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The Big Picture: Impact of lockdown on Women and Children

The COVID-19 crisis has a potentially far-reaching, long-term negative impact on women and children around the world. The impact is likely to be...

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Why in News Iran's parliament has passed a bill allowing the government to slash four zeros from the rial and authorizing its replacement with...

06 May 2020 News Analysis
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			'title' => 'The Big Picture: Impact of lockdown on Women and Children',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-bZMNqgwbMk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The COVID-19 crisis has a potentially far-reaching, long-term negative impact on women and children around the world. The impact is likely to be devastating especially for children, even though they appear to have less severe symptoms and lower mortality rates than other age groups. More than 1.5 billion students are out of school. Widespread job and income loss and economic insecurity among families are likely to increase the stress on this vulnerable population. Stresses on families, particularly those living under quarantines and lockdowns, are increasing the incidence of domestic violence.</p>
<h3>Impact of Lockdown on Women and Children</h3>
<p>Fueled by mandatory stay-at-home rules, social distancing, economic uncertainties, and anxieties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Domestic Violence has increased globally. The pandemic and the lockdown are trying times for every individual but for the already vulnerable group, the women and young children specifically girl children, are facing the worst of it all.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Impact on women:</strong> There has been a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-violence-against-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>rise in instances of violence</strong></a>, sexual, physical and mental against women.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recorded a more than <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/domestic-violence-during-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>twofold rise in gender-based violence.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Data Analysis:</strong></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total complaints-</strong> Rose from 116 in the first week of March to 257 in the final week of March.</li>
<li><strong>Rape or attempt to rape-</strong> Rose sharply from 2 to 13.</li>
<li><strong>Domestic violence-</strong> Increased from 30 to 69 over the same comparative period.</li>
<li><strong>Police apathy towards women-</strong> Almost threefold increase as the police are busy enforcing the lockdown to curb the spread of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Cases under Right to live with dignity (Article 21)-</strong> Rose to 77 from 35. Such cases could pertain to discrimination on the basis of gender, class, or caste or all three of them combined.</li>
<li>These cases might be a fragment of the actual number as many women will not be able to reach out due to various reasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact on Children:</strong> Young Children are facing the brunt of discord between parents, the discord has nothing to do with the economic class, education, etc, happens across the spectrum.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Coronavirus can scare children now, which could create emotional problems for months or even years to come.</li>
<li>Even if the lockdown gets over the schools and colleges will continue to remain shut for the next 2-3 months that&rsquo;s why it is going to be very difficult to manage children and their energies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact on students:</strong> Separation from playgroups and friends and their daily routine of playing is creating a lot of anxiety for children, they are losing their attachments
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Children&rsquo;s social life and learning have been affected and most of them are finding it difficult to stay away.</li>
<li>A lot of students from marginalised sections are finding it very difficult to cope with studies with no access to the internet. The problem of fees, examinations, and internet connectivity to attend the class.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Possible Reasons</h3>
<p>When the economy takes a hit, its always the most vulnerable, the women and children are pushed back. The massive unemployment that will follow in the wake of the pandemic will target women much more than men, severely affecting their condition in society.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Anxiety and Insecurity:</strong> Most of the individuals are facing the problem of anxiety and insecurity over their future prospects.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Lack of peer circles, unwinding spaces and patriarchal mindset are the major reasons that make women the victim of men&rsquo;s frustration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Privacy:</strong> Women are not able to reach out because of restrictions on movement as well as a lack of privacy within homes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NCW had set-up Crimes Against Women Cell in Police stations in collaboration with Delhi Police under the project <strong>&ldquo;VIOLENCE FREE HOME- A WOMEN&rsquo;S RIGHT&rdquo;.</strong> But due to the lack of movement women are not being able to access this service.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of counselors:</strong> Most women, suffering domestic violence, are increasingly finding themselves isolated and without necessary support such as counseling.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women&rsquo;s-rights NGOs are facing their own sets of challenges due to the lockdown. Unable to move beyond telephonic or web counselling, the organisations are struggling to be of further assistance to victims of abuse or at-risk women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sexual exploitation takes place when individuals are at their most vulnerable, and the lockdown has put many women in such a condition. Human rights of both children and women are being grossly violated amidst this lockdown.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>VIOLENCE FREE HOME- A WOMEN&rsquo;S RIGHT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A joint programme of the<strong> National Commission for Women (NCW), Delhi Police and&nbsp;</strong><strong>Tata Institute of Social Sciences, (TISS) Mumbai.</strong></li>
<li>The NCW is implementing the project with Delhi Police and TISS and is committed to work on the issue of violence against women.</li>
</ul>
<p>The scope of this programme is:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rebuilding violated women&rsquo;s self-esteem, self-worth, and dignity.</li>
<li>Offering the violated woman immediate services, based on her needs, such as <strong>carrying out counselling, arranging for shelter or medical aid, providing information on laws and her rights, harnessing police support</strong></li>
<li>Creating awareness in the community on the issue of violence against women</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>About the services:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Trained social workers/ counsellors in the Crime against Women Cell (CAW Cell) help women and children facing violence by providing them with emotional support, assisting them in negotiations to stop violence, linkages to livelihood opportunities and providing them with legal knowledge.</li>
<li>The processes are aimed towards achieving a violence-free life for the woman.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>United Nations has called for urgent action, and for governments to &ldquo;put women&rsquo;s safety first as they respond to the pandemic.&rdquo;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Prioritise Mental Health:</strong> Employers should start paying attention to not just the economic health of the employees but also their mental health and give some leverage to the employees, specifically the women employees who are more burdened with domestic work as the maids are on leave.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Health ministries of both the center and state governments should also look into the issue of the psychological health of the population in these trying times and formulate policies to ensure access to online counselling.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Media:</strong> Media has a big role to play here in starting a conversation about mental health which is a taboo subject to date in India.</li>
<li>Train more people to look into the issue of dealing with anxiety and stress. Identify training institutes to train volunteers who can assist women and children in distress under lockdown.</li>
</ul>
<p>We should all come out of this the way one is rehabilitated after the war and be educated about the stress and post-traumatic stress disorders, as the effects of this pandemic will last on people&rsquo;s mind specifically of children for a long time to come even after the lockdown is over.</p>',
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'One Nation One Ration Card',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/editorial/the-needs-of-migrants-should-be-addressed-through-a-concerted-national-policy/article31503631.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The needs of migrants should be addressed through a concerted national policy&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu Business line on 04/05/2020. It talks about the &lsquo;One Nation-One Ration Card&rsquo; scheme amid the migrant crisis.</p>
</div>
<p>Covid-19 pandemic has created a dilemma of lives vs livelihood, for governments as well as citizens. But in the absence of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/emergency-basic-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>basic income</strong></a> and food security, this dilemma may hurt migrant workers the most and will lead to a migrant crisis.</p>
<p>This migrant crisis will question the development paradigm, as these workers are the wheel of the urban economy in India. Moreover, according to the 2011 census, there are 45 crore internal migrants who accounted for 37% of the population.</p>
<p>In this context, a nationwide <strong>One Nation One Ration Card scheme (ONORC)</strong> must become a reality now. This scheme will be instrumental in the welfare of migrant workers and play a vital role in averting migrant crisis as it existed today.</p>
<h3>Rationale of ONORC</h3>
<p>Currently, ration cardholders can avail their entitlement of subsidised foodgrains under <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/food-security-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the National Food Security Act</strong></a>, only from the designated Fair price shop (FPS) within the concerned state.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>If a beneficiary were to shift to another state, he/she would need to apply for a new ration card in the second state.</li>
<li>However, the migration of the poor from rural areas to urban locations is more commonplace.</li>
<li>Thus, geographical location is one of the hindrances that migrant workers face in order to claim their quote of grains and subsequently get denied their right to food.</li>
<li>To address the grim state of food security in the country and combat the problem of hunger, the government has started the &lsquo;One Nation, One Ration Card&rsquo; facility.</li>
<li>Currently, this scheme is applicable in several states and the central government seeks to implement this across the nation by June 2020.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits Emanating from ONORC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Interoperability of Ration Card:</strong> Under the ONORC, the beneficiaries from one state can get their share of rations in other states where the ration card was originally issued. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>After the scheme gets implemented at the national level, any PDS recipient can use their ration cards at any PDS shop across the country.</li>
<li>ONORC seeks to provide <strong>universal access to PDS food grains</strong> for migrant workers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Empowering Consumers:</strong> ONORC will also give the beneficiaries the opportunity to opt for the dealer of their choice. If any dealer misbehaves or misallocates, the beneficiary can switch to another FPS shop instantly.</li>
<li><strong>Reducing Social Discrimination:</strong> ONORC will be particularly beneficial for women and other disadvantaged groups, given how social identity (caste, class and gender) and other contextual factors (including power relations) provide a strong backdrop in accessing PDS.</li>
<li><strong>Achieving SDG:</strong> This will help achieve the target set under SDG 2: Ending hunger by 2030. Also, it will address the poor state of hunger in India, as highlighted by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-hunger-index-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Global Hunger Index</strong></a>, where India has been ranked 102 out of 117 countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Associated Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Exclusion Error:</strong> The digitisation of this PDS process, through Aadhaar-linked ration cards and smart cards, has been pushed in an effort to reduce leakages. However, there has been a rise of exclusion errors in post-Aadhaar seeding.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are many sections of society who still don&rsquo;t have Aadhar Card, thereby depriving them of food security.</li>
<li>The fears of exclusion are also applied for migrant workers, as the fingerprints of people engaged in construction labour and domestic work may change or fade and may not match with the ones entered in Aadhar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Logistical Issues:</strong> An FPS receives the monthly quota of products strictly in accordance with the number of people assigned to it. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ONORC, when fully operational, would disrupt this practice, as some FPSs may have to cater to more numbers of cards even as others cater to less, owing to migration of people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Data:</strong> There is no exact data on the mobility of poor households migrating to work, locating intra- and inter-state destinations and sectors employing the workers.</li>
<li><strong>Domicile-Based Social Sector Schemes:</strong> Not only PDS, most of the anti-poverty, rural employment, welfare and food security schemes were historically based on domicile-based access and restricted people to access government social security, welfare and food entitlements at their place of origin.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Unorganised Sector Social Security Act, 2008, had drawn up a system of documenting informal sector workers through a system of welfare boards.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In order to get credible data regarding the migrant workers, this must be implemented in letter and spirit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A dedicated e-commerce platform ONORC may resolve the challenge of logistical issues.</li>
<li>Social auditing must be made mandatory to measure the performance of ONORC.</li>
<li>NFSA defines food security as nutritional security. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, portability of Integrated Child Development Services, Mid-Day Meals, immunisation, health care and other facilities for poor migrant households can&rsquo;t be neglected and should be made portable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the longer run, the PDS system may be replaced by a fool-proof food coupon system or direct benefit transfer, targeting the poor, wherein a Below Poverty Line family can buy rice, pulses, sugar and oil from any Kirana store at the market price, by either paying fully through the coupon or by cash.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The current migrant crisis should be seen as an opportunity to develop a national migration policy addressing the challenges faced by migrant workers productivity, living conditions and social security.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588763982_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588763982_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #0036f7; background-color: #fcffe6;">
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The nationwide rollout of One Nation One Ration Card scheme will play an instrumental role in the welfare of migrant workers. Analyse.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1OoFTqwE1bs" 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/app-for-one-season-on-centres-directive-to-use-arogya-setu/article31504541.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;App for one season: on Centre's directive to use Arogya Setu&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published The Hindu on May 5th, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Currency Change in Iran',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Iran's parliament has passed a bill allowing the government to <strong>slash four zeros from the rial</strong> and authorizing its <strong>replacement</strong> with another basic unit of currency called the <strong>toman (redenomination).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under the bill, Iran's national currency will be changed from the rial to the <strong>Toman, which is equal to 10,000 rials.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Redenomination:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the process whereby a country's<strong> currency is revalued due to significant inflation and currency devaluation,</strong> or when a country <strong>adopts a new currency</strong> and needs to <strong>exchange the old currency for a new one at a fixed rate.</strong></li>
<li>In simpler words, it is exchanging old currency for new currency, or changing the face value of existing notes in circulation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<strong><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588758816_image3.PNG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588758816_image3.PNG" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></strong></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Eliminating the four zeros was a <strong>necessary action to simplify financial transactions.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It would vastly simplify financial calculations by eliminating the need for Iranian shoppers to carry loads of rials to make purchases, which they have to do because of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/return-of-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inflation.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>Iran's Students News Agency</strong> (ISNA), the bill needs to be approved by the <strong>Guardian Council, </strong>a <strong>body of conservative clerics that supervises the Parliament.</strong></li>
<li>After its approval, the <strong>Central Bank of Iran</strong> will have<strong> two years to implement</strong> the change for removing rial from circulation and issuing toman instead.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This move comes after a <strong>sharp fall in the value</strong> of the currency as a result of <strong>crippling US sanctions.</strong></li>
<li>The currency has been <strong>devalued 3,500 times since 1971.</strong> It declined steadily since the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/40-years-of-islamic-revolution-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iranian Revolution, 1979</strong></a> brought the religious government to power.</li>
<li>The idea of removing four zeros has been floated since 2008 but gained strength after <strong>2018</strong> when the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>US exited Iran's 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions</strong> </a>and the <strong>rial lost more than 60% of its value.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Chronology of US-Iran Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>1953: Overthrow of Mossadeq</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US and British intelligence agencies planned a coup to oust Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadeq.</li>
<li>He sought to nationalise Iran's oil industry, which was against the US's capitalist interests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>1979: Iranian Revolution</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> US-backed Shah of Iran,</strong> Mohammed Reza Pahlevi was<strong> forced to leave the country</strong> in 1979, following months of demonstrations and strikes against his rule by secular and religious opponents.</li>
<li>This led to the return of Islamic religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini from exile and following a referendum, the <strong>Islamic Republic of Iran</strong> was proclaimed on 1st April 1979.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>1979-81: US Embassy Hostage Crisis</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US embassy in Tehran was seized by protesters in November 1979 and American hostages were held inside for 444 days.</li>
<li>The final 52 hostages were freed in January 1981, the day of US President Ronald Reagan's <strong>inauguration</strong> (ceremony to mark the commencement of a new 4-year presidential term).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>2002-13: Nuclear Fears and Sanctions</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2002 an Iranian opposition group revealed that Iran was <strong>developing nuclear facilities including a uranium enrichment plant.</strong></li>
<li>In pursuance of this, several sanctions are imposed by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong></a> (UN), the US and the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>European Union</strong></a> (EU) against Iran.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>US President George Bush denounces Iran as part of an<strong> "axis of evil" </strong>with<strong> Iraq </strong>and <strong>North Korea.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This causes Iran's<strong> currency to lose two-thirds of its value</strong> in two years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>2013-16: Closer ties and a nuclear deal</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In September 2013, Iran's new moderate President Hassan Rouhani took office.</li>
<li>In 2015, after a flurry of diplomatic activity, Iran agreed on a long-term deal on its nuclear programme- <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-cuts-iranian-oil-imports-ahead-of-us-sanctions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action</strong></a> (JCPOA) with a group of world powers known as the <strong>P5+1</strong> - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.</li>
<li>Under the accord, Iran <strong>agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities</strong> and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>2018-19: US-Iran Tensions in current times</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Policy of maximum pressure:</strong> In May 2018, the US abandoned the nuclear deal and reinstated economic sanctions against Iran.</li>
<li><strong>Policy of strategic patience:</strong> Iran acted with restraint, with thinking that by abiding by the nuclear deal it could get economic favour from the EU. However, this policy failed to work for Iran and thereby it began a counter-pressure campaign.</li>
<li>In June 2019, <strong>Iranian forces shot down a US military drone over the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strait-of-hormuz-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Strait of Hormuz</a></strong> and then began the cycle of response and escalation between the two countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-approves-plan-to-cut-four-zeros-from-falling-currencyy/article31512640.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/currency-change-in-iran'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Long March 5B’ Rocket by China',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, China has successfully launched the <strong>Long March 5B&rsquo; rocket</strong> and prototype spacecraft.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is being considered as China&rsquo;s successful step to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the Moon.</li>
<li>India is also planning to launch its own space station.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting crew members, designed to remain in space for an extended period of time and for other spacecraft to dock.</li>
<li>One fully functional space station in the Earth's lower orbit is the International Space Station and astronauts conduct different experiments in it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588757020_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588757020_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Long March 5B&rsquo; Rocket:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was launched from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island of Hainan.</li>
<li>It weighs 849 tonnes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unmanned Prototype Spaceship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is expected to transport astronauts to a space station that China plans to complete by 2022 &mdash; and eventually to the Moon. It will have capacity for a crew of six.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Future Missions by China:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The assembly of the Tiangong space station is expected to begin in 2020 and finish in 2022.</li>
<li>China plans to send an astronaut to the Moon in about a decade and then build a base there.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The United States is so far the only country to have successfully sent humans to the Moon.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Space Station (ISS)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ISS is a habitable artificial satellite - the single largest man-made structure in low earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998.</li>
<li>It circles the Earth in roughly 92 minutes and completes 15.5 orbits per day.</li>
<li>The ISS programme is a joint project between <strong>five</strong> participating space agencies: <strong>NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada)</strong> but its ownership and use has been established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.</li>
<li>It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields.</li>
<li>Continuous presence at ISS has resulted in the longest continuous human presence in the low earth orbit.</li>
