nature Index provides close to a real-time proxy of high-quality research output and collaboration at the institutional, national and regional level.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1702516" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/csir-floriculture-mission'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'QS World Subject Rankings 2021',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>25 programmes</strong> offered by higher education institutions in India <strong>ranked among the top 100 in the world</strong> in their respective subject categories, according to the <strong>latest edition (11<sup>th</sup>) of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the QS World Subject Rankings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Quacquarelli Symonds (QS):</strong> It is a leading global career and education network for ambitious professionals looking to further their personal and professional development.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>QS develops and successfully implements methods of comparative data collection and analysis used to highlight institutions&rsquo; strengths.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>QS World University Rankings:</strong> It is <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/qs-world-university-rankings" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>an annual publication</strong></a> of university rankings which <strong>comprises the global overall and subject rankings.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Six parameters and their weightage</strong> for the evaluation:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Academic Reputation (40%)</li>
<li>Employer Reputation (10%)</li>
<li>Faculty/Student Ratio (20%)</li>
<li>Citations per faculty (20%)</li>
<li>International Faculty Ratio (5%)</li>
<li>International Student Ratio (5%)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>QS World University Rankings by Subject:</strong> It calculates performance based on <strong>four parameters</strong> &mdash; academic reputation, employer reputation, research impact (citations per paper) and the productivity of an institution&rsquo;s research faculty.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Globally <strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</strong> (MIT -USA) and <strong>Harvard</strong> (USA) <strong>are among top performers, Russia and China record best-ever performances.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Performance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 2021 QS&rsquo;s global university performance comparison offered independent <strong>data on the performance of 253 programs at 52 Indian higher education institutions, across 51 academic disciplines.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>number of Indian universities/institutes in the top 100 subject rankings </strong>has<strong> increased from 8 to 12 this year.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>12 Indian institutions</strong> that have made it to the top 100 of the world - IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISC Bangalore, IIT Guwahati, IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, JNU, Anna University, University of Delhi and OP Jindal University.</li>
<li><strong>IIT-Bombay has cornered more top 100 positions</strong> than any other Indian institution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Except one, all the 25 programmes are in institutions run by either the state or union government.</strong> However, <strong>last year, this number stood at 26.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>17 of the 25</strong> globally ranked Indian programmes are in <strong>engineering. IIT-Madras&rsquo;s Petroleum Engineering programme registered the best performance among Indian institutes</strong> - 30<sup>th</sup> in the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>government-run <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/institutions-of-eminence-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Institutions of Eminence (IoE)</a> remains significantly better-represented in the rankings</strong> than the private ones.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>OP Jindal Global University</strong> has entered the global top-100 for law (76<sup>th</sup>). This is the <strong>only top-100 result achieved by a private IoE.</strong></li>
<li><strong>IoE:</strong> It is a government's scheme to provide the regulatory architecture for setting up or upgrading of 20 Institutions (10 from public sector and 10 from the private sector) as world-class teaching and research institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> All India Institute of Medical Sciences remained the only institution in the top 300 in the area of life sciences and medicine,</strong> but also dropped more than 10 places.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>One of the biggest <strong>challenges faced by India is providing high-quality tertiary education</strong> in the face of exploding demand - this much was recognized by last year&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy (NEP)</strong></a>, which set the ambitious target of a 50% gross enrolment ratio by 2035. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It should therefore be <strong>small cause for concern that the number of Indian programs featuring across 51 subject rankings has actually decreased over the last year &ndash;</strong> from 235 to 233.</li>
<li>While this is a minor decrease, it is indicative of the fact that<strong> expanding provision in a way that does not sacrifice quality</strong> remains a highly-challenging task.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A <strong>number of programs at India&rsquo;s privately-run prospective Institutions of Eminence have made progress</strong> this year, demonstrating the positive role that well-regulated private provision can have in enhancing India&rsquo;s higher education sector.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> remains<strong> at the forefront of global environmental science research.</strong> Data indicates that <strong>India ranks 5<sup>th</sup> in terms of its research footprint</strong> in this field &ndash; behind only Germany, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.</li>
<li><strong>Commonalities between nations</strong> that are improving and nations that are not <strong>(three factors):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>First, <strong>an international outlook &ndash;</strong> both in terms of faculty body and research relationships&ndash; correlates strongly with improved performance.</li>
<li>Second, rising universities have received<strong> strong targeted investment from governments</strong> over a decade or more&ndash; particularly in China, Russia, and Singapore.</li>
<li>Third, <strong>improving relationships with industry</strong> is correlated with better employment, research, and innovation outcomes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Institutional Ranking Framework</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education)</strong> established the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-rankings-2020-nirf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)</a> in September 2015.</strong></li>
<li>This framework <strong>outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country</strong> according to parameters covering: Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practice; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; and Perception.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/education/india-score-in-qs-subject-ranking-25-programmes-12-institutes-in-top-100-7214720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/qs-world-subject-rankings-2021'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Changing Climate and Deglaciation: A Warning Call',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/climate-and-consciousness/article33983396.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Climate and Consciousness&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 04/03/2021. It talks about the impacts of indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources just for the sake of development and how the recent disasters are a warning call for stringent policies regarding environment protection.</p>
</div>
<p>Humans have come quite far in terms of development, but unfortunately have left the concerns for the environment behind.</p>
<p>It is quite common to hear policymakers and the public referring to natural disasters &ldquo;acts of God&rdquo;. But concluding from events such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uttarakhand-flash-flood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Chamoli Flash Floods</strong></a> and<strong> flood in Kedarnath</strong> in 2013, it wasn&rsquo;t actually the god but human interventions with the natural environment.</p>
<p>Climate actions will continue to falter unless climate change is tagged as a primary culprit, instead of actions of god.</p>
<h3>The Changing Climate</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Floods in the Himalayan Region:</strong> The Himalayan region has about 15,000 glaciers, which are retreating at a rate of 100 to 200 feet per decade. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The melting of the Himalayan glaciers that prompted the floods and landslides in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have the fingerprints of global warming.</li>
<li>In 2013, glacial flooding in Kedarnath caused over 6,000 deaths during the monsoon months.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Events:</strong> In 2003, the European heat wave killed over 70,000 people. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The years 2015-19 have globally been the warmest years on record.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/amazon-rainforest" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Amazon</strong></a> fire of 2019, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/australian-bushfire#:~:text=The%20fire%20has%20impacted%20more,of%20wild%20animals%20have%20died.&amp;text=The%20three%20years%20between%202017,(a%20state%20of%20Australia)" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>bush fires of 2019-20 in Australia</strong></a> are some of the most dangerous impacts of changing climate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Emission:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/emissions-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2020</strong></a> showed that the year 2020 set new records in terms of rise in extreme weather events, including wildfires and hurricanes, and in the melting of glaciers and ice at both poles. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the report, despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pandemic</strong></a>, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3&deg;C this century; far beyond the 2015 <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-climate-change-act-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement</strong></a> goals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Story of Texas</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, Texas, US has been hit by extremely cold weather leading to<strong> strong wind storms</strong> in the state. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The winter storm has killed 21 people and left around 4.4 million without power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The brutal cold has engulfed vast swaths of the United States,<strong> shuttering Covid-19 inoculation centers and hindering vaccine supplies.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>double-digit negative temperatures</strong> (temperatures have fallen as low as -14&deg;C) are connected to <strong>Arctic-peninsula warming.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Usually, there is a collection of winds around the Arctic keeping the cold locked far to the north, known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/polar-vortex" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Polar Vortex</strong></a>.</li>
<li>But <strong>global warming has caused gaps in these protective winds,</strong> allowing intensely cold air to move south: the phenomenon is accelerating.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India and Climate Change</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>One of the Largest Emitters:</strong> For India, <strong>the third-largest carbon emitter after China and the United States,</strong> a decisive switch is needed from highly polluting coal and petroleum to cleaner and <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-india-s-renewable-energy-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>renewable power sources.</strong></a> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China has announced carbon neutrality by 2060, Japan and South Korea by 2050, but <strong>India is yet to announce a target. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Rankings and Estimates:</strong> The HSBC ranks India at the top among 67 nations in <strong>climate vulnerability</strong> (2018), <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Germanwatch ranks India fifth among 181 nations in terms of <strong>climate risks</strong> (2020).</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank</strong></a> has warned that climate change could sharply diminish living conditions for up to 800 million people in South Asia.</li>
<li>As per the Emissions Gap Report 2020, over the last decade, China, USA, EU27+UK and India combined, have contributed to <strong>55%</strong> of the total GHG emissions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Associated</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>No Stringent Policies:</strong> A big worry is that the state and central governments have been diluting, instead of strengthening, climate safeguards for hydroelectric and road projects. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Studies had flagged ice loss across the Himalayas has been rapidly melting thus increasing the dangers to densely populated catchments, but any hard and fast policy response has been lacking.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Proper Training Programs:</strong> There were no awareness programs or training provided to the people about disaster management by the government in case of the recent Uttarakhand floods.</li>
<li><strong>Ignorance by Government:</strong> A 2012 expert group appointed by the government had recommended against the construction of dams in the <strong>Alaknanda-Bhagirathi basin, including on the Rishiganga</strong> and in &ldquo;the periglacial zone,&rdquo; but the recommendations were ignored.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Similarly, ignorance of the Kerala government in terms of regulation of mining, quarrying and dam construction in ecologically sensitive places, led to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/central-water-commission-on-kerala-floods" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>massive floods</strong></a> and landslides in 2018 and 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ineffective Satellite Monitoring:</strong> Physically monitoring of the entire Himalayan region (or any larger disaster-prone region) is not possible. However, satellite monitoring is possible and radars can help minimise loss. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Despite possessing remarkable satellite capabilities, India still hasn&rsquo;t been able to use such imagery effectively for advance warning.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Budgetary Allocation:</strong> A vital step should be explicitly including policies for climate mitigation in the government budget, along with energy, roads, health and education. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Specifically, growth targets should include <strong>timelines for switching to cleaner energy.</strong> There is also a need to launch a major campaign to mobilise climate finance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Adaptation:</strong> Even if major economies speed up climate mitigation, such catastrophes will become more frequent due to the accumulated carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Climate adaptation is the way forward here. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Disaster management strategies to be synced with the developmental plans such as <strong>infrastructure designing.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Such as in <strong>earthquake prone areas,</strong> building norms and guidelines can be issued or earthquake resistant buildings to be constructed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s Central and State governments must increase allocations for risk reduction, such as agricultural innovations to withstand <strong>droughts.</strong></li>
<li>In case of<strong> fire prone areas,</strong> an area can be divided into pockets so as to prevent any massive spread of fire.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Detailed Studies:</strong> Detailed studies should be conducted to understand which of the glacial lakes in the Himalayan region are prone to flooding. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Such research should feed into <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/environmental-impact-assessment-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Environmental Impact Assessment</strong></a> reports and guide decisions on developmental projects in the region</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Setting up Early Warning Systems:</strong> A relatively low-hanging fruit, but a very effective one, is to set up early warning systems that alert the downstream populations about an impending disaster. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This has to be <strong>coupled with plans to quickly evacuate local communities</strong> to safer regions.</li>
<li>Flooding events do not occur all of a sudden; there are ample indications like changes in water level, discharge in the rivers etc which if monitored earlier can help saving a significant number of lives and other damages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sustainable growth depends on timely climate action and for that to happen, policymaking needs to connect the dots between carbon emissions, atmospheric warming, melting glaciers, extreme floods and storms. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Events like Uttarakhand and Texas should be treated as lessons to change people&rsquo;s minds and for the public to demand urgent action.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Disasters can not be stopped but well-preparedness and strong climate change mitigation policies can definitely help prevent a huge amount of loss.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffffa;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 637px; background-color: #fefff7;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Disasters are not meteorological or geological phenomena alone, but are also determined by human interventions. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/858xS_01atM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/investment-from-china-the-issue-is-control-not-insulating-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Investment from China: The issue is control, not insulating sector&rdquo;</strong></a> published in the Economic Times on March, 03, 2021.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/changing-climate-and-deglaciation-a-warning-call'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Ease of Living & Municipal Performance Index 2020',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs released the <strong>final rankings of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-living-index#:~:text=Andhra%20Pradesh%20topped%20the%20%27Ease,and%20Urban%20Affairs%20(%20MoHUA)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ease of Living Index</a> (EoLI) 2020 </strong>and the<strong> Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Municipal Performance Index: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It has been launched as an<strong> accompaniment to the Ease of Living Index.</strong></li>
<li>It seeks to<strong> examine local government practices</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/municipal-bonds" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>municipalities</strong> </a>across areas of services, finance, policy, technology and governance.</li>
<li>It also seeks to <strong>simplify and evaluate</strong> the <strong>complexities in local governance</strong> practice and promote the ethos of transparency and accountability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The MPI <strong>examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities</strong> (with Delhi being assessed separately for NDMC, and the three Municipal Corporations).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parameters Used:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The five verticals under MPI are <strong>Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance.</strong> These five verticals comprise 20 sectors and 100 indicators in all totality.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Categories:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The assessment framework under MPI 2020 has<strong> classified municipalities based on their population:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Million+</strong> (municipalities having over a million population) and</li>
<li><strong>Less than a Million</strong> Population.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>MPI 2020 Performance</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Million+ category:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Indore has emerged as the highest ranked</strong> municipality, followed by Surat and Bhopal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Less than Million category:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>New Delhi Municipal Council topped,</strong> followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ease of Living Index</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>It is an assessment tool</strong> that evaluates the quality of life and the impact of various initiatives for urban development.</li>
<li>It <strong>provides a comprehensive understanding</strong> of participating cities across India based on quality of life, economic-ability of a city, and its sustainability and resilience.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aim:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It aims to<strong> enable cities to systematically assess themselves</strong> against global and national benchmarks and encourage them to shift towards an <strong>&lsquo;outcome-based&rsquo; approach</strong> to urban planning and management.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parameters: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Citizen Perception:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The EoLI 2020 strengthens its scope by consolidating the framework with the addition of a <strong>Citizen Perception Survey</strong> in the index, holding a <strong>weightage of 30%.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Citizen Perception Survey:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was undertaken to help <strong>validate citizens' experience of their city</strong> in terms of service delivery.</li>
<li><strong>Bhubaneswar had the highest CPS score,</strong> followed by Silvassa, Davangere, Kakinada, Bilaspur and Bhagalpur.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Existing Living Conditions:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also examines the <strong>outcomes that lead to existing living conditions.</strong></li>
<li>Across<strong> 13 categories</strong> such as Education, Health, Housing and Shelter, Buildings, Energy Consumption, and City Resilience, that <strong>account for 70% of the overall outcome.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>EoLI Performance 2020 </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Million+ Category:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614948956_ELI_drishti_ias.jpeg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614948956_ELI_drishti_ias.jpeg" width="409" height="515" style="float: right;" caption="false" /> </a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bengaluru followed by Pune and Ahmedabad.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Worst Performers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Amritsar, Guwahati, Bareilly, Dhanbad and Srinagar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Less than Million Category:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Shimla followed by Bhubaneshwar and Silvassa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Worst Performers:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Aligarh, Rampur, Namchi, Satna and Muzaffarpur.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Provide Holistic Assessment:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These indices provide a <strong>holistic assessment of cities</strong> based on their efforts to cultivate better quality of life, create infrastructure, and address challenges of <strong><a href="/mains-practice-question/question-740" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urbanization</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Help In Overcoming Deficiencies:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Learnings gathered from these indices can <strong>help the government identify gaps, tap into potential opportunities,</strong> and increase efficiency in local governance to improve the lives of citizens and fulfil broader development outcomes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Complement SDG Goals:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These indicators are also linked with the majority of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development</strong> </a>Goals (SDGs), specially to the SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities And Communities).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bengaluru-most-liveable-city-in-india-srinagar-least-reveals-survey-7214324/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-living-municipal-performance-index-2020'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Technology And Innovation Report 2021: UNCTAD',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India was the biggest <strong>&lsquo;overperformer&rsquo;</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/frontier-technologies" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>frontier technologies</strong></a> than the country's per capita <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gross Domestic Products (GDP)</strong></a> would suggest, according to a recent country-readiness index of the <strong>Technology And Innovation Report 2021.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report was released by the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-investment-report-unctad" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Point</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Report:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report examines the likelihood of frontier technologies widening existing inequalities and creating new ones.</li>
