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Elections for Non-permanent Members of the UNSC

Why in News Election for five non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is being held on 17th June, 2020. Key...

17 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Land Use Changes

Why in News According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the land use change, which prepares the ground for...

17 Jun 2020 News Analysis
First Bell: Kerala

Why in News Recently, the Kerala Government has started a virtual class initiative called ‘First Bell’. The virtual classes for state...

17 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Social Media And Democracy

This article is based on “Facebook is weakening democracy” which was published in The Hindustan Times on 12/06/2020. It talks about the...

16 Jun 2020 News Editorials
USA Sanctions Against the International Criminal Court

Why in News Recently, the USA has authorised sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials involved in investigations into possible...

16 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Talamaddale

Why in News The traditional art of ‘talamaddale’, a variant of Yakshagana theatre, has gone virtual in times of Covid-19. Key...

16 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Gateway Lunar Orbiting Outpost

Why in News Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has finalised the contract to design the Habitation and Logistics...

16 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence

Why in News India has joined the 'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)' as a founding member to support the responsible and...

16 Jun 2020 News Analysis
GovTech 3.0

This article is based on “Covid-19 has opened the doors for Gov Tech 3.0” which was published in the Hindustan Times on 11/06/2020. It...

15 Jun 2020 News Editorials
Malabar Gliding Frog

Why in News Recently, a rare amphibian i.e. Malabar Gliding Frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus) was spotted in Pullad, Kerala. The amphibian is...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Indian Naval LOs at Madagascar and Abu Dhabi

Why in News India is planning to post Naval Liaison Officers (LOs) at the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar and the...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Why in News The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (CIMAP) has announced a photography competition on medicinal and aromatic...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Indian Digital Payment System Outside India

Why in News The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is exploring the possibility of expanding its payment system abroad, following the requests from several...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
New Drug for Amoebiasis

Why in News Recently, researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have developed new drug molecules against the protozoa ‘Entamoeba...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
AarogyaPath: CSIR

Why in News The government has launched an information platform 'AarogyaPath' to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies for...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Jet Zero Plan

Why in News Recently, the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced a ‘Jet Zero’ plan to bring down its aviation emissions. Key Points Aim:...

15 Jun 2020 News Analysis
Rise And Fall of Globalisation

This article is based on “Is this the end of the globalisation era?” which was published in The HinduBussines Line on 11/06/2020. It...

13 Jun 2020 News Editorials
World Day Against Child Labour 2020

Why in News Recently the World Day Against Child Labour has been observed on June 12th 2020. Key Points The theme for the year 2020 is Covid-19:...

13 Jun 2020 News Analysis
India-Tanzania Relations

Why in News Recently, Prime Minister of India thanked Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, President of the United Republic of Tanzania for his assistance...

13 Jun 2020 News Analysis
India- Laos Relations

Why in News Recently, the Prime Minister of India had a telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister of Lao People’s Democratic Republic...