<li>It is expected to operate <strong>until 2030.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinas-new-large-rocket-makes-maiden-flight/article31509636.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/long-march-5b-rocket-by-china'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => '50th Foundation Day of DST',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST)</strong> conducted a webinar on <strong>&lsquo;Fighting Corona - Leveraging Scientific Research &amp; Innovation&rsquo;</strong> on the occasion of its <strong>50<sup>th</sup> foundation day.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The webinar also mentioned some of the schemes implemented by the DST namely, SUPRA, IRHPA, NIDHI, SATHI and MANAK.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Schemes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SUPRA:</strong> The Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/supra-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SUPRA</strong></a>) intends to fund exploration of new scientific and engineering breakthroughs with global impact.</li>
<li><strong>IRHPA:</strong> The Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA) program of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) supports proposals in high priority areas from the viewpoint of advances in fundamental science.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SERB was set up as a statutory body in 2009 under the Department of Science and Technology to promote and fund research in different scientific disciplines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NIDHI Scheme:</strong> National Initiative For Developing And Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) is an end to end plan for startups to double the number of incubators and startups in the duration of five years.</li>
<li><strong>MANAK Scheme:</strong> MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) intends to trigger innovations from annually 10 lakh school children throughout the country to convert their ideas into prototypes, preparing the children for challenges of future like innovation and entrepreneurship and helping them harness the power of their ideas.</li>
<li><strong>SATHI Scheme:</strong> Sophisticated Analytical &amp; Technical Help Institutes<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sophisticated-analytical-technical-help-institutes-sathi" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> (SATHI)</strong></a> intends to create centres housing equipment dedicated to the needs of MSMEs and startups for rapid prototyping developed at the cost of Rs 125 crore each to connect industry with academia.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Department of Science and Technology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The foundation of DST was laid on <strong>3<sup>rd</sup> May 1971</strong> along the model of National Science Foundation (NSF), USA.</li>
<li>It provides <strong>funding and also makes policies</strong> and co-ordinates scientific work with other countries.</li>
<li>It empowers scientists and scientific institutions and also works with a highly distributed system permeating stakeholders ranging from school college, PhD, Postdoc students, young scientists, startups and NGOs working in Science &amp; Technology.</li>
<li>DST&rsquo;s budget has increased over the years by 100%, which has allowed initiation of new programmes in a wide range of areas.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1621139" 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/50th-foundation-day-of-dst'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'MSMEs and Covid-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Covid-19 pandemic has left its impact on all sectors of the economy including the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong></a> sector.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier the government had declared the relief package namely, the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PM Garib Kalyan Yojana</a></strong> for the poor to help them fight the battle against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Coronavirus (Covid-19)</strong></a>, the second package is expected to primarily focus on the MSME sector.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>MSMEs in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Definition of MSMEs:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588751350_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588751350_image1.png" style="float: right;" width="400" caption="false" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In February 2018, the Union Cabinet decided the <strong>criterion of an annual turnover (in line with the imposition of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fall-in-goods-and-services-tax-gst-collections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GST</a>)</strong> for defining MSMEs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Formally, <strong>MSMEs were defined in terms of investment in plant and machinery/equipment.</strong> But this criterion for the definition was criticized because credible and precise details of investments were not easily available by authorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the proposed definition (which is yet to be formally accepted), the categorisation would be:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Micro Enterprise :</strong> An annual turnover <strong>less than Rs 5 crores.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Small Enterprise :</strong> An annual turnover <strong>between Rs 5 crores and Rs 75 crores.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Medium Enterprise:</strong> An annual turnover <strong>less than Rs 250 crores.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Statistical Data about MSMEs in India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total Number of MSMEs:</strong> According to the Annual Report of the Department of MSMEs (2018-19), there are <strong>6.34 crore</strong> MSMEs in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Rural-Urban Distribution:</strong> Around 51% of these are situated in rural India and 49% of them are situated in urban India.</li>
<li><strong>Employment:</strong> Both rural and urban MSMEs together employ over 11 crore people but 55% of the employment happens in the urban MSMEs.</li>
<li><strong>Category-wise Distribution:</strong> 99.5% of all MSMEs fall in the micro category. While micro enterprises are equally distributed over rural and urban India, small and medium ones are predominantly in urban India.</li>
<li><strong>Social Distribution of MSMEs:</strong> About 66 % of all MSMEs are owned by people belonging to the Scheduled Castes (12.5%), the Scheduled Tribes (4.1%) and Other Backward Classes (49.7%).</li>
<li><strong>Gender Ratio in MSMEs:</strong> The gender ratio among employees is largely consistent across the board at roughly 80% male and 20% female.</li>
<li><strong>Geographical Distribution:</strong> Seven Indian states account for 50 % of all MSMEs. These are Uttar Pradesh (14%), West Bengal (14%), Tamil Nadu (8%), Maharashtra (8%), Karnataka (6%), Bihar (5%) and Andhra Pradesh (5%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Problems Faced by MSMEs in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Too Small to get Registered:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Being out of the formal network, these MSMEs do not have to maintain accounts, pay taxes or adhere to regulatory norms etc., which brings down their costs. But in a time of crisis, it also constrains a government&rsquo;s ability to help them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Financing:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Most of the MSME funding comes from <strong>informal sources</strong> and it explains why 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&rsquo;s</strong></a> efforts to push more liquidity towards the MSMEs have had a <strong>limited impact.</strong> Also, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/the-elixir-for-msmes-access-to-credit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>government has launched schemes</strong> </a>in this regard.</li>
<li>Further, banks dither from extending loans to MSMEs due to the <strong>high ratio of bad loans.</strong></li>
<li>According to a 2018 report by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank),</strong></a> the formal banking system supplies less than one-third (or about Rs 11 lakh crore) of the MSME credit need that it can potentially fund.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Delays in Payments to MSMEs:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is one of the biggest reasons for financial turmoil in the MSME sector.</li>
<li>MSMEs face delays in payment from their buyers which also includes the government. It also faces delays in GST refunds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Problem Aggravated due to Covid-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Declining Revenues: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/msme-sector-underutilised-engine-of-growth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MSMEs are already struggling</a></strong> &mdash; in terms of declining revenues and capacity utilisation &mdash; in the lead-up to the Covid-19 crisis.</li>
<li><strong>Unavailability of Cash:</strong> The total lockdown has raised an issue of the<strong> existence of MSMEs</strong> primarily due to <strong>unavailability of cash</strong> which subsequently will result in the <strong>job losses.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Lack of Labour Availability:</strong> The return of migrant labourers will create an issue of <strong>lack of labour availability.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Loan Against Collateral :</strong> Loans to MSMEs are mostly given against property (as collateral) but in times of crisis, property values fall and that inhibits the extension of new loans.</li>
<li><strong>Steps Taken:</strong> To ease the firms&rsquo; financial distress during this period, the Reserve bank of India has announced several measures such as a moratorium on term loans, and easier working capital financing. Some public sector banks have also opened up emergency credit lines for businesses.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government can provide tax relief (GST and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gst-council-and-corporate-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>corporate tax</strong></a>), give swifter refunds, and provide liquidity to rural India (may be through<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/one-year-of-pm-kisan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> PM-Kisan</strong></a>) to boost demand for MSME products.</li>
<li>A credit guarantee by the government can help as it assures the bank that its loan will be repaid by the government in case the MSME falters. If such defaults happen, credit guarantees are shown as a departmental expense in the Budget.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/coronavirus-india-lockdown-msme-sector-crisis-government-relief-package-6395731/" 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/msmes-and-covid-19'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Draft EIA Notification 2020',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/18/editorials/undemocratic-evasion-environmental-responsibility.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Undemocratic Evasion of Environmental Responsibility&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Economic and Political Weekly on 02/05/2020. It talks about issues pertaining to Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has proposed a draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification 2020, that seeks to replace the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/environmental-impact-assessment-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>current notification</strong></a> which goes back to 2006.</p>
<p>EIA is an important process for evaluating the likely environmental impact of a proposed project. It is a process whereby people&rsquo;s views are taken into consideration for granting final approval to any developmental project or activity. It is basically, a decision-making tool to decide whether the project should be approved or not.</p>
<p>The draft notification is issued under the powers vested in the central government under the <strong>Environment (Protection) Act, 1986</strong> to take all such measures for &ldquo;protecting and improving the quality of the environment.</p>
<p>According to the government, the new notification is being brought in order to make the process more transparent and expedient by the implementation of an online system, further delegation, rationalisation and standardisation of the process. However, the environmentalist said that the draft will further dilute the EIA process.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the Samarth Trust Case, the Delhi high court had considered EIAs- a part of participatory justice in which the voice is given to the voiceless and it is like a Jan Sunwai, where the community is the jury.</li>
<li>Also, the EIA process is an outcome of the 1992 Rio Declaration, which says that environmental issues are best handled through the participation of all concerned citizens and that states must provide an opportunity to citizens to participate in decision-making processes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues pertaining to draft EIA Notification 2020</h3>
<p><strong>Post-Facto Approval</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The new draft allows for post-facto approval for projects. It means that the clearances for projects can be awarded even if they have started construction or have been running phase without securing environmental clearances.</li>
<li>This also means that any environmental damage caused by the project is likely to be waived off as the violations get legitimised. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the only remedy would be to impose a fine or punishment; but that would not reverse the detrimental consequences on the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Post facto approval is the derogation of the fundamental principles of environmental jurisprudence and violation of the<strong> &ldquo;precautionary principle,&rdquo;</strong> which is a principle of environmental sustainability.</li>
<li>In 2017, post-facto clearance given to projects in Tamil Nadu was struck down by the Madras high court.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Public Consultation Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The draft notification provides for a reduction of the time period from 30 days to 20 days for the public to submit their responses during a public hearing for any application seeking environmental clearance.</li>
<li>The danger is that if adequate time is not given for the preparation of views, comments and suggestions to those who would be affected by the project, then such public hearings would not be meaningful.</li>
<li>Unless a public hearing is meaningful, the whole EIA process would lack transparency and credibility.</li>
<li>Further, the reduction of time would particularly pose a problem in those areas where information is not easily accessible or areas in which people are not that well aware of the process itself.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Compliance Report Issue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 2006 notification required that the project proponent submit a report every six months, showing that they are carrying out their activities as per the terms on which permission has been given.</li>
<li>However, the new draft requires the promoter to submit a report only once every year.</li>
<li>During this period, certain irreversible environmental, social or health consequences of the project could go unnoticed because of the extended reporting time.</li>
<li>For example, if a mining project is being carried out at someplace which can be potentially hazardous to the nearby population and can contaminate the air, and water nearby, a half-yearly compliance report would better help in addressing these concerns.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Bypassing EIA Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Through</strong> the draft notification, the central government gets the power to categorise projects as &ldquo;strategic.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Once a project is considered as strategic, the draft notification states that no information related to such projects shall be placed in the public domain.</li>
<li>Violations can only be reported suo motu by the project proponent, or by a government authority, appraisal committee, or regulatory authority. This is against the principles of natural justice.</li>
<li>Further, the draft notification states that the new construction projects up to 1,50,000 square metres (instead of the existing 20,000 square metres) do not need &ldquo;detailed scrutiny&rdquo; by the Expert Committee, nor do they need EIA studies and public consultation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>On a positive note, the 2020 draft notification has a clause dedicated to definitions to several terms related to EIA. It may be beneficial in the sense that it consolidates the EIA rules and has the potential of alleviating some ambiguity in the present law.</p>
<p>However, it needs to address the above issues. In this context:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ministry, instead of reducing the time for public consultation, should focus on ensuring access to information as well as awareness about the public hearing and its impact upon the whole EIA process.</li>
<li>In order to improve ease of doing business, the government should bring down the average delay of 238 days in granting environmental clearance, that emanates from bureaucratic delays and complex laws.</li>
<li>Grow now, sustain later should not be the policy, as the notion is dangerously tilted against the concept of sustainable development.</li>
</ul>
<p>With the EIA, we also need Social impact assessment to achieve sustainable development in true sense.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588680421_Images.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588680421_Images.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="550" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #fc0000; background-color: #ebffec;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically analyse the issues pertaining to Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2020.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dKCKqDcliUI" 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/slow-release-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-coronavirus-lockdown-30/article31495755.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Slow Release&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on May 4<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/draft-eia-notification-2020'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Year End Review 2019: Ministry of Rural Development',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Important Schemes and Policies</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sub-group-of-chief-ministers-on-coordination-between-mgnrega-and-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SECURE (Software for Estimate Calculation Using Rural Rates for Employment)</strong> under MGNREGS has helped in creating a transparent system for according administrative approval and technical sanction. Now, field functionaries can track, remove obstacles and speed up whole process of workflow.</li>
<li><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005</strong> aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members (at least 18 years of age) volunteer to do unskilled work.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The central government bears the full cost of unskilled labour, and 75% of the cost of material (the rest is borne by the states).</li>
<li>It is a demand-driven, social security and labour law that aims to enforce the &lsquo;right to work&rsquo;.</li>
<li>Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Government of India in association with state governments, monitors the implementation of the scheme.</li>
<li>Agriculture and allied activities constitute more than 65% of the works taken up under the programme.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was launched in December 2000, for providing connectivity through a single all weather road to the eligible unconnected habitations as per core-network with a population of 500 persons in plain areas, and 250 persons &amp; above in states with difficult terrain, desert areas, tribal &amp; backward districts.</li>
<li>The programme also provides for upgradation of the existing 'Through Routes' and &lsquo;Major Rural Links&rsquo; (MRL).</li>
<li>E-marg software for maintenance of roads has been developed and is being rolled out in all States.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Background: Ministry of Rural Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The vision and mission of the Ministry is sustainable and inclusive growth of rural India through a multipronged strategy for eradication of poverty by increasing livelihoods opportunities, providing social safety net and developing infrastructure for growth.</li>
<li>The Ministry of Rural Development consists of two Department:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Department of Rural Development</li>
<li>Department of Land Resources</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In October 1974, the Department of Rural Development came into existence as a part of Ministry of Food and Agriculture.</li>
<li>In August 1979, the Department of Rural Development was elevated to the status of a new Ministry of Rural Reconstruction. It was renamed as Ministry of Rural Development in January 1982.</li>
<li>In January 1985, the Ministry of Rural Development was again converted into a Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which was later rechristened as Ministry of Agriculture in September 1985.</li>
<li>In 1991 the Department was upgraded as Ministry of Rural Development. Another Department viz. Department of Wasteland Development was created under this Ministry.</li>
<li>In March 1995, the Ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment with three departments namely Department of Rural Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Rural Development and Wasteland Development.</li>
<li>Again, in 1999 Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment was renamed as Ministry of Rural Development.</li>
<li>This Ministry has been acting as a catalyst effecting the change in rural areas through the implementation of wide spectrum of programmes which are aimed at poverty alleviation, employment generation, infrastructure development and social security.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rural-development-ministry-conducts-survey-under-mission-antyodaya" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana &ndash; National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Launched in 2011, DAY-NRLM aims at mobilizing rural poor households into Self Help Groups (SHGs) in a phased manner and provide them long-term support such that they diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life.</li>
<li>Major components:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promotion of sustainable institutions of the poor</li>
<li>Ensuring access to financial services</li>
<li>Promote diversified livelihoods opportunities for the poor, in farm and non- farm sectors.</li>
<li>Promotion of skill development and access to jobs</li>
<li>Promotion of social inclusion, social development and human development</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>All &ldquo;automatically included&rdquo; households and all households with &ldquo;at least one deprivation&rdquo; as per the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data constitute the target group of DAY-NRLM.</li>
<li>The list of the rural poor is also validated by Participatory Identification of the Poor (PIP) which is further vetted by the Gram Sabha.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-awas-yojana-grameen-behind-target" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana &ndash; Gramin (PMAY-G)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the context of Government&rsquo;s priority for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/housing-poverty-in-rural-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Housing for All&rdquo; by 2022,</strong> </a>the erstwhile rural housing scheme has been restructured into PMAY-G, which came into effect from 1<sup>st</sup> April, 2016.</li>
<li>PMAY-G aims to provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless households and households living in kutcha and dilapidated house by 2022.</li>
<li>PMAY-G enables construction of quality houses by the beneficiaries using local materials, designs and trained masons.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-rural-economic-transformation-project-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Lunched in 2011, it is a placement linked skill development program for wage employment.</li>
<li><strong>Skill development through Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs)</strong> enables a trainee to take bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise. Some such trainees may also seek regular salaried jobs.</li>
<li>At present, RSETIs offer training in 61 vocations classified under four major areas viz. <strong>agriculture, processing, product manufacture and general entrepreneurship development programme.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/elderly-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Launched in 1995, National social assistance programme (NSAP) is targeted at any such person who has little or no regular means of subsistence from his/her own source of income or financial support from family members or other sources, to be identified by States/UTs.</li>
<li>At present NSAP includes five sub-schemes as its components &ndash; <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme</li>
<li>Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme</li>
<li>Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme IGNDPS</li>
<li>National Family Benefit Scheme</li>
<li>Annuparna</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Article 41</strong> of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/shyama-prasad-mukherji-rurban-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RURBAN Mission (SPMRM)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SPMRM is focused on comprehensive development of 300 clusters spread across the country.</li>
<li>These clusters are identified in rural regions displaying potential for economic growth through the presence of thematic livelihood activities, increasing population and non-farm employment.</li>
<li>The Mission is being implemented with an aim to transform these clusters by focusing on developing skills, strengthening economic activities and provision of crucial basic infrastructure amenities in an equitable and time-bound manner.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/saansad-adarsh-gram-yojana-sagy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was launched in 2014, with the objective of creating &lsquo;Adarsh Grams&rsquo; across the country.</li>
<li>In its first phase (2014-19), the scheme called upon the Members of Parliament (MPs) to make one Gram Panchayat of their choice, a Model Village by 2016, and another two by 2019.</li>
<li>From 2019, under the second phase of the scheme, 2014-19 each Member of Parliament during his/her tenure may develop five model villages (one per year) in his/her area till 2024.</li>