<li>It also addresses the <strong>national and international policies</strong>, instruments and institutional reforms that are needed to create a more equal world of opportunity for all, <strong>leaving no one behind.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Key Takeaway:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Frontier Tech Market:</strong> The report shows that frontier technologies already represent a USD 350 billion market, which could grow to <strong>USD 3.2 trillion by 2025.</strong></li>
<li><strong>International Cooperation:</strong> It calls for strengthened international cooperation to build innovation capacities in developing countries, facilitate technology transfer.</li>
<li><strong>Inclusive:</strong> Envisages increase women&rsquo;s participation in digital sectors, conduct technological assessments and promote an inclusive debate on the impact of frontier technologies on sustainable development.</li>
<li><strong>Humans and Machines At Work:</strong> Technological change affects inequalities through its impact on jobs, wages and profits in following ways: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-robotics-and-automation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Automation</strong></a> taking jobs</li>
<li><strong>Job displacement</strong> can also be accompanied by<strong> job polarization</strong>, which refers to an expansion in high- and low-wage jobs combined with a contraction in middle-wage jobs.</li>
<li>Frontier technologies are being used to provide services via digital platforms that have spurred the creation of a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gig-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;gig economy&rsquo;.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India Specific Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s actual index ranking is 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income is 108.</li>
<li>This meant that <strong>India overperformed</strong> other countries by 65 ranking positions. India was followed by the Philippines, which overperformed by 57 ranking positions.</li>
<li>India performed well in research and development. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is reflected in its abundant supplies of qualified and highly skilled human resources available at a comparatively low cost.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However countries such as <strong>the United States, Switzerland</strong> and the <strong>United Kingdom</strong> were <strong>&ldquo;best prepared&rdquo;</strong> for frontier technologies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges for Developing Countries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Demographic Changes:</strong> Low-income- and lower-middle-income countries have expanding and younger populations which will increase the supply of labour and depress wages, reducing the incentives for automation.</li>
<li><strong>Lower Technological and Innovation Capabilities:</strong> Low-income countries have fewer skilled people and depend to a large extent on agriculture which tends to be slower to take advantage of new technologies.</li>
<li><strong>Slow Diversification:</strong> Developing countries typically innovate by emulating industrialized countries, diversifying their economies, and absorbing and adapting new technologies for local use, but this process is slowest in the poorest countries.</li>
<li><strong>Weak Financing Mechanisms:</strong> Most developing countries have increased their R&amp;D expenditures, but these are still relatively low. There is very little private funding of industrial technologies for productive applications.</li>
<li><strong>Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer:</strong> Stringent intellectual property protection will restrict the use of frontier technologies that could be valuable in SDGs related areas such as agriculture, health and energy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Report argues that frontier technologies are essential for <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>sustainable development</strong></a>, but they also could accentuate initial inequalities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is up to policies to reduce this risk and make frontier technologies contribute to increasing equality.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A balanced approach building a robust industrial base and promoting frontier technologies is a must for success in the twenty-first century.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Frontier Technologies</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Frontier technologies are defined as <strong>potentially disruptive technologies</strong> that can address large-scale challenges or opportunities.</li>
<li>They include <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-ai-adoption-in-india-amidst-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>artificial intelligence (AI)</strong></a><strong>, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-must-get-on-the-iot-highway-fast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internet of things</a>, big data, blockchain, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/5g-technology-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5G</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/formulation-of-policy-for-3d-printing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3D printing</a>, robotics, drones, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/crispr-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gene editing</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nanotechnology-and-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nanotechnology</a> and solar photovoltaic.</strong></li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614943634_image%200.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614943634_image 0.png" width="650" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a>
<p><strong>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 to promote development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.</li>
<li>UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body headquartered at Geneva in Switzerland.</li>
<li>Some of the <strong>reports published by it are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Trade and Development Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>World Investment Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>The Least Developed Countries Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>Information and Economy Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>Technology and Innovation Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>Commodities and Development Report</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/india-an-overperformer-in-frontier-tech-among-developing-countries-un-report-75769" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/technology-and-innovation-report-2021-unctad'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Fast-track Courts to Clear Dishonoured Cheque Cases',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has proposed setting up<strong> fast-track courts</strong> for a limited time to clear <strong>dishonoured cheque cases.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier the Supreme Court has suggested forming a committee to resolve the<strong> problem of pendency of cheque bounce cases.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Supreme Court Proposal:</strong> Set up fast-track courts under <strong>Section 138 of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lok-sabha-passes-bill-on-cheque-bounce-cases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Negotiable Instruments Act, 2018</a>.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Power to establish additional courts:</strong> The government has both power and an obligation under <strong>Article 247 of the Constitution</strong> to set up &ldquo;additional courts&rdquo; to better the administration of<strong> laws enacted by Parliament,</strong> including the Negotiable Instruments Act, which deals with cheques.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Article 247:</strong> It gives power to Parliament to establish <strong>certain additional courts</strong> for the better administration of laws made by it or of any existing laws with respect to a <strong>matter enumerated in the Union List.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pendency of Dishonoured Cheque Cases:</strong> The pendency of cheque bounce cases <strong>forms 30% to 40% of the backlog in trial courts</strong> and a sizable chunk of the pile-up in High Courts.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Negotiable Instrument</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are signed documents that promise a sum of payment to a specified person or the assignee.</li>
<li>It is <strong>transferable in nature,</strong> allowing the holder to take the funds as cash or use them in a manner appropriate for the transaction or according to their preference.</li>
<li>Promissory notes, bills of exchange, and cheques are categorised as the negotiable instruments.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Dishonoured Cheque</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A cheque is said to be<strong> honoured,</strong> if the banks give the amount to the payee. While, if the bank refuses to pay the amount to the payee, the cheque is said to be <strong>dishonoured.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In other words, dishonour of cheque is a condition in which the bank refuses to pay the amount of cheque to the payee.</li>
<li>The dishonour of cheque is a <strong>criminal offence</strong> and is punishable by imprisonment up to two years or with monetary penalty or with both.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cheque:</strong> It is a <strong>negotiable instrument.</strong> Cheques are not negotiable by any person other than the payee. The cheques have to be deposited into the payee's bank account.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The author of the cheque is called &lsquo;drawer&rsquo;, the person in whose favour, the cheque is drawn is called &lsquo;payee&rsquo;, and the bank who is directed to pay the amount is known as &lsquo;drawee&rsquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Pendency of Cases in Judiciary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <strong>Economic Survey 2018-19</strong> there are about<strong> 3.5 crore cases pending in the judicial system,</strong> especially in <strong>district and subordinate courts.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>About 87.54% of the total <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/judicial-pendency-justice-delayed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>pendency of cases</strong> </a>is in the district and subordinate courts.</li>
<li>More than<strong> 64% of all <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-pending-cases-way-forward" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cases</a></strong> are <strong>pending for more than 1 year.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>average disposal time</strong> for civil and criminal cases in Indian District &amp; Subordinate courts in 2018 was 4.4 fold and 6 fold higher respectively when compared with the <strong>average of Council of Europe members (2016).</strong></li>
<li>A <strong>Case Clearance Rate of 100%</strong> (i.e. zero accumulation) can be achieved with the addition of merely 2,279 judges in the lower courts, 93 in High Courts and only one in the Supreme Court, which is<strong> already within sanctioned strength and only needs filling of vacancies.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reforms Suggested:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Increased number of <strong>working days.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Establishment of Indian Courts and Tribunal Services</strong> to focus on the administrative aspects of the legal system.</li>
<li><strong>Deployment of technology</strong> to improve efficiency of the courts, e.g. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/e-courts-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>eCourts</strong></a> Mission Mode Project and the National Judicial Data Grid being rolled-out in phases by the Ministry of Law and Justice.</li>
<li><strong>Better Case and Court Management:</strong> Professional Court Managers as suggested by the 13<sup>th</sup> Finance Commission. Court managers or equivalent professionals are the need of the hour and justice delivery can improve only if the courts accept and adopt <strong>professional help in their administration.</strong></li>
<li>Setting up of<strong> Tribunals, Fast Track Courts and Special Courts</strong> to dispense important cases at the earliest.</li>
<li>Mechanisms such as <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/alternative-dispute-resolution-adr-mechanisms-paper-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution)</strong></a>, Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas should be effectively utilised.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There should be wide introspection through extensive discussions, debates and consultations to identify the<strong> root causes of delays in our justice delivery</strong> system and provide meaningful solutions to improve the justice delivery system in India.</li>
<li>Judicial reforms, if taken seriously, expeditious and effective justice can see the light of day and improve <strong>India&rsquo;s standing in the reports of the World Bank</strong> and other institutions and organisations that study judicial processes.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-orders-panel-formation-on-pendency-of-cheque-bounce-cases/article33979962.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fast-track-courts-to-clear-dishonoured-cheque-cases'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'EPFO: Interest Rate for 2020-21',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/epfo-disbursed-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO</strong></a>) recommended that subscribers be given <strong>8.5% interest rate for Provident Fund contributions (under Employees&rsquo; Provident Funds Scheme)</strong> for 2020-2021.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Employees&rsquo; Provident Funds (EPF) Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/withdrawal-from-epf-accounts" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>EPF</strong></a> is the main scheme under the <strong>Employees&rsquo; Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952.</strong></li>
<li>This scheme <strong>offers the institution of provident funds</strong> for factory employees and other establishments.</li>
<li>The employee and employer each contribute 12% of the employee&rsquo;s basic salary and dearness allowance towards EPF.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/highlights-of-economic-survey-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Economic Survey</strong></a> 2016-17 had suggested that <strong>employees be allowed to choose</strong> whether or not to save <strong>12%</strong> of their salary into EPF or keep it as take home pay.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per current laws, <strong>a person mandatorily becomes a member of EPF if his monthly salary does not exceed Rs. 15,000.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Interest Rate:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The interest rate was <strong>kept the same</strong> as the previous year.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In March 2020, EPFO had<strong> reduced interest rate on provident fund deposits to 8.5%</strong> for the year 2019-2020.</li>
<li>The interest rate was <strong>8.65% in 2018-19 </strong>and<strong> 8.55% for 2017-18.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>High Returns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Amid falling interest rates owing to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-economic-slowdown-due-to-covid-19#:~:text=The%20government%20is%20likely%20to,the%20fiscal%20year%202019%2D20." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>economic slowdown</strong></a> throughout 2020 due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a>, the EPFO has managed to<strong> hold</strong> on to <strong>the high interest rate</strong> of 8.5% in the current year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason for High Returns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The interest rate recommended was a r<strong>esult of the income from interest from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/mutual-funds-and-emerging-indian-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt investment</a></strong> and <strong>income from equity investment.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>EPFO had decided to <strong>liquidate investment in equity</strong> through <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharat-bond-exchange-traded-fund" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>exchange traded funds</strong></a>, which it had started in <strong>2015-2016.</strong></li>
<li>This has <strong>enabled EPFO to provide higher return</strong> to its subscribers and still allowing EPFO with healthy surplus to act as cushion for providing higher return in future also.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Key Terms</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Debt Investment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It refers to an investor<strong> lending money</strong> to a firm or project sponsor with the expectation that the borrower will <strong>pay back the investment with interest.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Equity Investment:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the money that is invested in a company <strong>by purchasing shares</strong> of that company in the stock market.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Employees Provident Fund Organisation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>government organization</strong> that manages <strong>provident fund and pension accounts</strong> for the workforce engaged in the organized sector in India.</li>
<li>It implements the <strong>Employees&rsquo; Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Employees&rsquo; Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 provides for the institution of provident funds for employees in factories and other establishments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is administered by the Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment, Government of India.</li>
<li>It is <strong>one of the World's largest Social Security Organisations</strong> in terms of clientele and the volume of financial transactions undertaken.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/epfo-fixes-85-interest-on-epf-deposits-for-2020-21/article33987718.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/epfo-interest-rate-for-2020-21'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Food Waste Index Report 2021: UNEP',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/emissions-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)</strong></a> released the<strong> Food Waste Index Report 2021.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has revealed that <strong>17% of all food available at consumer level</strong>&nbsp;(11% in households, 5% in food service and 2% in retail) <strong>was wasted</strong> in 2019 and around 690 million people had to go hungry.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Report:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It presents the most comprehensive<strong> food waste data collection, analysis and modelling to date,</strong> generating a new estimate of <strong>global food waste.</strong></li>
<li>It also <strong>publishes</strong> a methodology for countries to measure food waste, at household, food service and retail level, to track national progress towards 2030.</li>
<li>In contrast to the <strong>Food Loss Index,</strong> the Food Waste Index measures total food waste (rather than loss or waste associated with specific commodities).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Food Wastage:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This report estimates that around <strong>931 million tonnes of food waste</strong> was generated in 2019.</li>
<li>61% of which came from households, 26% from food service and 13% from retail.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wastages Across All Income Groups:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Food waste generation is found to be equally relevant across all income countries such as high, upper‑middle and lower‑middle income countries. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Developed Countries like<strong> Austria</strong> produce very low amounts of waste at 39 kg/capita/year. On the other hand, countries like <strong>Nigeria</strong> are producing waste at 189 kg/capita/year. For <strong>India,</strong> the waste in kg/capita/year was 50.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This diverges from earlier narratives concentrating <strong>consumer food waste in developed countries, </strong>and <strong>food production, storage and transportation losses in developing countries.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Data Availability:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Global food waste data availability is currently low, and measurement approaches have been highly variable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Reduction of Food Waste:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reduce Hunger:</strong> Reducing food waste can slow the destruction of nature through land conversion and pollution, enhance the availability of food and thus reduce hunger and save money at a time of global recession.</li>
<li><strong>Aligned with SDGs:</strong> This Food Waste Index Report aims to advance progress on <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12.3)</strong></a>, i.e. &ldquo;By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Tackle GHG Emissions:</strong> About 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. Thus, tackling food wastage issues can further achieve <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement</strong></a> targets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions by the Report:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Enhancing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ndc-synthesis-report-unfccc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NDCs</a> (Nationally Determined Contributions) for Food Systems:</strong> To raise ambition in national climate strategies by integrating food loss and waste, and strengthen food security.</li>
<li>Co-create and adopt game-changing solutions to food waste through the <strong>UN Food Systems Summit.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Regional Food Waste Working Group:</strong> These Working Groups will provide capacity building and training to participating Member States in measuring food waste, developing a national baseline and designing national strategies for food waste prevention.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UN Food Systems Summit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the<strong> Decade of Action</strong> to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.</li>
<li>The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Food Loss Index</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Food Loss Index (FLI) <strong>focuses on food losses</strong> that occur from <strong>production up to (and not including) the retail level.</strong></li>
<li>It measures the changes in percentage losses for a basket of 10 main commodities by country in comparison with a base period.</li>
<li>The FLI contributes to measure progress towards <strong>SDG Target 12.3.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/food/17-per-cent-of-all-food-available-at-consumer-levels-was-wasted-in-2019-reveals-food-waste-index-75771#:~:text=The%20Food%20Waste%20Index%20Report,to%20households%2C%20retailers%20and%20restaurants." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:DTE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/food-waste-index-report-2021-unep'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'India-Bangladesh Bilateral Meet',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, India&rsquo;s External Affairs Minister visited Bangladesh for a bilateral meet.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This meeting comes ahead of <strong>Indian Prime Minister&rsquo;s visit to Bangladesh</strong> scheduled in March 2021.</li>
<li>Earlier a 122-member contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces has participated in the 72<sup>nd</sup> <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/republic-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Republic Day</strong></a> parade, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/50-years-of-india-bangladesh-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>commemorating 50 years of the 1971 India-Pakistan war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614936692_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614936692_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bangladesh&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Resolution of Problems:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Problems between neighbouring countries should be resolved <strong>through discussions and negotiations.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prioritising Each Others Benefit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Need to focus on possible ways to materialise commitments and accommodate each other&rsquo;s priorities in a mutually beneficial manner.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation During Covid-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bangladesh <strong>acknowledged</strong> the collaborative initiative of the two countries in implementing the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-vaccine-diplomacy#:~:text=The%20vaccination%20drive%20in%20India,India%20who%20cannot%20afford%20it." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>vaccination programme</strong></a> against the ongoing pandemic.</li>
<li>Bangladesh purchased the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid</strong></a> vaccine from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covishield-and-covaxin-approved-for-restricted-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Serum Institute of India.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bangladesh is the<strong> largest recipient of 9 million doses</strong> of Made in India vaccine.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Multidimensional Relationship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Both countries are committed to expand their relationship in all dimensions, ranging from <strong>security, trade, transport and connectivity, culture, people-to-people ties, energy,</strong> joint development of our <strong>shared resources and defence.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Congratulated Bangladesh :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>On its graduation from the <strong>Least Developed Country (LDC)</strong> status.</li>