13 Jun 2020 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'Elections for Non-permanent Members of the UNSC',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Election for five non-permanent members of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/un-security-council-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong></a> is being held on 17<sup>th</sup> June, 2020.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Election:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India is standing unopposed</strong> as the nominee for the <strong>Asia-Pacific seat</strong>, for the 2021-22 term and needs the vote of two-thirds of UNGA members (129 votes) to be confirmed.</li>
<li>In 2019, the candidature of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-non-permanent-seat-at-the-unsc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping</strong></a>, which also included China and Pakistan.</li>
<li>This would be India's eighth term in the UNSC which will begin from January 2021.</li>
<li>Contenders for Other Seats:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Mexico</strong> is expected to be elected unopposed for the <strong>Latin American group</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Canada, Ireland and Norway</strong> will contend for two seats of the <strong>West European and Others Group (WEOG)</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Kenya</strong> and <strong>Djibouti</strong> will contend for an African seat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Commitment at UNSC:</strong> In its campaign brochure, India had highlighted:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Its <strong>commitment to multilateralism</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India&rsquo;s objective will be the achievement of <strong>N.O.R.M.S: a New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System</strong>.</li>
<li>A reformed multilateralism and multilateral system is essential to ensure that the international system is inclusive and caters to the requirements of all countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Demand for <strong>transparency in mandates for UN peacekeeping missions</strong>.</li>
<li>Push for the Indian-led <a href="/printpdf/at-unga-india-call-for-early-adoption-of-ccit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Comprehensive Convention for International Terrorism (CCIT)</strong></a>. CCIT includes the following major objectives:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To have a universal definition of terrorism that all 193-members of the UNGA will adopt into their own criminal law.</li>
<li>To ban all terror groups and shut down terror camps.</li>
<li>To prosecute all terrorists under special laws.</li>
<li>To make cross-border terrorism an extraditable offense worldwide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Joint efforts for <strong>UN reform and the expansion of the UNSC</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has been at the forefront to reform the UNSC, saying it rightly deserves a place as a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-permanent-seat-in-unsc#:~:text=India%20is%20the%20undisputed%20leader,in%20making%20UNSC%20more%20democratic." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>permanent member of the UNSC</strong></a>, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st century.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benefits of India&rsquo;s Membership at UNSC:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s presence in the UNSC will <strong>ensure that the voice of the largest democracy in the world</strong> (with strong multilateral credentials) will be heard in an important organ of the United Nations.</li>
<li>India has always had a global voice and this will give India a greater opportunity <strong>to participate actively and shape the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> and post-Covid scenario</strong>.</li>
<li>Its presence in the UNSC will help bring to the world <strong>its ethos of &lsquo;Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam&rsquo;-the world is one family</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>Global South has its development and security aspirations and India will help articulate these aspirations in the Council</strong> across different issues.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues Involved:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Winning the maximum votes at the General Assembly this time will be a little hard for India due to:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Rising tensions in relations with both Pakistan and China.</li>
<li>Criticism from Turkey, Malaysia and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20collective%20voice,various%20people%20of%20the%20world." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Organisation of Islamic Cooperation</strong></a> (OIC) over the government&rsquo;s decision on <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-article-370" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>scrapping Article 370</strong></a> as well as the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/citizenship-amendment-act-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Citizenship Amendment Act</strong></a> (CAA) 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nation Security Council</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Article 23 of the UN Charter concerns the composition of the UNSC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The UNSC has been given <strong>primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Security Council,</strong> which may meet whenever peace is threatened.</li>
<li>While other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to member states, <strong>only the Security Council has the power to make decisions that member states are then obligated to implement under the Charter</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Permanent and Non-Permanent Members</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The UNSC is composed of 15 Members:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Five permanent members:</strong> China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.</li>
<li><strong>Ten non-permanent members</strong> elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Selection of Non-permanent Members of Security Council</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of ten in total) for a two-year term. The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Five for African and Asian countries.</li>
<li>One for Eastern European countries.</li>
<li>Two for Latin American and Caribbean countries.</li>
<li>Two for Western European and other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-expects-to-sail-through-unsc-vote/article31845329.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Land Use Changes',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>According to the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-day-to-combat-desertification-and-drought" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)</strong></a>, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-land-1#:~:text=Land%20Use%20and%20Climate%20change&amp;text=Land%20degradation%20is%20both%20cause%20and%20consequence%20of%20climate%20change.&amp;text=This%20exacerbates%20climate%20change%2C%20while,absorb%20carbon%20from%20the%20atmosphere." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>land use change</strong></a>, which prepares the ground for <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>zoonoses</strong></a> like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>, should be reversed.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Land use change promotes zoonoses like Covid-19 as the interaction and physical distance between animals and humans get closer.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Land Use Change:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Land use change</strong> is a process which <strong>transforms the natural landscape</strong> by direct human-induced land use <strong>such as settlements, commercial and economic uses and forestry activities</strong>.</li>
<li>It impacts the overall environment in terms of <strong><a href="/infographics/info-paper3/greenhouse-gas-emission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">greenhouse gas</a> emission, land degradation and</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-development-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>climate change</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Data Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Land use change can be a <strong>factor in CO<sub>2</sub> (carbon dioxide) atmospheric concentration,</strong> and is thus a contributor to <strong>global climate change</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It <strong>represents almost 25%</strong> of total global emissions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), over <strong>70% of all natural, ice-free land</strong> in the world is affected by human use.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This could further rise to <strong>90% by 2050</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The land degradation affects <strong>3.2 billion people</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/economic-valuation-of-tiger-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ecosystem services</strong></a> e.g. forest, agriculture, grassland tourism etc. worth $10.6 trillion are lost due to land degradation annually.</li>
<li>According to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deforestation-rate-declined" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Food and Agriculture Organization</strong></a> of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong></a>, by 2050, over 500 million hectare area of new agricultural land will be needed to meet the global food demand.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Possible Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Population Growth:</strong> Fast population growth and the consequent high pressure on resources have an adverse effect on the existing natural resources of the land area.</li>
<li><strong>Encroachment of Land:</strong> Substantial increase in demand for food has resulted in an expansion of croplands by encroaching on uncultivated areas including forest, shrub and wetlands. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>According to the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/special-report-on-climate-change-ipcc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC)</strong> report on climate change and land, agricultural land for food, animal feed and fibre is behind the land use change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Use of Forest Resource:</strong> Continuous and exhaustive thinning of forestry resources for diverse uses, particularly for construction, firewood and agricultural tools led to the degradation of forest cultivated land.</li>
<li><strong>Grazing at Cultivated Land:</strong> Farmers often abandon and leave the cultivated land for grazing purposes due to the declining of its <strong>soil fertility status</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Destruction of Wetlands:</strong> The conversion of the wetland to the cultivated and settlement land leads to the destruction of wetlands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Solutions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Climate Smart Land Management Practices:</strong> According to a report by IPCC on land use, <strong>increased food productivity, improved cropland management, <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/animal-rearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">livestock management</a>, <a href="/mains-practice-question/question-212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agroforestry</a>, increased soil organic carbon content and reduced post-harvest losses</strong> would help in ecosystem conservation and land restoration .<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These management practices could deliver up to $1.4 trillion in increased crop production.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Forest Management:</strong> Improved fire management and improved grazing land can help in land restoration.</li>
<li><strong>Restore and Rehabilitate:</strong> To achieve <strong>Land Degradation Neutrality (Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3)</strong>, additional commitments in the land use sector, namely to restore and rehabilitate 12 million hectares of degraded land per year could help close the emissions gap by up to 25% in the year 2030.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The restoration of these <strong>areas as part of building back better to avoid future zoonoses</strong> would bring other crucial benefits, particularly mitigating climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Established in 1994,</strong> the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.</li>
<li>It is the only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio Conference&rsquo;s Agenda 21.</li>
<li><strong>Focus Areas:</strong> The Convention <strong>addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas,</strong> known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.</li>
<li>From India, <strong>the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change</strong> is the nodal Ministry for this Convention.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>June 17 is observed worldwide as <strong>World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Theme: Food, Feed, Fibre</strong> which seeks to educate individuals on how to reduce the impact of food consumption.</li>
<li>According to the United Nations, 2020 Desertification and Drought Day focuses on the links between consumption and land.</li>
<li>This year&rsquo;s &lsquo;global observance event&rsquo; is being hosted virtually by the Korea Forest Service.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Zoonoses</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans.</li>
<li>Animals thus play an essential role in maintaining zoonotic infections in nature.</li>
<li>Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The urgency to<strong> slow down and reverse land use change</strong> cannot be overstated as <strong>land is a critical component of biodiversity</strong>.</li>
<li>The land use sector is critical to achieving the aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 2&deg;C.</li>
<li><strong>Responsible land governance</strong> is key to provide an enabling environment for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, land use-based adaptation and for improving the livelihoods of many small-scale farmers.</li>
<li>Parties to the <strong>UNCCD</strong> have the opportunity to adopt an ambitious resolution on land holdings for Land Degradation Neutrality. They must use this opportunity to empower communities to better adapt to the impacts of the climate emergency.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/reverse-land-use-change-to-prevent-zoonoses-like-covid-19-unccd-71793" 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/land-use-changes'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'First Bell: Kerala',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Kerala Government has started a <strong>virtual class initiative</strong> called <strong>&lsquo;First Bell&rsquo;</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/online-classes-due-to-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">virtual classes</a> for state school students are being organised so that education is imparted amid <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> crisis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Classes are being streamed on a free, public-run television channel available on cable networks, direct-to-home services and over the internet. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government is <strong>using KITE VICTERS channel</strong>.</li>
<li>Further, almost all villages in Kerala have at least one common centre, be it <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lack-of-anganwadis-in-urban-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anganwadi</a>, a reading room or sports club, for the education department to set up a classroom.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE)</strong> has brought out the timetable for conducting the classes.</li>
<li>The <strong>modules</strong> for different classes have been prepared by agencies under the General Education Department such as the State Council of Educational Research and Training, KITE, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/samagra-shiksha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Samagra Shiksha</a> Kerala (SSK), and the State Institute of Educational Technology.</li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> The classes were <strong>started on trial mode from 1<sup>st</sup> June, 2020</strong>. The online classes brought to focus the <strong>digital divide</strong> in the state.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Kerala has around 45 lakh students following state board syllabus. However, a survey revealed that <strong>2.61 lakh students don&rsquo;t have access to TV or smartphone</strong>, making them out of the network of online classes. Such students were in most destitute families mainly in remote villages and tribal areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Interventions:</strong> With the <strong>government and civil society interventions,</strong> the 2.61 lakh number has reduced to 1.20 lakh.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Local businessman provided TV sets as part of a <strong>&lsquo;TV challenge&rsquo;</strong> launched by the State&rsquo;s Industries department.</li>
<li>MLAs were allowed to use their local development fund to buy TVs and laptops for students.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The [email protected] Project was started in 2001-02 to promote ICT enabled education in the schools in the State. [email protected] was transformed into KITE in August 2017.</li>
<li>The <strong>VICTERS (Versatile ICT Enabled Resource for Students) channel under KITE was set up in 2005</strong> and it is the first complete educational Channel in the country. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It strongly reflects India's commitment to use space technology (EDUSAT) for national development, especially for the development of the population in remote and rural locations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/first-bell-new-classes-from-tomorrow/article31822826.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/first-bell-kerala'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Social Media And Democracy',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/facebook-is-weakening-democracy/story-8558QbG80JT10QP2VXkbqK.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Facebook is weakening democracy&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on 12/06/2020. It talks about the impact of social media on democracy.</p>
</div>
<p>The introduction of the printing press in 15<sup>th</sup> century Europe revolutionised the social landscape, helping information spread further and faster than ever before. This had a deep link with the spread idea of democracy all over the world. In the present era, social media represents a similar paradigm shift.</p>
<p>Today, social media plays a crucial role in facilitating and distributing content related to all the matters that have a larger influence on public opinion and subsequently on democracy.</p>
<p>Although social media helps in the deepening of democracy, it also tends to weaken the concept of democracy and the emergence of anarchy, because of its unregulated nature and its role in the spread of fake news.</p>
<h3>Social Media and Deepening of Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aiding C-Governance:</strong> Social media has led to the emergence of<strong> citizen-led governance (C&ndash;governance)</strong> in India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Social media platforms help to create awareness from one another to a million and be united for any social cause. In the process, the existence of social media can nudge citizens to seek solutions.</li>
<li>Also for C-governance, people need to have information and be able to convey it to others. Social media platforms make that ton easier.</li>
<li>Given this, social media is gradually being accepted as the fifth estate of democracy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Democratization of Expression:</strong> Social media has made Indian politics more inclusive by allowing citizens, who were traditionally excluded from politics due to geography and demography, to gain direct entry into the political process.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has also allowed for a diversity of viewpoints and public engagement on an unprecedented scale.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Instrument for Bringing Behavioural Change:</strong> Use of social media for policy crowdsourcing and publicity is evident in the success of pan-India campaigns such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/Swachh%20Bharat%20Mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swacch Bharat Abhiyan</strong></a> and the recently-launched <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fit-india-movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Fit India Movement.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Making political communication people-centric:</strong> Social media has been increasingly used by Indian political actors for routine political communication between elections to provide unmediated and direct communication to connect citizenry.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, social media has changed the power of political messaging and has moved away from the mass media model and places it firmly into peer-to-peer, public discourse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ill-effects of Social Media On Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Widening Social Fault Lines:</strong> Social media has enabled a style of populist politics, which on the negative side allows hate speech and extreme speech to thrive in digital spaces that are unregulated, particularly in regional languages.</li>
<li><strong>Formation of Information Cocoons:</strong> Social Media, due to its technological capacity has enabled self-sorting and personalization of information one perceives.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This leads to the phenomenon of group polarization &mdash; which takes hold when like-minded people talk to one another and end up thinking a more extreme version of what they thought before they started to talk.</li>
<li>This is not in sync with the ethos of democracy which is based on debate, dissent and discussion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Menace of Fake News:</strong> The rise of polarizing and divisive content has been a defining moment of modern politics, which is fed by fake news propagation through social media channels.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, dissemination of fake news through social media, among populations with low-to-no levels of critical digital literacy is a big challenge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cyberbullying or Trolling:</strong> Another dangerous element is the labelling and trolling of more rational voices or those who disagreed with the government&rsquo;s actions or dominant public discourse as &ldquo;anti-national.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Social media awareness is needed which may enable citizens to be in a position to distinguish between truth and falsehood &ndash; and to know when democratic processes are being manipulated.</li>
<li>Social Media Platforms can provide safeguards in the event that democratic processes are being intentionally disrupted or harmful falsehoods are spreading; it can help people find out what is true.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592308307_image%200.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592308307_image 0.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #edf5ff;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;Social media enables greater democratisation of governance. Critically examine.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_clauf-iDws" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/no-longer-special-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-nepal-ties/article31828365.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;No longer special&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on June 15<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/social-media-and-democracy'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'USA Sanctions Against the International Criminal Court',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>the USA</strong> has <strong>authorised sanctions</strong> against <strong>International Criminal Court (ICC)</strong> officials involved in investigations into possible war crimes by USA troops and its allies.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Sanction:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under it, <strong>any individuals</strong> who have directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to <strong>investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any United States</strong> personnel without the consent of the United States or have attempted the same against the USA ally <strong>may be subject to sanctions.</strong></li>
<li>It has <strong>broadened the visa restrictions on ICC officials</strong> or anyone who has sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support to them.</li>
<li>The restrictions also extend to the <strong>officials&rsquo; family members.</strong></li>
<li>The economic sanctions would be decided on a case-by-case basis.</li>
<li>Israel supported the decision as it accused the ICC of fabricating charges against the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The USA&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The USA has considered the <strong>ICC a threat to USA sovereignty,</strong> and announced the<strong> strict punitive measures</strong> that are generally reserved for use against <strong>terror groups and those accused of abusing human rights.</strong></li>
<li>It has called the 123 nations-strong tribunal a &ldquo;kangaroo court&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It blamed the ICC office for financial corruption and maladministration.</li>
<li>It has also blamed Russia for manipulating the ICC in its favour.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The ICC&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ICC supported its officials, and called the sanction as an <strong>unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law.</strong></li>
<li>It said the <strong>sanction represents an attack against the interests of victims</strong> of atrocity crimes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reactions Against the Sanction:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The United Nations had taken serious note about the USA order.</li>
<li>The European Union called the USA decision a matter of serious concern.</li>
<li><strong>The international NGO Human Rights Watch</strong> has observed that by penalising war crimes investigators, the USA is openly siding with those who commit and cover up human rights abuses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill Clinton administration (1993-2001) was involved in <strong>Rome Statute negotiations,</strong> and signed the <strong>document in 2000.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Rome Statute</strong> of the International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court Statute) is the<strong> treaty</strong> that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, the next president, <strong>George W. Bush in 2002 had unsigned</strong> the Statute and signed into law the <strong>American Service-Members&rsquo; Protection Act</strong> to protect the <strong>USA nationals from the ICC&rsquo;s reach.</strong></li>
<li>The USA adopted a positive approach towards the forum during several instances&ndash; in 2005 it did not veto a UN Security Council request to the ICC to investigate crimes during the Darfur crisis (Sudan) and in 2011 voted for Libya&rsquo;s referral to the court. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It also provided critical support in transferring suspects from Africa to the ICC for trial.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, in the UN General Assembly in 2018, the USA decided that it would not support or recognize the International Criminal Court.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to it, the ICC has no jurisdiction, no legitimacy, and no authority.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 2020,<strong> the ICC asked for a formal probe</strong> into alleged <strong>atrocities committed during the Afghanistan War between 2003 and 2014&ndash;</strong> leading to possible charge against the USA military and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA-USA&rsquo;s agency) officials.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The International Criminal Court</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>permanent judicial body created by the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court</strong> (its founding and governing document), and began functioning on 1<sup>st</sup> July 2002 when the Statute came into force.</li>
<li><strong>Headquarter:</strong> The Hague, Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Members:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognise the ICC&rsquo;s authority.</li>
<li>The<strong> USA, China, Russia, and India</strong> are not the members.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The forum was <strong>established as a court of last resort to prosecute offences</strong> that would otherwise go unpunished, and has jurisdiction over <strong>four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Difference between ICC and ICJ:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Unlike the <strong>International Court of Justice (ICJ),</strong> the <strong>ICC is not part of the United Nations system,</strong> with the UN-ICC relationship being governed by a separate agreement.</li>
<li>The <strong>ICJ,</strong> which is among the UN&rsquo;s 6 principal organs, mainly <strong>hears disputes between nations.</strong> It was established in 1945 and is seated at The Hague (Netherlands). Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India) is a member of the Court.</li>
<li><strong>The ICC,</strong> on the other hand,<strong> prosecutes individuals&ndash;</strong> its authority extending to offences committed in a member state or by a national of such a state.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Way Forward</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Several countries have expressed that the sanction is a challenge to multilateralism and judicial independence of the ICC.</li>
<li>The independence of the ICC and its<strong> ability to operate without interference</strong> must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any influence or pressures.</li>
<li>Earlier, the ICC has been criticised for not pursuing investigations in Western countries as well as for working inefficiently. There is a need for an independent expert review of its own functioning to address these concerns.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-us-has-approved-sanctions-against-international-criminal-court-6460199/" 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/usa-sanctions-against-the-international-criminal-court'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Talamaddale',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The traditional art of &lsquo;talamaddale&rsquo;, a variant of Yakshagana theatre, has gone virtual in times of Covid-19.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the conventional &lsquo;talamaddale,&rsquo; the artists sit across in a place without any costumes and engage in testing their oratory skills based on the episode chosen.</li>
<li>It has only spoken words without any dance or costumes. Hence it is <strong>Yakshagana minus dance, costumes and stage conventions.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Yakshagana<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592299222_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592299222_image1.jpg" style="float: right;" width="300" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Yakshagaana, traditional theatre form of Karnataka, is based on mythological stories and Puranas.</li>
<li>The most popular episodes are from the <strong>Mahabharata</strong> i.e. Draupadi swayamvar, Subhadra vivah, Abhimanyu vadh, Karna-Arjun yuddh and from <strong>Ramayana</strong> i.e. Rajyabhishek, Lav-Kush yuddh, Baali-Sugreeva yuddh and Panchavati.</li>
<li><strong>Gombeyatta puppet theatre</strong> closely follows Yakshagana.</li>
<li>Other important forms of theatre in India: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Nautanki (Uttar Pradesh)</strong> which often draws on romantic Persian literature for its themes,</li>
<li><strong>Tamasha (Maharashtra), </strong></li>
<li><strong>Bhavai (Gujarat), </strong></li>
<li><strong>Jatra (West Bengal),</strong></li>