<li>The Gram Panchayats under the guidance of MPs, follow a structured process of environment creation, social mobilisation, resource mapping and participatory development planning. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They prepare Village Development Plans (VDP) containing prioritised time-bound projects to achieve holistic progress of the village, through the convergence of resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-rural-development'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Covid-19 in States with High Swine Flu Rates',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Tamil Nadu</strong> account for about <strong>70%</strong> of India&rsquo;s confirmed <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> cases till now.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data from the Health Ministry&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-centre-for-disease-control-ncdc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Centre for Disease Control</strong></a> (NCDC), show that these are <strong>also the states</strong> which consistently accounted for the<strong> majority of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swine Flu (H1N1)</a> cases,</strong> since 2015.</li>
<li>The NCDC recorded Swine Flu cases this year as well as part of India's <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/integrated-disease-surveillance-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588673369_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588673369_image4.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Data History of Swine Flu</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>2019:</strong> Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra accounted for 54%.</li>
<li><strong>2018:</strong> Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat accounted for 65%.</li>
<li>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are among India's most populous states and see intense <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/human-migration-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>migration</strong></a> to other states for work still they have not been in the top list always.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parallels between Covid-19 and Swine Flu</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Both are <strong>caused due to pathogens</strong> that trace their <strong>origins to viruses from non-human hosts</strong> even though they <strong>belong to different families.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Both <strong>respiratory</strong> viruses that <strong>spread through contact.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Both <strong>infiltrate the lungs</strong> and cause characteristic<strong> pulmonary</strong> infections but they have varying lethality. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Swine flu</strong> infections have a <strong>higher case fatality rate</strong> (deaths per confirmed cases) and can cause significant <strong>deaths in children as well as those less than 60.</strong></li>
<li>Covid-19 is relatively <strong>more dangerous</strong> to those<strong> above 60</strong> and <strong>almost harmless in children.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, due to lack of sufficient research, it cannot be said which age group is safer or not.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>High number of Covid-19 and Swine Flu cases have been observed in Gujarat and Maharashtra.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>relative dominance</strong> of these diseases <strong>can be attributed to the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/migration-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">migration</a> for work.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Observations</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>February-March</strong> are typical months for influenza (viral infection of upper or lower respiratory tract) in India.</li>
<li>Most influenza activity in <strong>northern India</strong> has been seen during the <strong>summer</strong> months but in <strong>southern and western India,</strong> cases occurred mostly during <strong>winter</strong> months.</li>
<li>According to scientists, due to the novel nature of Covid-19, the <strong>possibility of another spike later in the year cannot be ruled out.</strong></li>
<li>For Swine flu, this year there is an <strong>exceptional rise in testing and active surveillance</strong> across states otherwise only few states have the infrastructure and system to actively report cases.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have 50 testing laboratories each for Covid-19 many of which are also deployed for Swine flu.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Swine Flu</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is caused by the <strong>swine flu virus,</strong> the<strong> H1N1.</strong></li>
<li>It is an <strong>infection of the respiratory tract</strong> characterized by the usual<strong> symptoms of flu</strong> like cough, nasal secretions, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and headache.</li>
<li>It is called swine flu because in the past it was known to occur in people who had been in the <strong>vicinity of pigs.</strong></li>
<li>The virus is <strong>transmitted by short-distance airborne transmission,</strong> particularly in crowded enclosed spaces. <strong>Hand contamination </strong>and <strong>direct contact</strong> are other possible sources of transmission.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/most-covid-19-cases-in-states-with-high-swine-flu-rates/article31504830.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/covid-19-in-states-with-high-swine-flu-rates'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'UV Blaster',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong></a> has developed an <strong>Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection Tower</strong> for rapid and chemical free disinfection of high infection prone areas.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The equipment named <strong>&ldquo;UV blaster&rdquo;</strong> is designed and developed by Laser Science &amp; Technology Centre (LASTEC) with the help of M/s New Age Instruments and Materials Private Limited, Gurugram<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>LASTEC is the Delhi based premier laboratory of DRDO.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588666334_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588666334_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="120" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UV blaster is a UV based area sanitiser useful for<strong> high tech surfaces</strong> like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods.</li>
<li>The product is also <strong>effective for areas with large flow of people</strong> such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories, offices, etc.</li>
<li>The UV based area sanitiser may be used by remote operation through laptop/mobile phone using wifi link.</li>
<li>The sanitiser switches off on accidental opening of room or human intervention.</li>
<li>It is also being considered as the key to arm operation.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1620919" 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/uv-blaster'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Insurance Claims amid Covid-19 Outbreak',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Companies that suffered business interruption losses due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 outbreak</strong></a> and lockdown are likely to bat for the <strong>&ldquo;loss of profit&rdquo; clause</strong> in their insurance contracts.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many companies had taken insurance policies to cover loss arising due to certain unforeseen circumstances but the question has risen whether Covid-19 outbreak is covered by such policies.</li>
<li>The net result is that they <strong>may not get any insurance claim</strong> from the insurance companies under the <strong>Standard Fire and Special Perils Policy, commonly known as property policy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Corporations usually take two types of insurance policies -Material damage policy and Business interruption policy.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Material damage policy is triggered if there is loss of property due to fire or flood or machine breakdown.</li>
<li>Business interruption, on the other hand, only comes into force if loss of profit has happened due to the clauses mentioned under the material damages policy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Provisions of Property Policy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If the insured plant or office is shut down due to any damage or fire, the company is eligible for claims.</li>
<li>Also the Policy specifies if the building insured or containing the insured property becomes unoccupied and so remains for a period of more than 30 days (not applicable for dwellings), the insurance claims may not be applicable. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For claim, before the occurrence of any loss or damage to the property, the continuation of the coverage needs to be ensured.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation from Policy Lapse:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The insurers have given relief to corporates, which shut their units for more than a month. Their policies will be allowed to be operational despite the clause that if a unit is shut for 30 days continuously, the policy cover will lapse.</li>
<li>The above relief is <strong>applicable for the &ldquo;unoccupied properties&rdquo;</strong> for more than one month till May 3 under the property policy.</li>
<li>It means companies can claim insurance if the property is damaged due to fire or any other loss even if the factory or unit is not operational during the period till May 3.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Force Majeure, or &ldquo;Act of God&rdquo; Clause :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Most insurers will also use the<strong> Force Majeure, or &ldquo;Act of God&rdquo;</strong> clause but again there is no concrete conclusion or clause stating that loss of profit due to Covid-19 is Force Majeure.</li>
<li>Force majeure is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties occurs. It prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/covid-19-effect-insurance-corporates-not-to-get-business-interruption-claims-from-insurers-6393980/" 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/insurance-claims-amid-covid-19-outbreak'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Mathematical and Simulation Aspects of Covid-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)</strong> has approved <strong>funding for 11 projects under the MATRICS scheme</strong> for studying mathematical modelling and computational aspects to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology</strong> (DST), Government of India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These studies attempt to propose mathematical/simulation models to account for various factors relevant to Covid-19 by <strong>modifying the basic SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) models.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An SIR model is an epidemiological model that computes the theoretical number of people infected with a contagious illness in a closed population over time.</li>
<li>The name of this class of models derives from the fact that they involve coupled equations relating the number of susceptible people , number of people infected , and number of people who have recovered .</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Some of such<strong> factors</strong> are heterogeneity of population, the role of asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) population, migration and quarantine, effect of social distancing and lockdown, socioeconomic factors and so on.</li>
<li><strong>Aim</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To study Indian conditions and provide an estimate of Basic Reproduction Number (R0)- the qualitative indicator of the degree of contagiousness of the disease. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>R0 tells the <strong>average number of people who will catch the disease from one contagious person.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> larger this number, the more contagious</strong> is the disease caused by the virus and the faster it will spread in the community.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also aims to identify the maximum likelihood infection tree when infection reports and contact network structure are known to the administration.</li>
<li>To identify possible cures of Covid-19 through the study of DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) structures by creating patterns of DNA of different viruses.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>MATRICS Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was launched in 2017<strong> by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).</strong></li>
<li>It aims to provide fixed grant support to active researchers with good credentials in Mathematical Sciences, Theoretical Sciences and Quantitative Social Sciences.</li>
<li>The support is provided in the form of research grant of Rs. 2 lakh per annum plus overheads for a period of three years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/homepib.aspx" 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/mathematical-and-simulation-aspects-of-covid-19'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Manufacturing Hits Record Low',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>According to a recent <strong>IHS Markit India</strong> monthly survey, Manufacturing <strong>Purchasing Managers&rsquo; Index (PMI)</strong> fell to 27.4 in April, 2020 from 51.8 in March, 2020.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s<strong> manufacturing sector activity</strong> has witnessed <strong>contraction</strong> in April, 2020 due to national lockdown restrictions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new <strong>business orders</strong> have <strong>collapsed</strong> at a record pace <strong>severely hampering the demand.</strong></li>
<li>This is the <strong>sharpest deterioration</strong> in business conditions across the manufacturing sector since data collection began over 15 years ago.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The deteriorating demand conditions has led the<strong> manufacturers to drastically cut back staff numbers.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Export orders</strong> have also witnessed a sharp decline.</li>
<li>There was also <strong>evidence of supply-side disruption</strong> due to the lockdown.</li>
<li>The <strong>PMI slipped into contraction mode,</strong> after remaining in the growth territory for 32 consecutive months.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In PMI&rsquo;s language, a reading above 50 means expansion, while a score below that denotes contraction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>12-month outlook for production</strong> the demand will rebound once the Covid-19 threat is diminished and lockdown restrictions are eased.</li>
<li>The <strong>Index (PMI)</strong> is compiled by <strong>IHS Markit</strong> for more than 40 economies worldwide. IHS Markit is a global leader in information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588663355_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588663355_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Purchasing Managers' Index</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Purchasing Managers&rsquo; Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity - both in the manufacturing and services sectors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is <strong>calculated separately</strong> for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a <strong>composite index</strong> is also constructed.</li>
<li>The PMI summarizes whether<strong> market conditions as viewed by purchasing managers are</strong> expanding, neutral, or contracting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The purpose of the PMI is to provide information about<strong> current and future business conditions to company decision makers, analysts, and investors.</strong></li>
<li>The PMI is a number from 0 to 100.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>PMI <strong>above 50 represents an expansion</strong> when compared to the previous month;</li>
<li>PMI <strong>under 50 represents a contraction,</strong> and</li>
<li>A reading at 50 indicates no change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The PMI is usually released at the start of every month. It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.</li>
<li>It is <strong>different from the Index of Industrial Production (IIP),</strong> which also gauges the level of activity in the economy.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Index of Industrial Production</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index which details out the growth of various sectors in an economy such as mineral mining, electricity, manufacturing, etc.</li>
<li>It is compiled and published monthly by the <strong>National Statistical Organisation (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> Base Year of the Index of Eight Core Industries</strong> has been revised from the year 2004-05 to 2011-12 from April, 2017.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The eight core industries comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).</li>
<li>The eight Core Industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products&gt; Electricity&gt; Steel&gt; Coal&gt; Crude Oil&gt; Natural Gas&gt; Cement&gt; Fertilizers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Difference between PMI and IIP</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IIP covers the <strong>broader industrial sector compared to PMI.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>IIP shows the<strong> change in production volume</strong> in major industrial sub sectors like manufacturing, mining and electricity.</li>
<li>Similarly, the IIP also gives <strong>use based (capital goods, consumer goods etc) trends in industrial production.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>PMI is more dynamic compared to a standard industrial production index.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The PMI senses dynamic trends because of the variable it uses for the construction of the index compared to <strong>volume based production indicators like the IIP.</strong></li>
<li>For example, new orders under PMI show growth oriented positive trends and not just volume of past production that can be traced in an ordinary Index of Industrial Production.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/india-manufacturing-sector-activity-hits-record-low-in-april-amid-lockdown-survey-6392962/" 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/manufacturing-hits-record-low'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Virtual NAM Summit',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The virtual <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/non-aligned-movement-nam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)</strong></a> Contact Group Summit on<strong> &ldquo;United against Covid-19&rdquo;</strong> through video conferencing was held recently.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting was <strong>convened at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, in his capacity as chair</strong> of the Non Aligned Movement.</li>
<li>Moreover 30 Heads of State and other leaders had joined the Summit. The Summit was also addressed by the UN General Assembly president and <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a> chief.</li>
<li>It was the first time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a NAM Summit since he assumed the office in 2014.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi <strong>became the first Indian Prime Minister to skip the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/18th-non-aligned-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NAM Summit</a> in 2016 and in 2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Adoption of the Declaration:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Summit adopted a Declaration underlining the<strong> importance of international solidarity in the fight against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Creation of Task Force:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It also announced the creation of a &lsquo;Task Force&rsquo; to identify needs and requirements of member States.</li>
<li>A common database reflecting counties&rsquo; basic medical, social and humanitarian needs in the fight against Covid-19 will be created.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stand at the Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Role in Fight Against Covid-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is regarded as the pharmacy of the world especially for affordable medicines.</li>
<li>Despite its own needs during Covid-19 pandemic, it has ensured supply of medicines to 123 partner countries including 59 NAM members.</li>
<li>India is also active in global efforts to develop remedies and vaccines for Covid-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need for the New Template of Globalisation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India stated that Covid-19 has shown limitations of the existing international system. The world needs more representative international institutions and thus world order should be more representative.</li>
<li>Thus, in the post-Covid world, a new template of globalisation, based on fairness, equality, and humanity is needed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>International Cooperation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NAM should call upon the international community and the WHO to focus on building health-capacity in developing countries.</li>
<li>World needs to ensure equitable, affordable and timely access to health products and technologies for all.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India also flagged the issues of &ldquo;terrorism&rdquo; and &ldquo;fake news&rdquo;, calling them &ldquo;deadly viruses&rdquo; at a time when the world fights the novel coronavirus.</li>
<li>The above issues divide communities and countries creating difficult situations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Non-Aligned Movement</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Non-Aligned Movement was formed <strong>during the Cold War</strong> as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought <strong>to remain independent or neutral.</strong></li>
<li>The basic concept for the group originated in <strong>1955</strong> during discussions that took place at the <strong>Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia.</strong></li>
<li>The Non-Aligned Movement was founded and held its<strong> first conference (the Belgrade Conference) in 1961</strong> under the leadership of <strong>Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.</strong></li>
<li>NAM<strong> does not have a formal constitution or permanent secretariat,</strong> and its administration is non-hierarchical and rotational. Decisions are made by consensus, which requires substantial agreement, but not unanimity.</li>
<li>It has 120 members as of April 2018 comprising 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan). There are 17 countries and 10 international organizations that are Observers at NAM.</li>
<li>The purpose of the organization was enumerated in the <strong>Havana Declaration of 1979</strong> to ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign subjugation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-at-nam-summit-terrorism-fake-news-deadly-viruses-6394202/" 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/virtual-nam-summit'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Challenges Faced By RBI',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/covid-19-coronavirus-india-economy-rbi-6389454/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;RBI&rsquo;s job involves trade-offs, not conflicts&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 02/05/2020. It talks about challenges faced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in pursuance of its monetary policy.</p>
</div>
<p>In the wake of global anthropological shock <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-globalization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>, a sharp slowdown in economic growth and employment prospects is evident in the Indian economy. In this context, <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&rsquo;s</strong></a> role in ensuring economic stability, growth and development through effective monetary policy assumes more importance than ever.</p>
<p>RBI&rsquo;s job involves balancing short-term as well as long-term growth, ensuring economic growth while meeting the inflation targets. However, issues pertaining to the incomplete transmission of monetary policy and <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/29-06-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inherent weakness of inflation targeting approach</strong></a>, are some of the challenges faced by RBI.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Monetary Policy is a macroeconomic policy by RBI, wherein through Repo, OMO, PSL etc. tools it tries to manage the money supply, interest rates, loan distribution, and thereby helping in the Economic Stability, Growth, and Development.</li>
<li>There are 3 prominent ways of making monetary policy:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Targeting Exchange rate stability</li>
<li>Targeting Multiple Indicators</li>
<li>Targeting Inflation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>From 2016, RBI has shifted to Inflation Targeting. In pursuance of this, the amendment has been made in the RBI Act, which established a statutory body called &ldquo;Monetary Policy Committee&rdquo; (MPC).</li>
<li>Role of MPC is to decide the repo rate to control inflation between 2-6%</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Incomplete Transmission of Monetary Policy</h3>
<p>Incomplete Transmission of Monetary Policy means that the cumulative easing in policy rates by RBI has not yet been reflected in the lowering of their lending rates by banks. This can be attributed to the following reasons:</p>
<p><strong>Inflexible Cost of Funds</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, customer deposit constitutes the majority of funds to be lent by the banks, whereas the market borrowings through the issuance of debentures/commercial papers is negligible.</li>
<li>The cost of funds typically remains inflexible as most of these deposits are contracted at fixed rates.</li>
<li>Further, Interest rates on small savings remained at elevated levels compared to that of banks. This has led to a decline in deposits with the banks.</li>
<li>The shortfall in the funds has made it virtually impossible for banks to lend at lower deposit rates.</li>