<li>Bangladesh has been on the <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a> </strong>(UN) Least Developed Countries list since 1975.</li>
<li>Bangladesh fulfilled all the criteria necessary for its elevation to a developing country in 2018.</li>
<li>Therefore the <strong>UN</strong> has recommended <strong>graduation of Bangladesh from the category of Least Developed Country (LDC).</strong></li>
<li>Once it receives the final recommendation, <strong>Bangladesh will formally graduate to the developing nation bracket in 2026.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>More than Strategic Partners:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India-Bangladesh relations transcend strategic partnership, and <strong>bonding of both the countries is central</strong> to the realisation of a dream of a <strong>peaceful, prosperous and progressive South Asia.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Continued Interaction During Covid:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Despite the Covid<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> pandemic</strong></a>, interactions and consultations continued unabated such as:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh-virtual-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India and Bangladesh had a Virtual Summit in December 2020.</strong></a></li>
<li>A Joint Consultative Commission between the two Foreign Ministers in September 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Teesta Issue:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India and Bangladesh would have a meeting of Water Resources secretaries to discuss the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chinese-involvement-in-teesta-river#:~:text=India%2DBangladesh%20Teesta%20Dispute%3A,Barrage%20near%20their%20mutual%20border." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Teesta</strong> </a>issue.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Development of Connectivity:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India is keen to <strong>focus on the development of connectivity</strong> with Bangladesh and beyond for next 20 years to change the <strong>region's geo-economic scenario.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bangladesh Central to India&rsquo;s Policies:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bangladesh was central to India's <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/what-is-indias-neighbourhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Neighbourhood First' policy</strong> </a>and increasingly relevant to the country's <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-india-s-act-east-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Act East Policy</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Bangladesh as a <strong>key neighbour and a valued partner</strong> not only in South Asia but also in the broader <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-indo-pacific-strategic-importance" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indo-Pacific region</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Progress on Ground Situation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Practical progress has been made on the ground. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Conducting a <strong>trial run of container cargo</strong> through<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Chattogram port</strong></a> to Agartala.</li>
<li>Adding two new protocol routes to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sonamura-daudkandi-inland-waterway-route#:~:text=Key%20Points,Waterways%20of%20India%20through%20Bangladesh." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inland waterways connecting Tripura to the national waterways.</strong></a></li>
<li>Handing over <strong>10 broad gauge locomotives.</strong></li>
<li>Forming a <strong>Joint venture in the energy sector.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A year after the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-national-register-of-citizens-nrc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019-National Register of Citizens (NRC)</strong></a> issue strained the robust ties between the two countries,<strong> quiet diplomacy appears to have worked.</strong> India must keep up the partnership that allows for <strong>economic growth and improved developmental parameters</strong> for both countries.</li>
<li>Deepening <strong>relationship with Bangladesh</strong> has become a<strong> necessity in the face of shifting geo-economics.</strong> Bangladesh, with its growing economic success provides a vital partnership in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two countries share <strong>54 transboundary rivers,</strong> and water management is the key to prosperity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bangladesh-India relations have reached a stage of maturity.</strong> There is scope for India-Bangladesh ties to move to the next level, based on <strong>cooperation, coordination and consolidation.</strong></li>
<li>It is important to address specific issues like Teesta and to respond to Dhaka&rsquo;s call for help on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rohingyas-at-isolated-bangladesh-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rohingya</strong> </a>issue.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/delhi-reaches-out-to-dhaka-for-ties-beyond-strategic-partnership-7214715/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh-bilateral-meet'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Appointment of CBI Director',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A writ petition has been filed in the<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Supreme Court</strong></a> seeking the appointment of a <strong>regular <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/central-bureau-of-investigation-cbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)</a> Director.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Director of the CBI is appointed as per section 4A of the<strong> Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Director of CBI:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CBI is headed by a Director.</li>
<li>The Director of CBI as Inspector General of Police, Delhi Special Police Establishment, is responsible for the administration of the organisation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>With the enactment of<strong> CVC Act, 2003,</strong> the superintendence of Delhi Special Police Establishment vests with the Central Government to<strong> save investigations of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,</strong> in which, the superintendence vests with the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/central-vigilance-commission-cvc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Vigilance Commission.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Director of CBI has been provided<strong> security of two-year tenure</strong> in office by the CVC Act, 2003.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Appointment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013)</strong> amended the <strong>Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (1946)</strong> and made the following changes with respect to appointment of the Director of CBI:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Central Government shall appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a <strong>three-member committee</strong> consisting of the <strong>Prime Minister as Chairperson,</strong> the <strong>Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha</strong> and the <strong>Chief Justice of India</strong> or <strong>Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Later, the <strong>Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act, 2014</strong> made a change in the composition of the committee related to the appointment of the Director of C.B.I. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It states that where there is<strong> no recognized leader of opposition</strong> in the Lok Sabha, then the<strong> leader of the single largest opposition party</strong> in the Lok Sabha would be a member of that committee.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/c-b-i-and-consent-of-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> CBI</strong> </a>was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Now, the CBI comes under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the <strong>Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the<strong> Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962&ndash;1964).</strong></li>
<li>The CBI is <strong>not a statutory body.</strong> It derives its powers from the<strong> Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.</strong></li>
<li>The CBI is the<strong> main investigating agency of the Central Government.</strong></li>
<li>It also provides <strong>assistance</strong> to the Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal.</li>
<li>It is also the <strong>nodal police agency</strong> in India which coordinates investigation on <strong>behalf of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/interpol-notices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Interpol Member countries.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Instead of a regular appointment, the government has recently appointed an interim/acting CBI Director. The interim appointment through an executive order was not envisaged in the statutory scheme of the 1946 Act.</li>
<li>The premier investigative agency should function independently outside the influence of the Executive or political powers. The Supreme Court in the past has made a significant effort to enhance the functional autonomy of the CBI and limit the extent of executive discretion in the matter of appointment of this key functionary. It must make sure that there is a mechanism to ensure that the process of selection of CBI Director is completed one or two months in advance of the retirement of the incumbent.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/plea-in-supreme-court-seeks-appointment-of-regular-cbi-director-through-high-power-panel/article33991882.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/appointment-of-cbi-director'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Objections to New IT Rules',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The latest norms for <strong>social media intermediaries</strong> in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-it-rules-2021#:~:text=Recently%2C%20the%20government%20has%20notified,%2Dtop%20(OTT)%20platforms." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>New IT Rules 2021</strong></a> have drawn objections from privacy experts and lawyers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court</strong></a> (SC) had in 2015 struck down <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/section-66a-of-it-act#:~:text=Section%2066A%20dealt%20with%20information,is%20made%20a%20punishable%20offence." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Section 66A</strong></a> of the Information Technology Act finding it contrary to both <strong>Articles 19</strong> (free speech) and <strong>Article 21</strong> (right to life) of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Suspecting Everyone:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Asking &lsquo;significant social media intermediaries&rsquo; to have <strong>automated</strong> <strong>tools to proactively track certain words</strong> is akin to <strong>&ldquo;active hunting&rdquo;</strong>, and will <strong>&ldquo;make suspects out of people&rdquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>For example:</strong> For track words like <strong>interfaith marriage or love jihad</strong>, its like criminalising an entire population <strong>as most of the people must be using these words in their normal discussions.</strong> This way, an entire citizenry is being made a suspect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Against Right to Privacy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the New IT Rules of 2021, significant social media intermediaries providing services primarily in the nature of messaging shall enable identification of the first originator of the information.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This provision would <strong>end up weakening overall security, harm privacy and contradict the principles of data minimisation</strong> endorsed in the IT Ministry&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/draft-personal-data-protection-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Draft Data Protection Bill 2019.</strong></a></li>
<li>Identification of the first originator will <strong>require end to end encryption to be broken</strong>, thereby compromising the fundamental technology on which most apps are based on.</li>
<li>Moreover, owing to the volume of data, encryption has become more important now as more personal data is being aggregated and analysed at a scale that was never possible before.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Data Minimisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data Minimisation is a principle that states that <strong>data collected and processed should not be held or further used unless this is essential for reasons that were clearly stated in advance</strong> to support data privacy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will <strong>&ldquo;undermine the principles of open and accessible internet</strong> and the <strong>fundamental <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/right-to-privacy-legitimate-state-interest#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%20described%20privacy,choices%20that%20he%2F%20she%20makes." target="_blank" rel="noopener">right of privacy</a></strong> enshrined in the Constitution, particularly in the <strong>absence of robust data protection law.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>For Example:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It contains a provision <strong>requiring significant intermediaries to provide the option for users to voluntarily verify their identities.</strong></li>
<li>This would likely entail users <strong>sharing phone numbers or sending photos of government issued IDs to the companies.</strong></li>
<li>This provision will <strong>incentivize the collection of sensitive personal data</strong> that are submitted for this verification, which can then be also used to profile and target users</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Right to Privacy:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>SC</strong> described privacy and its importance in the landmark decision of <em><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/important-judgements-of-independent-india#:~:text=Union%20of%20India%20(2017),21%20of%20the%20Indian%20constitution.&amp;text=The%20Puttaswamy%20judgement%20of%202017,fundamental%20right%20in%20Indian%20Jurisprudence." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India in 2017</strong></a> </em>as a <strong>fundamental and inalienable right</strong> and attaches to the person covering all information about that person and the choices that he/ she makes.</li>
<li>The <strong>right to privacy</strong> is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fundamental-rights-and-oci-cardholders" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 21</strong></a> and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Against Freedom of Expression:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Automated forms of censorship and surveillance could <strong>disproportionately impact users&rsquo; freedom of speech and expression</strong>, suppressing creativity. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/right-to-dissent#:~:text=Significance%20of%20Right%20to%20Dissent,assemble%20peaceably%20and%20without%20arms." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 19</strong></a>(1)(a) of the Indian constitution guarantees the <strong>freedom of speech and expression.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Over Censorship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new rules provide stricter and wide-ranging obligations on intermediaries for <strong>proactive monitoring of content.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>fear of legal liability</strong> or action could <strong>lead to over-censorship of content.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Accountability and Transparency:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The news rules require social media to &ldquo;deploy technology-based measures, including <strong>automated tools</strong> (<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI)</strong></a>) <strong>to filter out objectionable content</strong> like child sexual abuse.</li>
<li>However, as history has shown, <strong>such tools not only suffer from major accuracy problems but also can lead to function creep.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier in 2020 an AI-powered tool <strong>Genderify</strong> designed to identify a person&rsquo;s gender by analyzing their name, username or email address was shut down just a week after launch after it was blamed to be<strong> biased.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Coding biases</strong> in the development of <strong>AI</strong> often <strong>lead to discrimination, inaccuracies, and a lack of accountability and transparency.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gag on Online News Media:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The rules open the way for <strong>increased scrutiny as well as increased costs of compliance and may lead to gagging</strong> of free and unhindered news reporting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/proactive-tracking-will-make-suspects-out-of-people-petitioner-of-66a-sc-judgment-7213220/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Amendment Of Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Union government amended the <strong>Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017, bringing insurance brokers within the ambit</strong> of the Insurance Ombudsman and also allowed policy holders to <strong>file online complaints.</strong></p>
<p>Key Points</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Enlarged the Scope Of Complaints:</strong> Earlier it was only disputes. Now the amended rules will cover even the <strong>deficiencies in service on the part of insurers, agents, brokers and other intermediaries.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Introduced ICT Enabled Complaint Redressal:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Enables making <strong>complaints electronically.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Complaints management system</strong> to enable policyholders to track the status of their complaints online.</li>
<li><strong>Video-conferencing for hearings.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These amendments will strengthen the <strong>timeliness and cost-effectiveness</strong> of the mechanisms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Empowering Ombudsman:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A number of amendments have been made for securing the independence and integrity of the ombudsman selection process, while also building in safeguards to secure the independence and impartiality of the appointed persons while serving as ombudsmen.</li>
<li>The selection committee will now include an <strong>individual with a track record</strong> of promoting consumer rights or advancing the cause of consumer protection in the insurance sector.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Insurance Ombudsman</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In exercise of the powers conferred by the <strong>Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999</strong> and in accordance with the <strong>Redressal of Public Grievances Rules, 1998</strong>, the office of Insurance Ombudsman was established by the Central Government.</li>
<li>Its powers, functions, terms of office etc. were laid in <strong>Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Qualification:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An Ombudsman shall be selected from amongst persons having experience of the insurance industry, civil service, administrative service or judicial service.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Selection:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An Ombudsman shall be selected by a Selection Committee comprising of: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Chairperson of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/insurance-sector-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA)</strong></a> who is also the Chairman of the Selection Committee.</li>
<li>One representative each of the Life Insurance Council and the General Insurance Council from the Executive Council of Insurers.</li>
<li>A representative of the Government of India not below the rank of a Joint Secretary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Term of Office:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Three years and it is eligible for reappointment provided that no person shall hold office as an Ombudsman after he has attained the age of seventy years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Duties and Functions:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mediation And Counselling:</strong> The Ombudsman shall act as counsellor and mediator relating to matters where there is written consent of the parties to the dispute.</li>
<li><strong>Grievance Redressal:</strong> The IRDAI may, at any time refer any complaint or dispute relating to insurance matters to the Insurance Ombudsman.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/govt-brings-insurance-brokers-within-ombudsman-ambit/article33978203.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Knowledge Diplomacy',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-atmanirbharta-space-pharmaceuticals-isro-brazil-satellite-launch-covid-vaccine-export-211595/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Knowledge and diplomacy&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 03/03/2021. It talks about the declining role of India in knowledge diplomacy.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the launch of Brazil&rsquo;s Amazonia-1 satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the export of the Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil, as part of its &ldquo;Vaccine Maitri&rdquo; diplomacy, reflects how India&rsquo;s knowledge economy can contribute to the diplomatic capital of the country.</p>
<p>Space and pharma sector&rsquo;s global success points to the knowledge industry&rsquo;s diplomatic potential and to India&rsquo;s &ldquo;soft power.&rdquo;</p>
<p>In the past, India&rsquo;s knowledge sector has helped the country to become a role model for other developing nations to develop into the knowledge economy.</p>
<p>However, in recent times India lost this leadership in the knowledge economy, barring sectors like space, pharma, and information technology.</p>
<h3>What is the Knowledge Economy?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The knowledge economy is an economic system in which goods and services are based principally on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to a rapid pace of advancement in technical and scientific innovation.</li>
<li>The key element of value is the greater dependence on human capital and intellectual property for the source of innovative ideas, information and practices.</li>
<li>Knowledge economy features a highly skilled workforce within the microeconomic and macroeconomic environment; institutions and industries create jobs that demand specialized skills to meet global market needs.</li>
<li>In principle, one's primary individual capital is knowledge and the ability to perform to create economic value. Knowledge is viewed as an additional input to labour and capital.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Knowledge Diplomacy?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Knowledge diplomacy refers to international higher education, research and innovation, in building and strengthening relations between and among countries.</li>
<li>It presents a new approach to international relations where education, science, technology, and innovation, play an important role in global developmental politics.</li>
<li>Knowledge diplomacy recognizes that many domestic issues are now global issues; and conversely, many global challenges are now domestic challenges.</li>
<li>Knowledge diplomacy recognizes that as the world becomes increasingly globalized, the interconnected and interdependent world presents new issues, threats, and opportunities that one nation cannot address alone.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Examples of India&rsquo;s Knowledge Diplomacy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s knowledge diplomacy history goes back as early as the 1950s, when many developing countries looked to India to access development-oriented knowledge.</li>
<li>Students from across Asia and Africa sought admission to Indian universities for postgraduate courses.</li>
<li>Indian expertise was sought by global organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).</li>
<li>South Korea&rsquo;s government even sent its economists to the Indian Planning Commission till the early 1960s to be trained in long-term planning. By the 1970s, Korea was beginning to overtake India as a modern industrial economy.</li>
<li>Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), which was also established by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974, acquired a global profile with business in Africa and Asia.</li>
<li>The development of India&rsquo;s dairy and livestock economy also attracted global interest.</li>
<li>Today, due to self-sufficiency in space and the pharma sector, India can place satellites of several countries into space at globally competitive rates and can supply drugs and vaccines at affordable prices to developing countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges to Leadership in Knowledge Diplomacy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brain Drain:</strong> In India, the flight of Indian talent began in the 1970s and has since accelerated. Due to the better career prospects, this has sharply increased in recent years.</li>