<li><strong>Koodiyaattam,</strong> one of the oldest traditional theatre forms of <strong>Kerala,</strong> is based on Sanskrit theatre traditions,</li>
<li><strong>Mudiyettu,</strong> traditional folk theatre form of<strong> Kerala,</strong></li>
<li><strong>Bhaona, Assam,</strong></li>
<li><strong>Maach,</strong> Madhya Pradesh,</li>
<li><strong>Bhand Pather,</strong> the traditional theatre form of <strong>Kashmir, etc.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/amid-pandemic-traditional-art-of-talamaddale-goes-digital/article31836303.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/talamaddale'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Gateway Lunar Orbiting Outpost',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> has finalised the contract to design the <strong>Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO)</strong> for its Gateway Lunar Orbiting Outpost.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Habitation and Logistics (HALO) support</strong> for the Gateway, is a part of<strong> NASA&rsquo;s Artemis program</strong> that <strong>aims</strong> to send the <strong>first woman</strong> and the next man to the <strong>Moon by 2024.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Habitation and Logistics (HALO)</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It refers to the <strong>pressurised living quarters where astronauts will spend their time</strong> while visiting the Gateway.</li>
<li>These quarters will be <strong>about the size of a small apartment and will provide augmented life support</strong> together with Orion spacecraft.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Gateway:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NASA has targeted the <strong>completion of the Gateway for 2026,</strong> while work on the spaceship is already underway.</li>
<li>The <strong>Gateway can be used at least once per year</strong> and astronauts can not stay around the year like they do on the International Space Station (ISS).</li>
<li>Once docked to the Gateway, astronauts will be able to <strong>stay there for three months at a time.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Compared to the ISS,<strong> the Gateway is much smaller.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will act<strong> as an airport,</strong> where <strong>spacecraft bound for the lunar surface of Mars can refuel or replace parts</strong> and resupply things like food and oxygen, allowing astronauts to <strong>take multiple trips</strong> to the <strong>Lunar surface and exploration</strong> of new locations across the Moon.</li>
<li>By studying the <strong>geology of the Earth, the Moon, and Mars &ndash;</strong> the three planetary bodies and the ways in which they are similar and different from each other, it would give a<strong> sight about how planets and planetary systems form.</strong></li>
<li>Significantly, Gateway <strong>would work as a science platform to look back</strong> at the Earth, observe the Sun, and get unobstructed views of the vast universe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gateway Lunar Orbit Outpost</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Gateway is a <strong>small spaceship that will orbit the Moon,</strong> meant for astronaut missions to the Moon and later, for <strong>expeditions to Mars.</strong></li>
<li>It will act as a<strong> temporary office and living quarters for astronauts,</strong> distanced at about 250,000 miles from Earth.</li>
<li>The spaceship will have <strong>living quarters, laboratories for science and research and docking ports</strong> for visiting spacecraft.</li>
<li>One of the most <strong>unique features</strong> of the Gateway is that it can be <strong>moved to other orbits around the Moon</strong> to conduct more research.</li>
<li>It is expected to play a major role in NASA's Artemis program, after 2024.</li>
<li>While the project is led by NASA, the Gateway is meant to be developed, serviced, and utilized in collaboration with commercial and international partners: Canada <strong>(Canadian Space Agency)</strong>, Europe <strong>(European Space Agency)</strong>, and Japan <strong>(JAXA)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Artemis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a crewed spaceflight program of NASA that has the goal of landing <strong>"the first woman and the next man" on the Moon,</strong> specifically at the <strong>lunar south pole</strong> region by 2024.</li>
<li>It is a key step towards the long-term goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, laying the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy, and eventually sending humans to Mars.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Orion Spacecraft</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is being developed by <strong>NASA.</strong></li>
<li>It is a<strong> powerful, advanced launch vehicle</strong> for a new era of human exploration beyond Earth&rsquo;s orbit.</li>
<li>It is designed to take astronauts to deep space destinations such as the Moon and Mars.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As NASA sets its sights on returning to the Moon, and preparing for Mars, it is developing<strong> new opportunities in lunar orbit</strong> to provide the <strong>foundation for human exploration deeper into the solar system.</strong></li>
<li>It would also support the <strong>technology maturation and development of operating concepts</strong> needed for missions beyond the Earth and Moon system.</li>
<li>Building the Gateway with<strong> commercial and international partners</strong> is a critical component of sustainable lunar exploration and the Artemis program.</li>
<li>So, the partnership would give a <strong>strategic presence of humans</strong> in space.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-nasas-gateway-lunar-orbiting-outpost-6460219/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20Gateway%20Lunar,about%20250%2C000%20miles%20from%20Earth." 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/gateway-lunar-orbiting-outpost'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India has joined the <strong>'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)'</strong> as a founding member to support the<strong> responsible and human-centric development</strong> and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Objective:</strong> GPAI is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of AI, based on human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth.</li>
<li><strong>Functions:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>An example would be looking at how AI could help societies respond to and recover from the Covid-19 crisis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Bring together leading experts from industry, civil society, governments, and academia to conduct research and pilot projects on AI.</li>
<li>It will initially <strong>comprise four working groups</strong> focused on responsible AI, data governance, the future of work, and innovation and commercialisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Founding Members:</strong> Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States.</li>
<li><strong>Organisation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GPAI will be supported by a Secretariat, to be hosted by <strong>Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)</strong> in Paris, as well as by two Centers of Expertise- one each in Montreal (Canada) and Paris (France).</li>
<li>GPAI will be able to take advantage of the OECD&rsquo;s expertise on AI policy and its leadership in setting out the first international standard for trustworthy AI &ndash; the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence.</li>
<li>The OECD will also be a Permanent Observer to the GPAI&rsquo;s governing bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Background:</strong> Born out of the Canadian and French G7 Presidencies in 2018 and 2019, GPAI was officially proposed by France and Canada at the Biarritz Summit in August 2019.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It describes the action of machines accomplishing tasks that have historically required human intelligence.</li>
<li>It includes technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition, big data, neural networks, self algorithms etc.</li>
<li><strong>Example:</strong> Facebook&rsquo;s list of suggested friends for its users, self-driving cars, etc.</li>
<li>AI automates processes and reduces human error but the principal limitation of AI is that it learns from the data. This means any inaccuracies in the data will be reflected in the results.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was formed in<strong> 1961.</strong> It has<strong> 37 member countries. India is not a member but one of the key partners</strong> of the organisation.</li>
<li>It is an international organisation, having a goal to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all.</li>
<li><strong>PISA</strong> is the OECD&rsquo;s programme for international student assessment.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India will participate in the PISA test 2021.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is<strong> headquartered at Paris, France.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Financial Action Task Force (FATF)</strong> Secretariat is located at OECD headquarters.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>G7</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a bloc of<strong> industrialised democracies -</strong> Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Recent Initiatives by India in the Field of AI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has recently launched National AI Strategy and National AI Portal and have also started leveraging AI across various sectors such as education, agriculture, healthcare, e-commerce, finance, telecommunications, etc.</li>
<li>The <strong>National AI strategy</strong> was released in 2018 by NITI Aayog. It is termed<strong> &lsquo;AIForAll&rsquo;</strong> as it is focused on leveraging AI for inclusive growth in line with the Government policy of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Role of the Government has been clearly delineated to develop the research ecosystem, promote adoption and address skilling challenges.</li>
<li>The strategy also flags important issues like ethics, bias and privacy issues relating to AI and envisions Government promoting research in technology to address these concerns.</li>
<li>The focus is on sectors like agriculture, health and education where public investment and lead would be necessary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National AI Portal:</strong> It has been developed jointly by the National e-Governance Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom). The portal is meant to work as a <strong>&ldquo;one stop digital platform"</strong> for all AI related developments in India.</li>
<li><strong>Responsible AI for Youth Programme:</strong> It is aimed at imparting education and skills in AI to students in government schools.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By joining GPAI as a founding member, India will actively participate in the global development of Artificial Intelligence, leveraging its experience around use of digital technologies for inclusive growth.</li>
<li>AI is rapidly penetrating into all the sectors of economy, if used empathetically and reasonably, it has the potential to change global social and economic interactions for the better.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631676" 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/global-partnership-on-artificial-intelligence'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'GovTech 3.0',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/covid-19-has-opened-the-doors-for-gov-tech-3-0/story-Gogbtg00bYrwyrxreMKUQI.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Covid-19 has opened the doors for Gov Tech 3.0&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in the Hindustan Times on 11/06/2020. It talks about the challenges and Utility of the National Open Digital Ecosystem.</p>
</div>
<p>As India looks to adopt the maxim of &ldquo;minimum government and maximum governance&rdquo;, the role of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-digital-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>digital ecosystems</strong></a> has become paramount. In this context, recently, the Ministry of Electronics of Information Technology (MeITY) has released a consultation paper on Strategy for<strong> National Open Digital Ecosystem (NODE).</strong></p>
<p>NODE or GovTech 3.0 defined as &ldquo;Open and secure delivery platforms, anchored by transparent governance mechanisms, which enable a technology collaboration among citizens, businesses and governments to transform societal outcomes.</p>
<p>The key objectives Govtech 3.0 include the need to optimise service delivery, integrate data across departments and ministries, create inter-operable and modular platforms and include the private sector by allowing them to build solutions on top of Government architecture.</p>
<p>While the Open Digital Ecosystem (ODE) empowers and enable collaboration in unprecedented ways, there are many underlying challenges emanating from such interconnected digital networks that need to be addressed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221148_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221148_image3.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>Note: Evolution of GovTech (Use of Technology in Governance)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Gov Tech1.0 was the era of &ldquo;computerisation&rdquo; of manual processes such as putting income tax forms online.</li>
<li>Gov Tech 2.0 was about building systems which digitised end-to-end processes, for example, the government&rsquo;s &ldquo;e-office&rdquo; file management system.</li>
<li>GovTech 3.0 is focussed on Open Digital Ecosystems (ODEs), the underlying philosophy suggests that the government should focus on creating the &ldquo;digital commons&rdquo;.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It envisages the government becoming a facilitator by creating digital infrastructure on which innovators can collaboratively build solutions for the public good.</li>
<li>For Examples, deployment of contact tracing apps (Aarogya Setu) developed through public-private partnerships, to prevent the spread of the virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221196_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221196_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
</div>
<h3>Advantages of GovTech 3.0</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Integration of Government Services:</strong> The advantages of building NODE is illustrated citing the example of e-Transport project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ministry helped digitize issuing vehicle registrations and driver&rsquo;s licenses making it easier for citizens to obtain them, creating dashboards with analytics.</li>
<li>It now integrates a National Vehicle Register and State Vehicle Registers with data interlinked across databases with access to government institutions like Police, National Crime Records Bureau and private institutions like banks and insurance companies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Enhancing Social Security:</strong> Several path-breaking ODEs are already in play in India. For example:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/upi-20-launched-by-npci" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Unified Payments Interface (UPI)</strong></a> in the financial services space has played an instrumental role in increasing financial inclusion.</li>
<li>The National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers called <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/classes-in-distance-mode" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>DIKSHA</strong></a> will play a crucial role in education reforms.</li>
<li>The National Urban Innovation Stack which is enabling the more efficient provision of municipal services.</li>
<li>Similarly, a digital ecosystem for agriculture which is being designed by an inter-ministerial committee.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Underlying Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Privacy Issues:</strong> Potential violations of privacy and possible weaponization of data is a primary issue related to such digital initiatives.</li>
<li><strong>Federal Issues:</strong> The apps under Govtech 3.0 may end up gathering information which falls under the domain of State subject.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Example, the e-transport project has centralized governance of transport which is a state subject according to the constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>May Increase Inequalities:</strong> Success in the digital provision of services is dependent on many underlying factors, including digital literacy, education and access to stable and fast telecommunication services.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this setting, undertaking large-scale digitisation of services without bridging these digital divides could result in increasing existing inequalities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Security Issues:</strong> Another cybersecurity challenge is ensuring end-to-end protection of data throughout the whole ecosystem. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While channels and databases used by the Government for transmission and storage are usually secure, other players in the ecosystem may not possess the requisite expertise or security to prevent and respond to breaches.</li>
<li>The alleged breach of Aadhar database is a case in point.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To Be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Addressing Privacy Issues:</strong> Designing privacy-protection and secure databases is critical. It is, therefore, imperative, that regulations governing the GovTech 3.0 take into account provisions of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/personal-data-protection-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Ensuring Inclusivity:</strong> Digital ecosystems should be guided by factors of availability, accessibility, affordability, value and trust.</li>
<li><strong>Ensuring Transparency:</strong> The invisible rules that are coded into &ldquo;tech&rdquo; need to be made transparent through thoughtful design principles, legislation, governance frameworks and public engagement.</li>
<li><strong>Citizen-Centric Design:</strong> There is a need to ensure the design is citizen-centric and ensures inclusive access to services at the last mile will help drive adoption and sustain these ecosystems.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The push to create digital ecosystems is a welcome step as it can prove to be an effective tool in overcoming governance deficit and improving the quality of life for individuals. However, it is essential to adapt such ecosystems to the peculiarities of India.</p>
<p>In this context, design choices should be made not just in terms of the technology and data architecture, but also in terms of governance architecture and community engagement around ODEs, will determine how we collaborate to build a more resilient and empowered India.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221220_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221220_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #e6ffe8;">
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;In pursuit of the maxim of &ldquo;minimum government and maximum governance&rdquo;, the role of digital ecosystems has become paramount&rdquo;. In light this statement, discuss the role and challenges of the National Open Digital Ecosystem.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SL-JI0tyNuA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/tamil-nadu-coimbatore-koyampuththoor-6456137/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Much in a Rename&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in the Indian express in The Indian Express on 13/06/2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/govtech-3-0'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Malabar Gliding Frog',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a rare amphibian i.e. <strong>Malabar Gliding Frog <em>(Rhacophorus malabaricus)</em></strong> was spotted in Pullad, Kerala.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The amphibian is <strong>endemic</strong> to the rainforest of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ecologically-sensitive-areas-in-western-ghats" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>western ghats</strong></a>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Endemic species</strong> are those plants and animals that exist only in one geographical region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Characteristics:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592213374_Image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img width="250" class="content-img" style="float: right;" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592213374_Image1.jpg" caption="false" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a<strong> green frog</strong> with <strong>slender body, webbed feet, unusual body positions</strong> and very well <strong>camouflaged.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Camouflage,</strong> also called <strong>cryptic coloration,</strong> is a defense mechanism or tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The fingers and toes are like sticks to attach and walk through tree branches.</li>
<li>It has a <strong>high gliding abilities,</strong> with the long skin between the fingers which helps to cover <strong>10 to 12 feet</strong> in one leap.</li>
<li>It has a<strong> body length of 10 cm,</strong> making it one of the <strong>largest mossy frogs.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Mossy Frogs:</strong> These frogs have the skin which is green in colour and resembles moss growing on the rock.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The breeding period is during the monsoon and usually, the females choose to spawn on the lush green leaves overhanging a waterbody.</li>
<li>As their body is so soft, they can live only in moist forests with streams.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Foam Nests:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They built<strong> foam nests</strong> above small pools of water, into which the tadpoles drop after hatching. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Behaviour like<strong> cannibalism</strong> has been found among tadpoles.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protection Status:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iucn-red-list#:~:text=IUCN%20is%20a%20membership%20union,It%20is%20headquartered%20in%20Switzerland." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List</strong></a> , it is placed in the <strong>Least Concern</strong> category.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concern:</strong> The Malabar gliding frog population is declining<strong> due to deforestation, climate change, developmental activities, </strong>and <strong>toxic chemicals.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Western Ghats</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are the mountain ranges running parallel along the <strong>western coast of India starting from Gujarat and ending in Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala</strong> are the six Indian states covered by Western Ghats.</li>
<li>The mountain range is also a <strong>&ldquo;Hottest Hotspot&rdquo; of biodiversity.</strong></li>
<li>The Ghats are often called the <strong>Great Escarpment of India</strong> and are also a <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/world-heritage-sites-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UNESCO World Heritage Site.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>High Biodiversity and Endemism</strong> are special features of Western Ghats along with the presence of <strong>Evergreen Forests.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Amphibia</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They fall under the <strong>Chordata phylum</strong> of the kingdom Animalia, Eg.,<strong> Frogs, Salamanders etc.</strong></li>
<li>These are <strong>multicellular vertebrates</strong> that live both on<strong> land and water.</strong></li>
<li>They are the<strong> first cold-blooded animals</strong> to have appeared on land.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Cold-blooded animals</strong> can be defined as the animals which cannot regulate their internal body temperature with the change in the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>They respire through the lungs and skin.</li>
<li>They have <strong>three chambered</strong> hearts.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/malabar-gliding-frog-spotted-at-
pullad/article31827553.ece#:~:text=The%20amphibian%20is%20endemic%20to%20rain%20forests%20of%20Western%20Ghats&amp;text=This%20was%20how%20a%20juvenile,%2C%20near%20Kozhencherry%2C%20on%20Saturday." 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/malabar-gliding-frog'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Indian Naval LOs at Madagascar and Abu Dhabi',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India is planning to post <strong>Naval Liaison Officers</strong> (LOs) at the <strong>Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre</strong> (RMIFC) in <strong>Madagascar</strong> and the <strong>European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz</strong> (EMASOH) in <strong>Abu Dhabi</strong> for improved <strong>Maritime Domain Awareness</strong> (MDA).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This move comes after <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-as-an-observer-at-ioc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India joined the Indian Ocean Commission</strong></a> (IOC) as Observer in <strong>March 2020</strong> along with <strong>Japan and the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The move <strong>aims</strong> to <strong>improve linkages</strong> of the Navy&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/information-fusion-centre-of-indian-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region</strong> </a>(IFC-IOR) in <strong>Gurugram with other IFCs</strong> and become the <strong>repository for all maritime data</strong> in the IOR.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-france-joint-patrolling" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India is working closely with France</strong></a>, who is a pre-eminent member of IOC, to post a Naval LO at the RMIFC in Madagascar.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> RMFIC functions under the aegis of the IOC</strong> and is designed to deepen maritime domain awareness by monitoring maritime activities and promoting information sharing and exchange.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Navy LO is expected to be posted at <strong>EMASOH by July</strong> and at the <strong>RMIFC by September or October 2020.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has a LO at the IFC in Singapore for over four years now.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Ocean Commission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an<strong> intergovernmental body and regional forum</strong> created in <strong>1984</strong> to protect the interests of the <strong>western Indian Ocean islands.</strong></li>
<li>It consists of <strong>Madagascar, Comoros, La R&eacute;union</strong> (French overseas territory), <strong>Mauritius</strong> and <strong>Seychelles.</strong></li>
<li>IOC has<strong> five observers</strong> which are <strong>China, <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a></strong> (EU), <strong>Malta</strong> and <strong>International Organisation of La Francophonie</strong> (OIF),<strong> India, Japan</strong> and <strong>the UN.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>OIF is a 54 french speaking nations collective.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>France started EMASOH with the aim to monitor maritime activity and guarantee freedom of navigation in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/persian-gulf-region" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Persian Gulf</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strait-of-hormuz-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Strait of Hormuz</strong></a>.</li>
<li>It is <strong>based at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi</strong> (UAE).</li>
<li>It was declared operational by the French Ministry of Armed Forces in February 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Other Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To strengthen the naval forces and surveillance, India has signed a series of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-france" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>white shipping agreements</strong></a>, <strong>Logistics Support Agreements</strong> (LSA) and <strong>maritime cooperation agreements</strong> with several countries, recently.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For example, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-australia-virtual-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India Australia Virtual Summit</strong></a> announced a joint declaration on a shared vision for maritime cooperation in the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-indo-pacific-strategic-importance" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indo-Pacific</strong> </a>in which they agreed to deepen navy-to-navy cooperation and strengthen MDA in the Indo-Pacific region through enhanced exchange of information.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In<strong> 2015,</strong> India unveiled it's strategic vision for the Indian Ocean i.e. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/sagar-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Security and Growth for All in the Region</strong></a> (SAGAR). It is an increasing recognition of the increasing importance of maritime security, maritime commons and cooperation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Through SAGAR, India seeks to <strong>deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours </strong>and <strong>assist in building their maritime security capabilities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Indian Navy</strong> set up the IFC-IOR in <strong>December 2018</strong> within the premises of the <strong>Information Management and Analysis Centre</strong> (IMAC) in Gurugram to track maritime movements in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>IMAC is located in <strong>Gurugram</strong> and is the main centre of the Indian Navy for <strong>coastal surveillance and monitoring.</strong></li>
<li>IMAC is a <strong>joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Bharat Electronics Ltd</strong> and functions under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unified-commanders-conference" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Security Adviser</strong></a> (NSA).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>IFC is the<strong> single point centre linking all the coastal radar chains</strong> to generate a seamless real-time picture of the nearly 7,500 km coastline.</li>
<li><strong>France</strong> became the <strong>first country to deploy</strong> a LO at the IFC-IOR <strong>followed by the USA</strong> and several other countries including Australia, Japan and the UK have announced their intention to post LOs.</li>
<li>It <strong>coordinates with similar centres</strong> across the globe which include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Virtual Regional Maritime Traffic Centre (VRMTC)</li>
<li>Maritime Security Centre-<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-for-peace-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Horn of Africa</strong></a> (MSCHOA)</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/recaap-isc-capacity-building-workshop" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery</strong> </a>(ReCAAP)</li>
<li>Information Fusion Centre-Singapore (IFC-SG)</li>
<li>International Maritime Bureau-Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB-PRC)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s engagement with the Western Indian Ocean will facilitate collective engagement with the islands there, which are becoming strategically significant.</li>