<li>Until and unless this problem is addressed, banks cannot transmit monetary policy signals at the desired speed and magnitude.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Policy Rates not linked to Market</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Repo rate, being the policy rate, is administered by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/repo-rate-unchanged" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Monetary Policy Committee</strong> </a>and therefore cannot be treated as a market-determined rate.</li>
<li>Banks are asked to link their <strong>lending rate to repo rate,</strong> without any reference to the cost of lending funds.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>High Non-Performing Assets (NPAs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The accumulation of large NPAs has reduced the profitability of banks. Due to this, banks keep the weighted average lending rate much higher than the marginal lending rate.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four Balance Sheet Problem</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to Former chief economic advisor, Arvind Subramanian, the economic slowdown in India is facing a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/slowdown-in-india-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;Four balance sheet challenge&rsquo;.</strong></a></li>
<li>This has marred the credit growth in India and thus created hindrance in the greater transmission of monetary policy.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Monetary Policy Vs Fiscal Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>High fiscal deficit leads to more market borrowing by the governments. This results in crowding out of the private investment.</li>
<li>Also, government-determined purchase prices of agri-commodities (through minimum support prices), government subsidy levels on fuels and imperfections in agricultural markets, hinders the functioning of monetary policy. This creates a problem of non-coherence between the two policies.</li>
<li>New challenges also emanate from the evolution of cryptocurrency.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Pertaining to Inflation Targeting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Monetary policies can stabilize inflation only caused due to demand shocks and are ineffective against supply shocks.</li>
<li>Inflation in emerging markets such as India is very sensitive to exogenous shocks like global oil prices, a weaker rupee and a poor monsoon.</li>
<li>Food inflation, which impacts the common people the most, is prone to supply-side bottlenecks, which are out of the scope of any remedy under the aegis of monetary policy of RBI.</li>
<li>In order to contain inflation, RBI often undertakes liquidity management through <strong>Open Market Operations.</strong> This sometimes leads to liquidity shocks in the market.</li>
<li>Liquidity is also an important factor as these can reinforce or negate the changes in policy rates.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p><strong>Adoption to Multi-Indicator Approach</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Being the Central bank of the country, RBI has expected to take care of other parameters like economic growth, stable exchange rate and financial stability, and cannot restrict itself to the single objective of inflation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this context, the Government should consider, Multiple Indicator Approach of RBI, where price stability, financial stability and economic growth are considered for decision-making.</li>
<li>A greater weightage to inflation can be considered in the Multiple Indicator Approach, as it is done by many emerging economies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Linking Cost of Funds with Market</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In order to make the cost of funds flexible, both deposit and lending rates are linked to external benchmarks like the Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate (MIBOR).</li>
<li>Linking small savings scheme interest rates to the market would be beneficial.</li>
<li>An innovative way to make both asset and liability sides of a bank balance sheet flexible is to link both deposit and lending rates to the average inflation rate.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Coordination Between Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Any of these alone cannot deliver on inflation and growth.</li>
<li>If the government truly wants to reduce lending rates in India in a meaningful and sustained manner, it would be far better served to focus on bringing down its own fiscal deficit.</li>
<li>Separating debt management from monetary management in order to make the central bank more independent would be a good move.</li>
</ul>
<p>Covid-19 has to lead to economic disruption in the Indian economy. However, it also provides an opportunity to carry out much need economic reforms. Establishing synergy between Fiscal and monetary policy can be a right step in pursuit of bringing holistic reforms.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588590299_image.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588590299_image.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="650" 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: #edeeff;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically analyse the challenges faced by the banks in the transmission of monetary policy.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uH5vjMpVWPg" 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/ominous-contraction-the-hindu-editorial-on-march-2020-core-sector-output/article31484662.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Ominous contraction: On core sector output&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on May 2nd, 2020. Now watch this is on our Youtube channel.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/challenges-faced-by-rbi'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Year End Review 2019: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions',
			'catname' => 'Paper 2',
			'desc' => '<h3>Important Schemes and Policies</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/good-governance-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Good Governance Index</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>&lsquo;Good Governance Index&rsquo; (GGI) was launched by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &amp; Pensions on <a href="/to-the-points/paper4/good-governance-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Good Governance Day</strong></a> i.e. 25<sup>th</sup> December, 2019.</li>
<li>It is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs.</li>
<li>The objectives of GGI are to provide <a href="/to-the-points/paper4/good-governance-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>quantifiable data</strong> </a>to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result-oriented approaches and administration.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588588999_1577346296_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588588999_1577346296_image3.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lokpal-and-lokayukta" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Lokpal</strong></a></p>
<p>The Chairperson, Lokpal, Sh. Justice P. C. Ghose and its eight members were administered the Oath of Office.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 provided for <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/lokpal-lokayukta-ombudsman-upsc-governance-transparency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States.</strong></a></li>
<li>These institutions are statutory bodies without any constitutional status.</li>
<li>They perform the function of an "ombudsman&rdquo; and inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters.</li>
<li>In India, the concept of constitutional ombudsman was first proposed by the then law minister Ashok Kumar Sen in parliament in the early 1960s.</li>
<li>The term Lokpal and Lokayukta were coined by Dr L. M. Singhvi.</li>
<li>The Bill was passed in 2013 in both the Houses of Parliament and came into force on 16 January 2014.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/rti-amendment-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RTI Amendment Bill, 2019</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parliament passed the Right To Information Amendment Bill, 2019.</li>
<li>In this amendment, it is proposed to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 so as to provide that the term of office of, and the salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of, the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners and the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioners, shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Right To Information</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper4/right-to-information-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Right To Information (RTI)</strong></a> marked its 14<sup>th</sup> anniversary on 12<sup>th</sup> October 2019.</li>
<li>The right to information gained power when <strong>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</strong> was adopted in 1948 providing everyone the right to seek, receive, information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.</li>
<li>The <strong>International Covenant on Civil and Political rights 1966</strong> states that everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, the freedom to seek and impart information and ideas of all kinds.</li>
<li>The RTI Act, 2005 <strong>did not create a new bureaucracy for implementing the law.</strong> Instead, <strong>it tasked and mandated officials in every office to change their attitude</strong> and duty from one of secrecy to one of sharing and openness.</li>
<li>Right to information has been seen as the key to<strong> strengthening participatory democracy</strong> and ushering in people-centred governance.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Objectives of the Act</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To empower the citizens</li>
<li>To promote transparency and accountability</li>
<li>To contain corruption and</li>
<li>To enhance people&rsquo;s participation in democratic process.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Important Facts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Shillong Declaration:</strong> Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in association with Ministry of Electronics &amp; Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India and the State Government of Meghalaya organized the 22<sup>nd</sup> National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2019 on 8-9<sup>th</sup> August, 2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&lsquo;Shillong Declaration&rsquo; outlines the roadmap on e-Governance of the Nation. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Nagpur Resolution:</strong> Adopted in December 2019, to empower the citizens by policy interventions for better service delivery through timely updation of citizens charters, implementation of enactments and benchmarking standards for continuous improvement, among others.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/centralized-public-grievances-redress-and-monitoring-system-cpgrams" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS):</strong></a> It is an <strong>online web-enabled system</strong> developed by<strong> National Informatics Centre</strong> (Ministry of Electronics &amp; IT [MeitY]), in association with Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The underlying idea was to receive, redress and monitor the grievances of the public.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Central Information Commission (CIC)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CIC was established in 2005 by the Central Government under the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.</li>
<li>The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission.</li>
<li>It hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority and also addresses major issues concerning the RTI Act.</li>
<li>CIC submits an annual report to the Union government on the implementation of the provisions of RTI Act.</li>
<li>The Right to Information Act of 2005 provides for the creation of a State Information Commission at the state level.</li>
<li>It entertains complaints and appeals pertaining to offices, financial institutions, public sector undertakings, etc.under the concerned state government.</li>
<li>The Commission consists of a State Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten State Information Commissioners appointed by the Governor.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-personnel-public-grievances-and-pensions'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'RBI Cancels Licence of CKP Co-op Bank',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, 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> has cancelled the licence of Mumbai-based CKP Co-operative Bank.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RBI has cancelled the licence of the bank as the financial position of the bank was highly adverse and unsustainable.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The bank is not in a position to pay its present and future depositors.</li>
<li>The bank failed to meet the regulatory requirement of maintaining a <strong>minimum capital adequacy ratio</strong> of 9% and reserves.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>RBI has asked the <strong>Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Maharashtra</strong> to start the process of winding up operations of CKP Co-operative bank and appoint a liquidator.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>On liquidation, every depositor of the bank is entitled to get up to Rs 5 lakh from the <strong>Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In September last year,<strong> RBI had imposed restrictions on Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank</strong> not to do any business for six months after it found major irregularities, which included financial irregularities, complete failure of internal control and systems, and wrongdoing and under-reporting of its lending exposure.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Capital Adequacy Ratio</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is the <strong>ratio of a bank&rsquo;s capital in relation to its risk weighted assets and current liabilities.</strong> It is also known as <strong>Capital-to-Risk Weighted Asset Ratio (CRAR).</strong></li>
<li>It is decided by central banks to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/basel-iii-requirements" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Basel III norms</strong></a> stipulated a capital to risk weighted assets of 8%.</li>
<li>However, as per<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> RBI</strong> </a>norms, Indian scheduled commercial banks are required to maintain a CAR of 9%.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DICGC came into existence in 1978 after the merger of Deposit Insurance Corporation (DIC) and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd. (CGCI) under the <strong>Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It serves as a <strong>deposit insurance and credit guarantee</strong> for banks in India.</li>
<li>It is a fully owned subsidiary of and is governed by 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</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>DICGC charges 10 paise per ₹100 of deposits held by a bank. The premium paid by the insured banks to the Corporation is paid by the banks and is not to be passed on to depositors.</li>
<li>DICGC last revised the deposit insurance cover to ₹5 lakh in Feb, 2020, raising it from ₹ 1 lakh since 1993. The protection cover of deposits in Indian banks through insurance is among the lowest in the world.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Damodaran Committee on &lsquo;Customer Services in Banks&rsquo; (2011)</strong> had recommended a five-time increase in the cap to ₹5 lakh due to rising income levels and increasing size of individual bank deposits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Banks, including regional rural banks, local area banks, foreign banks with branches in India, and cooperative banks, are mandated to take deposit insurance cover with the DICGC.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Co-operative Banking</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/co-operative-banking-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Co-operative bank</strong> </a>is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. It is <strong>distinct from commercial banks.</strong></li>
<li>Co-operative banks in India are registered under the <strong>States Cooperative Societies Act.</strong> The Co-operative banks are regulated by both <strong>Registrar of Co-operative Societies </strong>and<strong> Reserve Bank of India (RBI) </strong>and <strong>governed by the</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Banking Regulations Act 1949.</li>
<li>Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features of Cooperative Banks:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Customer Owned Entities:</strong> Co-operative bank members are both customer and owner of the bank.</li>
<li><strong>Democratic Member Control:</strong> Co-operative banks are owned and controlled by the members, who democratically elect a board of directors. Members usually have equal voting rights, according to the cooperative principle of &ldquo;one person, one vote&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Profit Allocation:</strong> A significant part of the yearly profit, benefits or surplus is usually allocated to constitute reserves and a part of this profit can also be distributed to the co-operative members, with legal and statutory limitations.</li>
<li><strong>Financial Inclusion:</strong> They have played a significant role in the financial inclusion of unbanked rural masses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Co-operative Banks are broadly<strong> classified into Urban and Rural co-operative banks</strong> based on their region of operation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Difference between UCBs and Commercial Banks</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Regulation:</strong> Unlike commercial banks, UCBs are <strong>only partly regulated by the RBI.</strong> Their banking operations are regulated by the RBI, which lays down their capital adequacy, risk control and lending norms. However, their management and resolution in the case of distress is regulated by the <strong>Registrar of Co-operative Societies</strong> either under the State or Central government.</li>
<li><strong>Borrower can be a Shareholder:</strong> In general for a commercial bank, there is a clear distinction between its shareholders and its borrowers whereas in a UCB, borrowers can even double up as shareholders.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/rbi-cancels-licence-of-mumbai-based-ckp-co-op-bank-6390986/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Corona-Killer 100',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Corona-Killer 100</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corona-Killer 100</strong> is an automated disinfecting <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/digital-sky-platform-drone-regulation-1-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)</strong></a> developed by<strong> Garuda Aerospace</strong> - an ISO- 9001 company.</li>
<li>These drones will aid in the sanitation of public places, hospitals and tall buildings up to 450 feet amid Covid-19 outbreak.</li>
<li>It is equipped with fuel efficient motors that enable the drone to be deployed for 12 hours a day.</li>
<li>Drone operations are faster, longer &amp; safer than manual spraying by workers who can become potential carriers of Covid-19.</li>
<li>It also consists of patented autopilot technology, advanced flight controller systems.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drone as a Service</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Historically, many UAV applications were developed in the military as spy or reconnaissance vehicles used during wartime.</li>
<li>However, the development of this type of aircraft has evolved towards commercial, civil and consumer spaces, including professional videography, surveying, construction, inspection, traffic management and last mile delivery.</li>
<li>Commercial drone services are developing UAV services, sometimes called Drones as a Service (DaaS), to help industries, such as agriculture, construction, search and rescue, package delivery, industrial inspection, insurance and videography, with tasks like collecting imagery and measurements and managing or broadcasting events.</li>
<li>Drone services seem cost-effective, portable, and &ndash; in extreme emergencies like Covid-19 can &ndash; provide the first take, including visuals, assessment and extent of damage.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1620351" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'African Swine Fever in Assam',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Centre has advised the Assam state government to go for culling of pigs affected by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/african-swine-fever" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>African Swine Fever</strong></a> (ASF).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has been advised to divide the affected areas into zones and go for culling accordingly.</li>
<li>The disease was first reported in November-December, 2019 from the areas of China bordering Arunachal Pradesh.</li>
<li>A few organised piggeries in Assam have been affected and the possible carrier could be humans.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, there is <strong>no confirmation on humans being the carrier</strong> of the virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Earlier in April, there were reported deaths of pigs due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/classical-swine-fever-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Classical Swine Fever</strong> </a>(CSF).</li>
<li>ASF and CSF are different from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swine Flu (H1N1)</strong></a> and do not affect humans.</li>
<li><strong>CSF can be prevented by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/classical-swine-fever-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proper vaccination</a></strong> but there is<strong> no vaccination for ASF.</strong> Culling of the affected pigs is the only option.</li>
</ul>
<h3>African Swine Fever</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> highly contagious</strong> and <strong>fatal animal disease</strong> that infects and leads to an acute form of <strong>hemorrhagic fever in domestic and wild pigs.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>first detected in Africa </strong>in the<strong> 1920s.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>mortality</strong> is close to <strong>100%</strong> and since the fever has no cure, the only way to stop its spread is by culling the animals.</li>
<li>ASF is <strong>not a threat to human beings</strong> since it only spreads from animals to other animals.</li>
<li>ASF is a disease listed in the <strong>World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code</strong> and thus, reported to the OIE.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588585648_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588585648_image2.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="800" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Organisation for Animal Health</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>OIE is an <strong>intergovernmental organisation</strong> responsible for improving animal health worldwide.</li>
<li>In 2018, it had a total of<strong> 182 Member Countries. India is one of the member</strong> countries.</li>
<li>OIE standards are <strong>recognised by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-trade-organisation-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Trade Organization</a></strong> as reference international sanitary rules.</li>
<li>It is headquartered in <strong>Paris, France.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/african-swine-fever-assam-told-to-go-for-culling/article31495025.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Sariska Tiger Reserve',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The 13<sup>th</sup> session of the Ministry of Tourism&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/paryatan-parv" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dekho Apna Desh</strong></a> webinar titled, <strong>&lsquo;Destination- Sariska Tiger reserve&rsquo;</strong> was held recently.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The objective of the Ministry of Tourism&rsquo;s webinar series is to create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations of India &ndash; including the lesser known destinations and lesser known facets of popular destinations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in Aravali hills and forms a part of the Alwar District of <strong>Rajasthan.</strong></li>
<li>The Reserve is immensely rich in flora and fauna, and is famous for Royal Bengal Tiger. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The park has populations of leopards, Nilgai, Sambar, chital etc. It also shelters a large population of Indian peafowl, crested serpent eagles, sand grouse, golden backed woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, tree pies, vultures,etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sariska was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and was declared the <strong>tiger reserve later in 1978,</strong> making it a part of India's <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/status-of-conservation-of-tigers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project Tiger.</a> </strong></li>
<li>The Sanctuary houses ruined temples, forts, pavilions and a palace. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Kankarwadi fort</strong> is located in the center of the Reserve and it is said that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh at this fort in struggle for succession to the throne.</li>
<li>The Reserve also houses a famous <strong>temple of lord Hanuman at Pandupole</strong> related to <strong>Pandavas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Project Tiger</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Project Tiger is an ongoing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/reforming-centrally-sponsored-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centrally Sponsored Scheme</strong></a> of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.</li>
<li>The <strong>National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)</strong> is a statutory body of the Ministry, with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NTCA was launched in 2005, following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. It was given statutory status by the 2006 amendment of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India now has as many as 2,967 tigers in the wild, with <strong>more than half of them in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka,</strong> according to the latest tiger estimation report for 2018.</li>
<li>The population of tigers have <strong>increased by 33%</strong> since the last census in 2014 when the total estimate was 2,226.</li>