<li><strong>Competition From China:</strong> China has emerged as a major competitor offering equally good, if not better quality, S&amp;T products and services at a lower cost.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While India has maintained its lead in IT software, China has developed competitive capabilities in space, pharma, railways and several other knowledge-based industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Racing South-East Asian Countries:</strong> The Indian familiarity with the English language and the still good quality of teaching in mathematics and statistics have enabled Indian firms to remain competitive in data processing, business process outsourcing, and software services.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, the competitive edge is beginning to blunt due to the competition from south-east Asian countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deteriorating Education Standards:</strong> The biggest setback in India&rsquo;s knowledge economy&rsquo;s global appeal has been in higher education.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Overseas students were drawn to Indian universities and institutions because they offered good quality education at a fraction of developed country institutions&rsquo; cost.</li>
<li>The appeal of education in India for overseas students has waned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deteriorating Social Environment:</strong> Further, Indian institutions attract fewer foreign students not just because the quality of education offered in most institutions is below par, but due to the growing assertion of narrow-minded ideologies, the social environment offered here is no longer as cosmopolitan as it used to be.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Replicating Space and Pharma Success Story:</strong> If ISRO&rsquo;s global competitiveness is a tribute to public policy and government support, the pharma sector&rsquo;s global success is a tribute to private enterprise and middle-class talent in pharmacology and biotechnology.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s current global diplomacy in the fields of space and pharmaceuticals, engaging several countries around the world, is the fruit of 50 years of sustained state support for &ldquo;atmanirbharta&rdquo; in both fields.</li>
<li>Thus, there is a need for replicating the success story of Space and Pharma in other knowledge sectors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Addressing Brain Drain:</strong> The government and private sector needs to create better career prospects for Indian talent. This can help create a &ldquo;brain bank&rdquo; on which India can draw for its own development.</li>
<li><strong>Raising Education Standards:</strong> India&rsquo;s education sector is in a dire need of education reforms if India wants to make its human resource compete with the global talent.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is not only imperative for leveraging knowledge diplomacy but fulfilling the aspiration of a billion-plus country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Today, space and pharma are at the apex of a narrow pyramid of India&rsquo;s knowledge diplomacy. However, much more is needed to be done to leverage the full potential of knowledge diplomacy.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fefff2;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Indian &lsquo;atmanirbharta&rsquo; in space and pharmaceuticals is an exception. It must be the norm. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d25zFfi92r4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/reviving-the-iran-deal-on-biden-attempt-to-revive-jcpoa/article33974350.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Reviving the Iran deal: On Biden attempt to revive JCPOA&rdquo;</strong></a> published in The Hindu on February 26<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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	(int) 0 => [
		'title' => 'India - Sweden Virtual Summit',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Indian Prime Minister held a <strong>Virtual Summit</strong> with the Prime Minister of Sweden to discuss bilateral issues and other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Summit provided an opportunity to discuss the international situation and response to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19#:~:text=Covid%2D19%20pandemic%20is%20a,crises%20in%20recent%20human%20history." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> as well as regional and global issues of mutual importance including climate action, sustainable development, gender equality, counter-terrorism and disaster resilient infrastructure, among others.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615035039_image6.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615035039_image6.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Highlights of the Summit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Economic Cooperation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the <strong>launch of a second joint industrial R&amp;D call on Smart and Sustainable Cities</strong>, Transport Systems, Clean Technologies and Digitalization and Internet of Things under <strong>India-Sweden Collaborative Industrial Research &amp; Development Programme.</strong></li>
<li>Confirmed the ambition to scale up bilateral research and innovation on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-australia-circular-economy-hackathon#:~:text=Meaning%3A%20It%20is%20an%20economy,as%20a%20source%20of%20energy." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Circular Economy</strong></a> including the themes of Health and Life Sciences and Waste to Wealth during 2021.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation in Other Sectors:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the creation of a <strong>Sweden-India Health Hub at AIIMS-Jodhpur.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Noted advances in hydrogen research and their possible applications</strong>, i.e. in the Energy and other key industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation at Multilateral Forums:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed Sweden&rsquo;s decision to join the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-solar-technology-summit-isa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Solar Alliance (ISA)</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Sweden <strong>congratulated India on its eighth term as an elected member of the UN Security Council for 2021-2022.</strong></li>
<li>Reaffirmed the <strong>importance of the urgent reform of the UN Security</strong> <strong>Council</strong>, including its expansion not only to sustain credibility of multilateralism but also to deliver on the several serious common challenges facing humanity.</li>
<li>India <strong>thanked Sweden for its support to India&rsquo;s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.</strong></li>
<li>India <strong>congratulated Sweden on assuming the Chairmanship of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Action:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the USA re-entry into the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris agreement</strong></a> which gives new momentum to global climate action ahead of <strong>COP 26</strong> to be held in <strong>Glasgow, UK.</strong></li>
<li>Agreed to continue their outreach to expand the membership of the<strong> Leadership Group on Industry Transition (LeadIT).</strong></li>
<li>Agreed further to intensify their collaboration within the framework of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/arctic-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Arctic Council</strong> </a>to address global environmental protection and combating climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Security:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Welcomed the finalization of the <strong>General Security Agreement in 2019</strong> on the exchange and mutual protection of classified information, enabling a comprehensive partnership in all defence sectors.</li>
<li>Indian Prime Minister <strong>invited Swedish defence firms to participate in the "Make in India programme&rdquo;, especially in the two Defence Production Corridors</strong> in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India - Sweden Relations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Political Relations:</strong> The first <strong>India-Nordic Summit</strong> took place in the year 2018.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The King and Queen of Sweden gave a Royal Visit to India in December, 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic and Commercial relations:</strong> The bilateral trade between two countries presently stands around USD 2 billion. After China and Japan, India is Sweden's third largest trade partner in Asia.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The main items of <strong>Indian exports to Sweden</strong> are articles of apparel, clothing accessories; textiles yarn, fabrics, made-ups; manufactures of metals; road vehicles; general industrial machinery and equipment.</li>
<li>The main items of <strong>Indian imports from Sweden</strong> are pulp and waste paper; road vehicles; paper and paper board, general industrial machinery and equipment etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Being a member of <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>European Union</strong></a>, Sweden can play an important role in India&rsquo;s partnership with the European Union and EU countries.</li>
<li>The close relations will <strong>further the values of democracy</strong>, rule of law, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech, and respect for human rights.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>First India-Nordic Summit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was held in April, 2018.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> and five Nordic countries - <strong>Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark</strong> held the summit to deepen cooperation.</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Nordic for India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Discussion of key issues of <strong>security, economic growth and climate change.</strong></li>
<li>India can imitate the <strong>Nordic approach</strong> to innovation systems, characterised by a strong collaboration between public sector, private sector and academia.</li>
<li>In areas like <strong>clean technologies, maritime solutions, port modernisation, food processing, health, life-sciences and agriculture</strong>, Nordic solutions can be useful.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Leadership Group on Industry Transition</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the <strong>Paris Agreement</strong>.</li>
<li>It was launched by the <strong>governments of Sweden and India at the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/un-climate-action-summit-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UN Climate Action Summit</a></strong> in September 2019 and is supported by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/davos-dialogue-world-economic-forum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Economic Forum.</strong></a></li>
<li>LeadIT members subscribe to the notion that energy-intensive industry can and must progress on low-carbon pathways, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1702753" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Gender & Sanitation',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/womens-needs-are-key-to-swachh-bharat-success-7216123/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;In sanitation, put women in charge&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 06/03/2021. It talks about the role of gender in sanitation and hygiene.</p>
</div>
<p>The sustainable development goals (Target 6.2) require India &ldquo;by 2030, to 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.</p>
<p>In this context, the government of India has launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/swachh-bharat-mission-grameen-phase-ii-approved#:~:text=The%20Union%20Cabinet%20has%20approved,Liquid%20Waste%20Management%20(SLWM)." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swachh Bharat Mission</strong></a> (SBM), which envisages the implementation of the infrastructure of water &amp; sanitation and makes India Open defecation free.</p>
<p>Though the SBM is a people's movement for improving health and hygiene, still there are instances that girls and women face a situation where access to sanitation facilities is not easy and even it is unsafe.</p>
<p>As gender is an important notion in sanitation and hygiene, there is no doubt that women can help to drive change and bring about lasting change as the Jan Andolan of swachhta, health, and sanitation gains momentum.</p>
<h3>Challenges Involved in Gender and Sanitation</h3>
<p>As per the census 2011, more than fifty percent of India&rsquo;s population defecated in the open, and recent data showed that about 60% of rural households and 89% of urban households have access to toilets.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Marginalized Decision-Making:</strong> In practice, the promoters of swachhta rarely encourage women to participate in water and sanitation committees, which does not guarantee their participation.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, the age, position in the family, and societal and cultural barriers for females are some of the factors that determine the participation of women in sanitation decision-making.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gender-Based Sanitation Insecurity:</strong> There is a disproportionate burden faced by women especially shortage of or the non-availability of sanitation facilities that can be also called &ldquo;Gender-based sanitation insecurity.&rdquo;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The desire for privacy during bathing and defecation is different in the case of girls and women than men.</li>
<li>Thus, the non-availability of proper sanitation facilities creates a helpless situation for females and leads to the risk of faucal-orally transmitted diseases, urogenital tract infections, urinary incontinence, and chronic constipation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Risks Involved With Open Defecation:</strong> Women face threats to their life and feel unsafe while seeking a toilet facility or while going out for open defecation. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This leads to the consumption of less food and water by the women to minimize the need to exit the home to use toilets.</li>
<li>The risk involved with feeling unsafe while searching a place to go often to the toilet after dark or early in the morning; and dropping out of school at the onset of menstruation due to a lack of safe and private disposal facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Ensuring Behaviour Change:</strong> Information, education, and communication, which aims at behavior change of the masses, is key to the success of the Swachhta mission 2.0. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Swachh Bharat Mission 2 .0 speaks of sustained behavioral change while embarking on the newer agendas of sustainable solid waste management and safe disposal of wastewater and reuse.</li>
<li>A proactive SBM messaging that reflects major transformations, attempting to popularise and portray stories of women groups will create the much-needed social ripple that would inspire women to take complete charge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Positive Case Studies Bringing Behavioral Change</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are spirited instances of women leaders in sanitation: Uttara Thakur, a differently-abled panchayat head from Chhattisgarh, was determined to improve sanitation services in her village. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>She went door-to-door to motivate people to use toilets. Her contagious spirit mobilized the whole village to join hands and become open-defecation free.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In Jharkhand, trained women masons built over 15 lakh toilets in one year, and helped the state achieve its open defecation free (rural) target.</li>
<li>Besides the government, the role of non-state actors, including that of institutions like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Unicef, and several NGOs, must be lauded as we pursue sustainable sanitation using a powerful gender lens.</li>
<li>The government has also very effectively used over 8 lakh swachhagrahis, mainly women, who for small honorariums work to push through behavioral change at the community level.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Linking Sanitation &amp; Hygiene With Livelihood:</strong> The India Sanitation Coalition has helped link micro-finance with self-help groups run by women for sanitation needs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Such interventions with these groups should be promoted to drive livelihoods and produce income and well-being impact with the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tracking Gender Outcomes:</strong> A national monitoring and evaluation system to track and measure gender outcomes in SBM is necessary. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Several researchers in this space have commented that gender analysis frameworks have a long history in development practice.</li>
<li>We can learn from these frameworks to support design, implementation, and measurement that can bridge the gender equality gap in sanitation.</li>
<li>There is a need for effective communications and training programs to build the capacity of stakeholders on gender targeting, both on the supply and demand sides of interventions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>There are no quick solutions other than adopting concerted approaches to ensure the survival and protection of the girl child through good health from sanitation and nutrition, and provision of water to liberate women from collecting water and enabling their education.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffffc;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>As gender is an important notion in sanitation and hygiene, there is no doubt that women can help to drive change in achieving the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kx77bJWC8DY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/efficacious-too-the-hindu-editorial-on-covid-19-vaccine-covaxin/article33991750.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Efficacious too: On Covaxin&rdquo;</strong> </a>published in The Hindu on March 05<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/gender-sanitation'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Falling Rupee Reserves of Iran',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, Indian merchants have almost entirely stopped signing new <strong>export contracts</strong> with Iranian buyers due to caution about<strong> Iran&rsquo;s falling rupee reserves</strong> with Indian banks.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier in 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs informed that <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India is no longer involved in the Farzad-B gas field project of Iran.</strong></a> The reasons included <strong>policy changes by the Iranian government, Iran&rsquo;s uncertain finances, </strong>and<strong> the USA sanctions situation.</strong></li>
<li>In 2020, Iran also passed a bill allowing the government to slash four zeros from the Rial and authorizing its replacement with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/currency-change-in-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>another basic unit of currency called the toman (redenomination).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615029906_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615029906_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Falling Reserves:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Iran&rsquo;s rupee reserves in India&rsquo;s <strong>UCO and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/rediscovering-development-banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IDBI Bank</a>,</strong> the two lenders <strong>authorised to facilitate rupee trade,</strong> have depleted significantly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>USA sanctions</strong></a>, <strong>Iran is unable to use US dollars</strong> to transact oil sales.</li>
<li>Iran previously had a deal to sell oil to India in exchange for rupees, which it used to import critical goods, including agricultural commodities, but <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iran-oil-import-waiver-lifted" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India stopped buying Tehran&rsquo;s oil in May 2019 after a US sanctions waiver expired.</strong></a></li>
<li>Iran <strong>continued using its rupees to buy goods</strong> from India, but <strong>after 22 months of no crude sales, Iran&rsquo;s rupee reserves have fallen.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Iran&rsquo;s reserves have reduced significantly and will be over soon probably because trade has stopped.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implications:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Apprehension of Exporters:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Exporters are<strong> not sure whether they would be paid on time</strong> for new shipments and they are avoiding dealing with Iran since payments are getting delayed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Falling Indian Exports:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India's overall exports to Iran <strong>fell 42% in 2020</strong> from a year ago to USD 2.2 billion, the <strong>lowest in over a decade.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> fall is continuing in 2021</strong> and in January this year exports more than halved from a year ago to <strong>USD 100.20 million.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Growing Influence of China:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Recently signed deals between Iran and China will<strong> vastly expand Chinese presence</strong> in banking, telecommunications, ports, railways and dozens of other projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Saving India's Interests:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>China Iran strategic partnership</strong> fructifying USD 400 billion deal may be an impediment for Indian entry routes into Afghanistan through <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chabahar-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Chabahar</strong></a> and further connectivity to<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/india-central-asia-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC)</strong></a>, although Iran has not given any signals of disruption of these projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India's Role in the Region:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Maintaining ties with Iran even as it forges a new relationship with Saudi Arabia and Israel is critical for<strong> its balancing policy in West Asia.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Avoiding Sectarian Tension:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Since <strong>India is home to sizable populations of both Shia and Sunni Muslims</strong> and seeks to isolate itself from any <strong>sectarian tensions</strong> in the region, India should do well to neither completely break off ties with Iran nor go against the United States outright.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India's Energy security:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has stopped purchasing Iranian oil, which accounts for around <strong>90% of its imports from the Islamic nation.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India was Iran's<strong> leading oil client</strong> after China until <strong>mid-2018.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Peaceful Afghanistan:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India, having made significant investments in Afghanistan, will always hope for an Afghan elected, Afghan led, Afghan owned peace and reconciliation process and a popular democratic government in Afghanistan.</li>
<li>However, India has to be watchful of<strong> Iran - Pakistan- China axis</strong> developing in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan, with tentacles in the form of terror groups inside it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pakistan's Influence:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pakistan is very active in the Middle-east. Using the platform of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)</strong></a> and making connections with the particular Arab countries, Pakistan is trying to get support on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pakistan-s-provincial-status-to-gilgit-baltistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kashmir issue.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2019, New Delhi seems to have weighed in favor of Indo-USA ties by deciding to halt oil imports from Iran. However, it will have to find a way, either by persuading Washington to grant an exemption or by circumventing USA sanctions like it did in 2012-13, to continue its relationship with Iran in order to <strong>secure its energy supply</strong> and its regional foreign policy objectives.</li>
<li>India is very <strong>reliant upon Middle East oil and gas</strong> and must maintain cordial relations with most of the major suppliers, including <strong>Iran,</strong> UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Iraq.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/as-irans-rupee-reserves-drop-traders-almost-halt-exports/article33991532.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/falling-rupee-reserves-of-iran'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet Technology',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong></a> has successfully conducted the test of the <strong>Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology,</strong> which is crucial for the indigenous development of long range air-to-air missiles.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) Technology:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SFDR technology is a missile propulsion system based on the concept of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/hypersonic-technology-demonstrator-vehicle-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ramjet Engine</strong> </a>principle.</li>
<li>The system utilises a<strong> solid fuelled</strong> air-breathing ramjet engine.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Unlike solid-propellant rockets, the Ramjet takes up oxygen from the atmosphere during flight. Thus, it is light in weight and can carry more fuel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>DRDO began developing SFDR first in 2017 and had conducted successful tests in 2018 and 2019 as well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Successful demonstration of SFDR technology will enable DRDO to <strong>develop indigenous long range air-to-air missiles.</strong></li>
<li>At present, such technology is available only with a <strong>handful of countries in the world.</strong></li>
<li>Air-to-air missiles which use SFDR technology can <strong>achieve longer ranges</strong> as they <strong>do not require oxidisers</strong> (take oxygen from the atmosphere).</li>