<li>Given China&rsquo;s growing presence in the region, India will be able to increase its naval presence and gain support for its maritime projects across the Indo-Pacific.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s consultative, democratic and equitable leadership can help achieve the security and sustainable growth to all in the region.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-looks-to-deploy-naval-liaisons-at-madagascar-abu-dhabi-for-information-exchange/article31828272.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/indian-naval-los-at-madagascar-and-abu-dhabi'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (CIMAP)</strong> has announced a photography competition on medicinal and aromatic plants to convey the message of conservation of these medicinal plants.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>theme</strong> of the competition is<strong> &lsquo;Know your Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs)&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Established:</strong> Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, popularly known as CIMAP, was established originally as Central Indian Medicinal Plants Organisation (CIMPO) in 1959. It was rechristened as Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) in 1978.</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong> It is a frontier plant research laboratory of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-malaria-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)</strong></a>. It focuses on high quality research in biological and chemical sciences and extending technologies and services to the farmers and entrepreneurs of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs).</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Lucknow, U.P.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>CIMAP, Lucknow houses the <strong>National Gene Bank of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,</strong> in addition to seed gene bank, tissue and DNA bank.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Research Centres:</strong> Bangalore (Karnataka), Hyderabad (Telangana), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Purara (Uttarakhand).</li>
<li>CIPAM is presently accredited by <strong>International Centre for Science and High Technology- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO)</strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/19th-iora-council-of-ministers-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA)</strong></a> as a focal point for research and training on Medicinal Plants among participating member countries.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Centre for Science and High Technology</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICS was <strong>established in 1988</strong> and operates under the<strong> legal framework of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/solar-thermal-energy-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)</a>.</strong> It focuses on the transfer of know-how and technology from industrialized to developing countries.</li>
<li>The Centre focuses its activities on <strong>four core scientific programmes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Rational drug design and development</li>
<li>Next generation biofuels and bio-based chemicals</li>
<li>Geothermal energy</li>
<li>Nanotechnologies</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Trieste, Italy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631499#:~:text=In%20an%20effort%20to%20create,conservation%20of%20these%20medicinal%20plants." 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/central-institute-of-medicinal-and-aromatic-plants'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Indian Digital Payment System Outside India',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> is exploring the possibility of expanding its payment system abroad, following the requests from several countries.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Requests for Payment System:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The RBI has received requests from abroad for implementing its payment systems like Cheque Truncation System (CTS), National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and messaging solutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The availability of low cost innovative digital payment products in India has led to many countries expressing their interest in Indian payment system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Availability of Payment System Outside India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, there are no RBI authorised payment system operators providing payment services outside India.</li>
<li>However, there is cross-country cooperation with Bhutan with respect to CTS, National Automated Clearing House (NACH) and NEFT. NEFT is also available for one-way transfers from India to Nepal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scope of Payment System Outside India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to RBI there is scope for enhancing global outreach of its payment systems, including remittances, through active participation and co-operation in international and regional fora by collaborating and contributing to standard setting.</li>
<li>Efforts have been made to increase and widen the scope, coverage and usage of <strong>RuPay card scheme </strong>and<strong> UPI to enhance their brand value internationally.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues Involved:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Overdependence on the foreign funds (through digital payments) may lead to possible liquidity risk issues in India.</li>
<li>Different time zones may pose a risk in digital payments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Digital Payments and India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s growing use of retail digital payments, indicates a shift in the relationship with cash.</li>
<li>According to the RBI, the digital payments in the country have witnessed a growth of 61% and 19% in terms of volume and value, respectively.</li>
<li>The value of digital payments to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gross Domestic Product</strong></a> (GDP) has also increased from 660% in 2014-15 to 862% in 2018-19.</li>
<li>The Point of sale (PoS) terminals grew at a high pace of 35%, contrastingly the deployment of ATMs has grown at a low pace (4%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Unified Payments Interface</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an advanced version of<strong> Immediate Payment Service (IMPS)</strong>- round&ndash;the-clock funds transfer service to make cashless payments <strong>faster, easier and smoother.</strong></li>
<li>UPI is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing &amp; merchant payments into one hood.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-digital-transactions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)</strong></a> launched UPI with 21 member banks in 2016.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Electronic Funds Transfer</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT)</strong> is a nation-wide payment system facilitating one-to-one funds transfer. Under this Scheme, individuals, firms and corporates can electronically transfer funds from any bank branch to any individual, firm or corporate having an account with any other bank branch in the country participating in the Scheme.</li>
<li>There is no limit &ndash; either minimum or maximum &ndash; on the amount of funds that could be transferred using NEFT.</li>
<li>However, the maximum amount per transaction is limited to ₹ 50,000/- for cash-based remittances within India and also for remittances to Nepal under the Indo-Nepal Remittance Facility Scheme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>RuPay Card Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RuPay is the first-of-its-kind domestic Debit and Credit Card payment network of India.</li>
<li>The name, derived from the words &lsquo;Rupee and &lsquo;Payment&rsquo;, emphasises that it is India&rsquo;s very own initiative for Debit and Credit Card payments.</li>
<li>The card can also be used for transactions in Singapore, Bhutan, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cheque Truncation System</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Cheque Truncation System (CTS)</strong> is an online image-based cheque clearing system undertaken by the RBI for faster clearing of cheques. It eliminates the associated cost of movement of physical cheques.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Automated Clearing House</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>National Automated Clearing House (NACH)</strong> is a service offered by NPCI to banks which aims at facilitating interbank high volume, low value debit/credit transactions, which are repetitive and electronic in nature.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/after-requests-from-many-countries-rbi-may-take-payment-system-abroad-6457669/" 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/indian-digital-payment-system-outside-india'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'New Drug for Amoebiasis',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, researchers from the<strong> Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)</strong> have developed new drug molecules against the <strong>protozoa <em>&lsquo;Entamoeba histolytica&rsquo;</em> </strong>that causes <strong>amoebiasis.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Protozoa and High Oxygen Level:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The protozoa is<strong> anaerobic or microaerophilic</strong> in nature such that it <strong>cannot survive high concentrations of oxygen.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Anaerobic organisms are those who exist in the absence of free oxygen.</li>
<li>A <strong>microaerophilic</strong> atmosphere is ideal for a <strong>microorganism</strong> that can grow under <strong>reduced oxygen</strong> and increased carbon dioxide levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, during infection, <strong>it faces a high surge of oxygen</strong> inside the human body. The organism synthesizes large amounts of cysteine to<strong> counter oxidative stress.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Synthesis of Cysteine:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This <strong>pathogen deploys cysteine</strong> as one of the essential molecules in its defence mechanism against <strong>high oxygen levels.</strong> It <strong>expresses two crucial enzymes </strong>for<strong> synthesizing cysteine.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Cysteines are enzymes that degrade proteins in the body.</li>
<li>Cysteine biosynthesis is crucial for the survival of E. histolytica and for similar protozoan parasites.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>JNU Research:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Researchers have characterized and determined the molecular structures of both the crucial enzymes.</li>
<li>They have also successfully screened for potent inhibitors for one of the enzymes, <strong>O-acetyl L-serine sulfhydrylase (OASS).</strong></li>
<li>Some of these inhibitors can <strong>check the growth of this organism with high efficacy</strong> by targeting their pathways.</li>
<li>The identified molecules can lead to the<strong> development of drug molecules.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Protozoa</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Protozoans are the <strong>single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic,</strong> which feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Eukaryotes</strong> are organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within membranes, unlike prokaryotes, which have no membrane-bound organelles.</li>
<li>A <strong>parasite is an organism</strong> that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. E.g. plasmodium parasite which causes <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-malaria-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>malaria</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Habitat:</strong> Mostly they are <strong>aerobic</strong> (with oxygen) but some are <strong>anaerobic</strong> (without oxygen) and present in the rumen or human intestine.</li>
<li><strong>Size and Shape:</strong> The size and shape of Protozoa vary greatly, from microbial (1&micro;m) to large enough and can be seen by the naked eye.</li>
<li><strong>Nutrition:</strong> Protozoans are <strong>heterotrophs</strong> and have <strong>holozoic nutrition.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Holozoic nutrition</strong> can be defined as a method of nutrition which <strong>involves the ingestion of some complex organic substances</strong> (such as parts of a plant or animal) that may be in the solid or the liquid form.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Entamoeba histolytica</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization (WHO)</strong></a>, <strong><em>Entamoeba histolytica</em> </strong>is the <strong>third-leading cause of morbidity and mortality</strong> due to <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>parasitic disease in humans</strong></a>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Predominantly infecting humans and other primates, <em>E. histolytica</em> is estimated to infect about<strong> 35-50 million people</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li>A<strong> parasitic disease</strong> is an infectious disease caused or transmitted by a parasite. E.g. Malaria.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It causes<strong> amoebiasis or amoebic dysentery,</strong> which is highly prevalent in developing countries.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Amoebiasis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a disease caused by the parasite<strong><em> Entamoeba histolytica.</em></strong></li>
<li>Amoebiasis infection is most common <strong>in tropical areas</strong> with untreated water. E.g. India.</li>
<li>It <strong>spreads through drinking or eating uncooked food,</strong> such as fruit, that may have been washed in contaminated local water.</li>
<li>If symptoms occur, they may be mild and include cramping and diarrhoea.</li>
<li>It can be treated through antibiotics.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631498#:~:text=A%20team%20of%20researchers%20from,survive%20high%20concentrations%20of%20oxygen." 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/new-drug-for-amoebiasis'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'AarogyaPath: CSIR',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The government has launched an<strong> information platform 'AarogyaPath' to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies</strong> for manufacturers, suppliers and customers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/council-of-scientific-and-industrial-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific &amp; Industrial Research (CSIR)</strong></a> National Healthcare Supply Chain Portal.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of key healthcare goods such as medical equipment, drugs, apparel, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Vision:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To set up an information management and forecasting database platform at national level to capture demand and supply scenarios for key healthcare needs items.</li>
<li>CSIR expects AarogyaPath to become the national healthcare information platform of choice in the years to come, filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Beneficiaries:</strong> Hospitals, Pathology laboratories, Research institutes, Medical colleges and Individual patients. It will also create <strong>opportunities for business expansion</strong> due to an expanded network of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products.</li>
<li><strong>Importance in Situations like a Pandemic (Covid-19):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Anticipated shortages can be addressed and met at national level.</li>
<li>Opportunistic Pricing, hoarding and over- forecasting can be checked.</li>
<li>Over- production can be avoided. This would help to reduce wastage of resources.</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 ranked first in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nature-index-2020-index-of-scientific-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nature Ranking Index-2020.</strong></a><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=1631339" 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/aarogyapath-csir'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Jet Zero Plan',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced a <strong>&lsquo;Jet Zero&rsquo; plan</strong> to bring down its aviation emissions.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aim:</strong> The Jet Zero aims to bring down greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to make carbon-free <strong>transatlantic flights</strong> possible within a generation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A transatlantic flight is the<strong> flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean</strong> from Europe, Africa, or the Middle East to North America, Central America, or South America, or vice versa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jet Zero Council:</strong> A group called &lsquo;Jet Zero Council&rsquo; has been formed by the U.K. government by bringing together leaders from the aviation sector, environmental groups and government.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This group <strong>has been given charge for making net zero emissions possible</strong> for future flights.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> To achieve its target of a <strong>net-zero emissions economy by 2050,</strong> it is important to cut transport emissions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aviation emissions currently account for more than 2% of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/greenhouse-gas-levels-reach-record-highs-un-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>global greenhouse gases</strong></a>, and have risen by 70% since 2005.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Civil Aviation Organization</strong></a> forecasts that the emissions will rise another 300% by 2050 in the absence of measures to bring them down.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The U.K. government is<strong> also funding Velocys</strong> (aviation biofuels making company) in support of its plans to build a major jet biofuel plant in Lincolnshire.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Net-zero emissions means doing away with fossil fuels and other sources of emissions wherever possible. It also involves any emissions that are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/aviation/uk-announces-jet-zero-plan-to-drive-down-aviation-emissions-6457061/" 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/jet-zero-plan'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Rise And Fall of Globalisation',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/is-this-the-end-of-the-globalisation-era/article31803048.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Is this the end of the globalisation era?&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The HinduBussines Line on 11/06/2020. It talks about the pros and cons of Globalisation.</p>
</div>
<p>Globalisation envisages a borderless world or seeks the world as a global village. It may be attributed by the accelerated flow of goods, people, capital, information, and energy across borders, often enabled by technological developments.</p>
<p>However, isolationism forced by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-globalization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> has paused the growth of globalisation in the world. Though the pandemic has hastened globalisation&rsquo;s decline, protectionism has been increasing since <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/understanding-financial=-crisis-of-2007-08" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the global financial crisis 2008</strong></a>.</p>
<p>The increased unemployment, growing inequality and anaemic growth in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, particularly in the developed world, are the main reasons for the rise of protectionism all across the globe.</p>
<p>In this context, there is a debate all around the world regarding the sustainability of globalisation in the future.</p>
<h3>Rise of Globalization</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Origin of Modern Globalisation:</strong> What today is referred to as globalisation, started with the <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/cold-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>end of the Cold war and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Driving Factors:</strong> Globalisation was the offshoot of two systems &mdash; democracy and capitalism &mdash; that emerged victorious at the end of the Cold War.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These ideas were transmitted across the world through free trade and increased inter-country movement of capital and labour.</li>
<li>The idea that all countries should unequivocally move towards democracy underpinned with capitalism was packaged in policies commonly referred to as the Washington Consensus or neo-liberalism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Politics of Globalisation:</strong> Politically, it refers to increasing global governance via international institutions or growing alignment of national policies.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It involves both benefits (such as coordinated crisis strategies) and costs (such as less national self-determination), too.</li>
<li>A liberal democracy combined with free-market capitalism was the best way to organise society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Developing-Developed Countries Collaboration:</strong> The partnership between the developed and the developing countries based on three planks.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>First was offshoring of manufacturing and low-end services jobs to developing countries.</li>
<li>Second, developed countries run large trade deficits by acting as the market for the increased output of developing countries.</li>
<li>Third, developing countries financing the trade deficit of the developed countries by accumulating large foreign exchange reserves.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pros of Globalisation</h3>
<p><strong>Access to Goods and Services</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Globalization results in increased trade and standard of living. It heightens competition within the domestic product, capital, and labour markets, as well as among countries adopting different trade and investment strategies.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has also resulted in national capital markets becoming increasingly integrated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Vehicle of Social Justice</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Transnational companies investing in installing plants in other countries provide employment for the people in those countries often getting them out of poverty.</li>
<li>The proponents say globalization represents free trade which promotes global economic growth, creates jobs, makes companies more competitive, and lowers prices for consumers.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Increases Cultural Awareness</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By reducing cross-border distances, globalisation has increased cross-cultural understanding and sharing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A neutral globalized society boosts up the rate at which people are exposed to the culture, attitudes and values of people in other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sharing Technology and Values</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It also provides poor countries, through infusions of foreign capital and technology, with the chance to develop economically and by spreading prosperity.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Decline of Globalisation</h3>
<p>The global financial crisis was a turning point, as it struck at the twin foundations of <strong>liberal democracy and free-market capitalism.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Suppression of liberal democracy:</strong> The malaise of slow economic growth, wealth inequality and rising unemployment provided a perfect breeding ground for political leaders to appeal for nationalism as the solution to political and economic ills.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The economic rise of China under an authoritarian regime also raised doubts over the efficacy of liberal democracy in solving pressing domestic challenges.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Perils of neo-liberal doctrine:</strong> While the free-market ideology has been fighting a battle of credibility since it took the maximum blame for the 2008 crisis, free trade policies have now been severely impacted due to Covid-19.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The pandemic has not only exposed the fragility of highly optimised supply chains that spread across countries but has also shown such inter-country supply chains to be a threat to national security.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cons of Globalisation</h3>
<p><strong>Increasing Inequality</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while making the poor poorer.</li>
<li>The <strong>UN Development Program reports</strong> that the richest 20% of the world's population consume 86% of the world's resources while the rest 80% consume just 14 percent.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Malpractices of MNCs</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Multinational corporations (MNCs) are accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions (including slave labour wages, living and working conditions), as well as lack of concern for the environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage.</li>
<li>Also, Multinational corporations, which were previously restricted to commercial activities, are increasingly influencing political decisions.</li>
<li>Many think there is a threat of corporations ruling the world because they are gaining power, due to globalization.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Fail to Contribute Towards Desired Gains</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The argument that globalization has helped people in developing most of the countries out of poverty is somehow controversial. Because the opinions differ as to the quantity and the quality of the jobs being offered by globalization.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Contribute Towards Cultural Homogeneity</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Globalisation promotes people's tastes to converge which may lead to more cultural homogeneity.</li>
<li>Due to this, there is a danger of losing precious cultural practices and languages.</li>
<li>Also, there are threats of cultural invasion of one country over another.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Given its enormous potential for economic gains, it would be a waste to categorically repudiate the phenomena of Globalisation. Instead, there is a need for better understanding of Globalization's effects and the interplay of its economics with other issue areas.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592047608_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592047608_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #eeffeb;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;From being the pre-eminent phenomenon integrating the world, globalisation now looks like a spent force&rdquo;. Critically discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JHCKmcw2E8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/back-from-the-brink-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-china-border-row/article31806318.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Back From The Brink&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindu on June 12<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/rise-and-fall-of-globalisation'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'World Day Against Child Labour 2020',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently the World Day Against Child Labour has been observed on<strong> June 12<sup>th</sup> 2020.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> theme</strong> for the year 2020 is <strong>Covid-19: Protect children from child labour, now more than ever</strong> which focuses on the impact of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> crisis on child labour.</li>
<li>On 12<sup>th</sup> June 2002, the International Labour Organisation launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-day-against-child-labour" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Day Against Child Labour.</strong></a></li>
<li>Since then, every year, the day is marked to highlight the plight of child labourers worldwide and also to take required measures to eliminate it.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Child Labour</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-labour-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labour Organisation (ILO)</strong></a> defines<strong> child labour as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity,</strong> and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.</li>
<li>In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labour that is considered detrimental to their health and development.</li>
<li>The eradication of Child Labour is part of the <strong>UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.</strong></li>
<li><strong>International Laws on Child Labour</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989:</strong> It contains the idea that children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training. Rather, they are human beings and individuals with their own rights.</li>
<li><strong>International Labour Organizations Conventions on the minimum age for admission to employment of the year 1973</strong> (ILO convention 138) and on the <strong>worst forms of child labour of the year 1999</strong> (ILO convention182).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Data Across the World</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Absolute Numbers: 152 million</strong> children between the <strong>ages of 5-17 were</strong> in child labour, almost half them, 73 million, in hazardous child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Age Specific:</strong> Almost half (48%) of the victims of child labour were aged 5-11, 28% were 12-14 years old, and 24% were 15-17 years old.</li>
<li><strong>Sectors:</strong> Child labour is concentrated <strong>primarily in agriculture and allied activities (71%),</strong> 17% in services; and 12% in the industrial sector.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and the Child Labour</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the age group of 15-18 years, India has around 23 million working children. This means <strong>one in eleven children</strong> between the <strong>ages of 5-18 years</strong> in the country are working.</li>
<li>Five states which are the India&rsquo;s biggest child labour employers-<strong> Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Constitutional Provisions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 21A:</strong> Right to Education</li>
<li><strong>Article 24:</strong> Prohibition of employment of children (below the age fourteen years) in factories, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Article 39:</strong> The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Initiatives by the Government of India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Gurupadswamy Committe: In 1979,</strong> the central government formed the first statutory committee to analyse and research on the issue of child labour in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>One of their major observations was that the problem of child labour is inextricably linked to poverty.</li>
<li>Taking into account the findings and recommendations of the committee, the Union Government enacted the <strong>Child labour (Prohibition and &amp; Regulation) Act in 1986.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Policy on Child Labour (1987):</strong> It focuses more on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention.</li>
<li><strong>Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 (the JJ Act) and amendment of the JJ Act in 2006:</strong> It includes the working child in the category of children in need of care and protection, without any limitation of age or type of occupation.</li>
<li><strong>The Right to Education Act, 2009</strong> has made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children <strong>aged 6 to 14 years</strong> are in school and receive free education.</li>
<li>Another landmark step was the enactment of the <strong>Child labour (Prohibition and Prevention) Amendment Act, 2016.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Initiatives<strong> like Operation Smile, Operation Muskaan</strong> to rescue and rehabilitation of childrens from an unorganised sector, manufacturing units and other factories.</li>
<li>Recently, India has ratified International<strong> Labour Organizations Convention (ILO) no 138 (minimum age for employment)</strong> and <strong>Convention no 182 (worst forms of child labour).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Covid-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In India,</strong> the lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 has left <strong>child labourers</strong> with no source of income, no means of protection against the disease.</li>
<li>The lockdown has forced millions of migrant workers &mdash; facing long-term unemployment &mdash; to return to their villages without any jobs. Children of returnee migrants have been forced to become child labourers.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The issue of child labour is still prevelant in India, despite the presence of several laws.</li>