<li><strong>Sariska is the first tiger reserve</strong> to have successfully <strong>relocated Royal Bengal tigers in India</strong> and at present there are around 20 tigers in the reserve.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Dekho Apna Desh</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Dekho Apna Desh is one of the three components of the Paryatan Parv.The other two are Tourism for All and Tourism &amp; Governance.</li>
<li>It intends to encourage Indians to travel their own country.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=202744" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'title' => 'The Big Picture: Impact of lockdown on Women and Children',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-bZMNqgwbMk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The COVID-19 crisis has a potentially far-reaching, long-term negative impact on women and children around the world. The impact is likely to be devastating especially for children, even though they appear to have less severe symptoms and lower mortality rates than other age groups. More than 1.5 billion students are out of school. Widespread job and income loss and economic insecurity among families are likely to increase the stress on this vulnerable population. Stresses on families, particularly those living under quarantines and lockdowns, are increasing the incidence of domestic violence.</p>
<h3>Impact of Lockdown on Women and Children</h3>
<p>Fueled by mandatory stay-at-home rules, social distancing, economic uncertainties, and anxieties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Domestic Violence has increased globally. The pandemic and the lockdown are trying times for every individual but for the already vulnerable group, the women and young children specifically girl children, are facing the worst of it all.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Impact on women:</strong> There has been a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-violence-against-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>rise in instances of violence</strong></a>, sexual, physical and mental against women.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recorded a more than <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/domestic-violence-during-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>twofold rise in gender-based violence.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Data Analysis:</strong></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total complaints-</strong> Rose from 116 in the first week of March to 257 in the final week of March.</li>
<li><strong>Rape or attempt to rape-</strong> Rose sharply from 2 to 13.</li>
<li><strong>Domestic violence-</strong> Increased from 30 to 69 over the same comparative period.</li>
<li><strong>Police apathy towards women-</strong> Almost threefold increase as the police are busy enforcing the lockdown to curb the spread of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Cases under Right to live with dignity (Article 21)-</strong> Rose to 77 from 35. Such cases could pertain to discrimination on the basis of gender, class, or caste or all three of them combined.</li>
<li>These cases might be a fragment of the actual number as many women will not be able to reach out due to various reasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact on Children:</strong> Young Children are facing the brunt of discord between parents, the discord has nothing to do with the economic class, education, etc, happens across the spectrum.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Coronavirus can scare children now, which could create emotional problems for months or even years to come.</li>
<li>Even if the lockdown gets over the schools and colleges will continue to remain shut for the next 2-3 months that&rsquo;s why it is going to be very difficult to manage children and their energies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact on students:</strong> Separation from playgroups and friends and their daily routine of playing is creating a lot of anxiety for children, they are losing their attachments
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Children&rsquo;s social life and learning have been affected and most of them are finding it difficult to stay away.</li>
<li>A lot of students from marginalised sections are finding it very difficult to cope with studies with no access to the internet. The problem of fees, examinations, and internet connectivity to attend the class.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Possible Reasons</h3>
<p>When the economy takes a hit, its always the most vulnerable, the women and children are pushed back. The massive unemployment that will follow in the wake of the pandemic will target women much more than men, severely affecting their condition in society.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Anxiety and Insecurity:</strong> Most of the individuals are facing the problem of anxiety and insecurity over their future prospects.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Lack of peer circles, unwinding spaces and patriarchal mindset are the major reasons that make women the victim of men&rsquo;s frustration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Privacy:</strong> Women are not able to reach out because of restrictions on movement as well as a lack of privacy within homes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NCW had set-up Crimes Against Women Cell in Police stations in collaboration with Delhi Police under the project <strong>&ldquo;VIOLENCE FREE HOME- A WOMEN&rsquo;S RIGHT&rdquo;.</strong> But due to the lack of movement women are not being able to access this service.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of counselors:</strong> Most women, suffering domestic violence, are increasingly finding themselves isolated and without necessary support such as counseling.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women&rsquo;s-rights NGOs are facing their own sets of challenges due to the lockdown. Unable to move beyond telephonic or web counselling, the organisations are struggling to be of further assistance to victims of abuse or at-risk women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sexual exploitation takes place when individuals are at their most vulnerable, and the lockdown has put many women in such a condition. Human rights of both children and women are being grossly violated amidst this lockdown.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>VIOLENCE FREE HOME- A WOMEN&rsquo;S RIGHT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A joint programme of the<strong> National Commission for Women (NCW), Delhi Police and&nbsp;</strong><strong>Tata Institute of Social Sciences, (TISS) Mumbai.</strong></li>
<li>The NCW is implementing the project with Delhi Police and TISS and is committed to work on the issue of violence against women.</li>
</ul>
<p>The scope of this programme is:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rebuilding violated women&rsquo;s self-esteem, self-worth, and dignity.</li>
<li>Offering the violated woman immediate services, based on her needs, such as <strong>carrying out counselling, arranging for shelter or medical aid, providing information on laws and her rights, harnessing police support</strong></li>
<li>Creating awareness in the community on the issue of violence against women</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>About the services:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Trained social workers/ counsellors in the Crime against Women Cell (CAW Cell) help women and children facing violence by providing them with emotional support, assisting them in negotiations to stop violence, linkages to livelihood opportunities and providing them with legal knowledge.</li>
<li>The processes are aimed towards achieving a violence-free life for the woman.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>United Nations has called for urgent action, and for governments to &ldquo;put women&rsquo;s safety first as they respond to the pandemic.&rdquo;</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Prioritise Mental Health:</strong> Employers should start paying attention to not just the economic health of the employees but also their mental health and give some leverage to the employees, specifically the women employees who are more burdened with domestic work as the maids are on leave.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Health ministries of both the center and state governments should also look into the issue of the psychological health of the population in these trying times and formulate policies to ensure access to online counselling.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Media:</strong> Media has a big role to play here in starting a conversation about mental health which is a taboo subject to date in India.</li>
<li>Train more people to look into the issue of dealing with anxiety and stress. Identify training institutes to train volunteers who can assist women and children in distress under lockdown.</li>
</ul>
<p>We should all come out of this the way one is rehabilitated after the war and be educated about the stress and post-traumatic stress disorders, as the effects of this pandemic will last on people&rsquo;s mind specifically of children for a long time to come even after the lockdown is over.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-impact-of-lockdown-on-women-and-children'
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'One Nation One Ration Card',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/editorial/the-needs-of-migrants-should-be-addressed-through-a-concerted-national-policy/article31503631.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The needs of migrants should be addressed through a concerted national policy&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu Business line on 04/05/2020. It talks about the &lsquo;One Nation-One Ration Card&rsquo; scheme amid the migrant crisis.</p>
</div>
<p>Covid-19 pandemic has created a dilemma of lives vs livelihood, for governments as well as citizens. But in the absence of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/emergency-basic-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>basic income</strong></a> and food security, this dilemma may hurt migrant workers the most and will lead to a migrant crisis.</p>
<p>This migrant crisis will question the development paradigm, as these workers are the wheel of the urban economy in India. Moreover, according to the 2011 census, there are 45 crore internal migrants who accounted for 37% of the population.</p>
<p>In this context, a nationwide <strong>One Nation One Ration Card scheme (ONORC)</strong> must become a reality now. This scheme will be instrumental in the welfare of migrant workers and play a vital role in averting migrant crisis as it existed today.</p>
<h3>Rationale of ONORC</h3>
<p>Currently, ration cardholders can avail their entitlement of subsidised foodgrains under <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/food-security-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the National Food Security Act</strong></a>, only from the designated Fair price shop (FPS) within the concerned state.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>If a beneficiary were to shift to another state, he/she would need to apply for a new ration card in the second state.</li>
<li>However, the migration of the poor from rural areas to urban locations is more commonplace.</li>
<li>Thus, geographical location is one of the hindrances that migrant workers face in order to claim their quote of grains and subsequently get denied their right to food.</li>
<li>To address the grim state of food security in the country and combat the problem of hunger, the government has started the &lsquo;One Nation, One Ration Card&rsquo; facility.</li>
<li>Currently, this scheme is applicable in several states and the central government seeks to implement this across the nation by June 2020.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits Emanating from ONORC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Interoperability of Ration Card:</strong> Under the ONORC, the beneficiaries from one state can get their share of rations in other states where the ration card was originally issued. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>After the scheme gets implemented at the national level, any PDS recipient can use their ration cards at any PDS shop across the country.</li>
<li>ONORC seeks to provide <strong>universal access to PDS food grains</strong> for migrant workers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Empowering Consumers:</strong> ONORC will also give the beneficiaries the opportunity to opt for the dealer of their choice. If any dealer misbehaves or misallocates, the beneficiary can switch to another FPS shop instantly.</li>
<li><strong>Reducing Social Discrimination:</strong> ONORC will be particularly beneficial for women and other disadvantaged groups, given how social identity (caste, class and gender) and other contextual factors (including power relations) provide a strong backdrop in accessing PDS.</li>
<li><strong>Achieving SDG:</strong> This will help achieve the target set under SDG 2: Ending hunger by 2030. Also, it will address the poor state of hunger in India, as highlighted by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-hunger-index-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Global Hunger Index</strong></a>, where India has been ranked 102 out of 117 countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Associated Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Exclusion Error:</strong> The digitisation of this PDS process, through Aadhaar-linked ration cards and smart cards, has been pushed in an effort to reduce leakages. However, there has been a rise of exclusion errors in post-Aadhaar seeding.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are many sections of society who still don&rsquo;t have Aadhar Card, thereby depriving them of food security.</li>
<li>The fears of exclusion are also applied for migrant workers, as the fingerprints of people engaged in construction labour and domestic work may change or fade and may not match with the ones entered in Aadhar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Logistical Issues:</strong> An FPS receives the monthly quota of products strictly in accordance with the number of people assigned to it. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ONORC, when fully operational, would disrupt this practice, as some FPSs may have to cater to more numbers of cards even as others cater to less, owing to migration of people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Data:</strong> There is no exact data on the mobility of poor households migrating to work, locating intra- and inter-state destinations and sectors employing the workers.</li>
<li><strong>Domicile-Based Social Sector Schemes:</strong> Not only PDS, most of the anti-poverty, rural employment, welfare and food security schemes were historically based on domicile-based access and restricted people to access government social security, welfare and food entitlements at their place of origin.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps To be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Unorganised Sector Social Security Act, 2008, had drawn up a system of documenting informal sector workers through a system of welfare boards.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In order to get credible data regarding the migrant workers, this must be implemented in letter and spirit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A dedicated e-commerce platform ONORC may resolve the challenge of logistical issues.</li>
<li>Social auditing must be made mandatory to measure the performance of ONORC.</li>
<li>NFSA defines food security as nutritional security. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, portability of Integrated Child Development Services, Mid-Day Meals, immunisation, health care and other facilities for poor migrant households can&rsquo;t be neglected and should be made portable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the longer run, the PDS system may be replaced by a fool-proof food coupon system or direct benefit transfer, targeting the poor, wherein a Below Poverty Line family can buy rice, pulses, sugar and oil from any Kirana store at the market price, by either paying fully through the coupon or by cash.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The current migrant crisis should be seen as an opportunity to develop a national migration policy addressing the challenges faced by migrant workers productivity, living conditions and social security.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588763982_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588763982_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #0036f7; background-color: #fcffe6;">
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The nationwide rollout of One Nation One Ration Card scheme will play an instrumental role in the welfare of migrant workers. Analyse.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1OoFTqwE1bs" 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/app-for-one-season-on-centres-directive-to-use-arogya-setu/article31504541.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;App for one season: on Centre's directive to use Arogya Setu&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published The Hindu on May 5th, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/one-nation-one-ration-card-3'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Currency Change in Iran',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Iran's parliament has passed a bill allowing the government to <strong>slash four zeros from the rial</strong> and authorizing its <strong>replacement</strong> with another basic unit of currency called the <strong>toman (redenomination).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under the bill, Iran's national currency will be changed from the rial to the <strong>Toman, which is equal to 10,000 rials.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Redenomination:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the process whereby a country's<strong> currency is revalued due to significant inflation and currency devaluation,</strong> or when a country <strong>adopts a new currency</strong> and needs to <strong>exchange the old currency for a new one at a fixed rate.</strong></li>
<li>In simpler words, it is exchanging old currency for new currency, or changing the face value of existing notes in circulation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<strong><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588758816_image3.PNG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588758816_image3.PNG" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></strong></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Eliminating the four zeros was a <strong>necessary action to simplify financial transactions.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It would vastly simplify financial calculations by eliminating the need for Iranian shoppers to carry loads of rials to make purchases, which they have to do because of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/return-of-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inflation.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>Iran's Students News Agency</strong> (ISNA), the bill needs to be approved by the <strong>Guardian Council, </strong>a <strong>body of conservative clerics that supervises the Parliament.</strong></li>
<li>After its approval, the <strong>Central Bank of Iran</strong> will have<strong> two years to implement</strong> the change for removing rial from circulation and issuing toman instead.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This move comes after a <strong>sharp fall in the value</strong> of the currency as a result of <strong>crippling US sanctions.</strong></li>
<li>The currency has been <strong>devalued 3,500 times since 1971.</strong> It declined steadily since the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/40-years-of-islamic-revolution-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Iranian Revolution, 1979</strong></a> brought the religious government to power.</li>
<li>The idea of removing four zeros has been floated since 2008 but gained strength after <strong>2018</strong> when the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>US exited Iran's 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions</strong> </a>and the <strong>rial lost more than 60% of its value.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Chronology of US-Iran Relations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>1953: Overthrow of Mossadeq</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US and British intelligence agencies planned a coup to oust Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadeq.</li>
<li>He sought to nationalise Iran's oil industry, which was against the US's capitalist interests.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>1979: Iranian Revolution</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> US-backed Shah of Iran,</strong> Mohammed Reza Pahlevi was<strong> forced to leave the country</strong> in 1979, following months of demonstrations and strikes against his rule by secular and religious opponents.</li>
<li>This led to the return of Islamic religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini from exile and following a referendum, the <strong>Islamic Republic of Iran</strong> was proclaimed on 1st April 1979.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>1979-81: US Embassy Hostage Crisis</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US embassy in Tehran was seized by protesters in November 1979 and American hostages were held inside for 444 days.</li>
<li>The final 52 hostages were freed in January 1981, the day of US President Ronald Reagan's <strong>inauguration</strong> (ceremony to mark the commencement of a new 4-year presidential term).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>2002-13: Nuclear Fears and Sanctions</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2002 an Iranian opposition group revealed that Iran was <strong>developing nuclear facilities including a uranium enrichment plant.</strong></li>
<li>In pursuance of this, several sanctions are imposed by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong></a> (UN), the US and the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>European Union</strong></a> (EU) against Iran.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>US President George Bush denounces Iran as part of an<strong> "axis of evil" </strong>with<strong> Iraq </strong>and <strong>North Korea.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This causes Iran's<strong> currency to lose two-thirds of its value</strong> in two years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>2013-16: Closer ties and a nuclear deal</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In September 2013, Iran's new moderate President Hassan Rouhani took office.</li>
<li>In 2015, after a flurry of diplomatic activity, Iran agreed on a long-term deal on its nuclear programme- <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-cuts-iranian-oil-imports-ahead-of-us-sanctions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action</strong></a> (JCPOA) with a group of world powers known as the <strong>P5+1</strong> - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.</li>
<li>Under the accord, Iran <strong>agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities</strong> and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>2018-19: US-Iran Tensions in current times</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Policy of maximum pressure:</strong> In May 2018, the US abandoned the nuclear deal and reinstated economic sanctions against Iran.</li>
<li><strong>Policy of strategic patience:</strong> Iran acted with restraint, with thinking that by abiding by the nuclear deal it could get economic favour from the EU. However, this policy failed to work for Iran and thereby it began a counter-pressure campaign.</li>
<li>In June 2019, <strong>Iranian forces shot down a US military drone over the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/strait-of-hormuz-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Strait of Hormuz</a></strong> and then began the cycle of response and escalation between the two countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-approves-plan-to-cut-four-zeros-from-falling-currencyy/article31512640.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/currency-change-in-iran'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Long March 5B’ Rocket by China',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, China has successfully launched the <strong>Long March 5B&rsquo; rocket</strong> and prototype spacecraft.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is being considered as China&rsquo;s successful step to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the Moon.</li>
<li>India is also planning to launch its own space station.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting crew members, designed to remain in space for an extended period of time and for other spacecraft to dock.</li>
<li>One fully functional space station in the Earth's lower orbit is the International Space Station and astronauts conduct different experiments in it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588757020_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588757020_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Long March 5B&rsquo; Rocket:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was launched from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island of Hainan.</li>
<li>It weighs 849 tonnes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unmanned Prototype Spaceship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is expected to transport astronauts to a space station that China plans to complete by 2022 &mdash; and eventually to the Moon. It will have capacity for a crew of six.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Future Missions by China:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The assembly of the Tiangong space station is expected to begin in 2020 and finish in 2022.</li>
<li>China plans to send an astronaut to the Moon in about a decade and then build a base there.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The United States is so far the only country to have successfully sent humans to the Moon.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International Space Station (ISS)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ISS is a habitable artificial satellite - the single largest man-made structure in low earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998.</li>
<li>It circles the Earth in roughly 92 minutes and completes 15.5 orbits per day.</li>
<li>The ISS programme is a joint project between <strong>five</strong> participating space agencies: <strong>NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada)</strong> but its ownership and use has been established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.</li>
<li>It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields.</li>
<li>Continuous presence at ISS has resulted in the longest continuous human presence in the low earth orbit.</li>