<li>The missile based on SFDR <strong>fly at supersonic speeds and high manoeuvrability ensures</strong> the target aircraft cannot get away.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) works under the administrative control of the <strong>Ministry of Defence, Government of India.</strong></li>
<li>It is working to establish a world class science and technology base for India and provides Defence Services decisive edge by equipping them with internationally competitive systems and solutions.</li>
<li>It was established in 1958 after combining<strong> Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army</strong> and the<strong> Directorate of Technical Development &amp; Production (DTDP)</strong> with the <strong>Defence Science Organisation (DSO).</strong></li>
<li>It is responsible for carrying out <strong>Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).</strong></li>
<li>Some of the recent tests conducted by DRDO:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/helina-and-dhruvastra-anti-tank-guided-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Helina and Dhruvastra: Anti-tank Guided Missile</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/smart-anti-airfield-weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Smart Anti Airfield Weapon</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/army-variant-of-mrsam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Army Variant of MRSAM</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/land-attack-version-of-brahmos-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Land-attack Version of BrahMos Missile</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/quick-reaction-surface-to-air-missile-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile System</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/enhanced-version-of-pinaka-mk-1-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Enhanced Version of Pinaka Mk-1 Missile</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nag-missile-anti-tank-guided-missile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NAG Missile: Anti Tank Guided Missile</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ramjet</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle&rsquo;s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor.</li>
<li>Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds but they are not efficient at hypersonic speeds.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGMDP was the brainchild of renowned scientist <a href="/blog/dr-apj-abdul-kalam-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.</strong></a></li>
<li>It was intended to <strong>attain self-sufficiency</strong> in the field of missile technology.</li>
<li>After keeping in mind the requirements of various types of missiles by the defense forces, the program recognized the need to develop five missile systems.</li>
<li>The IGMDP formally got the approval of Indian government on 26<sup>th</sup> July, 1983.</li>
<li>The missiles developed under IGMDP are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Prithvi</strong></li>
<li>Intermediate-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile &ndash; <strong>Agni</strong></li>
<li>Short-range low-level surface-to-air missile &ndash;<strong> Trishul</strong></li>
<li>Medium-range surface-to-air missile &ndash; <strong>Akash</strong></li>
<li>Third generation anti-tank missile &ndash; <strong>Nag</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1702670" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/solid-fuel-ducted-ramjet-technology'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'Biju Patnaik',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik</strong> was celebrated (5<sup>th</sup> March). He is remembered as a freedom fighter, an Indian politician, an aviator and a businessman.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brief Profile:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615024521_image5.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615024521_image5.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="191" height="263" /></a></strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bijayananda Patnaik was<strong> born on 5<sup>th</sup> March 1916,</strong> he is popularly known as Biju Patnaik.</li>
<li>He was an ace pilot and joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1936.</li>
<li>He was the two times Chief Minister of Odisha.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role in Freedom Struggle:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Biju Patnaik started his career as a freedom fighter in 1942. He <strong>joined the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/quit-india-movement-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quit India Movement</a></strong> under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi to make India free. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>He became a prominent leader of Congress and was engaged in the Quit India Movement with<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jayaprakash-narayan-and-nanaji-deshmukh-jayanti" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Jay Prakash Narayan</strong></a> and<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dr-ram-manohar-lohia" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia.</strong></a></li>
<li>In 1943, he <strong>underwent imprisonment for about two years</strong> for his participation in the Quit India Movement.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>He fearlessly undertook covert missions, ferrying freedom fighters to secret meetings with their supporters, and even airdropped leaflets in support of <strong>Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose&rsquo;s <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/subhash-chandra-bose-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian National Army</a>.</strong></li>
<li>He played a major role in <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/world-war-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World War II</strong> </a>and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/external-intervention-on-kashmir-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kashmir War of 1948</strong></a> as a pilot in the Indian Air Force.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role in Kashmir Integration:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Biju Patnaik had fearlessly flown a DC-3 transport aircraft to Srinagar on 27th October 1947, ferrying soldiers of the Sikh regiment after the tribal invasion from Pakistan in Kashmir.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role in Indonesian Freedom Struggle:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>On the request of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Biju Patnaik flew to Java and brought Sultan Sjahrir out of Dutch controlled territory in Indonesia for a meeting in Delhi. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For this act of bravery, he was given honorary citizenship in Indonesia and awarded the <strong>&lsquo;Bhoomi Putra&rsquo;,</strong> the highest Indonesian award, rarely granted to a foreigner.</li>
<li>In 1996, the Biju Patnaik was awarded the highest Indonesian national award, the <strong>&lsquo;Bintang Jasa Utma&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1702783" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/biju-patnaik'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Dumping Inert Waste in Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Supreme Court-mandated<strong> Ridge Management Board</strong> has decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the proposal of dumping<strong> inert (non-reactive) waste</strong> in the mines of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asola-wildlife-sanctuary" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary</strong></a> (Delhi).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Inert Waste:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inert waste is waste which is<strong> neither biologically nor chemically reactive</strong> and is waste which <strong>will not decompose</strong> or decompose very slowly.</li>
<li>Inert waste includes, but is not limited to: <strong>construction and demolition material</strong> such as metal, wood, bricks, masonry and cement concrete; <strong>asphalt concrete; metal; tree branches;</strong> bottom <strong>ash from coal fired boilers;</strong> and waste <strong>coal fines</strong> from air pollution control equipment.</li>
<li>These wastes <strong>usually don't pose a threat to the environment, or the health of animals or other people </strong>and will<strong> not endanger the quality of watercourses.</strong></li>
<li>However, when there is a large amount of this type of waste, it can become an issue as it <strong>begins to take up a lot of space.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary covering 32.71 sq km area lies on the Southern Delhi Ridge of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/aravallis-a-mountain-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aravalli hill range</strong></a>, one of the oldest mountain systems of the world, on Delhi-Haryana border.</li>
<li>An area of 1km around the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Gurugram and Faridabad is an <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/eco-sensitive-zones" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Eco-sensitive zone.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Activities such as commercial mining, setting up of industries, and establishment of major hydro-electric projects are prohibited.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Asola wildlife sanctuary has <strong>both floral and faunal diversity</strong> in form of<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.</li>
<li>Large numbers of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sanctuary comprises around 200 species of <strong>resident and migratory birds.</strong></li>
<li>Wildlife habitats inside the sanctuary act as <strong>a water recharge zone</strong> for Delhi, Faridabad and Gurugram.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022762_image4.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022762_image4.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Ridge Management Board:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong> The<strong> Supreme Court mandated</strong> the Delhi Government to constitute a <strong>Ridge Management Board for protection of the Delhi Ridge</strong> through their orders in <strong>the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strict-vs-absolute-liability-principle#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%2C%20in%20the,case%20of%20Delhi%20in%201986.&amp;text=complex%20at%20Delhi%2C%20causing%20damages%20to%20several%20people." target="_blank" rel="noopener">M.C. Mehta case 1987.</a></strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>Delhi Ridge is the northern extension of the Aravalli Range</strong> covering a distance of about 35km.</li>
<li>The Delhi Ridge acts as the <strong>green lungs of the capital</strong> and, through various government orders over the years, all construction has been banned in the Ridge in an effort to preserve it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Date of Establishment:</strong> 6<sup>th</sup> October 1995.</li>
<li><strong>Members:</strong> The Chairman of the board is Chief Secretary of Delhi and Head of the Forest Department of Delhi Government is its Member Secretary. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Board also has members from the<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/non-governmental-organizations-ngos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/panel-to-look-into-proposal-on-dumping-inert-waste-in-bhatti-mines-7216319/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dumping-inert-waste-in-asola-bhatti-wildlife-sanctuary'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Pench Tiger Reserve: Maharashtra',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a female cub of 'man-eater' tigress Avni has been released into the wild in the<strong> Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) of Maharashtra.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is located in <strong>Nagpur District of Maharashtra</strong> and named after the pristine <strong>Pench River.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Pench river flows right through the middle of the park.</li>
<li>It descends from north to south, thereby<strong> dividing the reserve into equal eastern and western parts.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>PTR is the<strong> joint pride</strong> of both<strong> Madhya Pradesh</strong> and <strong>Maharashtra.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Reserve is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hills in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts in Madhya Pradesh, and continues in Nagpur district in Maharashtra as a separate Sanctuary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It was <strong>declared a National Park by the Government of Maharashtra in 1975</strong> and the identity of a <strong>tiger reserve was granted to it in the year 1998-1999.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, PTR Madhya Pradesh was granted the same status in 1992-1993. It is one of the major Protected Areas of <strong>Satpura-Maikal ranges</strong> of the Central Highlands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is among the sites notified as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asian-waterbird-census" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Important Bird Areas (IBA)</strong></a> <strong>of India.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The IBA is a programme of Birdlife International which<strong> aims to identify, monitor and protect a global network of IBAs</strong> for <strong>conservation of the world&rsquo;s birds</strong> and associated diversity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Flora:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The green cover is thickly spread throughout the reserve.</li>
<li>A mixture of<strong> Southern dry broadleaf teak forests</strong> and <strong>tropical mixed deciduous forests</strong> is present.</li>
<li>Shrubs, climbers and trees are also frequently present. <strong>Some of them are unique varieties and possess medicinal as well as healing properties.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Bamboo plantations</strong> are also present nearby the water banks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fauna: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mammals:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These include &ndash; sloth bear, jackal, nilgai, wild dog etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Birds:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This comprises peafowl, magpie robin, pintail, drongo, unia, myna etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Major Tiger Reserves of India:</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022051_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1615022051_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cub-of-tigress-avni-released-back-into-wild-after-over-two-years-7216145/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pench-tiger-reserve-maharashtra'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'CSIR Floriculture Mission',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>CSIR Floriculture Mission</strong> has been approved for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories of India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>CSIR&rsquo;s Societal Portal</strong> has also been launched along with the Android App.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the MIssion:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Floriculture is a branch of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/horticulture-sector-in-india#:~:text=Mission%20for%20Integrated%20Development%20of,and%20reducing%20post%2Dharvest%20losses." target="_blank" rel="noopener">horticulture</a> that deals with the cultivation, processing and marketing of ornamental plants</strong> vis-&agrave;-vis landscaping of small or large areas, and <strong>maintenance of gardens</strong> so that the surroundings may appear aesthetically pleasant.</li>
<li>The mission will <strong>focus on commercial floral crops, seasonal/annual crops, wild ornaments and cultivation of flower crops for honey bee rearing.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Some of the popular crops include Gladiolus, Canna, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera, Lilium, Marigold, Rose, Tuberose etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the mission, available knowledge base in <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/council-of-scientific-and-industrial-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)</strong></a> Institutes will be utilized and leveraged to help Indian farmers and industry.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Indian floriculture market was worth Rs. 15,700 crore in 2018. The market is projected to reach Rs. 47,200 crore by 2024 during 2019-24.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Along with <strong>CSIR, other implementing agencies</strong> involved are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indian-council-of-agricultural-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)</a>,</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-7th-may-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)</a>,</strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/apeda-trifed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APEDA and TRIFED</a>,</strong></li>
<li>Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj, and</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-commerce-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ministry of Commerce</strong></a> and <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-micro-small-and-medium-enterprises" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of the Mission:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Raising Income:</strong> Floriculture has the potential to <strong>provide employment</strong> to a large number of people through nursery raising, floriculture farming, <strong>entrepreneurship development</strong> for nursery trade, value addition and export.</li>
<li><strong>Agro Climatic diversity:</strong> India has diverse agro-climatic and edaphic conditions (physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil), and rich plant diversity, still it shares only 0.6% of the global floriculture market.</li>
<li><strong>Import Substitution: At least 1200 million USD worth of floriculture products are being imported by India every year</strong> from different countries.</li>
<li>The <strong>convergence</strong> of Floriculture with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/beekeeping-development-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Apiculture (beekeeping)</strong></a> as envisaged in the mission will yield even greater benefits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Related Initiative (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is a <strong>Centrally Sponsored Scheme</strong> for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root &amp; tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About CSIR&rsquo;s Societal Portal:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This Portal has been developed by CSIR Team with the help of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/Aim-&amp;-mygov-launches-innovate-india-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MyGov Team</strong></a>.</li>
<li>The Portal is to <strong>facilitate the public to submit the societal problems</strong> that can be resolved using S&amp;T interventions.</li>
<li>This is the first step in terms of seeking inputs on challenges and problems being faced by different stakeholders in society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Council of Scientific &amp; Industrial Research</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body. It comes under the <strong>Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</strong></li>
<li>It is known for its cutting edge research and development knowledge base in diverse science and technology areas.</li>
<li>It has been<strong> ranked first in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nature-index-2020-index-of-scientific-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Ranking Index-2020</a>.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Nature Index provides close to a real-time proxy of high-quality research output and collaboration at the institutional, national and regional level.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1702516" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/csir-floriculture-mission'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'QS World Subject Rankings 2021',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>25 programmes</strong> offered by higher education institutions in India <strong>ranked among the top 100 in the world</strong> in their respective subject categories, according to the <strong>latest edition (11<sup>th</sup>) of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the QS World Subject Rankings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Quacquarelli Symonds (QS):</strong> It is a leading global career and education network for ambitious professionals looking to further their personal and professional development.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>QS develops and successfully implements methods of comparative data collection and analysis used to highlight institutions&rsquo; strengths.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>QS World University Rankings:</strong> It is <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/qs-world-university-rankings" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>an annual publication</strong></a> of university rankings which <strong>comprises the global overall and subject rankings.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Six parameters and their weightage</strong> for the evaluation:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Academic Reputation (40%)</li>
<li>Employer Reputation (10%)</li>
<li>Faculty/Student Ratio (20%)</li>
<li>Citations per faculty (20%)</li>
<li>International Faculty Ratio (5%)</li>
<li>International Student Ratio (5%)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>QS World University Rankings by Subject:</strong> It calculates performance based on <strong>four parameters</strong> &mdash; academic reputation, employer reputation, research impact (citations per paper) and the productivity of an institution&rsquo;s research faculty.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Globally <strong>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</strong> (MIT -USA) and <strong>Harvard</strong> (USA) <strong>are among top performers, Russia and China record best-ever performances.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Performance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 2021 QS&rsquo;s global university performance comparison offered independent <strong>data on the performance of 253 programs at 52 Indian higher education institutions, across 51 academic disciplines.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>number of Indian universities/institutes in the top 100 subject rankings </strong>has<strong> increased from 8 to 12 this year.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>12 Indian institutions</strong> that have made it to the top 100 of the world - IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISC Bangalore, IIT Guwahati, IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, JNU, Anna University, University of Delhi and OP Jindal University.</li>
<li><strong>IIT-Bombay has cornered more top 100 positions</strong> than any other Indian institution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Except one, all the 25 programmes are in institutions run by either the state or union government.</strong> However, <strong>last year, this number stood at 26.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>17 of the 25</strong> globally ranked Indian programmes are in <strong>engineering. IIT-Madras&rsquo;s Petroleum Engineering programme registered the best performance among Indian institutes</strong> - 30<sup>th</sup> in the world.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>government-run <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/institutions-of-eminence-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Institutions of Eminence (IoE)</a> remains significantly better-represented in the rankings</strong> than the private ones.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>OP Jindal Global University</strong> has entered the global top-100 for law (76<sup>th</sup>). This is the <strong>only top-100 result achieved by a private IoE.</strong></li>
<li><strong>IoE:</strong> It is a government's scheme to provide the regulatory architecture for setting up or upgrading of 20 Institutions (10 from public sector and 10 from the private sector) as world-class teaching and research institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> All India Institute of Medical Sciences remained the only institution in the top 300 in the area of life sciences and medicine,</strong> but also dropped more than 10 places.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>One of the biggest <strong>challenges faced by India is providing high-quality tertiary education</strong> in the face of exploding demand - this much was recognized by last year&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy (NEP)</strong></a>, which set the ambitious target of a 50% gross enrolment ratio by 2035. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It should therefore be <strong>small cause for concern that the number of Indian programs featuring across 51 subject rankings has actually decreased over the last year &ndash;</strong> from 235 to 233.</li>
<li>While this is a minor decrease, it is indicative of the fact that<strong> expanding provision in a way that does not sacrifice quality</strong> remains a highly-challenging task.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A <strong>number of programs at India&rsquo;s privately-run prospective Institutions of Eminence have made progress</strong> this year, demonstrating the positive role that well-regulated private provision can have in enhancing India&rsquo;s higher education sector.</li>
<li><strong>India</strong> remains<strong> at the forefront of global environmental science research.</strong> Data indicates that <strong>India ranks 5<sup>th</sup> in terms of its research footprint</strong> in this field &ndash; behind only Germany, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.</li>
<li><strong>Commonalities between nations</strong> that are improving and nations that are not <strong>(three factors):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>First, <strong>an international outlook &ndash;</strong> both in terms of faculty body and research relationships&ndash; correlates strongly with improved performance.</li>