<li>Child labour legislation to protect children has been inadequate and face the following challenges:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Definitional issue</strong>: One of the biggest challenges in eradicating child labour is the confusion around the definition of a child, in terms of age, in various laws dealing with child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of identification:</strong> Age identification of children is a difficult task in India due to the lack of identification documents E.g. Birth Certificates, School Certificates etc.</li>
<li><strong>Weak enforcement of law:</strong> Due to lack of adequate deterrence and corruption it is difficult to eradicating child labour</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Poverty and lack of school</strong> are considered as the main causes of child labour.</li>
<li>People from rural areas with little education often see no alternative but to take their children out of school and put them to work. The children grow up without education, health facilities and no knowledge of their rights.</li>
<li>The extreme form of<strong> child labour that is forced labour,</strong> in which children suffer not only the impact of hazardous working conditions but lack of freedom.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> cycle of poverty and its implications</strong> must be addressed properly, so families can find other means to survive.</li>
<li>Many <strong>NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, ChildFund, CARE India,Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation</strong> etc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India. Right kind of focus and orientation with state level authorities is also needed to avoid the practice of child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Forced Child Labour</strong> requires an urgent action from governments and the international communities.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/world-day-against-child-labour-2020-vulnerable-children-worse-off-due-to-covid-19-71719" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'India-Tanzania Relations',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, Prime Minister of India thanked <strong>Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, President of the United Republic of Tanzania</strong> for his assistance provided for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Tanzania in the wake of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both leaders <strong>reviewed the overall bilateral relationship</strong> and expressed satisfaction at the growing development partnership, educational linkages, trade and investment flows and <strong>discussed possibilities of further accelerating</strong> these trends.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tanzania<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592043046_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592043046_image3.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was formed as a<strong> sovereign state in 1964</strong> through the<strong> union of the separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.</strong></li>
<li><em><strong>Dodoma</strong> </em>is the<strong> official capital</strong> and <strong>Dar es Salaam</strong> is the seat of most <strong>government administrations</strong> as well as is the <strong>largest city and port in the country.</strong></li>
<li>It is located in<strong> east Africa</strong> just south of the Equator. It is bounded by Uganda, Lake Victoria and Kenya to the <strong>north,</strong> by the Indian Ocean to the<strong> east,</strong> by Mozambique, Lake Nyasa, Malawi and Zambia to the <strong>south</strong> and southwest and by Lake Tanganyika, Burundi and Rwanda to the <strong>west.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Africa&rsquo;s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro</strong> (5,895 metres) and the <strong>world&rsquo;s second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika</strong> (1,436 metres deep) are located in Tanzania.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tanzania is <strong>one of the fastest-growing African countries</strong> of this decade and plays an important role in <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/india-africa-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India-Africa relations</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Tanzania and India have enjoyed traditionally<strong> close, friendly and cooperative relations.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>High Commission of India</strong> in Dar es Salaam has been operating since <strong>November 1961</strong> and the <strong>Consulate General of India</strong> in Zanzibar was set up in <strong>October 1974.</strong></li>
<li>In October 2019, as part of the<strong> Indian Navy's Overseas Deployment,</strong> four indigenously built ships of the Indian Navy visited the ports at <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dar-es-salaam-and-zanzibar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar</strong></a> located in Tanzania.</li>
<li><strong>Bilateral Treaties &amp; Agreements:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Agreement on the establishment of a Joint Trade Committee (2000).</li>
<li>MOU for Co-operation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors (2002).</li>
<li>MoU on Exchange of Programme on Co-operation in the field of Education (2003).</li>
<li>MOU on Defence Cooperation (2003).</li>
<li>MOU for Cooperation in the field of Hydrography between Tanzania and India and Protocol on exchange of Hydrographic Data (2015).</li>
<li>MOU on Cooperation in the field of water resource management and development (2016).</li>
<li>Loan Agreement between Exim Bank and Government of Tanzania on line of credit for USD 500 million for water supply projects in 17 towns across Tanzania (May 2018).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Commercial and Economic Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is the <strong>largest trading partner of Tanzania</strong> comprising <strong>16%</strong> of Tanzania&rsquo;s foreign trade.</li>
<li>India is also <strong>among the top five investment sources</strong> in Tanzania.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s major exports to Tanzania:</strong> Petroleum products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, motor vehicles, electrical goods, articles of iron and steel, sugar, machinery, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Tanzania&rsquo;s major exports to India:</strong> Gold ore, cashew nuts, pulses, timber, spices (mainly cloves), ores and metal scrap, gemstones, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Development Partnership:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tanzania is a <strong>major beneficiary of training courses</strong> allocated under India&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/vice-president-s-visit-to-comoros-and-sierra-leone" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme/Special Commonwealth African Assistance Programme</strong></a> (ITEC/SCAAP) and under<strong> India Africa Forum Summit</strong> (IAFS) capacity building cooperation.</li>
<li>India has executed a number of projects under<strong> government grants and soft loans</strong> in Tanzania.</li>
<li>India provided <strong>essential medicines and vaccines</strong> as grant support to Tanzania in September 2018 and set up a<strong> radiation therapy machine &lsquo;Bhabhatron-II&rsquo;</strong> for cancer patients.</li>
<li>India has also extended a <strong>Credit Line to Tanzania for various water supply projects</strong> in Dar-es-Salaam, coastal Chalinze region, Tabora, Igunga, Nzega, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Culture:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Indian Cultural Centre</strong> (ICC), Dar es Salaam under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/70-years-of-indian-council-for-cultural-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Council for Cultural Relations</strong></a> (ICCR), coordinates cultural outreach since its establishment in December 2010.</li>
<li>The 5<sup>th</sup> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-yoga-day#:~:text=June%2021%20is%20observed%20as,Nations%20declared%20it%20in%202015." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Day of Yoga</strong> </a>(<strong>21<sup>st</sup> June</strong>) was celebrated in Tanzania in 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Community:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tanzania is home to <strong>more than 50,000 people of Indian origin.</strong></li>
<li>The Indian origin community is <strong>active in the field of trade, industry and services</strong> in Tanzania.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-23rd-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award</strong> </a>and <strong><em>&lsquo;Bharat Ko Janiye&rsquo; quiz</em> </strong>generate interest in Tanzania.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Government of India organises Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz, which is an online quiz for <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/indian-diaspora" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-Resident Indians</strong></a> (NRIs) and<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/overseas-citizenship-of-india#:~:text=The%20Ministry%20of%20Home%20Affairs,on%2026th%20January%201950%3B%20or" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Overseas Citizens of India</strong> </a>(OCIs) between the age of 18 and 35 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>From the 1960s to the 1980s, the political relationship between India and Tanzania involved shared commitments to anticolonialism, <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/non-aligned-movement-nam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>non-alignment</strong></a> as well as <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-india-africa-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>South-South Cooperation</strong> </a>and close cooperation in international fora.</li>
<li>In recent years, India-Tanzania ties have evolved into a modern and pragmatic relationship with sound political understanding, diversified economic engagement, people to people contacts in the field of education and healthcare and development partnership in capacity building training, concessional credit lines and grant projects.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631226" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'India- Laos Relations',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Prime Minister of India had a telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister of Lao People&rsquo;s Democratic Republic (PDR).</p>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592041737_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img width="350" class="content-img" style="float: right;" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592041737_image2.png" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both the leaders exchanged views on the health and economic challenges posed by the global <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-indian-federalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a>.</li>
<li>They agreed on the need for international cooperation, and for sharing of best-practices and experiences, in order to prepare for the post-Covid world.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s Prime Minister highlighted India&rsquo;s historic and cultural links with Laos and expressed satisfaction at being involved<strong> in the restoration of the Vat Phou hindu temple complex (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kailash-mansarovar-in-tentative-list-of-world-heritage-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world heritage site</a>).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He also reiterated India&rsquo;s commitment to continue its development partnership with Lao PDR, a valued partner in<strong> India&rsquo;s extended neighbourhood.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Lao Prime Minister thanked India's support for Lao&rsquo;s development programmes, in capacity building and for scholarships.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relations Between the Countries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Political Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Based upon historical and civilizational foundations, India and Laos enjoy long standing, friendly and mutually supportive relations.</li>
<li>Political relations between both the countries were established in February 1956.</li>
<li>Laos has been supportive on major issues of regional and international concerns to India, including <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-permanent-seat-in-unsc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India&rsquo;s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.</strong> </a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Defence Cooperation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since 1994, under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/vice-president-s-visit-to-comoros-and-sierra-leone" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)</strong></a> Agreement, a two-member Indian Army Training Team has conducted training for Lao defence personnel in English, Computers and Basic Tactics. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Indian team is the only foreign training team besides the Vietnamese and the Chinese.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indian Army had also conducted three training capsules on Unexploded Ordnance (Bomb) (UXOs) and De-mining in Laos in 2011, 2012 and 2013. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>De-mining is the process of removing land mines from an area.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic Cooperation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bilateral trade between both the nations in 2017-18 has reached to 193.63 US million dollars. Although the trade balance is heavily shifted in favour of Laos.</li>
<li>India has supported development of Laos by extending Lines of Credit for infrastructure projects in the fields of transmission line, hydropower project, conversion of diesel to electric driven pump sets, and irrigation projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cultural Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two countries share age-old civilisational ties best symbolised by:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The relic of the Buddha encased in the That Luang Stupa, the national emblem of Lao PDR.</li>
<li>The Vat Phou Temple Complex, an ancient Shiva temple, whose earliest structures date back to the 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> Century AD, and which is currently being renovated and restored by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bibi-ka-maqbara-of-aurangabad" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Archaeological Survey of India</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Human Resource Development:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Government of India has been providing nearly 140 scholarships annually to Lao nationals under various schemes.</li>
<li>The <strong>Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (LIEDC)</strong> set up in November, 2004, trains Lao entrepreneurs for setting up small and medium scale businesses.</li>
<li>Agreement for setting up of <strong>Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT)</strong> in Vientiane under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asean-summit-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASEAN</strong></a> <strong>Framework</strong> was signed in 2015.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note: Line of Credit</strong> is a &lsquo;soft loan&rsquo; provided on concessional interest rates to developing countries, which has to be repaid by the borrowing governments. The projects under LOCs are spread over different sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, telecom, railway, transmission/power, renewable energy, etc.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631229" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 0 => [
		'title' => 'Elections for Non-permanent Members of the UNSC',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Election for five non-permanent members of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/un-security-council-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong></a> is being held on 17<sup>th</sup> June, 2020.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Election:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India is standing unopposed</strong> as the nominee for the <strong>Asia-Pacific seat</strong>, for the 2021-22 term and needs the vote of two-thirds of UNGA members (129 votes) to be confirmed.</li>
<li>In 2019, the candidature of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-non-permanent-seat-at-the-unsc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping</strong></a>, which also included China and Pakistan.</li>
<li>This would be India's eighth term in the UNSC which will begin from January 2021.</li>
<li>Contenders for Other Seats:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Mexico</strong> is expected to be elected unopposed for the <strong>Latin American group</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Canada, Ireland and Norway</strong> will contend for two seats of the <strong>West European and Others Group (WEOG)</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Kenya</strong> and <strong>Djibouti</strong> will contend for an African seat.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Commitment at UNSC:</strong> In its campaign brochure, India had highlighted:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Its <strong>commitment to multilateralism</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India&rsquo;s objective will be the achievement of <strong>N.O.R.M.S: a New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System</strong>.</li>
<li>A reformed multilateralism and multilateral system is essential to ensure that the international system is inclusive and caters to the requirements of all countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Demand for <strong>transparency in mandates for UN peacekeeping missions</strong>.</li>
<li>Push for the Indian-led <a href="/printpdf/at-unga-india-call-for-early-adoption-of-ccit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Comprehensive Convention for International Terrorism (CCIT)</strong></a>. CCIT includes the following major objectives:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To have a universal definition of terrorism that all 193-members of the UNGA will adopt into their own criminal law.</li>
<li>To ban all terror groups and shut down terror camps.</li>
<li>To prosecute all terrorists under special laws.</li>
<li>To make cross-border terrorism an extraditable offense worldwide.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Joint efforts for <strong>UN reform and the expansion of the UNSC</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India has been at the forefront to reform the UNSC, saying it rightly deserves a place as a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-permanent-seat-in-unsc#:~:text=India%20is%20the%20undisputed%20leader,in%20making%20UNSC%20more%20democratic." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>permanent member of the UNSC</strong></a>, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st century.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benefits of India&rsquo;s Membership at UNSC:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s presence in the UNSC will <strong>ensure that the voice of the largest democracy in the world</strong> (with strong multilateral credentials) will be heard in an important organ of the United Nations.</li>
<li>India has always had a global voice and this will give India a greater opportunity <strong>to participate actively and shape the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> and post-Covid scenario</strong>.</li>
<li>Its presence in the UNSC will help bring to the world <strong>its ethos of &lsquo;Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam&rsquo;-the world is one family</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>Global South has its development and security aspirations and India will help articulate these aspirations in the Council</strong> across different issues.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues Involved:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Winning the maximum votes at the General Assembly this time will be a little hard for India due to:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Rising tensions in relations with both Pakistan and China.</li>
<li>Criticism from Turkey, Malaysia and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/organisation-of-islamic-cooperation-oic#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20collective%20voice,various%20people%20of%20the%20world." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Organisation of Islamic Cooperation</strong></a> (OIC) over the government&rsquo;s decision on <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-article-370" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>scrapping Article 370</strong></a> as well as the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/citizenship-amendment-act-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Citizenship Amendment Act</strong></a> (CAA) 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nation Security Council</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Article 23 of the UN Charter concerns the composition of the UNSC.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The UNSC has been given <strong>primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Security Council,</strong> which may meet whenever peace is threatened.</li>
<li>While other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to member states, <strong>only the Security Council has the power to make decisions that member states are then obligated to implement under the Charter</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Permanent and Non-Permanent Members</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The UNSC is composed of 15 Members:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Five permanent members:</strong> China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.</li>
<li><strong>Ten non-permanent members</strong> elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Selection of Non-permanent Members of Security Council</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of ten in total) for a two-year term. The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Five for African and Asian countries.</li>
<li>One for Eastern European countries.</li>
<li>Two for Latin American and Caribbean countries.</li>
<li>Two for Western European and other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-expects-to-sail-through-unsc-vote/article31845329.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Land Use Changes',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>According to the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-day-to-combat-desertification-and-drought" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)</strong></a>, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-land-1#:~:text=Land%20Use%20and%20Climate%20change&amp;text=Land%20degradation%20is%20both%20cause%20and%20consequence%20of%20climate%20change.&amp;text=This%20exacerbates%20climate%20change%2C%20while,absorb%20carbon%20from%20the%20atmosphere." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>land use change</strong></a>, which prepares the ground for <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>zoonoses</strong></a> like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>, should be reversed.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Land use change promotes zoonoses like Covid-19 as the interaction and physical distance between animals and humans get closer.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Land Use Change:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Land use change</strong> is a process which <strong>transforms the natural landscape</strong> by direct human-induced land use <strong>such as settlements, commercial and economic uses and forestry activities</strong>.</li>
<li>It impacts the overall environment in terms of <strong><a href="/infographics/info-paper3/greenhouse-gas-emission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">greenhouse gas</a> emission, land degradation and</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/climate-change-and-development-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>climate change</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Data Analysis:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Land use change can be a <strong>factor in CO<sub>2</sub> (carbon dioxide) atmospheric concentration,</strong> and is thus a contributor to <strong>global climate change</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It <strong>represents almost 25%</strong> of total global emissions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), over <strong>70% of all natural, ice-free land</strong> in the world is affected by human use.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This could further rise to <strong>90% by 2050</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The land degradation affects <strong>3.2 billion people</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/economic-valuation-of-tiger-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ecosystem services</strong></a> e.g. forest, agriculture, grassland tourism etc. worth $10.6 trillion are lost due to land degradation annually.</li>
<li>According to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deforestation-rate-declined" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Food and Agriculture Organization</strong></a> of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong></a>, by 2050, over 500 million hectare area of new agricultural land will be needed to meet the global food demand.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Possible Reasons:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Population Growth:</strong> Fast population growth and the consequent high pressure on resources have an adverse effect on the existing natural resources of the land area.</li>
<li><strong>Encroachment of Land:</strong> Substantial increase in demand for food has resulted in an expansion of croplands by encroaching on uncultivated areas including forest, shrub and wetlands. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>According to the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/special-report-on-climate-change-ipcc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC)</strong> report on climate change and land, agricultural land for food, animal feed and fibre is behind the land use change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Use of Forest Resource:</strong> Continuous and exhaustive thinning of forestry resources for diverse uses, particularly for construction, firewood and agricultural tools led to the degradation of forest cultivated land.</li>
<li><strong>Grazing at Cultivated Land:</strong> Farmers often abandon and leave the cultivated land for grazing purposes due to the declining of its <strong>soil fertility status</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Destruction of Wetlands:</strong> The conversion of the wetland to the cultivated and settlement land leads to the destruction of wetlands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Solutions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Climate Smart Land Management Practices:</strong> According to a report by IPCC on land use, <strong>increased food productivity, improved cropland management, <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/animal-rearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">livestock management</a>, <a href="/mains-practice-question/question-212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agroforestry</a>, increased soil organic carbon content and reduced post-harvest losses</strong> would help in ecosystem conservation and land restoration .<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These management practices could deliver up to $1.4 trillion in increased crop production.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Forest Management:</strong> Improved fire management and improved grazing land can help in land restoration.</li>
<li><strong>Restore and Rehabilitate:</strong> To achieve <strong>Land Degradation Neutrality (Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3)</strong>, additional commitments in the land use sector, namely to restore and rehabilitate 12 million hectares of degraded land per year could help close the emissions gap by up to 25% in the year 2030.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The restoration of these <strong>areas as part of building back better to avoid future zoonoses</strong> would bring other crucial benefits, particularly mitigating climate change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Established in 1994,</strong> the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.</li>
<li>It is the only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio Conference&rsquo;s Agenda 21.</li>
<li><strong>Focus Areas:</strong> The Convention <strong>addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas,</strong> known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.</li>
<li>From India, <strong>the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change</strong> is the nodal Ministry for this Convention.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>June 17 is observed worldwide as <strong>World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Theme: Food, Feed, Fibre</strong> which seeks to educate individuals on how to reduce the impact of food consumption.</li>
<li>According to the United Nations, 2020 Desertification and Drought Day focuses on the links between consumption and land.</li>
<li>This year&rsquo;s &lsquo;global observance event&rsquo; is being hosted virtually by the Korea Forest Service.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Zoonoses</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans.</li>
<li>Animals thus play an essential role in maintaining zoonotic infections in nature.</li>
<li>Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The urgency to<strong> slow down and reverse land use change</strong> cannot be overstated as <strong>land is a critical component of biodiversity</strong>.</li>
<li>The land use sector is critical to achieving the aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 2&deg;C.</li>
<li><strong>Responsible land governance</strong> is key to provide an enabling environment for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, land use-based adaptation and for improving the livelihoods of many small-scale farmers.</li>
<li>Parties to the <strong>UNCCD</strong> have the opportunity to adopt an ambitious resolution on land holdings for Land Degradation Neutrality. They must use this opportunity to empower communities to better adapt to the impacts of the climate emergency.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/reverse-land-use-change-to-prevent-zoonoses-like-covid-19-unccd-71793" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: DTE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'First Bell: Kerala',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Kerala Government has started a <strong>virtual class initiative</strong> called <strong>&lsquo;First Bell&rsquo;</strong>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/online-classes-due-to-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">virtual classes</a> for state school students are being organised so that education is imparted amid <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> crisis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Classes are being streamed on a free, public-run television channel available on cable networks, direct-to-home services and over the internet. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government is <strong>using KITE VICTERS channel</strong>.</li>
<li>Further, almost all villages in Kerala have at least one common centre, be it <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lack-of-anganwadis-in-urban-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anganwadi</a>, a reading room or sports club, for the education department to set up a classroom.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE)</strong> has brought out the timetable for conducting the classes.</li>