<li>It is expected to operate <strong>until 2030.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinas-new-large-rocket-makes-maiden-flight/article31509636.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/long-march-5b-rocket-by-china'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => '50th Foundation Day of DST',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST)</strong> conducted a webinar on <strong>&lsquo;Fighting Corona - Leveraging Scientific Research &amp; Innovation&rsquo;</strong> on the occasion of its <strong>50<sup>th</sup> foundation day.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The webinar also mentioned some of the schemes implemented by the DST namely, SUPRA, IRHPA, NIDHI, SATHI and MANAK.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Schemes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SUPRA:</strong> The Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/supra-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SUPRA</strong></a>) intends to fund exploration of new scientific and engineering breakthroughs with global impact.</li>
<li><strong>IRHPA:</strong> The Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA) program of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) supports proposals in high priority areas from the viewpoint of advances in fundamental science.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SERB was set up as a statutory body in 2009 under the Department of Science and Technology to promote and fund research in different scientific disciplines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>NIDHI Scheme:</strong> National Initiative For Developing And Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) is an end to end plan for startups to double the number of incubators and startups in the duration of five years.</li>
<li><strong>MANAK Scheme:</strong> MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) intends to trigger innovations from annually 10 lakh school children throughout the country to convert their ideas into prototypes, preparing the children for challenges of future like innovation and entrepreneurship and helping them harness the power of their ideas.</li>
<li><strong>SATHI Scheme:</strong> Sophisticated Analytical &amp; Technical Help Institutes<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sophisticated-analytical-technical-help-institutes-sathi" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> (SATHI)</strong></a> intends to create centres housing equipment dedicated to the needs of MSMEs and startups for rapid prototyping developed at the cost of Rs 125 crore each to connect industry with academia.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Department of Science and Technology</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The foundation of DST was laid on <strong>3<sup>rd</sup> May 1971</strong> along the model of National Science Foundation (NSF), USA.</li>
<li>It provides <strong>funding and also makes policies</strong> and co-ordinates scientific work with other countries.</li>
<li>It empowers scientists and scientific institutions and also works with a highly distributed system permeating stakeholders ranging from school college, PhD, Postdoc students, young scientists, startups and NGOs working in Science &amp; Technology.</li>
<li>DST&rsquo;s budget has increased over the years by 100%, which has allowed initiation of new programmes in a wide range of areas.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1621139" 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/50th-foundation-day-of-dst'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'MSMEs and Covid-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Covid-19 pandemic has left its impact on all sectors of the economy including the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong></a> sector.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier the government had declared the relief package namely, the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PM Garib Kalyan Yojana</a></strong> for the poor to help them fight the battle against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Coronavirus (Covid-19)</strong></a>, the second package is expected to primarily focus on the MSME sector.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>MSMEs in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Definition of MSMEs:<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588751350_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588751350_image1.png" style="float: right;" width="400" caption="false" /></a></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In February 2018, the Union Cabinet decided the <strong>criterion of an annual turnover (in line with the imposition of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/fall-in-goods-and-services-tax-gst-collections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GST</a>)</strong> for defining MSMEs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Formally, <strong>MSMEs were defined in terms of investment in plant and machinery/equipment.</strong> But this criterion for the definition was criticized because credible and precise details of investments were not easily available by authorities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the proposed definition (which is yet to be formally accepted), the categorisation would be:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Micro Enterprise :</strong> An annual turnover <strong>less than Rs 5 crores.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Small Enterprise :</strong> An annual turnover <strong>between Rs 5 crores and Rs 75 crores.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Medium Enterprise:</strong> An annual turnover <strong>less than Rs 250 crores.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Statistical Data about MSMEs in India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Total Number of MSMEs:</strong> According to the Annual Report of the Department of MSMEs (2018-19), there are <strong>6.34 crore</strong> MSMEs in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Rural-Urban Distribution:</strong> Around 51% of these are situated in rural India and 49% of them are situated in urban India.</li>
<li><strong>Employment:</strong> Both rural and urban MSMEs together employ over 11 crore people but 55% of the employment happens in the urban MSMEs.</li>
<li><strong>Category-wise Distribution:</strong> 99.5% of all MSMEs fall in the micro category. While micro enterprises are equally distributed over rural and urban India, small and medium ones are predominantly in urban India.</li>
<li><strong>Social Distribution of MSMEs:</strong> About 66 % of all MSMEs are owned by people belonging to the Scheduled Castes (12.5%), the Scheduled Tribes (4.1%) and Other Backward Classes (49.7%).</li>
<li><strong>Gender Ratio in MSMEs:</strong> The gender ratio among employees is largely consistent across the board at roughly 80% male and 20% female.</li>
<li><strong>Geographical Distribution:</strong> Seven Indian states account for 50 % of all MSMEs. These are Uttar Pradesh (14%), West Bengal (14%), Tamil Nadu (8%), Maharashtra (8%), Karnataka (6%), Bihar (5%) and Andhra Pradesh (5%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Problems Faced by MSMEs in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Too Small to get Registered:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Being out of the formal network, these MSMEs do not have to maintain accounts, pay taxes or adhere to regulatory norms etc., which brings down their costs. But in a time of crisis, it also constrains a government&rsquo;s ability to help them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Financing:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Most of the MSME funding comes from <strong>informal sources</strong> and it explains why 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&rsquo;s</strong></a> efforts to push more liquidity towards the MSMEs have had a <strong>limited impact.</strong> Also, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/the-elixir-for-msmes-access-to-credit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>government has launched schemes</strong> </a>in this regard.</li>
<li>Further, banks dither from extending loans to MSMEs due to the <strong>high ratio of bad loans.</strong></li>
<li>According to a 2018 report by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank),</strong></a> the formal banking system supplies less than one-third (or about Rs 11 lakh crore) of the MSME credit need that it can potentially fund.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Delays in Payments to MSMEs:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is one of the biggest reasons for financial turmoil in the MSME sector.</li>
<li>MSMEs face delays in payment from their buyers which also includes the government. It also faces delays in GST refunds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Problem Aggravated due to Covid-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Declining Revenues: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/msme-sector-underutilised-engine-of-growth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MSMEs are already struggling</a></strong> &mdash; in terms of declining revenues and capacity utilisation &mdash; in the lead-up to the Covid-19 crisis.</li>
<li><strong>Unavailability of Cash:</strong> The total lockdown has raised an issue of the<strong> existence of MSMEs</strong> primarily due to <strong>unavailability of cash</strong> which subsequently will result in the <strong>job losses.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Lack of Labour Availability:</strong> The return of migrant labourers will create an issue of <strong>lack of labour availability.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Loan Against Collateral :</strong> Loans to MSMEs are mostly given against property (as collateral) but in times of crisis, property values fall and that inhibits the extension of new loans.</li>
<li><strong>Steps Taken:</strong> To ease the firms&rsquo; financial distress during this period, the Reserve bank of India has announced several measures such as a moratorium on term loans, and easier working capital financing. Some public sector banks have also opened up emergency credit lines for businesses.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government can provide tax relief (GST and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gst-council-and-corporate-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>corporate tax</strong></a>), give swifter refunds, and provide liquidity to rural India (may be through<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/one-year-of-pm-kisan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> PM-Kisan</strong></a>) to boost demand for MSME products.</li>
<li>A credit guarantee by the government can help as it assures the bank that its loan will be repaid by the government in case the MSME falters. If such defaults happen, credit guarantees are shown as a departmental expense in the Budget.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/coronavirus-india-lockdown-msme-sector-crisis-government-relief-package-6395731/" 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/msmes-and-covid-19'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Draft EIA Notification 2020',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/18/editorials/undemocratic-evasion-environmental-responsibility.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Undemocratic Evasion of Environmental Responsibility&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Economic and Political Weekly on 02/05/2020. It talks about issues pertaining to Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has proposed a draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification 2020, that seeks to replace the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/environmental-impact-assessment-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>current notification</strong></a> which goes back to 2006.</p>
<p>EIA is an important process for evaluating the likely environmental impact of a proposed project. It is a process whereby people&rsquo;s views are taken into consideration for granting final approval to any developmental project or activity. It is basically, a decision-making tool to decide whether the project should be approved or not.</p>
<p>The draft notification is issued under the powers vested in the central government under the <strong>Environment (Protection) Act, 1986</strong> to take all such measures for &ldquo;protecting and improving the quality of the environment.</p>
<p>According to the government, the new notification is being brought in order to make the process more transparent and expedient by the implementation of an online system, further delegation, rationalisation and standardisation of the process. However, the environmentalist said that the draft will further dilute the EIA process.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the Samarth Trust Case, the Delhi high court had considered EIAs- a part of participatory justice in which the voice is given to the voiceless and it is like a Jan Sunwai, where the community is the jury.</li>
<li>Also, the EIA process is an outcome of the 1992 Rio Declaration, which says that environmental issues are best handled through the participation of all concerned citizens and that states must provide an opportunity to citizens to participate in decision-making processes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Issues pertaining to draft EIA Notification 2020</h3>
<p><strong>Post-Facto Approval</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The new draft allows for post-facto approval for projects. It means that the clearances for projects can be awarded even if they have started construction or have been running phase without securing environmental clearances.</li>
<li>This also means that any environmental damage caused by the project is likely to be waived off as the violations get legitimised. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As the only remedy would be to impose a fine or punishment; but that would not reverse the detrimental consequences on the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Post facto approval is the derogation of the fundamental principles of environmental jurisprudence and violation of the<strong> &ldquo;precautionary principle,&rdquo;</strong> which is a principle of environmental sustainability.</li>
<li>In 2017, post-facto clearance given to projects in Tamil Nadu was struck down by the Madras high court.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Public Consultation Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The draft notification provides for a reduction of the time period from 30 days to 20 days for the public to submit their responses during a public hearing for any application seeking environmental clearance.</li>
<li>The danger is that if adequate time is not given for the preparation of views, comments and suggestions to those who would be affected by the project, then such public hearings would not be meaningful.</li>
<li>Unless a public hearing is meaningful, the whole EIA process would lack transparency and credibility.</li>
<li>Further, the reduction of time would particularly pose a problem in those areas where information is not easily accessible or areas in which people are not that well aware of the process itself.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Compliance Report Issue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The 2006 notification required that the project proponent submit a report every six months, showing that they are carrying out their activities as per the terms on which permission has been given.</li>
<li>However, the new draft requires the promoter to submit a report only once every year.</li>
<li>During this period, certain irreversible environmental, social or health consequences of the project could go unnoticed because of the extended reporting time.</li>
<li>For example, if a mining project is being carried out at someplace which can be potentially hazardous to the nearby population and can contaminate the air, and water nearby, a half-yearly compliance report would better help in addressing these concerns.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Bypassing EIA Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Through</strong> the draft notification, the central government gets the power to categorise projects as &ldquo;strategic.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Once a project is considered as strategic, the draft notification states that no information related to such projects shall be placed in the public domain.</li>
<li>Violations can only be reported suo motu by the project proponent, or by a government authority, appraisal committee, or regulatory authority. This is against the principles of natural justice.</li>
<li>Further, the draft notification states that the new construction projects up to 1,50,000 square metres (instead of the existing 20,000 square metres) do not need &ldquo;detailed scrutiny&rdquo; by the Expert Committee, nor do they need EIA studies and public consultation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>On a positive note, the 2020 draft notification has a clause dedicated to definitions to several terms related to EIA. It may be beneficial in the sense that it consolidates the EIA rules and has the potential of alleviating some ambiguity in the present law.</p>
<p>However, it needs to address the above issues. In this context:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ministry, instead of reducing the time for public consultation, should focus on ensuring access to information as well as awareness about the public hearing and its impact upon the whole EIA process.</li>
<li>In order to improve ease of doing business, the government should bring down the average delay of 238 days in granting environmental clearance, that emanates from bureaucratic delays and complex laws.</li>
<li>Grow now, sustain later should not be the policy, as the notion is dangerously tilted against the concept of sustainable development.</li>
</ul>
<p>With the EIA, we also need Social impact assessment to achieve sustainable development in true sense.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588680421_Images.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588680421_Images.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="550" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #fc0000; background-color: #ebffec;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically analyse the issues pertaining to Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Notification 2020.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dKCKqDcliUI" 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/slow-release-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-coronavirus-lockdown-30/article31495755.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Slow Release&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on May 4<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/draft-eia-notification-2020'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Year End Review 2019: Ministry of Rural Development',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Important Schemes and Policies</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sub-group-of-chief-ministers-on-coordination-between-mgnrega-and-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SECURE (Software for Estimate Calculation Using Rural Rates for Employment)</strong> under MGNREGS has helped in creating a transparent system for according administrative approval and technical sanction. Now, field functionaries can track, remove obstacles and speed up whole process of workflow.</li>
<li><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005</strong> aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members (at least 18 years of age) volunteer to do unskilled work.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The central government bears the full cost of unskilled labour, and 75% of the cost of material (the rest is borne by the states).</li>
<li>It is a demand-driven, social security and labour law that aims to enforce the &lsquo;right to work&rsquo;.</li>
<li>Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Government of India in association with state governments, monitors the implementation of the scheme.</li>
<li>Agriculture and allied activities constitute more than 65% of the works taken up under the programme.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was launched in December 2000, for providing connectivity through a single all weather road to the eligible unconnected habitations as per core-network with a population of 500 persons in plain areas, and 250 persons &amp; above in states with difficult terrain, desert areas, tribal &amp; backward districts.</li>
<li>The programme also provides for upgradation of the existing 'Through Routes' and &lsquo;Major Rural Links&rsquo; (MRL).</li>
<li>E-marg software for maintenance of roads has been developed and is being rolled out in all States.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Background: Ministry of Rural Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The vision and mission of the Ministry is sustainable and inclusive growth of rural India through a multipronged strategy for eradication of poverty by increasing livelihoods opportunities, providing social safety net and developing infrastructure for growth.</li>
<li>The Ministry of Rural Development consists of two Department:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Department of Rural Development</li>
<li>Department of Land Resources</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In October 1974, the Department of Rural Development came into existence as a part of Ministry of Food and Agriculture.</li>
<li>In August 1979, the Department of Rural Development was elevated to the status of a new Ministry of Rural Reconstruction. It was renamed as Ministry of Rural Development in January 1982.</li>
<li>In January 1985, the Ministry of Rural Development was again converted into a Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which was later rechristened as Ministry of Agriculture in September 1985.</li>
<li>In 1991 the Department was upgraded as Ministry of Rural Development. Another Department viz. Department of Wasteland Development was created under this Ministry.</li>
<li>In March 1995, the Ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment with three departments namely Department of Rural Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Rural Development and Wasteland Development.</li>
<li>Again, in 1999 Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment was renamed as Ministry of Rural Development.</li>
<li>This Ministry has been acting as a catalyst effecting the change in rural areas through the implementation of wide spectrum of programmes which are aimed at poverty alleviation, employment generation, infrastructure development and social security.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rural-development-ministry-conducts-survey-under-mission-antyodaya" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana &ndash; National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Launched in 2011, DAY-NRLM aims at mobilizing rural poor households into Self Help Groups (SHGs) in a phased manner and provide them long-term support such that they diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life.</li>
<li>Major components:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Promotion of sustainable institutions of the poor</li>
<li>Ensuring access to financial services</li>
<li>Promote diversified livelihoods opportunities for the poor, in farm and non- farm sectors.</li>
<li>Promotion of skill development and access to jobs</li>
<li>Promotion of social inclusion, social development and human development</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>All &ldquo;automatically included&rdquo; households and all households with &ldquo;at least one deprivation&rdquo; as per the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data constitute the target group of DAY-NRLM.</li>
<li>The list of the rural poor is also validated by Participatory Identification of the Poor (PIP) which is further vetted by the Gram Sabha.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-awas-yojana-grameen-behind-target" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana &ndash; Gramin (PMAY-G)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the context of Government&rsquo;s priority for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/housing-poverty-in-rural-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Housing for All&rdquo; by 2022,</strong> </a>the erstwhile rural housing scheme has been restructured into PMAY-G, which came into effect from 1<sup>st</sup> April, 2016.</li>
<li>PMAY-G aims to provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless households and households living in kutcha and dilapidated house by 2022.</li>
<li>PMAY-G enables construction of quality houses by the beneficiaries using local materials, designs and trained masons.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-rural-economic-transformation-project-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Lunched in 2011, it is a placement linked skill development program for wage employment.</li>
<li><strong>Skill development through Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs)</strong> enables a trainee to take bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise. Some such trainees may also seek regular salaried jobs.</li>
<li>At present, RSETIs offer training in 61 vocations classified under four major areas viz. <strong>agriculture, processing, product manufacture and general entrepreneurship development programme.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/elderly-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Launched in 1995, National social assistance programme (NSAP) is targeted at any such person who has little or no regular means of subsistence from his/her own source of income or financial support from family members or other sources, to be identified by States/UTs.</li>
<li>At present NSAP includes five sub-schemes as its components &ndash; <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme</li>
<li>Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme</li>
<li>Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme IGNDPS</li>
<li>National Family Benefit Scheme</li>
<li>Annuparna</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Article 41</strong> of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development.</p>
</div>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/shyama-prasad-mukherji-rurban-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RURBAN Mission (SPMRM)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SPMRM is focused on comprehensive development of 300 clusters spread across the country.</li>
<li>These clusters are identified in rural regions displaying potential for economic growth through the presence of thematic livelihood activities, increasing population and non-farm employment.</li>
<li>The Mission is being implemented with an aim to transform these clusters by focusing on developing skills, strengthening economic activities and provision of crucial basic infrastructure amenities in an equitable and time-bound manner.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/saansad-adarsh-gram-yojana-sagy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was launched in 2014, with the objective of creating &lsquo;Adarsh Grams&rsquo; across the country.</li>