<li>Second, rising universities have received<strong> strong targeted investment from governments</strong> over a decade or more&ndash; particularly in China, Russia, and Singapore.</li>
<li>Third, <strong>improving relationships with industry</strong> is correlated with better employment, research, and innovation outcomes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Institutional Ranking Framework</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education)</strong> established the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-rankings-2020-nirf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)</a> in September 2015.</strong></li>
<li>This framework <strong>outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country</strong> according to parameters covering: Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practice; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; and Perception.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/education/india-score-in-qs-subject-ranking-25-programmes-12-institutes-in-top-100-7214720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/qs-world-subject-rankings-2021'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Changing Climate and Deglaciation: A Warning Call',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/climate-and-consciousness/article33983396.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Climate and Consciousness&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 04/03/2021. It talks about the impacts of indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources just for the sake of development and how the recent disasters are a warning call for stringent policies regarding environment protection.</p>
</div>
<p>Humans have come quite far in terms of development, but unfortunately have left the concerns for the environment behind.</p>
<p>It is quite common to hear policymakers and the public referring to natural disasters &ldquo;acts of God&rdquo;. But concluding from events such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uttarakhand-flash-flood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Chamoli Flash Floods</strong></a> and<strong> flood in Kedarnath</strong> in 2013, it wasn&rsquo;t actually the god but human interventions with the natural environment.</p>
<p>Climate actions will continue to falter unless climate change is tagged as a primary culprit, instead of actions of god.</p>
<h3>The Changing Climate</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Floods in the Himalayan Region:</strong> The Himalayan region has about 15,000 glaciers, which are retreating at a rate of 100 to 200 feet per decade. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The melting of the Himalayan glaciers that prompted the floods and landslides in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have the fingerprints of global warming.</li>
<li>In 2013, glacial flooding in Kedarnath caused over 6,000 deaths during the monsoon months.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Events:</strong> In 2003, the European heat wave killed over 70,000 people. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The years 2015-19 have globally been the warmest years on record.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/amazon-rainforest" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Amazon</strong></a> fire of 2019, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/australian-bushfire#:~:text=The%20fire%20has%20impacted%20more,of%20wild%20animals%20have%20died.&amp;text=The%20three%20years%20between%202017,(a%20state%20of%20Australia)" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>bush fires of 2019-20 in Australia</strong></a> are some of the most dangerous impacts of changing climate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Emission:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/emissions-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2020</strong></a> showed that the year 2020 set new records in terms of rise in extreme weather events, including wildfires and hurricanes, and in the melting of glaciers and ice at both poles. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the report, despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pandemic</strong></a>, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3&deg;C this century; far beyond the 2015 <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-climate-change-act-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement</strong></a> goals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Story of Texas</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, Texas, US has been hit by extremely cold weather leading to<strong> strong wind storms</strong> in the state. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The winter storm has killed 21 people and left around 4.4 million without power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The brutal cold has engulfed vast swaths of the United States,<strong> shuttering Covid-19 inoculation centers and hindering vaccine supplies.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>double-digit negative temperatures</strong> (temperatures have fallen as low as -14&deg;C) are connected to <strong>Arctic-peninsula warming.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Usually, there is a collection of winds around the Arctic keeping the cold locked far to the north, known as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/polar-vortex" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Polar Vortex</strong></a>.</li>
<li>But <strong>global warming has caused gaps in these protective winds,</strong> allowing intensely cold air to move south: the phenomenon is accelerating.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India and Climate Change</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>One of the Largest Emitters:</strong> For India, <strong>the third-largest carbon emitter after China and the United States,</strong> a decisive switch is needed from highly polluting coal and petroleum to cleaner and <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-india-s-renewable-energy-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>renewable power sources.</strong></a> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China has announced carbon neutrality by 2060, Japan and South Korea by 2050, but <strong>India is yet to announce a target. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Rankings and Estimates:</strong> The HSBC ranks India at the top among 67 nations in <strong>climate vulnerability</strong> (2018), <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Germanwatch ranks India fifth among 181 nations in terms of <strong>climate risks</strong> (2020).</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank</strong></a> has warned that climate change could sharply diminish living conditions for up to 800 million people in South Asia.</li>
<li>As per the Emissions Gap Report 2020, over the last decade, China, USA, EU27+UK and India combined, have contributed to <strong>55%</strong> of the total GHG emissions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Associated</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>No Stringent Policies:</strong> A big worry is that the state and central governments have been diluting, instead of strengthening, climate safeguards for hydroelectric and road projects. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Studies had flagged ice loss across the Himalayas has been rapidly melting thus increasing the dangers to densely populated catchments, but any hard and fast policy response has been lacking.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Proper Training Programs:</strong> There were no awareness programs or training provided to the people about disaster management by the government in case of the recent Uttarakhand floods.</li>
<li><strong>Ignorance by Government:</strong> A 2012 expert group appointed by the government had recommended against the construction of dams in the <strong>Alaknanda-Bhagirathi basin, including on the Rishiganga</strong> and in &ldquo;the periglacial zone,&rdquo; but the recommendations were ignored.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Similarly, ignorance of the Kerala government in terms of regulation of mining, quarrying and dam construction in ecologically sensitive places, led to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/central-water-commission-on-kerala-floods" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>massive floods</strong></a> and landslides in 2018 and 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ineffective Satellite Monitoring:</strong> Physically monitoring of the entire Himalayan region (or any larger disaster-prone region) is not possible. However, satellite monitoring is possible and radars can help minimise loss. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Despite possessing remarkable satellite capabilities, India still hasn&rsquo;t been able to use such imagery effectively for advance warning.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Budgetary Allocation:</strong> A vital step should be explicitly including policies for climate mitigation in the government budget, along with energy, roads, health and education. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Specifically, growth targets should include <strong>timelines for switching to cleaner energy.</strong> There is also a need to launch a major campaign to mobilise climate finance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Climate Adaptation:</strong> Even if major economies speed up climate mitigation, such catastrophes will become more frequent due to the accumulated carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Climate adaptation is the way forward here. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Disaster management strategies to be synced with the developmental plans such as <strong>infrastructure designing.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Such as in <strong>earthquake prone areas,</strong> building norms and guidelines can be issued or earthquake resistant buildings to be constructed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s Central and State governments must increase allocations for risk reduction, such as agricultural innovations to withstand <strong>droughts.</strong></li>
<li>In case of<strong> fire prone areas,</strong> an area can be divided into pockets so as to prevent any massive spread of fire.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Detailed Studies:</strong> Detailed studies should be conducted to understand which of the glacial lakes in the Himalayan region are prone to flooding. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Such research should feed into <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/environmental-impact-assessment-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Environmental Impact Assessment</strong></a> reports and guide decisions on developmental projects in the region</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Setting up Early Warning Systems:</strong> A relatively low-hanging fruit, but a very effective one, is to set up early warning systems that alert the downstream populations about an impending disaster. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This has to be <strong>coupled with plans to quickly evacuate local communities</strong> to safer regions.</li>
<li>Flooding events do not occur all of a sudden; there are ample indications like changes in water level, discharge in the rivers etc which if monitored earlier can help saving a significant number of lives and other damages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sustainable growth depends on timely climate action and for that to happen, policymaking needs to connect the dots between carbon emissions, atmospheric warming, melting glaciers, extreme floods and storms. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Events like Uttarakhand and Texas should be treated as lessons to change people&rsquo;s minds and for the public to demand urgent action.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Disasters can not be stopped but well-preparedness and strong climate change mitigation policies can definitely help prevent a huge amount of loss.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffffa;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 637px; background-color: #fefff7;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Disasters are not meteorological or geological phenomena alone, but are also determined by human interventions. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/858xS_01atM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/investment-from-china-the-issue-is-control-not-insulating-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Investment from China: The issue is control, not insulating sector&rdquo;</strong></a> published in the Economic Times on March, 03, 2021.</p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/changing-climate-and-deglaciation-a-warning-call'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Ease of Living & Municipal Performance Index 2020',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs released the <strong>final rankings of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-living-index#:~:text=Andhra%20Pradesh%20topped%20the%20%27Ease,and%20Urban%20Affairs%20(%20MoHUA)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ease of Living Index</a> (EoLI) 2020 </strong>and the<strong> Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Municipal Performance Index: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It has been launched as an<strong> accompaniment to the Ease of Living Index.</strong></li>
<li>It seeks to<strong> examine local government practices</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/municipal-bonds" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>municipalities</strong> </a>across areas of services, finance, policy, technology and governance.</li>
<li>It also seeks to <strong>simplify and evaluate</strong> the <strong>complexities in local governance</strong> practice and promote the ethos of transparency and accountability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The MPI <strong>examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities</strong> (with Delhi being assessed separately for NDMC, and the three Municipal Corporations).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parameters Used:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The five verticals under MPI are <strong>Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance.</strong> These five verticals comprise 20 sectors and 100 indicators in all totality.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Categories:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The assessment framework under MPI 2020 has<strong> classified municipalities based on their population:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Million+</strong> (municipalities having over a million population) and</li>
<li><strong>Less than a Million</strong> Population.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>MPI 2020 Performance</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Million+ category:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Indore has emerged as the highest ranked</strong> municipality, followed by Surat and Bhopal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Less than Million category:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>New Delhi Municipal Council topped,</strong> followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ease of Living Index</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>It is an assessment tool</strong> that evaluates the quality of life and the impact of various initiatives for urban development.</li>
<li>It <strong>provides a comprehensive understanding</strong> of participating cities across India based on quality of life, economic-ability of a city, and its sustainability and resilience.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aim:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It aims to<strong> enable cities to systematically assess themselves</strong> against global and national benchmarks and encourage them to shift towards an <strong>&lsquo;outcome-based&rsquo; approach</strong> to urban planning and management.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parameters: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Citizen Perception:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The EoLI 2020 strengthens its scope by consolidating the framework with the addition of a <strong>Citizen Perception Survey</strong> in the index, holding a <strong>weightage of 30%.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Citizen Perception Survey:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was undertaken to help <strong>validate citizens' experience of their city</strong> in terms of service delivery.</li>
<li><strong>Bhubaneswar had the highest CPS score,</strong> followed by Silvassa, Davangere, Kakinada, Bilaspur and Bhagalpur.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Existing Living Conditions:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also examines the <strong>outcomes that lead to existing living conditions.</strong></li>
<li>Across<strong> 13 categories</strong> such as Education, Health, Housing and Shelter, Buildings, Energy Consumption, and City Resilience, that <strong>account for 70% of the overall outcome.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>EoLI Performance 2020 </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Million+ Category:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614948956_ELI_drishti_ias.jpeg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614948956_ELI_drishti_ias.jpeg" width="409" height="515" style="float: right;" caption="false" /> </a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bengaluru followed by Pune and Ahmedabad.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Worst Performers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Amritsar, Guwahati, Bareilly, Dhanbad and Srinagar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Less than Million Category:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Shimla followed by Bhubaneshwar and Silvassa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Worst Performers:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Aligarh, Rampur, Namchi, Satna and Muzaffarpur.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance: </strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Provide Holistic Assessment:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These indices provide a <strong>holistic assessment of cities</strong> based on their efforts to cultivate better quality of life, create infrastructure, and address challenges of <strong><a href="/mains-practice-question/question-740" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urbanization</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Help In Overcoming Deficiencies:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Learnings gathered from these indices can <strong>help the government identify gaps, tap into potential opportunities,</strong> and increase efficiency in local governance to improve the lives of citizens and fulfil broader development outcomes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Complement SDG Goals:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These indicators are also linked with the majority of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development</strong> </a>Goals (SDGs), specially to the SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities And Communities).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bengaluru-most-liveable-city-in-india-srinagar-least-reveals-survey-7214324/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ease-of-living-municipal-performance-index-2020'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Technology And Innovation Report 2021: UNCTAD',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India was the biggest <strong>&lsquo;overperformer&rsquo;</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/frontier-technologies" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>frontier technologies</strong></a> than the country's per capita <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gross Domestic Products (GDP)</strong></a> would suggest, according to a recent country-readiness index of the <strong>Technology And Innovation Report 2021.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The report was released by the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-investment-report-unctad" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Point</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Report:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report examines the likelihood of frontier technologies widening existing inequalities and creating new ones.</li>
<li>It also addresses the <strong>national and international policies</strong>, instruments and institutional reforms that are needed to create a more equal world of opportunity for all, <strong>leaving no one behind.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Key Takeaway:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Frontier Tech Market:</strong> The report shows that frontier technologies already represent a USD 350 billion market, which could grow to <strong>USD 3.2 trillion by 2025.</strong></li>
<li><strong>International Cooperation:</strong> It calls for strengthened international cooperation to build innovation capacities in developing countries, facilitate technology transfer.</li>
<li><strong>Inclusive:</strong> Envisages increase women&rsquo;s participation in digital sectors, conduct technological assessments and promote an inclusive debate on the impact of frontier technologies on sustainable development.</li>
<li><strong>Humans and Machines At Work:</strong> Technological change affects inequalities through its impact on jobs, wages and profits in following ways: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-robotics-and-automation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Automation</strong></a> taking jobs</li>
<li><strong>Job displacement</strong> can also be accompanied by<strong> job polarization</strong>, which refers to an expansion in high- and low-wage jobs combined with a contraction in middle-wage jobs.</li>
<li>Frontier technologies are being used to provide services via digital platforms that have spurred the creation of a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gig-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;gig economy&rsquo;.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India Specific Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s actual index ranking is 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income is 108.</li>
<li>This meant that <strong>India overperformed</strong> other countries by 65 ranking positions. India was followed by the Philippines, which overperformed by 57 ranking positions.</li>
<li>India performed well in research and development. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is reflected in its abundant supplies of qualified and highly skilled human resources available at a comparatively low cost.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However countries such as <strong>the United States, Switzerland</strong> and the <strong>United Kingdom</strong> were <strong>&ldquo;best prepared&rdquo;</strong> for frontier technologies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges for Developing Countries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Demographic Changes:</strong> Low-income- and lower-middle-income countries have expanding and younger populations which will increase the supply of labour and depress wages, reducing the incentives for automation.</li>
<li><strong>Lower Technological and Innovation Capabilities:</strong> Low-income countries have fewer skilled people and depend to a large extent on agriculture which tends to be slower to take advantage of new technologies.</li>
<li><strong>Slow Diversification:</strong> Developing countries typically innovate by emulating industrialized countries, diversifying their economies, and absorbing and adapting new technologies for local use, but this process is slowest in the poorest countries.</li>
<li><strong>Weak Financing Mechanisms:</strong> Most developing countries have increased their R&amp;D expenditures, but these are still relatively low. There is very little private funding of industrial technologies for productive applications.</li>
<li><strong>Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer:</strong> Stringent intellectual property protection will restrict the use of frontier technologies that could be valuable in SDGs related areas such as agriculture, health and energy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Report argues that frontier technologies are essential for <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>sustainable development</strong></a>, but they also could accentuate initial inequalities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is up to policies to reduce this risk and make frontier technologies contribute to increasing equality.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A balanced approach building a robust industrial base and promoting frontier technologies is a must for success in the twenty-first century.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Frontier Technologies</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Frontier technologies are defined as <strong>potentially disruptive technologies</strong> that can address large-scale challenges or opportunities.</li>
<li>They include <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-ai-adoption-in-india-amidst-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>artificial intelligence (AI)</strong></a><strong>, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-must-get-on-the-iot-highway-fast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internet of things</a>, big data, blockchain, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/5g-technology-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5G</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/formulation-of-policy-for-3d-printing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3D printing</a>, robotics, drones, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/crispr-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gene editing</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nanotechnology-and-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nanotechnology</a> and solar photovoltaic.</strong></li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614943634_image%200.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614943634_image 0.png" width="650" caption="false" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a>
<p><strong>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 to promote development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.</li>
<li>UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body headquartered at Geneva in Switzerland.</li>