<li>The <strong>modules</strong> for different classes have been prepared by agencies under the General Education Department such as the State Council of Educational Research and Training, KITE, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/samagra-shiksha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Samagra Shiksha</a> Kerala (SSK), and the State Institute of Educational Technology.</li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> The classes were <strong>started on trial mode from 1<sup>st</sup> June, 2020</strong>. The online classes brought to focus the <strong>digital divide</strong> in the state.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Kerala has around 45 lakh students following state board syllabus. However, a survey revealed that <strong>2.61 lakh students don&rsquo;t have access to TV or smartphone</strong>, making them out of the network of online classes. Such students were in most destitute families mainly in remote villages and tribal areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Interventions:</strong> With the <strong>government and civil society interventions,</strong> the 2.61 lakh number has reduced to 1.20 lakh.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Local businessman provided TV sets as part of a <strong>&lsquo;TV challenge&rsquo;</strong> launched by the State&rsquo;s Industries department.</li>
<li>MLAs were allowed to use their local development fund to buy TVs and laptops for students.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The [email protected] Project was started in 2001-02 to promote ICT enabled education in the schools in the State. [email protected] was transformed into KITE in August 2017.</li>
<li>The <strong>VICTERS (Versatile ICT Enabled Resource for Students) channel under KITE was set up in 2005</strong> and it is the first complete educational Channel in the country. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It strongly reflects India's commitment to use space technology (EDUSAT) for national development, especially for the development of the population in remote and rural locations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/first-bell-new-classes-from-tomorrow/article31822826.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Social Media And Democracy',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/facebook-is-weakening-democracy/story-8558QbG80JT10QP2VXkbqK.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Facebook is weakening democracy&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on 12/06/2020. It talks about the impact of social media on democracy.</p>
</div>
<p>The introduction of the printing press in 15<sup>th</sup> century Europe revolutionised the social landscape, helping information spread further and faster than ever before. This had a deep link with the spread idea of democracy all over the world. In the present era, social media represents a similar paradigm shift.</p>
<p>Today, social media plays a crucial role in facilitating and distributing content related to all the matters that have a larger influence on public opinion and subsequently on democracy.</p>
<p>Although social media helps in the deepening of democracy, it also tends to weaken the concept of democracy and the emergence of anarchy, because of its unregulated nature and its role in the spread of fake news.</p>
<h3>Social Media and Deepening of Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aiding C-Governance:</strong> Social media has led to the emergence of<strong> citizen-led governance (C&ndash;governance)</strong> in India.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Social media platforms help to create awareness from one another to a million and be united for any social cause. In the process, the existence of social media can nudge citizens to seek solutions.</li>
<li>Also for C-governance, people need to have information and be able to convey it to others. Social media platforms make that ton easier.</li>
<li>Given this, social media is gradually being accepted as the fifth estate of democracy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Democratization of Expression:</strong> Social media has made Indian politics more inclusive by allowing citizens, who were traditionally excluded from politics due to geography and demography, to gain direct entry into the political process.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has also allowed for a diversity of viewpoints and public engagement on an unprecedented scale.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Instrument for Bringing Behavioural Change:</strong> Use of social media for policy crowdsourcing and publicity is evident in the success of pan-India campaigns such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/Swachh%20Bharat%20Mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swacch Bharat Abhiyan</strong></a> and the recently-launched <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fit-india-movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Fit India Movement.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Making political communication people-centric:</strong> Social media has been increasingly used by Indian political actors for routine political communication between elections to provide unmediated and direct communication to connect citizenry.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, social media has changed the power of political messaging and has moved away from the mass media model and places it firmly into peer-to-peer, public discourse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ill-effects of Social Media On Democracy</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Widening Social Fault Lines:</strong> Social media has enabled a style of populist politics, which on the negative side allows hate speech and extreme speech to thrive in digital spaces that are unregulated, particularly in regional languages.</li>
<li><strong>Formation of Information Cocoons:</strong> Social Media, due to its technological capacity has enabled self-sorting and personalization of information one perceives.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This leads to the phenomenon of group polarization &mdash; which takes hold when like-minded people talk to one another and end up thinking a more extreme version of what they thought before they started to talk.</li>
<li>This is not in sync with the ethos of democracy which is based on debate, dissent and discussion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Menace of Fake News:</strong> The rise of polarizing and divisive content has been a defining moment of modern politics, which is fed by fake news propagation through social media channels.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, dissemination of fake news through social media, among populations with low-to-no levels of critical digital literacy is a big challenge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cyberbullying or Trolling:</strong> Another dangerous element is the labelling and trolling of more rational voices or those who disagreed with the government&rsquo;s actions or dominant public discourse as &ldquo;anti-national.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Social media awareness is needed which may enable citizens to be in a position to distinguish between truth and falsehood &ndash; and to know when democratic processes are being manipulated.</li>
<li>Social Media Platforms can provide safeguards in the event that democratic processes are being intentionally disrupted or harmful falsehoods are spreading; it can help people find out what is true.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592308307_image%200.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592308307_image 0.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #edf5ff;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;Social media enables greater democratisation of governance. Critically examine.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_clauf-iDws" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/no-longer-special-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-nepal-ties/article31828365.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;No longer special&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on June 15<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/social-media-and-democracy'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'USA Sanctions Against the International Criminal Court',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>the USA</strong> has <strong>authorised sanctions</strong> against <strong>International Criminal Court (ICC)</strong> officials involved in investigations into possible war crimes by USA troops and its allies.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Sanction:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under it, <strong>any individuals</strong> who have directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to <strong>investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any United States</strong> personnel without the consent of the United States or have attempted the same against the USA ally <strong>may be subject to sanctions.</strong></li>
<li>It has <strong>broadened the visa restrictions on ICC officials</strong> or anyone who has sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support to them.</li>
<li>The restrictions also extend to the <strong>officials&rsquo; family members.</strong></li>
<li>The economic sanctions would be decided on a case-by-case basis.</li>
<li>Israel supported the decision as it accused the ICC of fabricating charges against the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The USA&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The USA has considered the <strong>ICC a threat to USA sovereignty,</strong> and announced the<strong> strict punitive measures</strong> that are generally reserved for use against <strong>terror groups and those accused of abusing human rights.</strong></li>
<li>It has called the 123 nations-strong tribunal a &ldquo;kangaroo court&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It blamed the ICC office for financial corruption and maladministration.</li>
<li>It has also blamed Russia for manipulating the ICC in its favour.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The ICC&rsquo;s Stand:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ICC supported its officials, and called the sanction as an <strong>unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law.</strong></li>
<li>It said the <strong>sanction represents an attack against the interests of victims</strong> of atrocity crimes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reactions Against the Sanction:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The United Nations had taken serious note about the USA order.</li>
<li>The European Union called the USA decision a matter of serious concern.</li>
<li><strong>The international NGO Human Rights Watch</strong> has observed that by penalising war crimes investigators, the USA is openly siding with those who commit and cover up human rights abuses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill Clinton administration (1993-2001) was involved in <strong>Rome Statute negotiations,</strong> and signed the <strong>document in 2000.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The Rome Statute</strong> of the International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court Statute) is the<strong> treaty</strong> that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, the next president, <strong>George W. Bush in 2002 had unsigned</strong> the Statute and signed into law the <strong>American Service-Members&rsquo; Protection Act</strong> to protect the <strong>USA nationals from the ICC&rsquo;s reach.</strong></li>
<li>The USA adopted a positive approach towards the forum during several instances&ndash; in 2005 it did not veto a UN Security Council request to the ICC to investigate crimes during the Darfur crisis (Sudan) and in 2011 voted for Libya&rsquo;s referral to the court. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It also provided critical support in transferring suspects from Africa to the ICC for trial.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, in the UN General Assembly in 2018, the USA decided that it would not support or recognize the International Criminal Court.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to it, the ICC has no jurisdiction, no legitimacy, and no authority.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 2020,<strong> the ICC asked for a formal probe</strong> into alleged <strong>atrocities committed during the Afghanistan War between 2003 and 2014&ndash;</strong> leading to possible charge against the USA military and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA-USA&rsquo;s agency) officials.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The International Criminal Court</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>permanent judicial body created by the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court</strong> (its founding and governing document), and began functioning on 1<sup>st</sup> July 2002 when the Statute came into force.</li>
<li><strong>Headquarter:</strong> The Hague, Netherlands</li>
<li><strong>Members:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognise the ICC&rsquo;s authority.</li>
<li>The<strong> USA, China, Russia, and India</strong> are not the members.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The forum was <strong>established as a court of last resort to prosecute offences</strong> that would otherwise go unpunished, and has jurisdiction over <strong>four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Difference between ICC and ICJ:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Unlike the <strong>International Court of Justice (ICJ),</strong> the <strong>ICC is not part of the United Nations system,</strong> with the UN-ICC relationship being governed by a separate agreement.</li>
<li>The <strong>ICJ,</strong> which is among the UN&rsquo;s 6 principal organs, mainly <strong>hears disputes between nations.</strong> It was established in 1945 and is seated at The Hague (Netherlands). Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India) is a member of the Court.</li>
<li><strong>The ICC,</strong> on the other hand,<strong> prosecutes individuals&ndash;</strong> its authority extending to offences committed in a member state or by a national of such a state.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Way Forward</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Several countries have expressed that the sanction is a challenge to multilateralism and judicial independence of the ICC.</li>
<li>The independence of the ICC and its<strong> ability to operate without interference</strong> must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any influence or pressures.</li>
<li>Earlier, the ICC has been criticised for not pursuing investigations in Western countries as well as for working inefficiently. There is a need for an independent expert review of its own functioning to address these concerns.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-us-has-approved-sanctions-against-international-criminal-court-6460199/" 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/usa-sanctions-against-the-international-criminal-court'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Talamaddale',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The traditional art of &lsquo;talamaddale&rsquo;, a variant of Yakshagana theatre, has gone virtual in times of Covid-19.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the conventional &lsquo;talamaddale,&rsquo; the artists sit across in a place without any costumes and engage in testing their oratory skills based on the episode chosen.</li>
<li>It has only spoken words without any dance or costumes. Hence it is <strong>Yakshagana minus dance, costumes and stage conventions.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Yakshagana<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592299222_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592299222_image1.jpg" style="float: right;" width="300" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Yakshagaana, traditional theatre form of Karnataka, is based on mythological stories and Puranas.</li>
<li>The most popular episodes are from the <strong>Mahabharata</strong> i.e. Draupadi swayamvar, Subhadra vivah, Abhimanyu vadh, Karna-Arjun yuddh and from <strong>Ramayana</strong> i.e. Rajyabhishek, Lav-Kush yuddh, Baali-Sugreeva yuddh and Panchavati.</li>
<li><strong>Gombeyatta puppet theatre</strong> closely follows Yakshagana.</li>
<li>Other important forms of theatre in India: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Nautanki (Uttar Pradesh)</strong> which often draws on romantic Persian literature for its themes,</li>
<li><strong>Tamasha (Maharashtra), </strong></li>
<li><strong>Bhavai (Gujarat), </strong></li>
<li><strong>Jatra (West Bengal),</strong></li>
<li><strong>Koodiyaattam,</strong> one of the oldest traditional theatre forms of <strong>Kerala,</strong> is based on Sanskrit theatre traditions,</li>
<li><strong>Mudiyettu,</strong> traditional folk theatre form of<strong> Kerala,</strong></li>
<li><strong>Bhaona, Assam,</strong></li>
<li><strong>Maach,</strong> Madhya Pradesh,</li>
<li><strong>Bhand Pather,</strong> the traditional theatre form of <strong>Kashmir, etc.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/amid-pandemic-traditional-art-of-talamaddale-goes-digital/article31836303.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/talamaddale'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Gateway Lunar Orbiting Outpost',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration-nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</strong></a> has finalised the contract to design the <strong>Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO)</strong> for its Gateway Lunar Orbiting Outpost.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Habitation and Logistics (HALO) support</strong> for the Gateway, is a part of<strong> NASA&rsquo;s Artemis program</strong> that <strong>aims</strong> to send the <strong>first woman</strong> and the next man to the <strong>Moon by 2024.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Habitation and Logistics (HALO)</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It refers to the <strong>pressurised living quarters where astronauts will spend their time</strong> while visiting the Gateway.</li>
<li>These quarters will be <strong>about the size of a small apartment and will provide augmented life support</strong> together with Orion spacecraft.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Gateway:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NASA has targeted the <strong>completion of the Gateway for 2026,</strong> while work on the spaceship is already underway.</li>
<li>The <strong>Gateway can be used at least once per year</strong> and astronauts can not stay around the year like they do on the International Space Station (ISS).</li>
<li>Once docked to the Gateway, astronauts will be able to <strong>stay there for three months at a time.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Compared to the ISS,<strong> the Gateway is much smaller.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will act<strong> as an airport,</strong> where <strong>spacecraft bound for the lunar surface of Mars can refuel or replace parts</strong> and resupply things like food and oxygen, allowing astronauts to <strong>take multiple trips</strong> to the <strong>Lunar surface and exploration</strong> of new locations across the Moon.</li>
<li>By studying the <strong>geology of the Earth, the Moon, and Mars &ndash;</strong> the three planetary bodies and the ways in which they are similar and different from each other, it would give a<strong> sight about how planets and planetary systems form.</strong></li>
<li>Significantly, Gateway <strong>would work as a science platform to look back</strong> at the Earth, observe the Sun, and get unobstructed views of the vast universe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Gateway Lunar Orbit Outpost</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Gateway is a <strong>small spaceship that will orbit the Moon,</strong> meant for astronaut missions to the Moon and later, for <strong>expeditions to Mars.</strong></li>
<li>It will act as a<strong> temporary office and living quarters for astronauts,</strong> distanced at about 250,000 miles from Earth.</li>
<li>The spaceship will have <strong>living quarters, laboratories for science and research and docking ports</strong> for visiting spacecraft.</li>
<li>One of the most <strong>unique features</strong> of the Gateway is that it can be <strong>moved to other orbits around the Moon</strong> to conduct more research.</li>
<li>It is expected to play a major role in NASA's Artemis program, after 2024.</li>
<li>While the project is led by NASA, the Gateway is meant to be developed, serviced, and utilized in collaboration with commercial and international partners: Canada <strong>(Canadian Space Agency)</strong>, Europe <strong>(European Space Agency)</strong>, and Japan <strong>(JAXA)</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Artemis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a crewed spaceflight program of NASA that has the goal of landing <strong>"the first woman and the next man" on the Moon,</strong> specifically at the <strong>lunar south pole</strong> region by 2024.</li>
<li>It is a key step towards the long-term goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, laying the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy, and eventually sending humans to Mars.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Orion Spacecraft</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is being developed by <strong>NASA.</strong></li>
<li>It is a<strong> powerful, advanced launch vehicle</strong> for a new era of human exploration beyond Earth&rsquo;s orbit.</li>
<li>It is designed to take astronauts to deep space destinations such as the Moon and Mars.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As NASA sets its sights on returning to the Moon, and preparing for Mars, it is developing<strong> new opportunities in lunar orbit</strong> to provide the <strong>foundation for human exploration deeper into the solar system.</strong></li>
<li>It would also support the <strong>technology maturation and development of operating concepts</strong> needed for missions beyond the Earth and Moon system.</li>
<li>Building the Gateway with<strong> commercial and international partners</strong> is a critical component of sustainable lunar exploration and the Artemis program.</li>
<li>So, the partnership would give a <strong>strategic presence of humans</strong> in space.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-nasas-gateway-lunar-orbiting-outpost-6460219/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20Gateway%20Lunar,about%20250%2C000%20miles%20from%20Earth." 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/gateway-lunar-orbiting-outpost'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India has joined the <strong>'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)'</strong> as a founding member to support the<strong> responsible and human-centric development</strong> and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Objective:</strong> GPAI is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of AI, based on human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth.</li>
<li><strong>Functions:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>An example would be looking at how AI could help societies respond to and recover from the Covid-19 crisis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Bring together leading experts from industry, civil society, governments, and academia to conduct research and pilot projects on AI.</li>
<li>It will initially <strong>comprise four working groups</strong> focused on responsible AI, data governance, the future of work, and innovation and commercialisation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Founding Members:</strong> Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States.</li>
<li><strong>Organisation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GPAI will be supported by a Secretariat, to be hosted by <strong>Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)</strong> in Paris, as well as by two Centers of Expertise- one each in Montreal (Canada) and Paris (France).</li>
<li>GPAI will be able to take advantage of the OECD&rsquo;s expertise on AI policy and its leadership in setting out the first international standard for trustworthy AI &ndash; the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence.</li>
<li>The OECD will also be a Permanent Observer to the GPAI&rsquo;s governing bodies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Background:</strong> Born out of the Canadian and French G7 Presidencies in 2018 and 2019, GPAI was officially proposed by France and Canada at the Biarritz Summit in August 2019.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It describes the action of machines accomplishing tasks that have historically required human intelligence.</li>
<li>It includes technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition, big data, neural networks, self algorithms etc.</li>
<li><strong>Example:</strong> Facebook&rsquo;s list of suggested friends for its users, self-driving cars, etc.</li>
<li>AI automates processes and reduces human error but the principal limitation of AI is that it learns from the data. This means any inaccuracies in the data will be reflected in the results.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was formed in<strong> 1961.</strong> It has<strong> 37 member countries. India is not a member but one of the key partners</strong> of the organisation.</li>
<li>It is an international organisation, having a goal to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all.</li>
<li><strong>PISA</strong> is the OECD&rsquo;s programme for international student assessment.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India will participate in the PISA test 2021.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is<strong> headquartered at Paris, France.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Financial Action Task Force (FATF)</strong> Secretariat is located at OECD headquarters.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>G7</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a bloc of<strong> industrialised democracies -</strong> Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Recent Initiatives by India in the Field of AI</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has recently launched National AI Strategy and National AI Portal and have also started leveraging AI across various sectors such as education, agriculture, healthcare, e-commerce, finance, telecommunications, etc.</li>
<li>The <strong>National AI strategy</strong> was released in 2018 by NITI Aayog. It is termed<strong> &lsquo;AIForAll&rsquo;</strong> as it is focused on leveraging AI for inclusive growth in line with the Government policy of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Role of the Government has been clearly delineated to develop the research ecosystem, promote adoption and address skilling challenges.</li>
<li>The strategy also flags important issues like ethics, bias and privacy issues relating to AI and envisions Government promoting research in technology to address these concerns.</li>
<li>The focus is on sectors like agriculture, health and education where public investment and lead would be necessary.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National AI Portal:</strong> It has been developed jointly by the National e-Governance Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom). The portal is meant to work as a <strong>&ldquo;one stop digital platform"</strong> for all AI related developments in India.</li>
<li><strong>Responsible AI for Youth Programme:</strong> It is aimed at imparting education and skills in AI to students in government schools.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By joining GPAI as a founding member, India will actively participate in the global development of Artificial Intelligence, leveraging its experience around use of digital technologies for inclusive growth.</li>
<li>AI is rapidly penetrating into all the sectors of economy, if used empathetically and reasonably, it has the potential to change global social and economic interactions for the better.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631676" 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/global-partnership-on-artificial-intelligence'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'GovTech 3.0',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/covid-19-has-opened-the-doors-for-gov-tech-3-0/story-Gogbtg00bYrwyrxreMKUQI.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Covid-19 has opened the doors for Gov Tech 3.0&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in the Hindustan Times on 11/06/2020. It talks about the challenges and Utility of the National Open Digital Ecosystem.</p>
</div>
<p>As India looks to adopt the maxim of &ldquo;minimum government and maximum governance&rdquo;, the role of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-digital-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>digital ecosystems</strong></a> has become paramount. In this context, recently, the Ministry of Electronics of Information Technology (MeITY) has released a consultation paper on Strategy for<strong> National Open Digital Ecosystem (NODE).</strong></p>
<p>NODE or GovTech 3.0 defined as &ldquo;Open and secure delivery platforms, anchored by transparent governance mechanisms, which enable a technology collaboration among citizens, businesses and governments to transform societal outcomes.</p>
<p>The key objectives Govtech 3.0 include the need to optimise service delivery, integrate data across departments and ministries, create inter-operable and modular platforms and include the private sector by allowing them to build solutions on top of Government architecture.</p>
<p>While the Open Digital Ecosystem (ODE) empowers and enable collaboration in unprecedented ways, there are many underlying challenges emanating from such interconnected digital networks that need to be addressed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221148_image3.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221148_image3.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p>Note: Evolution of GovTech (Use of Technology in Governance)</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Gov Tech1.0 was the era of &ldquo;computerisation&rdquo; of manual processes such as putting income tax forms online.</li>
<li>Gov Tech 2.0 was about building systems which digitised end-to-end processes, for example, the government&rsquo;s &ldquo;e-office&rdquo; file management system.</li>
<li>GovTech 3.0 is focussed on Open Digital Ecosystems (ODEs), the underlying philosophy suggests that the government should focus on creating the &ldquo;digital commons&rdquo;.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It envisages the government becoming a facilitator by creating digital infrastructure on which innovators can collaboratively build solutions for the public good.</li>
<li>For Examples, deployment of contact tracing apps (Aarogya Setu) developed through public-private partnerships, to prevent the spread of the virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221196_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221196_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
</div>
<h3>Advantages of GovTech 3.0</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Integration of Government Services:</strong> The advantages of building NODE is illustrated citing the example of e-Transport project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ministry helped digitize issuing vehicle registrations and driver&rsquo;s licenses making it easier for citizens to obtain them, creating dashboards with analytics.</li>
<li>It now integrates a National Vehicle Register and State Vehicle Registers with data interlinked across databases with access to government institutions like Police, National Crime Records Bureau and private institutions like banks and insurance companies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Enhancing Social Security:</strong> Several path-breaking ODEs are already in play in India. For example:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/upi-20-launched-by-npci" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Unified Payments Interface (UPI)</strong></a> in the financial services space has played an instrumental role in increasing financial inclusion.</li>
<li>The National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers called <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/classes-in-distance-mode" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>DIKSHA</strong></a> will play a crucial role in education reforms.</li>
<li>The National Urban Innovation Stack which is enabling the more efficient provision of municipal services.</li>
<li>Similarly, a digital ecosystem for agriculture which is being designed by an inter-ministerial committee.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Underlying Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Privacy Issues:</strong> Potential violations of privacy and possible weaponization of data is a primary issue related to such digital initiatives.</li>