<li>In its first phase (2014-19), the scheme called upon the Members of Parliament (MPs) to make one Gram Panchayat of their choice, a Model Village by 2016, and another two by 2019.</li>
<li>From 2019, under the second phase of the scheme, 2014-19 each Member of Parliament during his/her tenure may develop five model villages (one per year) in his/her area till 2024.</li>
<li>The Gram Panchayats under the guidance of MPs, follow a structured process of environment creation, social mobilisation, resource mapping and participatory development planning. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They prepare Village Development Plans (VDP) containing prioritised time-bound projects to achieve holistic progress of the village, through the convergence of resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-rural-development'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Covid-19 in States with High Swine Flu Rates',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Tamil Nadu</strong> account for about <strong>70%</strong> of India&rsquo;s confirmed <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> cases till now.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Data from the Health Ministry&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-centre-for-disease-control-ncdc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Centre for Disease Control</strong></a> (NCDC), show that these are <strong>also the states</strong> which consistently accounted for the<strong> majority of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swine Flu (H1N1)</a> cases,</strong> since 2015.</li>
<li>The NCDC recorded Swine Flu cases this year as well as part of India's <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/integrated-disease-surveillance-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588673369_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588673369_image4.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Data History of Swine Flu</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>2019:</strong> Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra accounted for 54%.</li>
<li><strong>2018:</strong> Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat accounted for 65%.</li>
<li>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are among India's most populous states and see intense <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/human-migration-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>migration</strong></a> to other states for work still they have not been in the top list always.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parallels between Covid-19 and Swine Flu</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Both are <strong>caused due to pathogens</strong> that trace their <strong>origins to viruses from non-human hosts</strong> even though they <strong>belong to different families.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Both <strong>respiratory</strong> viruses that <strong>spread through contact.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Both <strong>infiltrate the lungs</strong> and cause characteristic<strong> pulmonary</strong> infections but they have varying lethality. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Swine flu</strong> infections have a <strong>higher case fatality rate</strong> (deaths per confirmed cases) and can cause significant <strong>deaths in children as well as those less than 60.</strong></li>
<li>Covid-19 is relatively <strong>more dangerous</strong> to those<strong> above 60</strong> and <strong>almost harmless in children.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, due to lack of sufficient research, it cannot be said which age group is safer or not.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>High number of Covid-19 and Swine Flu cases have been observed in Gujarat and Maharashtra.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>relative dominance</strong> of these diseases <strong>can be attributed to the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/migration-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">migration</a> for work.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Observations</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>February-March</strong> are typical months for influenza (viral infection of upper or lower respiratory tract) in India.</li>
<li>Most influenza activity in <strong>northern India</strong> has been seen during the <strong>summer</strong> months but in <strong>southern and western India,</strong> cases occurred mostly during <strong>winter</strong> months.</li>
<li>According to scientists, due to the novel nature of Covid-19, the <strong>possibility of another spike later in the year cannot be ruled out.</strong></li>
<li>For Swine flu, this year there is an <strong>exceptional rise in testing and active surveillance</strong> across states otherwise only few states have the infrastructure and system to actively report cases.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have 50 testing laboratories each for Covid-19 many of which are also deployed for Swine flu.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Swine Flu</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is caused by the <strong>swine flu virus,</strong> the<strong> H1N1.</strong></li>
<li>It is an <strong>infection of the respiratory tract</strong> characterized by the usual<strong> symptoms of flu</strong> like cough, nasal secretions, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and headache.</li>
<li>It is called swine flu because in the past it was known to occur in people who had been in the <strong>vicinity of pigs.</strong></li>
<li>The virus is <strong>transmitted by short-distance airborne transmission,</strong> particularly in crowded enclosed spaces. <strong>Hand contamination </strong>and <strong>direct contact</strong> are other possible sources of transmission.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/most-covid-19-cases-in-states-with-high-swine-flu-rates/article31504830.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/covid-19-in-states-with-high-swine-flu-rates'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'UV Blaster',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/defence-research-and-development-organisation-drdo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)</strong></a> has developed an <strong>Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection Tower</strong> for rapid and chemical free disinfection of high infection prone areas.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The equipment named <strong>&ldquo;UV blaster&rdquo;</strong> is designed and developed by Laser Science &amp; Technology Centre (LASTEC) with the help of M/s New Age Instruments and Materials Private Limited, Gurugram<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>LASTEC is the Delhi based premier laboratory of DRDO.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588666334_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588666334_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="120" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The UV blaster is a UV based area sanitiser useful for<strong> high tech surfaces</strong> like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods.</li>
<li>The product is also <strong>effective for areas with large flow of people</strong> such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories, offices, etc.</li>
<li>The UV based area sanitiser may be used by remote operation through laptop/mobile phone using wifi link.</li>
<li>The sanitiser switches off on accidental opening of room or human intervention.</li>
<li>It is also being considered as the key to arm operation.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1620919" 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/uv-blaster'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Insurance Claims amid Covid-19 Outbreak',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Companies that suffered business interruption losses due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19 outbreak</strong></a> and lockdown are likely to bat for the <strong>&ldquo;loss of profit&rdquo; clause</strong> in their insurance contracts.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many companies had taken insurance policies to cover loss arising due to certain unforeseen circumstances but the question has risen whether Covid-19 outbreak is covered by such policies.</li>
<li>The net result is that they <strong>may not get any insurance claim</strong> from the insurance companies under the <strong>Standard Fire and Special Perils Policy, commonly known as property policy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Corporations usually take two types of insurance policies -Material damage policy and Business interruption policy.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Material damage policy is triggered if there is loss of property due to fire or flood or machine breakdown.</li>
<li>Business interruption, on the other hand, only comes into force if loss of profit has happened due to the clauses mentioned under the material damages policy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Provisions of Property Policy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>If the insured plant or office is shut down due to any damage or fire, the company is eligible for claims.</li>
<li>Also the Policy specifies if the building insured or containing the insured property becomes unoccupied and so remains for a period of more than 30 days (not applicable for dwellings), the insurance claims may not be applicable. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For claim, before the occurrence of any loss or damage to the property, the continuation of the coverage needs to be ensured.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Relaxation from Policy Lapse:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The insurers have given relief to corporates, which shut their units for more than a month. Their policies will be allowed to be operational despite the clause that if a unit is shut for 30 days continuously, the policy cover will lapse.</li>
<li>The above relief is <strong>applicable for the &ldquo;unoccupied properties&rdquo;</strong> for more than one month till May 3 under the property policy.</li>
<li>It means companies can claim insurance if the property is damaged due to fire or any other loss even if the factory or unit is not operational during the period till May 3.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Force Majeure, or &ldquo;Act of God&rdquo; Clause :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Most insurers will also use the<strong> Force Majeure, or &ldquo;Act of God&rdquo;</strong> clause but again there is no concrete conclusion or clause stating that loss of profit due to Covid-19 is Force Majeure.</li>
<li>Force majeure is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties occurs. It prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/covid-19-effect-insurance-corporates-not-to-get-business-interruption-claims-from-insurers-6393980/" 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/insurance-claims-amid-covid-19-outbreak'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Mathematical and Simulation Aspects of Covid-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)</strong> has approved <strong>funding for 11 projects under the MATRICS scheme</strong> for studying mathematical modelling and computational aspects to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology</strong> (DST), Government of India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These studies attempt to propose mathematical/simulation models to account for various factors relevant to Covid-19 by <strong>modifying the basic SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) models.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An SIR model is an epidemiological model that computes the theoretical number of people infected with a contagious illness in a closed population over time.</li>
<li>The name of this class of models derives from the fact that they involve coupled equations relating the number of susceptible people , number of people infected , and number of people who have recovered .</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Some of such<strong> factors</strong> are heterogeneity of population, the role of asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) population, migration and quarantine, effect of social distancing and lockdown, socioeconomic factors and so on.</li>
<li><strong>Aim</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To study Indian conditions and provide an estimate of Basic Reproduction Number (R0)- the qualitative indicator of the degree of contagiousness of the disease. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>R0 tells the <strong>average number of people who will catch the disease from one contagious person.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> larger this number, the more contagious</strong> is the disease caused by the virus and the faster it will spread in the community.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also aims to identify the maximum likelihood infection tree when infection reports and contact network structure are known to the administration.</li>
<li>To identify possible cures of Covid-19 through the study of DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) structures by creating patterns of DNA of different viruses.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>MATRICS Scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was launched in 2017<strong> by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).</strong></li>
<li>It aims to provide fixed grant support to active researchers with good credentials in Mathematical Sciences, Theoretical Sciences and Quantitative Social Sciences.</li>
<li>The support is provided in the form of research grant of Rs. 2 lakh per annum plus overheads for a period of three years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/homepib.aspx" 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/mathematical-and-simulation-aspects-of-covid-19'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Manufacturing Hits Record Low',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>According to a recent <strong>IHS Markit India</strong> monthly survey, Manufacturing <strong>Purchasing Managers&rsquo; Index (PMI)</strong> fell to 27.4 in April, 2020 from 51.8 in March, 2020.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s<strong> manufacturing sector activity</strong> has witnessed <strong>contraction</strong> in April, 2020 due to national lockdown restrictions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The new <strong>business orders</strong> have <strong>collapsed</strong> at a record pace <strong>severely hampering the demand.</strong></li>
<li>This is the <strong>sharpest deterioration</strong> in business conditions across the manufacturing sector since data collection began over 15 years ago.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The deteriorating demand conditions has led the<strong> manufacturers to drastically cut back staff numbers.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Export orders</strong> have also witnessed a sharp decline.</li>
<li>There was also <strong>evidence of supply-side disruption</strong> due to the lockdown.</li>
<li>The <strong>PMI slipped into contraction mode,</strong> after remaining in the growth territory for 32 consecutive months.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In PMI&rsquo;s language, a reading above 50 means expansion, while a score below that denotes contraction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>12-month outlook for production</strong> the demand will rebound once the Covid-19 threat is diminished and lockdown restrictions are eased.</li>
<li>The <strong>Index (PMI)</strong> is compiled by <strong>IHS Markit</strong> for more than 40 economies worldwide. IHS Markit is a global leader in information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588663355_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588663355_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Purchasing Managers' Index</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Purchasing Managers&rsquo; Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity - both in the manufacturing and services sectors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is <strong>calculated separately</strong> for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a <strong>composite index</strong> is also constructed.</li>
<li>The PMI summarizes whether<strong> market conditions as viewed by purchasing managers are</strong> expanding, neutral, or contracting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The purpose of the PMI is to provide information about<strong> current and future business conditions to company decision makers, analysts, and investors.</strong></li>
<li>The PMI is a number from 0 to 100.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>PMI <strong>above 50 represents an expansion</strong> when compared to the previous month;</li>
<li>PMI <strong>under 50 represents a contraction,</strong> and</li>
<li>A reading at 50 indicates no change.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The PMI is usually released at the start of every month. It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.</li>
<li>It is <strong>different from the Index of Industrial Production (IIP),</strong> which also gauges the level of activity in the economy.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Index of Industrial Production</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index which details out the growth of various sectors in an economy such as mineral mining, electricity, manufacturing, etc.</li>
<li>It is compiled and published monthly by the <strong>National Statistical Organisation (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> Base Year of the Index of Eight Core Industries</strong> has been revised from the year 2004-05 to 2011-12 from April, 2017.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The eight core industries comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).</li>
<li>The eight Core Industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products&gt; Electricity&gt; Steel&gt; Coal&gt; Crude Oil&gt; Natural Gas&gt; Cement&gt; Fertilizers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Difference between PMI and IIP</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IIP covers the <strong>broader industrial sector compared to PMI.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>IIP shows the<strong> change in production volume</strong> in major industrial sub sectors like manufacturing, mining and electricity.</li>
<li>Similarly, the IIP also gives <strong>use based (capital goods, consumer goods etc) trends in industrial production.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>PMI is more dynamic compared to a standard industrial production index.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The PMI senses dynamic trends because of the variable it uses for the construction of the index compared to <strong>volume based production indicators like the IIP.</strong></li>
<li>For example, new orders under PMI show growth oriented positive trends and not just volume of past production that can be traced in an ordinary Index of Industrial Production.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/india-manufacturing-sector-activity-hits-record-low-in-april-amid-lockdown-survey-6392962/" 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/manufacturing-hits-record-low'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Virtual NAM Summit',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The virtual <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/non-aligned-movement-nam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)</strong></a> Contact Group Summit on<strong> &ldquo;United against Covid-19&rdquo;</strong> through video conferencing was held recently.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting was <strong>convened at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, in his capacity as chair</strong> of the Non Aligned Movement.</li>
<li>Moreover 30 Heads of State and other leaders had joined the Summit. The Summit was also addressed by the UN General Assembly president and <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a> chief.</li>
<li>It was the first time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a NAM Summit since he assumed the office in 2014.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi <strong>became the first Indian Prime Minister to skip the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/18th-non-aligned-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NAM Summit</a> in 2016 and in 2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Adoption of the Declaration:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Summit adopted a Declaration underlining the<strong> importance of international solidarity in the fight against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Creation of Task Force:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It also announced the creation of a &lsquo;Task Force&rsquo; to identify needs and requirements of member States.</li>
<li>A common database reflecting counties&rsquo; basic medical, social and humanitarian needs in the fight against Covid-19 will be created.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stand at the Summit</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Role in Fight Against Covid-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India is regarded as the pharmacy of the world especially for affordable medicines.</li>
<li>Despite its own needs during Covid-19 pandemic, it has ensured supply of medicines to 123 partner countries including 59 NAM members.</li>
<li>India is also active in global efforts to develop remedies and vaccines for Covid-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need for the New Template of Globalisation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India stated that Covid-19 has shown limitations of the existing international system. The world needs more representative international institutions and thus world order should be more representative.</li>
<li>Thus, in the post-Covid world, a new template of globalisation, based on fairness, equality, and humanity is needed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>International Cooperation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NAM should call upon the international community and the WHO to focus on building health-capacity in developing countries.</li>
<li>World needs to ensure equitable, affordable and timely access to health products and technologies for all.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India also flagged the issues of &ldquo;terrorism&rdquo; and &ldquo;fake news&rdquo;, calling them &ldquo;deadly viruses&rdquo; at a time when the world fights the novel coronavirus.</li>
<li>The above issues divide communities and countries creating difficult situations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Non-Aligned Movement</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Non-Aligned Movement was formed <strong>during the Cold War</strong> as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought <strong>to remain independent or neutral.</strong></li>
<li>The basic concept for the group originated in <strong>1955</strong> during discussions that took place at the <strong>Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia.</strong></li>
<li>The Non-Aligned Movement was founded and held its<strong> first conference (the Belgrade Conference) in 1961</strong> under the leadership of <strong>Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.</strong></li>
<li>NAM<strong> does not have a formal constitution or permanent secretariat,</strong> and its administration is non-hierarchical and rotational. Decisions are made by consensus, which requires substantial agreement, but not unanimity.</li>
<li>It has 120 members as of April 2018 comprising 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan). There are 17 countries and 10 international organizations that are Observers at NAM.</li>
<li>The purpose of the organization was enumerated in the <strong>Havana Declaration of 1979</strong> to ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign subjugation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-at-nam-summit-terrorism-fake-news-deadly-viruses-6394202/" 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/virtual-nam-summit'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Challenges Faced By RBI',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/covid-19-coronavirus-india-economy-rbi-6389454/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;RBI&rsquo;s job involves trade-offs, not conflicts&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 02/05/2020. It talks about challenges faced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in pursuance of its monetary policy.</p>
</div>
<p>In the wake of global anthropological shock <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-globalization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>, a sharp slowdown in economic growth and employment prospects is evident in the Indian economy. In this context, <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&rsquo;s</strong></a> role in ensuring economic stability, growth and development through effective monetary policy assumes more importance than ever.</p>
<p>RBI&rsquo;s job involves balancing short-term as well as long-term growth, ensuring economic growth while meeting the inflation targets. However, issues pertaining to the incomplete transmission of monetary policy and <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/29-06-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>inherent weakness of inflation targeting approach</strong></a>, are some of the challenges faced by RBI.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Monetary Policy is a macroeconomic policy by RBI, wherein through Repo, OMO, PSL etc. tools it tries to manage the money supply, interest rates, loan distribution, and thereby helping in the Economic Stability, Growth, and Development.</li>
<li>There are 3 prominent ways of making monetary policy:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Targeting Exchange rate stability</li>
<li>Targeting Multiple Indicators</li>
<li>Targeting Inflation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>From 2016, RBI has shifted to Inflation Targeting. In pursuance of this, the amendment has been made in the RBI Act, which established a statutory body called &ldquo;Monetary Policy Committee&rdquo; (MPC).</li>
<li>Role of MPC is to decide the repo rate to control inflation between 2-6%</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Incomplete Transmission of Monetary Policy</h3>
<p>Incomplete Transmission of Monetary Policy means that the cumulative easing in policy rates by RBI has not yet been reflected in the lowering of their lending rates by banks. This can be attributed to the following reasons:</p>
<p><strong>Inflexible Cost of Funds</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, customer deposit constitutes the majority of funds to be lent by the banks, whereas the market borrowings through the issuance of debentures/commercial papers is negligible.</li>
<li>The cost of funds typically remains inflexible as most of these deposits are contracted at fixed rates.</li>