<li>Some of the <strong>reports published by it are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Trade and Development Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>World Investment Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>The Least Developed Countries Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>Information and Economy Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>Technology and Innovation Report</strong></li>
<li><strong>Commodities and Development Report</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/india-an-overperformer-in-frontier-tech-among-developing-countries-un-report-75769" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/technology-and-innovation-report-2021-unctad'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Fast-track Courts to Clear Dishonoured Cheque Cases',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has proposed setting up<strong> fast-track courts</strong> for a limited time to clear <strong>dishonoured cheque cases.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier the Supreme Court has suggested forming a committee to resolve the<strong> problem of pendency of cheque bounce cases.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Supreme Court Proposal:</strong> Set up fast-track courts under <strong>Section 138 of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lok-sabha-passes-bill-on-cheque-bounce-cases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Negotiable Instruments Act, 2018</a>.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Power to establish additional courts:</strong> The government has both power and an obligation under <strong>Article 247 of the Constitution</strong> to set up &ldquo;additional courts&rdquo; to better the administration of<strong> laws enacted by Parliament,</strong> including the Negotiable Instruments Act, which deals with cheques.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Article 247:</strong> It gives power to Parliament to establish <strong>certain additional courts</strong> for the better administration of laws made by it or of any existing laws with respect to a <strong>matter enumerated in the Union List.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pendency of Dishonoured Cheque Cases:</strong> The pendency of cheque bounce cases <strong>forms 30% to 40% of the backlog in trial courts</strong> and a sizable chunk of the pile-up in High Courts.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Negotiable Instrument</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are signed documents that promise a sum of payment to a specified person or the assignee.</li>
<li>It is <strong>transferable in nature,</strong> allowing the holder to take the funds as cash or use them in a manner appropriate for the transaction or according to their preference.</li>
<li>Promissory notes, bills of exchange, and cheques are categorised as the negotiable instruments.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Dishonoured Cheque</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A cheque is said to be<strong> honoured,</strong> if the banks give the amount to the payee. While, if the bank refuses to pay the amount to the payee, the cheque is said to be <strong>dishonoured.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In other words, dishonour of cheque is a condition in which the bank refuses to pay the amount of cheque to the payee.</li>
<li>The dishonour of cheque is a <strong>criminal offence</strong> and is punishable by imprisonment up to two years or with monetary penalty or with both.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cheque:</strong> It is a <strong>negotiable instrument.</strong> Cheques are not negotiable by any person other than the payee. The cheques have to be deposited into the payee's bank account.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The author of the cheque is called &lsquo;drawer&rsquo;, the person in whose favour, the cheque is drawn is called &lsquo;payee&rsquo;, and the bank who is directed to pay the amount is known as &lsquo;drawee&rsquo;.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Pendency of Cases in Judiciary</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <strong>Economic Survey 2018-19</strong> there are about<strong> 3.5 crore cases pending in the judicial system,</strong> especially in <strong>district and subordinate courts.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>About 87.54% of the total <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/judicial-pendency-justice-delayed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>pendency of cases</strong> </a>is in the district and subordinate courts.</li>
<li>More than<strong> 64% of all <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-pending-cases-way-forward" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cases</a></strong> are <strong>pending for more than 1 year.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>average disposal time</strong> for civil and criminal cases in Indian District &amp; Subordinate courts in 2018 was 4.4 fold and 6 fold higher respectively when compared with the <strong>average of Council of Europe members (2016).</strong></li>
<li>A <strong>Case Clearance Rate of 100%</strong> (i.e. zero accumulation) can be achieved with the addition of merely 2,279 judges in the lower courts, 93 in High Courts and only one in the Supreme Court, which is<strong> already within sanctioned strength and only needs filling of vacancies.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reforms Suggested:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Increased number of <strong>working days.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Establishment of Indian Courts and Tribunal Services</strong> to focus on the administrative aspects of the legal system.</li>
<li><strong>Deployment of technology</strong> to improve efficiency of the courts, e.g. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/e-courts-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>eCourts</strong></a> Mission Mode Project and the National Judicial Data Grid being rolled-out in phases by the Ministry of Law and Justice.</li>
<li><strong>Better Case and Court Management:</strong> Professional Court Managers as suggested by the 13<sup>th</sup> Finance Commission. Court managers or equivalent professionals are the need of the hour and justice delivery can improve only if the courts accept and adopt <strong>professional help in their administration.</strong></li>
<li>Setting up of<strong> Tribunals, Fast Track Courts and Special Courts</strong> to dispense important cases at the earliest.</li>
<li>Mechanisms such as <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/alternative-dispute-resolution-adr-mechanisms-paper-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution)</strong></a>, Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas should be effectively utilised.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There should be wide introspection through extensive discussions, debates and consultations to identify the<strong> root causes of delays in our justice delivery</strong> system and provide meaningful solutions to improve the justice delivery system in India.</li>
<li>Judicial reforms, if taken seriously, expeditious and effective justice can see the light of day and improve <strong>India&rsquo;s standing in the reports of the World Bank</strong> and other institutions and organisations that study judicial processes.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-orders-panel-formation-on-pendency-of-cheque-bounce-cases/article33979962.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fast-track-courts-to-clear-dishonoured-cheque-cases'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'EPFO: Interest Rate for 2020-21',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/epfo-disbursed-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO</strong></a>) recommended that subscribers be given <strong>8.5% interest rate for Provident Fund contributions (under Employees&rsquo; Provident Funds Scheme)</strong> for 2020-2021.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Employees&rsquo; Provident Funds (EPF) Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/withdrawal-from-epf-accounts" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>EPF</strong></a> is the main scheme under the <strong>Employees&rsquo; Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952.</strong></li>
<li>This scheme <strong>offers the institution of provident funds</strong> for factory employees and other establishments.</li>
<li>The employee and employer each contribute 12% of the employee&rsquo;s basic salary and dearness allowance towards EPF.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/highlights-of-economic-survey-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Economic Survey</strong></a> 2016-17 had suggested that <strong>employees be allowed to choose</strong> whether or not to save <strong>12%</strong> of their salary into EPF or keep it as take home pay.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per current laws, <strong>a person mandatorily becomes a member of EPF if his monthly salary does not exceed Rs. 15,000.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Interest Rate:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The interest rate was <strong>kept the same</strong> as the previous year.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In March 2020, EPFO had<strong> reduced interest rate on provident fund deposits to 8.5%</strong> for the year 2019-2020.</li>
<li>The interest rate was <strong>8.65% in 2018-19 </strong>and<strong> 8.55% for 2017-18.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>High Returns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Amid falling interest rates owing to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-economic-slowdown-due-to-covid-19#:~:text=The%20government%20is%20likely%20to,the%20fiscal%20year%202019%2D20." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>economic slowdown</strong></a> throughout 2020 due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a>, the EPFO has managed to<strong> hold</strong> on to <strong>the high interest rate</strong> of 8.5% in the current year.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason for High Returns:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The interest rate recommended was a r<strong>esult of the income from interest from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/mutual-funds-and-emerging-indian-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt investment</a></strong> and <strong>income from equity investment.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>EPFO had decided to <strong>liquidate investment in equity</strong> through <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bharat-bond-exchange-traded-fund" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>exchange traded funds</strong></a>, which it had started in <strong>2015-2016.</strong></li>
<li>This has <strong>enabled EPFO to provide higher return</strong> to its subscribers and still allowing EPFO with healthy surplus to act as cushion for providing higher return in future also.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Key Terms</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Debt Investment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It refers to an investor<strong> lending money</strong> to a firm or project sponsor with the expectation that the borrower will <strong>pay back the investment with interest.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Equity Investment:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the money that is invested in a company <strong>by purchasing shares</strong> of that company in the stock market.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Employees Provident Fund Organisation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>government organization</strong> that manages <strong>provident fund and pension accounts</strong> for the workforce engaged in the organized sector in India.</li>
<li>It implements the <strong>Employees&rsquo; Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Employees&rsquo; Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 provides for the institution of provident funds for employees in factories and other establishments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is administered by the Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment, Government of India.</li>
<li>It is <strong>one of the World's largest Social Security Organisations</strong> in terms of clientele and the volume of financial transactions undertaken.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/epfo-fixes-85-interest-on-epf-deposits-for-2020-21/article33987718.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/epfo-interest-rate-for-2020-21'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Food Waste Index Report 2021: UNEP',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/emissions-gap-report-2020-unep" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)</strong></a> released the<strong> Food Waste Index Report 2021.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has revealed that <strong>17% of all food available at consumer level</strong>&nbsp;(11% in households, 5% in food service and 2% in retail) <strong>was wasted</strong> in 2019 and around 690 million people had to go hungry.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Report:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It presents the most comprehensive<strong> food waste data collection, analysis and modelling to date,</strong> generating a new estimate of <strong>global food waste.</strong></li>
<li>It also <strong>publishes</strong> a methodology for countries to measure food waste, at household, food service and retail level, to track national progress towards 2030.</li>
<li>In contrast to the <strong>Food Loss Index,</strong> the Food Waste Index measures total food waste (rather than loss or waste associated with specific commodities).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Food Wastage:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This report estimates that around <strong>931 million tonnes of food waste</strong> was generated in 2019.</li>
<li>61% of which came from households, 26% from food service and 13% from retail.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wastages Across All Income Groups:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Food waste generation is found to be equally relevant across all income countries such as high, upper‑middle and lower‑middle income countries. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Developed Countries like<strong> Austria</strong> produce very low amounts of waste at 39 kg/capita/year. On the other hand, countries like <strong>Nigeria</strong> are producing waste at 189 kg/capita/year. For <strong>India,</strong> the waste in kg/capita/year was 50.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This diverges from earlier narratives concentrating <strong>consumer food waste in developed countries, </strong>and <strong>food production, storage and transportation losses in developing countries.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Data Availability:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Global food waste data availability is currently low, and measurement approaches have been highly variable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance of Reduction of Food Waste:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Reduce Hunger:</strong> Reducing food waste can slow the destruction of nature through land conversion and pollution, enhance the availability of food and thus reduce hunger and save money at a time of global recession.</li>
<li><strong>Aligned with SDGs:</strong> This Food Waste Index Report aims to advance progress on <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12.3)</strong></a>, i.e. &ldquo;By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Tackle GHG Emissions:</strong> About 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. Thus, tackling food wastage issues can further achieve <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/five-years-of-paris-climate-accord" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Paris Agreement</strong></a> targets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions by the Report:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Enhancing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ndc-synthesis-report-unfccc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NDCs</a> (Nationally Determined Contributions) for Food Systems:</strong> To raise ambition in national climate strategies by integrating food loss and waste, and strengthen food security.</li>
<li>Co-create and adopt game-changing solutions to food waste through the <strong>UN Food Systems Summit.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Regional Food Waste Working Group:</strong> These Working Groups will provide capacity building and training to participating Member States in measuring food waste, developing a national baseline and designing national strategies for food waste prevention.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UN Food Systems Summit</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the<strong> Decade of Action</strong> to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.</li>
<li>The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Food Loss Index</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Food Loss Index (FLI) <strong>focuses on food losses</strong> that occur from <strong>production up to (and not including) the retail level.</strong></li>
<li>It measures the changes in percentage losses for a basket of 10 main commodities by country in comparison with a base period.</li>
<li>The FLI contributes to measure progress towards <strong>SDG Target 12.3.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/food/17-per-cent-of-all-food-available-at-consumer-levels-was-wasted-in-2019-reveals-food-waste-index-75771#:~:text=The%20Food%20Waste%20Index%20Report,to%20households%2C%20retailers%20and%20restaurants." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:DTE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/food-waste-index-report-2021-unep'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'India-Bangladesh Bilateral Meet',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, India&rsquo;s External Affairs Minister visited Bangladesh for a bilateral meet.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This meeting comes ahead of <strong>Indian Prime Minister&rsquo;s visit to Bangladesh</strong> scheduled in March 2021.</li>
<li>Earlier a 122-member contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces has participated in the 72<sup>nd</sup> <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/republic-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Republic Day</strong></a> parade, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/50-years-of-india-bangladesh-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>commemorating 50 years of the 1971 India-Pakistan war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614936692_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1614936692_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bangladesh&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Resolution of Problems:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Problems between neighbouring countries should be resolved <strong>through discussions and negotiations.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prioritising Each Others Benefit:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Need to focus on possible ways to materialise commitments and accommodate each other&rsquo;s priorities in a mutually beneficial manner.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cooperation During Covid-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bangladesh <strong>acknowledged</strong> the collaborative initiative of the two countries in implementing the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-vaccine-diplomacy#:~:text=The%20vaccination%20drive%20in%20India,India%20who%20cannot%20afford%20it." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>vaccination programme</strong></a> against the ongoing pandemic.</li>
<li>Bangladesh purchased the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/comprehensive-action-plan-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid</strong></a> vaccine from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covishield-and-covaxin-approved-for-restricted-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Serum Institute of India.</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bangladesh is the<strong> largest recipient of 9 million doses</strong> of Made in India vaccine.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Multidimensional Relationship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Both countries are committed to expand their relationship in all dimensions, ranging from <strong>security, trade, transport and connectivity, culture, people-to-people ties, energy,</strong> joint development of our <strong>shared resources and defence.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Congratulated Bangladesh :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>On its graduation from the <strong>Least Developed Country (LDC)</strong> status.</li>
<li>Bangladesh has been on the <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a> </strong>(UN) Least Developed Countries list since 1975.</li>
<li>Bangladesh fulfilled all the criteria necessary for its elevation to a developing country in 2018.</li>
<li>Therefore the <strong>UN</strong> has recommended <strong>graduation of Bangladesh from the category of Least Developed Country (LDC).</strong></li>
<li>Once it receives the final recommendation, <strong>Bangladesh will formally graduate to the developing nation bracket in 2026.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>More than Strategic Partners:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India-Bangladesh relations transcend strategic partnership, and <strong>bonding of both the countries is central</strong> to the realisation of a dream of a <strong>peaceful, prosperous and progressive South Asia.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Continued Interaction During Covid:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Despite the Covid<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> pandemic</strong></a>, interactions and consultations continued unabated such as:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh-virtual-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India and Bangladesh had a Virtual Summit in December 2020.</strong></a></li>
<li>A Joint Consultative Commission between the two Foreign Ministers in September 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Teesta Issue:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India and Bangladesh would have a meeting of Water Resources secretaries to discuss the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/chinese-involvement-in-teesta-river#:~:text=India%2DBangladesh%20Teesta%20Dispute%3A,Barrage%20near%20their%20mutual%20border." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Teesta</strong> </a>issue.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Development of Connectivity:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India is keen to <strong>focus on the development of connectivity</strong> with Bangladesh and beyond for next 20 years to change the <strong>region's geo-economic scenario.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bangladesh Central to India&rsquo;s Policies:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Bangladesh was central to India's <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/what-is-indias-neighbourhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Neighbourhood First' policy</strong> </a>and increasingly relevant to the country's <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-india-s-act-east-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Act East Policy</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Bangladesh as a <strong>key neighbour and a valued partner</strong> not only in South Asia but also in the broader <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-indo-pacific-strategic-importance" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indo-Pacific region</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Progress on Ground Situation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Practical progress has been made on the ground. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Conducting a <strong>trial run of container cargo</strong> through<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Chattogram port</strong></a> to Agartala.</li>
<li>Adding two new protocol routes to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sonamura-daudkandi-inland-waterway-route#:~:text=Key%20Points,Waterways%20of%20India%20through%20Bangladesh." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inland waterways connecting Tripura to the national waterways.</strong></a></li>
<li>Handing over <strong>10 broad gauge locomotives.</strong></li>
<li>Forming a <strong>Joint venture in the energy sector.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A year after the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-national-register-of-citizens-nrc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019-National Register of Citizens (NRC)</strong></a> issue strained the robust ties between the two countries,<strong> quiet diplomacy appears to have worked.</strong> India must keep up the partnership that allows for <strong>economic growth and improved developmental parameters</strong> for both countries.</li>
<li>Deepening <strong>relationship with Bangladesh</strong> has become a<strong> necessity in the face of shifting geo-economics.</strong> Bangladesh, with its growing economic success provides a vital partnership in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two countries share <strong>54 transboundary rivers,</strong> and water management is the key to prosperity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bangladesh-India relations have reached a stage of maturity.</strong> There is scope for India-Bangladesh ties to move to the next level, based on <strong>cooperation, coordination and consolidation.</strong></li>
<li>It is important to address specific issues like Teesta and to respond to Dhaka&rsquo;s call for help on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rohingyas-at-isolated-bangladesh-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rohingya</strong> </a>issue.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/delhi-reaches-out-to-dhaka-for-ties-beyond-strategic-partnership-7214715/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-bangladesh-bilateral-meet'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Appointment of CBI Director',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A writ petition has been filed in the<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Supreme Court</strong></a> seeking the appointment of a <strong>regular <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/central-bureau-of-investigation-cbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)</a> Director.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Director of the CBI is appointed as per section 4A of the<strong> Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Director of CBI:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CBI is headed by a Director.</li>