<li><strong>Federal Issues:</strong> The apps under Govtech 3.0 may end up gathering information which falls under the domain of State subject.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Example, the e-transport project has centralized governance of transport which is a state subject according to the constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>May Increase Inequalities:</strong> Success in the digital provision of services is dependent on many underlying factors, including digital literacy, education and access to stable and fast telecommunication services.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this setting, undertaking large-scale digitisation of services without bridging these digital divides could result in increasing existing inequalities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Security Issues:</strong> Another cybersecurity challenge is ensuring end-to-end protection of data throughout the whole ecosystem. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While channels and databases used by the Government for transmission and storage are usually secure, other players in the ecosystem may not possess the requisite expertise or security to prevent and respond to breaches.</li>
<li>The alleged breach of Aadhar database is a case in point.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To Be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Addressing Privacy Issues:</strong> Designing privacy-protection and secure databases is critical. It is, therefore, imperative, that regulations governing the GovTech 3.0 take into account provisions of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/personal-data-protection-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Ensuring Inclusivity:</strong> Digital ecosystems should be guided by factors of availability, accessibility, affordability, value and trust.</li>
<li><strong>Ensuring Transparency:</strong> The invisible rules that are coded into &ldquo;tech&rdquo; need to be made transparent through thoughtful design principles, legislation, governance frameworks and public engagement.</li>
<li><strong>Citizen-Centric Design:</strong> There is a need to ensure the design is citizen-centric and ensures inclusive access to services at the last mile will help drive adoption and sustain these ecosystems.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The push to create digital ecosystems is a welcome step as it can prove to be an effective tool in overcoming governance deficit and improving the quality of life for individuals. However, it is essential to adapt such ecosystems to the peculiarities of India.</p>
<p>In this context, design choices should be made not just in terms of the technology and data architecture, but also in terms of governance architecture and community engagement around ODEs, will determine how we collaborate to build a more resilient and empowered India.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221220_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592221220_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #e6ffe8;">
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;In pursuit of the maxim of &ldquo;minimum government and maximum governance&rdquo;, the role of digital ecosystems has become paramount&rdquo;. In light this statement, discuss the role and challenges of the National Open Digital Ecosystem.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SL-JI0tyNuA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/tamil-nadu-coimbatore-koyampuththoor-6456137/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Much in a Rename&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in the Indian express in The Indian Express on 13/06/2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/govtech-3-0'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Malabar Gliding Frog',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a rare amphibian i.e. <strong>Malabar Gliding Frog <em>(Rhacophorus malabaricus)</em></strong> was spotted in Pullad, Kerala.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The amphibian is <strong>endemic</strong> to the rainforest of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ecologically-sensitive-areas-in-western-ghats" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>western ghats</strong></a>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Endemic species</strong> are those plants and animals that exist only in one geographical region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Characteristics:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592213374_Image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img width="250" class="content-img" style="float: right;" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592213374_Image1.jpg" caption="false" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a<strong> green frog</strong> with <strong>slender body, webbed feet, unusual body positions</strong> and very well <strong>camouflaged.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Camouflage,</strong> also called <strong>cryptic coloration,</strong> is a defense mechanism or tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The fingers and toes are like sticks to attach and walk through tree branches.</li>
<li>It has a <strong>high gliding abilities,</strong> with the long skin between the fingers which helps to cover <strong>10 to 12 feet</strong> in one leap.</li>
<li>It has a<strong> body length of 10 cm,</strong> making it one of the <strong>largest mossy frogs.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Mossy Frogs:</strong> These frogs have the skin which is green in colour and resembles moss growing on the rock.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The breeding period is during the monsoon and usually, the females choose to spawn on the lush green leaves overhanging a waterbody.</li>
<li>As their body is so soft, they can live only in moist forests with streams.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Foam Nests:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They built<strong> foam nests</strong> above small pools of water, into which the tadpoles drop after hatching. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Behaviour like<strong> cannibalism</strong> has been found among tadpoles.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protection Status:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iucn-red-list#:~:text=IUCN%20is%20a%20membership%20union,It%20is%20headquartered%20in%20Switzerland." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List</strong></a> , it is placed in the <strong>Least Concern</strong> category.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concern:</strong> The Malabar gliding frog population is declining<strong> due to deforestation, climate change, developmental activities, </strong>and <strong>toxic chemicals.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The Western Ghats</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are the mountain ranges running parallel along the <strong>western coast of India starting from Gujarat and ending in Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala</strong> are the six Indian states covered by Western Ghats.</li>
<li>The mountain range is also a <strong>&ldquo;Hottest Hotspot&rdquo; of biodiversity.</strong></li>
<li>The Ghats are often called the <strong>Great Escarpment of India</strong> and are also a <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/world-heritage-sites-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UNESCO World Heritage Site.</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>High Biodiversity and Endemism</strong> are special features of Western Ghats along with the presence of <strong>Evergreen Forests.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Amphibia</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>They fall under the <strong>Chordata phylum</strong> of the kingdom Animalia, Eg.,<strong> Frogs, Salamanders etc.</strong></li>
<li>These are <strong>multicellular vertebrates</strong> that live both on<strong> land and water.</strong></li>
<li>They are the<strong> first cold-blooded animals</strong> to have appeared on land.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Cold-blooded animals</strong> can be defined as the animals which cannot regulate their internal body temperature with the change in the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>They respire through the lungs and skin.</li>
<li>They have <strong>three chambered</strong> hearts.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/malabar-gliding-frog-spotted-at-
pullad/article31827553.ece#:~:text=The%20amphibian%20is%20endemic%20to%20rain%20forests%20of%20Western%20Ghats&amp;text=This%20was%20how%20a%20juvenile,%2C%20near%20Kozhencherry%2C%20on%20Saturday." 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/malabar-gliding-frog'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Indian Naval LOs at Madagascar and Abu Dhabi',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India is planning to post <strong>Naval Liaison Officers</strong> (LOs) at the <strong>Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre</strong> (RMIFC) in <strong>Madagascar</strong> and the <strong>European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz</strong> (EMASOH) in <strong>Abu Dhabi</strong> for improved <strong>Maritime Domain Awareness</strong> (MDA).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This move comes after <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-as-an-observer-at-ioc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India joined the Indian Ocean Commission</strong></a> (IOC) as Observer in <strong>March 2020</strong> along with <strong>Japan and the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The move <strong>aims</strong> to <strong>improve linkages</strong> of the Navy&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/information-fusion-centre-of-indian-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region</strong> </a>(IFC-IOR) in <strong>Gurugram with other IFCs</strong> and become the <strong>repository for all maritime data</strong> in the IOR.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-france-joint-patrolling" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India is working closely with France</strong></a>, who is a pre-eminent member of IOC, to post a Naval LO at the RMIFC in Madagascar.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> RMFIC functions under the aegis of the IOC</strong> and is designed to deepen maritime domain awareness by monitoring maritime activities and promoting information sharing and exchange.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Navy LO is expected to be posted at <strong>EMASOH by July</strong> and at the <strong>RMIFC by September or October 2020.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has a LO at the IFC in Singapore for over four years now.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Ocean Commission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is an<strong> intergovernmental body and regional forum</strong> created in <strong>1984</strong> to protect the interests of the <strong>western Indian Ocean islands.</strong></li>
<li>It consists of <strong>Madagascar, Comoros, La R&eacute;union</strong> (French overseas territory), <strong>Mauritius</strong> and <strong>Seychelles.</strong></li>
<li>IOC has<strong> five observers</strong> which are <strong>China, <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a></strong> (EU), <strong>Malta</strong> and <strong>International Organisation of La Francophonie</strong> (OIF),<strong> India, Japan</strong> and <strong>the UN.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>OIF is a 54 french speaking nations collective.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>France started EMASOH with the aim to monitor maritime activity and guarantee freedom of navigation in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/persian-gulf-region" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Persian Gulf</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strait-of-hormuz-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Strait of Hormuz</strong></a>.</li>
<li>It is <strong>based at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi</strong> (UAE).</li>
<li>It was declared operational by the French Ministry of Armed Forces in February 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Other Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To strengthen the naval forces and surveillance, India has signed a series of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-france" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>white shipping agreements</strong></a>, <strong>Logistics Support Agreements</strong> (LSA) and <strong>maritime cooperation agreements</strong> with several countries, recently.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For example, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-australia-virtual-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India Australia Virtual Summit</strong></a> announced a joint declaration on a shared vision for maritime cooperation in the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-indo-pacific-strategic-importance" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indo-Pacific</strong> </a>in which they agreed to deepen navy-to-navy cooperation and strengthen MDA in the Indo-Pacific region through enhanced exchange of information.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In<strong> 2015,</strong> India unveiled it's strategic vision for the Indian Ocean i.e. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/sagar-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Security and Growth for All in the Region</strong></a> (SAGAR). It is an increasing recognition of the increasing importance of maritime security, maritime commons and cooperation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Through SAGAR, India seeks to <strong>deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours </strong>and <strong>assist in building their maritime security capabilities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Indian Navy</strong> set up the IFC-IOR in <strong>December 2018</strong> within the premises of the <strong>Information Management and Analysis Centre</strong> (IMAC) in Gurugram to track maritime movements in the region.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>IMAC is located in <strong>Gurugram</strong> and is the main centre of the Indian Navy for <strong>coastal surveillance and monitoring.</strong></li>
<li>IMAC is a <strong>joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Bharat Electronics Ltd</strong> and functions under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unified-commanders-conference" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Security Adviser</strong></a> (NSA).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>IFC is the<strong> single point centre linking all the coastal radar chains</strong> to generate a seamless real-time picture of the nearly 7,500 km coastline.</li>
<li><strong>France</strong> became the <strong>first country to deploy</strong> a LO at the IFC-IOR <strong>followed by the USA</strong> and several other countries including Australia, Japan and the UK have announced their intention to post LOs.</li>
<li>It <strong>coordinates with similar centres</strong> across the globe which include:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Virtual Regional Maritime Traffic Centre (VRMTC)</li>
<li>Maritime Security Centre-<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-for-peace-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Horn of Africa</strong></a> (MSCHOA)</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/recaap-isc-capacity-building-workshop" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery</strong> </a>(ReCAAP)</li>
<li>Information Fusion Centre-Singapore (IFC-SG)</li>
<li>International Maritime Bureau-Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB-PRC)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s engagement with the Western Indian Ocean will facilitate collective engagement with the islands there, which are becoming strategically significant.</li>
<li>Given China&rsquo;s growing presence in the region, India will be able to increase its naval presence and gain support for its maritime projects across the Indo-Pacific.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s consultative, democratic and equitable leadership can help achieve the security and sustainable growth to all in the region.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-looks-to-deploy-naval-liaisons-at-madagascar-abu-dhabi-for-information-exchange/article31828272.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/indian-naval-los-at-madagascar-and-abu-dhabi'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (CIMAP)</strong> has announced a photography competition on medicinal and aromatic plants to convey the message of conservation of these medicinal plants.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>theme</strong> of the competition is<strong> &lsquo;Know your Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs)&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Established:</strong> Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, popularly known as CIMAP, was established originally as Central Indian Medicinal Plants Organisation (CIMPO) in 1959. It was rechristened as Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) in 1978.</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong> It is a frontier plant research laboratory of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-malaria-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)</strong></a>. It focuses on high quality research in biological and chemical sciences and extending technologies and services to the farmers and entrepreneurs of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs).</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Lucknow, U.P.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>CIMAP, Lucknow houses the <strong>National Gene Bank of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,</strong> in addition to seed gene bank, tissue and DNA bank.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Research Centres:</strong> Bangalore (Karnataka), Hyderabad (Telangana), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Purara (Uttarakhand).</li>
<li>CIPAM is presently accredited by <strong>International Centre for Science and High Technology- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO)</strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/19th-iora-council-of-ministers-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA)</strong></a> as a focal point for research and training on Medicinal Plants among participating member countries.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Centre for Science and High Technology</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ICS was <strong>established in 1988</strong> and operates under the<strong> legal framework of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/solar-thermal-energy-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)</a>.</strong> It focuses on the transfer of know-how and technology from industrialized to developing countries.</li>
<li>The Centre focuses its activities on <strong>four core scientific programmes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Rational drug design and development</li>
<li>Next generation biofuels and bio-based chemicals</li>
<li>Geothermal energy</li>
<li>Nanotechnologies</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> Trieste, Italy.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631499#:~:text=In%20an%20effort%20to%20create,conservation%20of%20these%20medicinal%20plants." 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/central-institute-of-medicinal-and-aromatic-plants'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Indian Digital Payment System Outside India',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> is exploring the possibility of expanding its payment system abroad, following the requests from several countries.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Requests for Payment System:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The RBI has received requests from abroad for implementing its payment systems like Cheque Truncation System (CTS), National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and messaging solutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reason:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The availability of low cost innovative digital payment products in India has led to many countries expressing their interest in Indian payment system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Availability of Payment System Outside India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Currently, there are no RBI authorised payment system operators providing payment services outside India.</li>
<li>However, there is cross-country cooperation with Bhutan with respect to CTS, National Automated Clearing House (NACH) and NEFT. NEFT is also available for one-way transfers from India to Nepal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scope of Payment System Outside India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to RBI there is scope for enhancing global outreach of its payment systems, including remittances, through active participation and co-operation in international and regional fora by collaborating and contributing to standard setting.</li>
<li>Efforts have been made to increase and widen the scope, coverage and usage of <strong>RuPay card scheme </strong>and<strong> UPI to enhance their brand value internationally.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues Involved:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Overdependence on the foreign funds (through digital payments) may lead to possible liquidity risk issues in India.</li>
<li>Different time zones may pose a risk in digital payments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Digital Payments and India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s growing use of retail digital payments, indicates a shift in the relationship with cash.</li>
<li>According to the RBI, the digital payments in the country have witnessed a growth of 61% and 19% in terms of volume and value, respectively.</li>
<li>The value of digital payments to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gross Domestic Product</strong></a> (GDP) has also increased from 660% in 2014-15 to 862% in 2018-19.</li>
<li>The Point of sale (PoS) terminals grew at a high pace of 35%, contrastingly the deployment of ATMs has grown at a low pace (4%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Unified Payments Interface</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an advanced version of<strong> Immediate Payment Service (IMPS)</strong>- round&ndash;the-clock funds transfer service to make cashless payments <strong>faster, easier and smoother.</strong></li>
<li>UPI is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing &amp; merchant payments into one hood.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-digital-transactions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)</strong></a> launched UPI with 21 member banks in 2016.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Electronic Funds Transfer</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT)</strong> is a nation-wide payment system facilitating one-to-one funds transfer. Under this Scheme, individuals, firms and corporates can electronically transfer funds from any bank branch to any individual, firm or corporate having an account with any other bank branch in the country participating in the Scheme.</li>
<li>There is no limit &ndash; either minimum or maximum &ndash; on the amount of funds that could be transferred using NEFT.</li>
<li>However, the maximum amount per transaction is limited to ₹ 50,000/- for cash-based remittances within India and also for remittances to Nepal under the Indo-Nepal Remittance Facility Scheme.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>RuPay Card Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RuPay is the first-of-its-kind domestic Debit and Credit Card payment network of India.</li>
<li>The name, derived from the words &lsquo;Rupee and &lsquo;Payment&rsquo;, emphasises that it is India&rsquo;s very own initiative for Debit and Credit Card payments.</li>
<li>The card can also be used for transactions in Singapore, Bhutan, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cheque Truncation System</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Cheque Truncation System (CTS)</strong> is an online image-based cheque clearing system undertaken by the RBI for faster clearing of cheques. It eliminates the associated cost of movement of physical cheques.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Automated Clearing House</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>National Automated Clearing House (NACH)</strong> is a service offered by NPCI to banks which aims at facilitating interbank high volume, low value debit/credit transactions, which are repetitive and electronic in nature.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/after-requests-from-many-countries-rbi-may-take-payment-system-abroad-6457669/" 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/indian-digital-payment-system-outside-india'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'New Drug for Amoebiasis',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, researchers from the<strong> Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)</strong> have developed new drug molecules against the <strong>protozoa <em>&lsquo;Entamoeba histolytica&rsquo;</em> </strong>that causes <strong>amoebiasis.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Protozoa and High Oxygen Level:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The protozoa is<strong> anaerobic or microaerophilic</strong> in nature such that it <strong>cannot survive high concentrations of oxygen.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Anaerobic organisms are those who exist in the absence of free oxygen.</li>
<li>A <strong>microaerophilic</strong> atmosphere is ideal for a <strong>microorganism</strong> that can grow under <strong>reduced oxygen</strong> and increased carbon dioxide levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, during infection, <strong>it faces a high surge of oxygen</strong> inside the human body. The organism synthesizes large amounts of cysteine to<strong> counter oxidative stress.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Synthesis of Cysteine:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This <strong>pathogen deploys cysteine</strong> as one of the essential molecules in its defence mechanism against <strong>high oxygen levels.</strong> It <strong>expresses two crucial enzymes </strong>for<strong> synthesizing cysteine.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Cysteines are enzymes that degrade proteins in the body.</li>
<li>Cysteine biosynthesis is crucial for the survival of E. histolytica and for similar protozoan parasites.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>JNU Research:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Researchers have characterized and determined the molecular structures of both the crucial enzymes.</li>
<li>They have also successfully screened for potent inhibitors for one of the enzymes, <strong>O-acetyl L-serine sulfhydrylase (OASS).</strong></li>
<li>Some of these inhibitors can <strong>check the growth of this organism with high efficacy</strong> by targeting their pathways.</li>
<li>The identified molecules can lead to the<strong> development of drug molecules.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Protozoa</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Protozoans are the <strong>single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic,</strong> which feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Eukaryotes</strong> are organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within membranes, unlike prokaryotes, which have no membrane-bound organelles.</li>
<li>A <strong>parasite is an organism</strong> that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. E.g. plasmodium parasite which causes <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-malaria-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>malaria</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Habitat:</strong> Mostly they are <strong>aerobic</strong> (with oxygen) but some are <strong>anaerobic</strong> (without oxygen) and present in the rumen or human intestine.</li>
<li><strong>Size and Shape:</strong> The size and shape of Protozoa vary greatly, from microbial (1&micro;m) to large enough and can be seen by the naked eye.</li>
<li><strong>Nutrition:</strong> Protozoans are <strong>heterotrophs</strong> and have <strong>holozoic nutrition.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Holozoic nutrition</strong> can be defined as a method of nutrition which <strong>involves the ingestion of some complex organic substances</strong> (such as parts of a plant or animal) that may be in the solid or the liquid form.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Entamoeba histolytica</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization (WHO)</strong></a>, <strong><em>Entamoeba histolytica</em> </strong>is the <strong>third-leading cause of morbidity and mortality</strong> due to <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>parasitic disease in humans</strong></a>. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Predominantly infecting humans and other primates, <em>E. histolytica</em> is estimated to infect about<strong> 35-50 million people</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li>A<strong> parasitic disease</strong> is an infectious disease caused or transmitted by a parasite. E.g. Malaria.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It causes<strong> amoebiasis or amoebic dysentery,</strong> which is highly prevalent in developing countries.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Amoebiasis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a disease caused by the parasite<strong><em> Entamoeba histolytica.</em></strong></li>
<li>Amoebiasis infection is most common <strong>in tropical areas</strong> with untreated water. E.g. India.</li>
<li>It <strong>spreads through drinking or eating uncooked food,</strong> such as fruit, that may have been washed in contaminated local water.</li>
<li>If symptoms occur, they may be mild and include cramping and diarrhoea.</li>
<li>It can be treated through antibiotics.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631498#:~:text=A%20team%20of%20researchers%20from,survive%20high%20concentrations%20of%20oxygen." 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/new-drug-for-amoebiasis'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'AarogyaPath: CSIR',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The government has launched an<strong> information platform 'AarogyaPath' to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies</strong> for manufacturers, suppliers and customers.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/council-of-scientific-and-industrial-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific &amp; Industrial Research (CSIR)</strong></a> National Healthcare Supply Chain Portal.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of key healthcare goods such as medical equipment, drugs, apparel, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Vision:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To set up an information management and forecasting database platform at national level to capture demand and supply scenarios for key healthcare needs items.</li>
<li>CSIR expects AarogyaPath to become the national healthcare information platform of choice in the years to come, filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Beneficiaries:</strong> Hospitals, Pathology laboratories, Research institutes, Medical colleges and Individual patients. It will also create <strong>opportunities for business expansion</strong> due to an expanded network of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products.</li>
<li><strong>Importance in Situations like a Pandemic (Covid-19):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Anticipated shortages can be addressed and met at national level.</li>
<li>Opportunistic Pricing, hoarding and over- forecasting can be checked.</li>
<li>Over- production can be avoided. This would help to reduce wastage of resources.</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 ranked first in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nature-index-2020-index-of-scientific-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nature Ranking Index-2020.</strong></a><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=1631339" 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/aarogyapath-csir'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Jet Zero Plan',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced a <strong>&lsquo;Jet Zero&rsquo; plan</strong> to bring down its aviation emissions.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aim:</strong> The Jet Zero aims to bring down greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to make carbon-free <strong>transatlantic flights</strong> possible within a generation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A transatlantic flight is the<strong> flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean</strong> from Europe, Africa, or the Middle East to North America, Central America, or South America, or vice versa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Jet Zero Council:</strong> A group called &lsquo;Jet Zero Council&rsquo; has been formed by the U.K. government by bringing together leaders from the aviation sector, environmental groups and government.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This group <strong>has been given charge for making net zero emissions possible</strong> for future flights.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> To achieve its target of a <strong>net-zero emissions economy by 2050,</strong> it is important to cut transport emissions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Aviation emissions currently account for more than 2% of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/greenhouse-gas-levels-reach-record-highs-un-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>global greenhouse gases</strong></a>, and have risen by 70% since 2005.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Civil Aviation Organization</strong></a> forecasts that the emissions will rise another 300% by 2050 in the absence of measures to bring them down.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The U.K. government is<strong> also funding Velocys</strong> (aviation biofuels making company) in support of its plans to build a major jet biofuel plant in Lincolnshire.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Net-zero emissions means doing away with fossil fuels and other sources of emissions wherever possible. It also involves any emissions that are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/aviation/uk-announces-jet-zero-plan-to-drive-down-aviation-emissions-6457061/" 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/jet-zero-plan'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Rise And Fall of Globalisation',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/is-this-the-end-of-the-globalisation-era/article31803048.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Is this the end of the globalisation era?&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The HinduBussines Line on 11/06/2020. It talks about the pros and cons of Globalisation.</p>
</div>
<p>Globalisation envisages a borderless world or seeks the world as a global village. It may be attributed by the accelerated flow of goods, people, capital, information, and energy across borders, often enabled by technological developments.</p>
<p>However, isolationism forced by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-globalization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> has paused the growth of globalisation in the world. Though the pandemic has hastened globalisation&rsquo;s decline, protectionism has been increasing since <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/understanding-financial=-crisis-of-2007-08" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the global financial crisis 2008</strong></a>.</p>
<p>The increased unemployment, growing inequality and anaemic growth in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, particularly in the developed world, are the main reasons for the rise of protectionism all across the globe.</p>
<p>In this context, there is a debate all around the world regarding the sustainability of globalisation in the future.</p>
<h3>Rise of Globalization</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Origin of Modern Globalisation:</strong> What today is referred to as globalisation, started with the <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/cold-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>end of the Cold war and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Driving Factors:</strong> Globalisation was the offshoot of two systems &mdash; democracy and capitalism &mdash; that emerged victorious at the end of the Cold War.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These ideas were transmitted across the world through free trade and increased inter-country movement of capital and labour.</li>
<li>The idea that all countries should unequivocally move towards democracy underpinned with capitalism was packaged in policies commonly referred to as the Washington Consensus or neo-liberalism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Politics of Globalisation:</strong> Politically, it refers to increasing global governance via international institutions or growing alignment of national policies.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It involves both benefits (such as coordinated crisis strategies) and costs (such as less national self-determination), too.</li>
<li>A liberal democracy combined with free-market capitalism was the best way to organise society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Developing-Developed Countries Collaboration:</strong> The partnership between the developed and the developing countries based on three planks.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>First was offshoring of manufacturing and low-end services jobs to developing countries.</li>
<li>Second, developed countries run large trade deficits by acting as the market for the increased output of developing countries.</li>
<li>Third, developing countries financing the trade deficit of the developed countries by accumulating large foreign exchange reserves.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Pros of Globalisation</h3>
<p><strong>Access to Goods and Services</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Globalization results in increased trade and standard of living. It heightens competition within the domestic product, capital, and labour markets, as well as among countries adopting different trade and investment strategies.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has also resulted in national capital markets becoming increasingly integrated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Vehicle of Social Justice</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Transnational companies investing in installing plants in other countries provide employment for the people in those countries often getting them out of poverty.</li>
<li>The proponents say globalization represents free trade which promotes global economic growth, creates jobs, makes companies more competitive, and lowers prices for consumers.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Increases Cultural Awareness</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By reducing cross-border distances, globalisation has increased cross-cultural understanding and sharing.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A neutral globalized society boosts up the rate at which people are exposed to the culture, attitudes and values of people in other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Sharing Technology and Values</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It also provides poor countries, through infusions of foreign capital and technology, with the chance to develop economically and by spreading prosperity.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Decline of Globalisation</h3>
<p>The global financial crisis was a turning point, as it struck at the twin foundations of <strong>liberal democracy and free-market capitalism.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Suppression of liberal democracy:</strong> The malaise of slow economic growth, wealth inequality and rising unemployment provided a perfect breeding ground for political leaders to appeal for nationalism as the solution to political and economic ills.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The economic rise of China under an authoritarian regime also raised doubts over the efficacy of liberal democracy in solving pressing domestic challenges.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Perils of neo-liberal doctrine:</strong> While the free-market ideology has been fighting a battle of credibility since it took the maximum blame for the 2008 crisis, free trade policies have now been severely impacted due to Covid-19.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The pandemic has not only exposed the fragility of highly optimised supply chains that spread across countries but has also shown such inter-country supply chains to be a threat to national security.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cons of Globalisation</h3>
<p><strong>Increasing Inequality</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while making the poor poorer.</li>
<li>The <strong>UN Development Program reports</strong> that the richest 20% of the world's population consume 86% of the world's resources while the rest 80% consume just 14 percent.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Malpractices of MNCs</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Multinational corporations (MNCs) are accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions (including slave labour wages, living and working conditions), as well as lack of concern for the environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage.</li>
<li>Also, Multinational corporations, which were previously restricted to commercial activities, are increasingly influencing political decisions.</li>
<li>Many think there is a threat of corporations ruling the world because they are gaining power, due to globalization.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Fail to Contribute Towards Desired Gains</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The argument that globalization has helped people in developing most of the countries out of poverty is somehow controversial. Because the opinions differ as to the quantity and the quality of the jobs being offered by globalization.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Contribute Towards Cultural Homogeneity</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Globalisation promotes people's tastes to converge which may lead to more cultural homogeneity.</li>
<li>Due to this, there is a danger of losing precious cultural practices and languages.</li>
<li>Also, there are threats of cultural invasion of one country over another.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Given its enormous potential for economic gains, it would be a waste to categorically repudiate the phenomena of Globalisation. Instead, there is a need for better understanding of Globalization's effects and the interplay of its economics with other issue areas.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592047608_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592047608_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #eeffeb;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;From being the pre-eminent phenomenon integrating the world, globalisation now looks like a spent force&rdquo;. Critically discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JHCKmcw2E8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/back-from-the-brink-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-china-border-row/article31806318.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Back From The Brink&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindu on June 12<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/rise-and-fall-of-globalisation'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'World Day Against Child Labour 2020',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently the World Day Against Child Labour has been observed on<strong> June 12<sup>th</sup> 2020.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> theme</strong> for the year 2020 is <strong>Covid-19: Protect children from child labour, now more than ever</strong> which focuses on the impact of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> crisis on child labour.</li>
<li>On 12<sup>th</sup> June 2002, the International Labour Organisation launched the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-day-against-child-labour" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Day Against Child Labour.</strong></a></li>
<li>Since then, every year, the day is marked to highlight the plight of child labourers worldwide and also to take required measures to eliminate it.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Child Labour</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-labour-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labour Organisation (ILO)</strong></a> defines<strong> child labour as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity,</strong> and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.</li>
<li>In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labour that is considered detrimental to their health and development.</li>
<li>The eradication of Child Labour is part of the <strong>UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.</strong></li>
<li><strong>International Laws on Child Labour</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989:</strong> It contains the idea that children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training. Rather, they are human beings and individuals with their own rights.</li>
<li><strong>International Labour Organizations Conventions on the minimum age for admission to employment of the year 1973</strong> (ILO convention 138) and on the <strong>worst forms of child labour of the year 1999</strong> (ILO convention182).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Data Across the World</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Absolute Numbers: 152 million</strong> children between the <strong>ages of 5-17 were</strong> in child labour, almost half them, 73 million, in hazardous child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Age Specific:</strong> Almost half (48%) of the victims of child labour were aged 5-11, 28% were 12-14 years old, and 24% were 15-17 years old.</li>
<li><strong>Sectors:</strong> Child labour is concentrated <strong>primarily in agriculture and allied activities (71%),</strong> 17% in services; and 12% in the industrial sector.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and the Child Labour</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the age group of 15-18 years, India has around 23 million working children. This means <strong>one in eleven children</strong> between the <strong>ages of 5-18 years</strong> in the country are working.</li>
<li>Five states which are the India&rsquo;s biggest child labour employers-<strong> Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Constitutional Provisions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 21A:</strong> Right to Education</li>
<li><strong>Article 24:</strong> Prohibition of employment of children (below the age fourteen years) in factories, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Article 39:</strong> The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Initiatives by the Government of India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Gurupadswamy Committe: In 1979,</strong> the central government formed the first statutory committee to analyse and research on the issue of child labour in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>One of their major observations was that the problem of child labour is inextricably linked to poverty.</li>
<li>Taking into account the findings and recommendations of the committee, the Union Government enacted the <strong>Child labour (Prohibition and &amp; Regulation) Act in 1986.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Policy on Child Labour (1987):</strong> It focuses more on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention.</li>
<li><strong>Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 (the JJ Act) and amendment of the JJ Act in 2006:</strong> It includes the working child in the category of children in need of care and protection, without any limitation of age or type of occupation.</li>
<li><strong>The Right to Education Act, 2009</strong> has made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children <strong>aged 6 to 14 years</strong> are in school and receive free education.</li>
<li>Another landmark step was the enactment of the <strong>Child labour (Prohibition and Prevention) Amendment Act, 2016.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Initiatives<strong> like Operation Smile, Operation Muskaan</strong> to rescue and rehabilitation of childrens from an unorganised sector, manufacturing units and other factories.</li>
<li>Recently, India has ratified International<strong> Labour Organizations Convention (ILO) no 138 (minimum age for employment)</strong> and <strong>Convention no 182 (worst forms of child labour).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impact of Covid-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In India,</strong> the lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 has left <strong>child labourers</strong> with no source of income, no means of protection against the disease.</li>
<li>The lockdown has forced millions of migrant workers &mdash; facing long-term unemployment &mdash; to return to their villages without any jobs. Children of returnee migrants have been forced to become child labourers.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Concerns</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The issue of child labour is still prevelant in India, despite the presence of several laws.</li>
<li>Child labour legislation to protect children has been inadequate and face the following challenges:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Definitional issue</strong>: One of the biggest challenges in eradicating child labour is the confusion around the definition of a child, in terms of age, in various laws dealing with child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of identification:</strong> Age identification of children is a difficult task in India due to the lack of identification documents E.g. Birth Certificates, School Certificates etc.</li>
<li><strong>Weak enforcement of law:</strong> Due to lack of adequate deterrence and corruption it is difficult to eradicating child labour</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Poverty and lack of school</strong> are considered as the main causes of child labour.</li>
<li>People from rural areas with little education often see no alternative but to take their children out of school and put them to work. The children grow up without education, health facilities and no knowledge of their rights.</li>
<li>The extreme form of<strong> child labour that is forced labour,</strong> in which children suffer not only the impact of hazardous working conditions but lack of freedom.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The<strong> cycle of poverty and its implications</strong> must be addressed properly, so families can find other means to survive.</li>
<li>Many <strong>NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, ChildFund, CARE India,Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation</strong> etc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India. Right kind of focus and orientation with state level authorities is also needed to avoid the practice of child labour.</li>
<li><strong>Forced Child Labour</strong> requires an urgent action from governments and the international communities.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/world-day-against-child-labour-2020-vulnerable-children-worse-off-due-to-covid-19-71719" 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/world-day-against-child-labour-2020'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'India-Tanzania Relations',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, Prime Minister of India thanked <strong>Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, President of the United Republic of Tanzania</strong> for his assistance provided for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Tanzania in the wake of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both leaders <strong>reviewed the overall bilateral relationship</strong> and expressed satisfaction at the growing development partnership, educational linkages, trade and investment flows and <strong>discussed possibilities of further accelerating</strong> these trends.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tanzania<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592043046_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592043046_image3.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was formed as a<strong> sovereign state in 1964</strong> through the<strong> union of the separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.</strong></li>
<li><em><strong>Dodoma</strong> </em>is the<strong> official capital</strong> and <strong>Dar es Salaam</strong> is the seat of most <strong>government administrations</strong> as well as is the <strong>largest city and port in the country.</strong></li>
<li>It is located in<strong> east Africa</strong> just south of the Equator. It is bounded by Uganda, Lake Victoria and Kenya to the <strong>north,</strong> by the Indian Ocean to the<strong> east,</strong> by Mozambique, Lake Nyasa, Malawi and Zambia to the <strong>south</strong> and southwest and by Lake Tanganyika, Burundi and Rwanda to the <strong>west.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Africa&rsquo;s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro</strong> (5,895 metres) and the <strong>world&rsquo;s second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika</strong> (1,436 metres deep) are located in Tanzania.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tanzania is <strong>one of the fastest-growing African countries</strong> of this decade and plays an important role in <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/india-africa-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India-Africa relations</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Tanzania and India have enjoyed traditionally<strong> close, friendly and cooperative relations.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>High Commission of India</strong> in Dar es Salaam has been operating since <strong>November 1961</strong> and the <strong>Consulate General of India</strong> in Zanzibar was set up in <strong>October 1974.</strong></li>
<li>In October 2019, as part of the<strong> Indian Navy's Overseas Deployment,</strong> four indigenously built ships of the Indian Navy visited the ports at <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dar-es-salaam-and-zanzibar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar</strong></a> located in Tanzania.</li>
<li><strong>Bilateral Treaties &amp; Agreements:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Agreement on the establishment of a Joint Trade Committee (2000).</li>
<li>MOU for Co-operation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors (2002).</li>
<li>MoU on Exchange of Programme on Co-operation in the field of Education (2003).</li>
<li>MOU on Defence Cooperation (2003).</li>
<li>MOU for Cooperation in the field of Hydrography between Tanzania and India and Protocol on exchange of Hydrographic Data (2015).</li>
<li>MOU on Cooperation in the field of water resource management and development (2016).</li>
<li>Loan Agreement between Exim Bank and Government of Tanzania on line of credit for USD 500 million for water supply projects in 17 towns across Tanzania (May 2018).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Commercial and Economic Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is the <strong>largest trading partner of Tanzania</strong> comprising <strong>16%</strong> of Tanzania&rsquo;s foreign trade.</li>
<li>India is also <strong>among the top five investment sources</strong> in Tanzania.</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s major exports to Tanzania:</strong> Petroleum products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, motor vehicles, electrical goods, articles of iron and steel, sugar, machinery, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Tanzania&rsquo;s major exports to India:</strong> Gold ore, cashew nuts, pulses, timber, spices (mainly cloves), ores and metal scrap, gemstones, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Development Partnership:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tanzania is a <strong>major beneficiary of training courses</strong> allocated under India&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/vice-president-s-visit-to-comoros-and-sierra-leone" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme/Special Commonwealth African Assistance Programme</strong></a> (ITEC/SCAAP) and under<strong> India Africa Forum Summit</strong> (IAFS) capacity building cooperation.</li>
<li>India has executed a number of projects under<strong> government grants and soft loans</strong> in Tanzania.</li>
<li>India provided <strong>essential medicines and vaccines</strong> as grant support to Tanzania in September 2018 and set up a<strong> radiation therapy machine &lsquo;Bhabhatron-II&rsquo;</strong> for cancer patients.</li>
<li>India has also extended a <strong>Credit Line to Tanzania for various water supply projects</strong> in Dar-es-Salaam, coastal Chalinze region, Tabora, Igunga, Nzega, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Culture:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Indian Cultural Centre</strong> (ICC), Dar es Salaam under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/70-years-of-indian-council-for-cultural-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Council for Cultural Relations</strong></a> (ICCR), coordinates cultural outreach since its establishment in December 2010.</li>
<li>The 5<sup>th</sup> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-yoga-day#:~:text=June%2021%20is%20observed%20as,Nations%20declared%20it%20in%202015." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Day of Yoga</strong> </a>(<strong>21<sup>st</sup> June</strong>) was celebrated in Tanzania in 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Community:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tanzania is home to <strong>more than 50,000 people of Indian origin.</strong></li>
<li>The Indian origin community is <strong>active in the field of trade, industry and services</strong> in Tanzania.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-23rd-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award</strong> </a>and <strong><em>&lsquo;Bharat Ko Janiye&rsquo; quiz</em> </strong>generate interest in Tanzania.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Government of India organises Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz, which is an online quiz for <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/indian-diaspora" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-Resident Indians</strong></a> (NRIs) and<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/overseas-citizenship-of-india#:~:text=The%20Ministry%20of%20Home%20Affairs,on%2026th%20January%201950%3B%20or" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Overseas Citizens of India</strong> </a>(OCIs) between the age of 18 and 35 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>From the 1960s to the 1980s, the political relationship between India and Tanzania involved shared commitments to anticolonialism, <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/non-aligned-movement-nam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>non-alignment</strong></a> as well as <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-india-africa-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>South-South Cooperation</strong> </a>and close cooperation in international fora.</li>
<li>In recent years, India-Tanzania ties have evolved into a modern and pragmatic relationship with sound political understanding, diversified economic engagement, people to people contacts in the field of education and healthcare and development partnership in capacity building training, concessional credit lines and grant projects.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631226" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'India- Laos Relations',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Prime Minister of India had a telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister of Lao People&rsquo;s Democratic Republic (PDR).</p>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592041737_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img width="350" class="content-img" style="float: right;" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1592041737_image2.png" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both the leaders exchanged views on the health and economic challenges posed by the global <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-indian-federalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a>.</li>
<li>They agreed on the need for international cooperation, and for sharing of best-practices and experiences, in order to prepare for the post-Covid world.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s Prime Minister highlighted India&rsquo;s historic and cultural links with Laos and expressed satisfaction at being involved<strong> in the restoration of the Vat Phou hindu temple complex (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kailash-mansarovar-in-tentative-list-of-world-heritage-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world heritage site</a>).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He also reiterated India&rsquo;s commitment to continue its development partnership with Lao PDR, a valued partner in<strong> India&rsquo;s extended neighbourhood.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Lao Prime Minister thanked India's support for Lao&rsquo;s development programmes, in capacity building and for scholarships.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relations Between the Countries</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Political Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Based upon historical and civilizational foundations, India and Laos enjoy long standing, friendly and mutually supportive relations.</li>
<li>Political relations between both the countries were established in February 1956.</li>
<li>Laos has been supportive on major issues of regional and international concerns to India, including <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-permanent-seat-in-unsc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India&rsquo;s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.</strong> </a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Defence Cooperation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since 1994, under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/vice-president-s-visit-to-comoros-and-sierra-leone" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)</strong></a> Agreement, a two-member Indian Army Training Team has conducted training for Lao defence personnel in English, Computers and Basic Tactics. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Indian team is the only foreign training team besides the Vietnamese and the Chinese.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indian Army had also conducted three training capsules on Unexploded Ordnance (Bomb) (UXOs) and De-mining in Laos in 2011, 2012 and 2013. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>De-mining is the process of removing land mines from an area.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic Cooperation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bilateral trade between both the nations in 2017-18 has reached to 193.63 US million dollars. Although the trade balance is heavily shifted in favour of Laos.</li>
<li>India has supported development of Laos by extending Lines of Credit for infrastructure projects in the fields of transmission line, hydropower project, conversion of diesel to electric driven pump sets, and irrigation projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cultural Relations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two countries share age-old civilisational ties best symbolised by:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The relic of the Buddha encased in the That Luang Stupa, the national emblem of Lao PDR.</li>
<li>The Vat Phou Temple Complex, an ancient Shiva temple, whose earliest structures date back to the 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> Century AD, and which is currently being renovated and restored by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bibi-ka-maqbara-of-aurangabad" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Archaeological Survey of India</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Human Resource Development:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Government of India has been providing nearly 140 scholarships annually to Lao nationals under various schemes.</li>
<li>The <strong>Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (LIEDC)</strong> set up in November, 2004, trains Lao entrepreneurs for setting up small and medium scale businesses.</li>
<li>Agreement for setting up of <strong>Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT)</strong> in Vientiane under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/asean-summit-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASEAN</strong></a> <strong>Framework</strong> was signed in 2015.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note: Line of Credit</strong> is a &lsquo;soft loan&rsquo; provided on concessional interest rates to developing countries, which has to be repaid by the borrowing governments. The projects under LOCs are spread over different sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, telecom, railway, transmission/power, renewable energy, etc.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1631229" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'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'
	],
	'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) 67
$search = 'class'
$totalPages = (float) 274
$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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