<li>The Director of CBI as Inspector General of Police, Delhi Special Police Establishment, is responsible for the administration of the organisation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>With the enactment of<strong> CVC Act, 2003,</strong> the superintendence of Delhi Special Police Establishment vests with the Central Government to<strong> save investigations of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,</strong> in which, the superintendence vests with the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/central-vigilance-commission-cvc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Vigilance Commission.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Director of CBI has been provided<strong> security of two-year tenure</strong> in office by the CVC Act, 2003.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Appointment:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013)</strong> amended the <strong>Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (1946)</strong> and made the following changes with respect to appointment of the Director of CBI:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Central Government shall appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a <strong>three-member committee</strong> consisting of the <strong>Prime Minister as Chairperson,</strong> the <strong>Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha</strong> and the <strong>Chief Justice of India</strong> or <strong>Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Later, the <strong>Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act, 2014</strong> made a change in the composition of the committee related to the appointment of the Director of C.B.I. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It states that where there is<strong> no recognized leader of opposition</strong> in the Lok Sabha, then the<strong> leader of the single largest opposition party</strong> in the Lok Sabha would be a member of that committee.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/c-b-i-and-consent-of-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> CBI</strong> </a>was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Now, the CBI comes under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the <strong>Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the<strong> Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962&ndash;1964).</strong></li>
<li>The CBI is <strong>not a statutory body.</strong> It derives its powers from the<strong> Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.</strong></li>
<li>The CBI is the<strong> main investigating agency of the Central Government.</strong></li>
<li>It also provides <strong>assistance</strong> to the Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal.</li>
<li>It is also the <strong>nodal police agency</strong> in India which coordinates investigation on <strong>behalf of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/interpol-notices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Interpol Member countries.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Instead of a regular appointment, the government has recently appointed an interim/acting CBI Director. The interim appointment through an executive order was not envisaged in the statutory scheme of the 1946 Act.</li>
<li>The premier investigative agency should function independently outside the influence of the Executive or political powers. The Supreme Court in the past has made a significant effort to enhance the functional autonomy of the CBI and limit the extent of executive discretion in the matter of appointment of this key functionary. It must make sure that there is a mechanism to ensure that the process of selection of CBI Director is completed one or two months in advance of the retirement of the incumbent.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/plea-in-supreme-court-seeks-appointment-of-regular-cbi-director-through-high-power-panel/article33991882.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/appointment-of-cbi-director'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Objections to New IT Rules',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The latest norms for <strong>social media intermediaries</strong> in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-it-rules-2021#:~:text=Recently%2C%20the%20government%20has%20notified,%2Dtop%20(OTT)%20platforms." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>New IT Rules 2021</strong></a> have drawn objections from privacy experts and lawyers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court</strong></a> (SC) had in 2015 struck down <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/section-66a-of-it-act#:~:text=Section%2066A%20dealt%20with%20information,is%20made%20a%20punishable%20offence." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Section 66A</strong></a> of the Information Technology Act finding it contrary to both <strong>Articles 19</strong> (free speech) and <strong>Article 21</strong> (right to life) of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Suspecting Everyone:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Asking &lsquo;significant social media intermediaries&rsquo; to have <strong>automated</strong> <strong>tools to proactively track certain words</strong> is akin to <strong>&ldquo;active hunting&rdquo;</strong>, and will <strong>&ldquo;make suspects out of people&rdquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>For example:</strong> For track words like <strong>interfaith marriage or love jihad</strong>, its like criminalising an entire population <strong>as most of the people must be using these words in their normal discussions.</strong> This way, an entire citizenry is being made a suspect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Against Right to Privacy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the New IT Rules of 2021, significant social media intermediaries providing services primarily in the nature of messaging shall enable identification of the first originator of the information.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This provision would <strong>end up weakening overall security, harm privacy and contradict the principles of data minimisation</strong> endorsed in the IT Ministry&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/draft-personal-data-protection-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Draft Data Protection Bill 2019.</strong></a></li>
<li>Identification of the first originator will <strong>require end to end encryption to be broken</strong>, thereby compromising the fundamental technology on which most apps are based on.</li>
<li>Moreover, owing to the volume of data, encryption has become more important now as more personal data is being aggregated and analysed at a scale that was never possible before.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Data Minimisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data Minimisation is a principle that states that <strong>data collected and processed should not be held or further used unless this is essential for reasons that were clearly stated in advance</strong> to support data privacy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will <strong>&ldquo;undermine the principles of open and accessible internet</strong> and the <strong>fundamental <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/right-to-privacy-legitimate-state-interest#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%20described%20privacy,choices%20that%20he%2F%20she%20makes." target="_blank" rel="noopener">right of privacy</a></strong> enshrined in the Constitution, particularly in the <strong>absence of robust data protection law.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>For Example:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It contains a provision <strong>requiring significant intermediaries to provide the option for users to voluntarily verify their identities.</strong></li>
<li>This would likely entail users <strong>sharing phone numbers or sending photos of government issued IDs to the companies.</strong></li>
<li>This provision will <strong>incentivize the collection of sensitive personal data</strong> that are submitted for this verification, which can then be also used to profile and target users</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Right to Privacy:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>SC</strong> described privacy and its importance in the landmark decision of <em><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/important-judgements-of-independent-india#:~:text=Union%20of%20India%20(2017),21%20of%20the%20Indian%20constitution.&amp;text=The%20Puttaswamy%20judgement%20of%202017,fundamental%20right%20in%20Indian%20Jurisprudence." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India in 2017</strong></a> </em>as a <strong>fundamental and inalienable right</strong> and attaches to the person covering all information about that person and the choices that he/ she makes.</li>
<li>The <strong>right to privacy</strong> is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fundamental-rights-and-oci-cardholders" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 21</strong></a> and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Against Freedom of Expression:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Automated forms of censorship and surveillance could <strong>disproportionately impact users&rsquo; freedom of speech and expression</strong>, suppressing creativity. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/right-to-dissent#:~:text=Significance%20of%20Right%20to%20Dissent,assemble%20peaceably%20and%20without%20arms." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 19</strong></a>(1)(a) of the Indian constitution guarantees the <strong>freedom of speech and expression.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Over Censorship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new rules provide stricter and wide-ranging obligations on intermediaries for <strong>proactive monitoring of content.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>fear of legal liability</strong> or action could <strong>lead to over-censorship of content.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Accountability and Transparency:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The news rules require social media to &ldquo;deploy technology-based measures, including <strong>automated tools</strong> (<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI)</strong></a>) <strong>to filter out objectionable content</strong> like child sexual abuse.</li>
<li>However, as history has shown, <strong>such tools not only suffer from major accuracy problems but also can lead to function creep.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Earlier in 2020 an AI-powered tool <strong>Genderify</strong> designed to identify a person&rsquo;s gender by analyzing their name, username or email address was shut down just a week after launch after it was blamed to be<strong> biased.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Coding biases</strong> in the development of <strong>AI</strong> often <strong>lead to discrimination, inaccuracies, and a lack of accountability and transparency.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gag on Online News Media:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The rules open the way for <strong>increased scrutiny as well as increased costs of compliance and may lead to gagging</strong> of free and unhindered news reporting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/proactive-tracking-will-make-suspects-out-of-people-petitioner-of-66a-sc-judgment-7213220/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/objections-to-new-it-rules'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Amendment Of Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Union government amended the <strong>Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017, bringing insurance brokers within the ambit</strong> of the Insurance Ombudsman and also allowed policy holders to <strong>file online complaints.</strong></p>
<p>Key Points</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Enlarged the Scope Of Complaints:</strong> Earlier it was only disputes. Now the amended rules will cover even the <strong>deficiencies in service on the part of insurers, agents, brokers and other intermediaries.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Introduced ICT Enabled Complaint Redressal:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Enables making <strong>complaints electronically.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Complaints management system</strong> to enable policyholders to track the status of their complaints online.</li>
<li><strong>Video-conferencing for hearings.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>These amendments will strengthen the <strong>timeliness and cost-effectiveness</strong> of the mechanisms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Empowering Ombudsman:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A number of amendments have been made for securing the independence and integrity of the ombudsman selection process, while also building in safeguards to secure the independence and impartiality of the appointed persons while serving as ombudsmen.</li>
<li>The selection committee will now include an <strong>individual with a track record</strong> of promoting consumer rights or advancing the cause of consumer protection in the insurance sector.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Insurance Ombudsman</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In exercise of the powers conferred by the <strong>Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999</strong> and in accordance with the <strong>Redressal of Public Grievances Rules, 1998</strong>, the office of Insurance Ombudsman was established by the Central Government.</li>
<li>Its powers, functions, terms of office etc. were laid in <strong>Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Qualification:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An Ombudsman shall be selected from amongst persons having experience of the insurance industry, civil service, administrative service or judicial service.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Selection:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An Ombudsman shall be selected by a Selection Committee comprising of: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Chairperson of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/insurance-sector-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA)</strong></a> who is also the Chairman of the Selection Committee.</li>
<li>One representative each of the Life Insurance Council and the General Insurance Council from the Executive Council of Insurers.</li>
<li>A representative of the Government of India not below the rank of a Joint Secretary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Term of Office:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Three years and it is eligible for reappointment provided that no person shall hold office as an Ombudsman after he has attained the age of seventy years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Duties and Functions:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Mediation And Counselling:</strong> The Ombudsman shall act as counsellor and mediator relating to matters where there is written consent of the parties to the dispute.</li>
<li><strong>Grievance Redressal:</strong> The IRDAI may, at any time refer any complaint or dispute relating to insurance matters to the Insurance Ombudsman.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/govt-brings-insurance-brokers-within-ombudsman-ambit/article33978203.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/amendment-of-insurance-ombudsman-rules-2017'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Knowledge Diplomacy',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-atmanirbharta-space-pharmaceuticals-isro-brazil-satellite-launch-covid-vaccine-export-211595/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Knowledge and diplomacy&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 03/03/2021. It talks about the declining role of India in knowledge diplomacy.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the launch of Brazil&rsquo;s Amazonia-1 satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the export of the Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil, as part of its &ldquo;Vaccine Maitri&rdquo; diplomacy, reflects how India&rsquo;s knowledge economy can contribute to the diplomatic capital of the country.</p>
<p>Space and pharma sector&rsquo;s global success points to the knowledge industry&rsquo;s diplomatic potential and to India&rsquo;s &ldquo;soft power.&rdquo;</p>
<p>In the past, India&rsquo;s knowledge sector has helped the country to become a role model for other developing nations to develop into the knowledge economy.</p>
<p>However, in recent times India lost this leadership in the knowledge economy, barring sectors like space, pharma, and information technology.</p>
<h3>What is the Knowledge Economy?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The knowledge economy is an economic system in which goods and services are based principally on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to a rapid pace of advancement in technical and scientific innovation.</li>
<li>The key element of value is the greater dependence on human capital and intellectual property for the source of innovative ideas, information and practices.</li>
<li>Knowledge economy features a highly skilled workforce within the microeconomic and macroeconomic environment; institutions and industries create jobs that demand specialized skills to meet global market needs.</li>
<li>In principle, one's primary individual capital is knowledge and the ability to perform to create economic value. Knowledge is viewed as an additional input to labour and capital.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is Knowledge Diplomacy?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Knowledge diplomacy refers to international higher education, research and innovation, in building and strengthening relations between and among countries.</li>
<li>It presents a new approach to international relations where education, science, technology, and innovation, play an important role in global developmental politics.</li>
<li>Knowledge diplomacy recognizes that many domestic issues are now global issues; and conversely, many global challenges are now domestic challenges.</li>
<li>Knowledge diplomacy recognizes that as the world becomes increasingly globalized, the interconnected and interdependent world presents new issues, threats, and opportunities that one nation cannot address alone.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Examples of India&rsquo;s Knowledge Diplomacy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s knowledge diplomacy history goes back as early as the 1950s, when many developing countries looked to India to access development-oriented knowledge.</li>
<li>Students from across Asia and Africa sought admission to Indian universities for postgraduate courses.</li>
<li>Indian expertise was sought by global organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).</li>
<li>South Korea&rsquo;s government even sent its economists to the Indian Planning Commission till the early 1960s to be trained in long-term planning. By the 1970s, Korea was beginning to overtake India as a modern industrial economy.</li>
<li>Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), which was also established by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974, acquired a global profile with business in Africa and Asia.</li>
<li>The development of India&rsquo;s dairy and livestock economy also attracted global interest.</li>
<li>Today, due to self-sufficiency in space and the pharma sector, India can place satellites of several countries into space at globally competitive rates and can supply drugs and vaccines at affordable prices to developing countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges to Leadership in Knowledge Diplomacy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brain Drain:</strong> In India, the flight of Indian talent began in the 1970s and has since accelerated. Due to the better career prospects, this has sharply increased in recent years.</li>
<li><strong>Competition From China:</strong> China has emerged as a major competitor offering equally good, if not better quality, S&amp;T products and services at a lower cost.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While India has maintained its lead in IT software, China has developed competitive capabilities in space, pharma, railways and several other knowledge-based industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Racing South-East Asian Countries:</strong> The Indian familiarity with the English language and the still good quality of teaching in mathematics and statistics have enabled Indian firms to remain competitive in data processing, business process outsourcing, and software services.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, the competitive edge is beginning to blunt due to the competition from south-east Asian countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deteriorating Education Standards:</strong> The biggest setback in India&rsquo;s knowledge economy&rsquo;s global appeal has been in higher education.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Overseas students were drawn to Indian universities and institutions because they offered good quality education at a fraction of developed country institutions&rsquo; cost.</li>
<li>The appeal of education in India for overseas students has waned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deteriorating Social Environment:</strong> Further, Indian institutions attract fewer foreign students not just because the quality of education offered in most institutions is below par, but due to the growing assertion of narrow-minded ideologies, the social environment offered here is no longer as cosmopolitan as it used to be.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Replicating Space and Pharma Success Story:</strong> If ISRO&rsquo;s global competitiveness is a tribute to public policy and government support, the pharma sector&rsquo;s global success is a tribute to private enterprise and middle-class talent in pharmacology and biotechnology.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s current global diplomacy in the fields of space and pharmaceuticals, engaging several countries around the world, is the fruit of 50 years of sustained state support for &ldquo;atmanirbharta&rdquo; in both fields.</li>
<li>Thus, there is a need for replicating the success story of Space and Pharma in other knowledge sectors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Addressing Brain Drain:</strong> The government and private sector needs to create better career prospects for Indian talent. This can help create a &ldquo;brain bank&rdquo; on which India can draw for its own development.</li>
<li><strong>Raising Education Standards:</strong> India&rsquo;s education sector is in a dire need of education reforms if India wants to make its human resource compete with the global talent.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is not only imperative for leveraging knowledge diplomacy but fulfilling the aspiration of a billion-plus country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Today, space and pharma are at the apex of a narrow pyramid of India&rsquo;s knowledge diplomacy. However, much more is needed to be done to leverage the full potential of knowledge diplomacy.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fefff2;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Indian &lsquo;atmanirbharta&rsquo; in space and pharmaceuticals is an exception. It must be the norm. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d25zFfi92r4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/reviving-the-iran-deal-on-biden-attempt-to-revive-jcpoa/article33974350.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Reviving the Iran deal: On Biden attempt to revive JCPOA&rdquo;</strong></a> published in The Hindu on February 26<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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		'articles__type' => 'integer',
		'articles.type' => 'integer',
		'type' => 'integer',
		'articles__publishon' => 'datetime',
		'articles.publishon' => 'datetime',
		'publishon' => 'datetime',
		'articles__posturl' => 'string',
		'articles.posturl' => 'string',
		'posturl' => 'string',
		'articles__metatitle' => 'string',
		'articles.metatitle' => 'string',
		'metatitle' => 'string',
		'articles__metadescription' => 'string',
		'articles.metadescription' => 'string',
		'metadescription' => 'string',
		'articles__metakeyword' => 'text',
		'articles.metakeyword' => 'text',
		'metakeyword' => 'text',
		'articles__status' => 'integer',
		'articles.status' => 'integer',
		'status' => 'integer',
		'articles__sort_order' => 'integer',
		'articles.sort_order' => 'integer',
		'sort_order' => 'integer',
		'articles__addedby' => 'integer',
		'articles.addedby' => 'integer',
		'addedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles.updatedby' => 'integer',
		'updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.added' => 'timestamp',
		'added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.modified' => 'timestamp',
		'modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles.whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'display_printpdf' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_comments' => 'integer',
		'display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles__pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles.pdf_name' => 'string',
		'pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles__display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_archive' => 'integer',
		'display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles__star_rating' => 'integer',
		'articles.star_rating' => 'integer',
		'star_rating' => 'integer'
	],
	'decorators' => (int) 0,
	'executed' => false,
	'hydrate' => true,
	'buffered' => true,
	'formatters' => (int) 0,
	'mapReducers' => (int) 0,
	'contain' => [],
	'matching' => [],
	'extraOptions' => [],
	'repository' => object(App\Model\Table\ArticlesTable) {}

}
$page = (int) 45
$search = 'class'
$totalPages = (float) 334
$title = 'Search'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
$i = (int) 2017
$selected = ''
$m = (int) 13
$month = 'December'

include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 100
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/articlebox.ctp, line 5
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Search/index.ctp, line 85
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 765
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 623
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 125
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 93

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