<li>Further, Interest rates on small savings remained at elevated levels compared to that of banks. This has led to a decline in deposits with the banks.</li>
<li>The shortfall in the funds has made it virtually impossible for banks to lend at lower deposit rates.</li>
<li>Until and unless this problem is addressed, banks cannot transmit monetary policy signals at the desired speed and magnitude.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Policy Rates not linked to Market</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Repo rate, being the policy rate, is administered by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/repo-rate-unchanged" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Monetary Policy Committee</strong> </a>and therefore cannot be treated as a market-determined rate.</li>
<li>Banks are asked to link their <strong>lending rate to repo rate,</strong> without any reference to the cost of lending funds.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>High Non-Performing Assets (NPAs)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The accumulation of large NPAs has reduced the profitability of banks. Due to this, banks keep the weighted average lending rate much higher than the marginal lending rate.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Four Balance Sheet Problem</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to Former chief economic advisor, Arvind Subramanian, the economic slowdown in India is facing a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/slowdown-in-india-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;Four balance sheet challenge&rsquo;.</strong></a></li>
<li>This has marred the credit growth in India and thus created hindrance in the greater transmission of monetary policy.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Monetary Policy Vs Fiscal Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>High fiscal deficit leads to more market borrowing by the governments. This results in crowding out of the private investment.</li>
<li>Also, government-determined purchase prices of agri-commodities (through minimum support prices), government subsidy levels on fuels and imperfections in agricultural markets, hinders the functioning of monetary policy. This creates a problem of non-coherence between the two policies.</li>
<li>New challenges also emanate from the evolution of cryptocurrency.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Pertaining to Inflation Targeting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Monetary policies can stabilize inflation only caused due to demand shocks and are ineffective against supply shocks.</li>
<li>Inflation in emerging markets such as India is very sensitive to exogenous shocks like global oil prices, a weaker rupee and a poor monsoon.</li>
<li>Food inflation, which impacts the common people the most, is prone to supply-side bottlenecks, which are out of the scope of any remedy under the aegis of monetary policy of RBI.</li>
<li>In order to contain inflation, RBI often undertakes liquidity management through <strong>Open Market Operations.</strong> This sometimes leads to liquidity shocks in the market.</li>
<li>Liquidity is also an important factor as these can reinforce or negate the changes in policy rates.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p><strong>Adoption to Multi-Indicator Approach</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Being the Central bank of the country, RBI has expected to take care of other parameters like economic growth, stable exchange rate and financial stability, and cannot restrict itself to the single objective of inflation.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this context, the Government should consider, Multiple Indicator Approach of RBI, where price stability, financial stability and economic growth are considered for decision-making.</li>
<li>A greater weightage to inflation can be considered in the Multiple Indicator Approach, as it is done by many emerging economies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Linking Cost of Funds with Market</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In order to make the cost of funds flexible, both deposit and lending rates are linked to external benchmarks like the Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate (MIBOR).</li>
<li>Linking small savings scheme interest rates to the market would be beneficial.</li>
<li>An innovative way to make both asset and liability sides of a bank balance sheet flexible is to link both deposit and lending rates to the average inflation rate.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Coordination Between Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Any of these alone cannot deliver on inflation and growth.</li>
<li>If the government truly wants to reduce lending rates in India in a meaningful and sustained manner, it would be far better served to focus on bringing down its own fiscal deficit.</li>
<li>Separating debt management from monetary management in order to make the central bank more independent would be a good move.</li>
</ul>
<p>Covid-19 has to lead to economic disruption in the Indian economy. However, it also provides an opportunity to carry out much need economic reforms. Establishing synergy between Fiscal and monetary policy can be a right step in pursuit of bringing holistic reforms.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588590299_image.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588590299_image.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="650" 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: #edeeff;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Critically analyse the challenges faced by the banks in the transmission of monetary policy.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uH5vjMpVWPg" 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/ominous-contraction-the-hindu-editorial-on-march-2020-core-sector-output/article31484662.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Ominous contraction: On core sector output&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on May 2nd, 2020. Now watch this is on our Youtube channel.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/challenges-faced-by-rbi'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Year End Review 2019: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions',
		'catname' => 'Paper 2',
		'desc' => '<h3>Important Schemes and Policies</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/good-governance-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Good Governance Index</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>&lsquo;Good Governance Index&rsquo; (GGI) was launched by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &amp; Pensions on <a href="/to-the-points/paper4/good-governance-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Good Governance Day</strong></a> i.e. 25<sup>th</sup> December, 2019.</li>
<li>It is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs.</li>
<li>The objectives of GGI are to provide <a href="/to-the-points/paper4/good-governance-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>quantifiable data</strong> </a>to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result-oriented approaches and administration.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588588999_1577346296_image3.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588588999_1577346296_image3.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lokpal-and-lokayukta" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Lokpal</strong></a></p>
<p>The Chairperson, Lokpal, Sh. Justice P. C. Ghose and its eight members were administered the Oath of Office.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 provided for <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/lokpal-lokayukta-ombudsman-upsc-governance-transparency" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States.</strong></a></li>
<li>These institutions are statutory bodies without any constitutional status.</li>
<li>They perform the function of an "ombudsman&rdquo; and inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters.</li>
<li>In India, the concept of constitutional ombudsman was first proposed by the then law minister Ashok Kumar Sen in parliament in the early 1960s.</li>
<li>The term Lokpal and Lokayukta were coined by Dr L. M. Singhvi.</li>
<li>The Bill was passed in 2013 in both the Houses of Parliament and came into force on 16 January 2014.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/rti-amendment-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RTI Amendment Bill, 2019</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Parliament passed the Right To Information Amendment Bill, 2019.</li>
<li>In this amendment, it is proposed to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005 so as to provide that the term of office of, and the salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of, the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners and the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioners, shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Right To Information</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper4/right-to-information-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Right To Information (RTI)</strong></a> marked its 14<sup>th</sup> anniversary on 12<sup>th</sup> October 2019.</li>
<li>The right to information gained power when <strong>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</strong> was adopted in 1948 providing everyone the right to seek, receive, information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.</li>
<li>The <strong>International Covenant on Civil and Political rights 1966</strong> states that everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, the freedom to seek and impart information and ideas of all kinds.</li>
<li>The RTI Act, 2005 <strong>did not create a new bureaucracy for implementing the law.</strong> Instead, <strong>it tasked and mandated officials in every office to change their attitude</strong> and duty from one of secrecy to one of sharing and openness.</li>
<li>Right to information has been seen as the key to<strong> strengthening participatory democracy</strong> and ushering in people-centred governance.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Objectives of the Act</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To empower the citizens</li>
<li>To promote transparency and accountability</li>
<li>To contain corruption and</li>
<li>To enhance people&rsquo;s participation in democratic process.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Important Facts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Shillong Declaration:</strong> Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in association with Ministry of Electronics &amp; Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India and the State Government of Meghalaya organized the 22<sup>nd</sup> National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2019 on 8-9<sup>th</sup> August, 2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&lsquo;Shillong Declaration&rsquo; outlines the roadmap on e-Governance of the Nation. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Nagpur Resolution:</strong> Adopted in December 2019, to empower the citizens by policy interventions for better service delivery through timely updation of citizens charters, implementation of enactments and benchmarking standards for continuous improvement, among others.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/centralized-public-grievances-redress-and-monitoring-system-cpgrams" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS):</strong></a> It is an <strong>online web-enabled system</strong> developed by<strong> National Informatics Centre</strong> (Ministry of Electronics &amp; IT [MeitY]), in association with Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The underlying idea was to receive, redress and monitor the grievances of the public.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Central Information Commission (CIC)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CIC was established in 2005 by the Central Government under the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.</li>
<li>The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission.</li>
<li>It hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority and also addresses major issues concerning the RTI Act.</li>
<li>CIC submits an annual report to the Union government on the implementation of the provisions of RTI Act.</li>
<li>The Right to Information Act of 2005 provides for the creation of a State Information Commission at the state level.</li>
<li>It entertains complaints and appeals pertaining to offices, financial institutions, public sector undertakings, etc.under the concerned state government.</li>
<li>The Commission consists of a State Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten State Information Commissioners appointed by the Governor.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/Paper2/year-end-review-2019-ministry-of-personnel-public-grievances-and-pensions'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'RBI Cancels Licence of CKP Co-op Bank',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, 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> has cancelled the licence of Mumbai-based CKP Co-operative Bank.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>RBI has cancelled the licence of the bank as the financial position of the bank was highly adverse and unsustainable.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The bank is not in a position to pay its present and future depositors.</li>
<li>The bank failed to meet the regulatory requirement of maintaining a <strong>minimum capital adequacy ratio</strong> of 9% and reserves.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>RBI has asked the <strong>Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Maharashtra</strong> to start the process of winding up operations of CKP Co-operative bank and appoint a liquidator.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>On liquidation, every depositor of the bank is entitled to get up to Rs 5 lakh from the <strong>Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In September last year,<strong> RBI had imposed restrictions on Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank</strong> not to do any business for six months after it found major irregularities, which included financial irregularities, complete failure of internal control and systems, and wrongdoing and under-reporting of its lending exposure.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Capital Adequacy Ratio</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is the <strong>ratio of a bank&rsquo;s capital in relation to its risk weighted assets and current liabilities.</strong> It is also known as <strong>Capital-to-Risk Weighted Asset Ratio (CRAR).</strong></li>
<li>It is decided by central banks to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/basel-iii-requirements" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Basel III norms</strong></a> stipulated a capital to risk weighted assets of 8%.</li>
<li>However, as per<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> RBI</strong> </a>norms, Indian scheduled commercial banks are required to maintain a CAR of 9%.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>DICGC came into existence in 1978 after the merger of Deposit Insurance Corporation (DIC) and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd. (CGCI) under the <strong>Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It serves as a <strong>deposit insurance and credit guarantee</strong> for banks in India.</li>
<li>It is a fully owned subsidiary of and is governed by 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</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>DICGC charges 10 paise per ₹100 of deposits held by a bank. The premium paid by the insured banks to the Corporation is paid by the banks and is not to be passed on to depositors.</li>
<li>DICGC last revised the deposit insurance cover to ₹5 lakh in Feb, 2020, raising it from ₹ 1 lakh since 1993. The protection cover of deposits in Indian banks through insurance is among the lowest in the world.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Damodaran Committee on &lsquo;Customer Services in Banks&rsquo; (2011)</strong> had recommended a five-time increase in the cap to ₹5 lakh due to rising income levels and increasing size of individual bank deposits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Banks, including regional rural banks, local area banks, foreign banks with branches in India, and cooperative banks, are mandated to take deposit insurance cover with the DICGC.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Co-operative Banking</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/co-operative-banking-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Co-operative bank</strong> </a>is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. It is <strong>distinct from commercial banks.</strong></li>
<li>Co-operative banks in India are registered under the <strong>States Cooperative Societies Act.</strong> The Co-operative banks are regulated by both <strong>Registrar of Co-operative Societies </strong>and<strong> Reserve Bank of India (RBI) </strong>and <strong>governed by the</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Banking Regulations Act 1949.</li>
<li>Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features of Cooperative Banks:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Customer Owned Entities:</strong> Co-operative bank members are both customer and owner of the bank.</li>
<li><strong>Democratic Member Control:</strong> Co-operative banks are owned and controlled by the members, who democratically elect a board of directors. Members usually have equal voting rights, according to the cooperative principle of &ldquo;one person, one vote&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Profit Allocation:</strong> A significant part of the yearly profit, benefits or surplus is usually allocated to constitute reserves and a part of this profit can also be distributed to the co-operative members, with legal and statutory limitations.</li>
<li><strong>Financial Inclusion:</strong> They have played a significant role in the financial inclusion of unbanked rural masses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Co-operative Banks are broadly<strong> classified into Urban and Rural co-operative banks</strong> based on their region of operation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Difference between UCBs and Commercial Banks</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Regulation:</strong> Unlike commercial banks, UCBs are <strong>only partly regulated by the RBI.</strong> Their banking operations are regulated by the RBI, which lays down their capital adequacy, risk control and lending norms. However, their management and resolution in the case of distress is regulated by the <strong>Registrar of Co-operative Societies</strong> either under the State or Central government.</li>
<li><strong>Borrower can be a Shareholder:</strong> In general for a commercial bank, there is a clear distinction between its shareholders and its borrowers whereas in a UCB, borrowers can even double up as shareholders.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/rbi-cancels-licence-of-mumbai-based-ckp-co-op-bank-6390986/" 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/rbi-cancels-licence-of-ckp-co-op-bank'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Corona-Killer 100',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Corona-Killer 100</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corona-Killer 100</strong> is an automated disinfecting <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/digital-sky-platform-drone-regulation-1-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)</strong></a> developed by<strong> Garuda Aerospace</strong> - an ISO- 9001 company.</li>
<li>These drones will aid in the sanitation of public places, hospitals and tall buildings up to 450 feet amid Covid-19 outbreak.</li>
<li>It is equipped with fuel efficient motors that enable the drone to be deployed for 12 hours a day.</li>
<li>Drone operations are faster, longer &amp; safer than manual spraying by workers who can become potential carriers of Covid-19.</li>
<li>It also consists of patented autopilot technology, advanced flight controller systems.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Drone as a Service</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Historically, many UAV applications were developed in the military as spy or reconnaissance vehicles used during wartime.</li>
<li>However, the development of this type of aircraft has evolved towards commercial, civil and consumer spaces, including professional videography, surveying, construction, inspection, traffic management and last mile delivery.</li>
<li>Commercial drone services are developing UAV services, sometimes called Drones as a Service (DaaS), to help industries, such as agriculture, construction, search and rescue, package delivery, industrial inspection, insurance and videography, with tasks like collecting imagery and measurements and managing or broadcasting events.</li>
<li>Drone services seem cost-effective, portable, and &ndash; in extreme emergencies like Covid-19 can &ndash; provide the first take, including visuals, assessment and extent of damage.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1620351" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/corona-killer-100'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'African Swine Fever in Assam',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Centre has advised the Assam state government to go for culling of pigs affected by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/african-swine-fever" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>African Swine Fever</strong></a> (ASF).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It has been advised to divide the affected areas into zones and go for culling accordingly.</li>
<li>The disease was first reported in November-December, 2019 from the areas of China bordering Arunachal Pradesh.</li>
<li>A few organised piggeries in Assam have been affected and the possible carrier could be humans.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, there is <strong>no confirmation on humans being the carrier</strong> of the virus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Earlier in April, there were reported deaths of pigs due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/classical-swine-fever-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Classical Swine Fever</strong> </a>(CSF).</li>
<li>ASF and CSF are different from <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-22nd-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swine Flu (H1N1)</strong></a> and do not affect humans.</li>
<li><strong>CSF can be prevented by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/classical-swine-fever-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proper vaccination</a></strong> but there is<strong> no vaccination for ASF.</strong> Culling of the affected pigs is the only option.</li>
</ul>
<h3>African Swine Fever</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a<strong> highly contagious</strong> and <strong>fatal animal disease</strong> that infects and leads to an acute form of <strong>hemorrhagic fever in domestic and wild pigs.</strong></li>
<li>It was <strong>first detected in Africa </strong>in the<strong> 1920s.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>mortality</strong> is close to <strong>100%</strong> and since the fever has no cure, the only way to stop its spread is by culling the animals.</li>
<li>ASF is <strong>not a threat to human beings</strong> since it only spreads from animals to other animals.</li>
<li>ASF is a disease listed in the <strong>World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code</strong> and thus, reported to the OIE.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588585648_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1588585648_image2.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="800" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>World Organisation for Animal Health</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>OIE is an <strong>intergovernmental organisation</strong> responsible for improving animal health worldwide.</li>
<li>In 2018, it had a total of<strong> 182 Member Countries. India is one of the member</strong> countries.</li>
<li>OIE standards are <strong>recognised by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-trade-organisation-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Trade Organization</a></strong> as reference international sanitary rules.</li>
<li>It is headquartered in <strong>Paris, France.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/african-swine-fever-assam-told-to-go-for-culling/article31495025.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/african-swine-fever-in-assam'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Sariska Tiger Reserve',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The 13<sup>th</sup> session of the Ministry of Tourism&rsquo;s <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/paryatan-parv" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dekho Apna Desh</strong></a> webinar titled, <strong>&lsquo;Destination- Sariska Tiger reserve&rsquo;</strong> was held recently.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The objective of the Ministry of Tourism&rsquo;s webinar series is to create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations of India &ndash; including the lesser known destinations and lesser known facets of popular destinations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in Aravali hills and forms a part of the Alwar District of <strong>Rajasthan.</strong></li>
<li>The Reserve is immensely rich in flora and fauna, and is famous for Royal Bengal Tiger. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The park has populations of leopards, Nilgai, Sambar, chital etc. It also shelters a large population of Indian peafowl, crested serpent eagles, sand grouse, golden backed woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, tree pies, vultures,etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sariska was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and was declared the <strong>tiger reserve later in 1978,</strong> making it a part of India's <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/status-of-conservation-of-tigers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project Tiger.</a> </strong></li>
<li>The Sanctuary houses ruined temples, forts, pavilions and a palace. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Kankarwadi fort</strong> is located in the center of the Reserve and it is said that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh at this fort in struggle for succession to the throne.</li>
<li>The Reserve also houses a famous <strong>temple of lord Hanuman at Pandupole</strong> related to <strong>Pandavas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Project Tiger</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Project Tiger is an ongoing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/reforming-centrally-sponsored-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centrally Sponsored Scheme</strong></a> of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.</li>
<li>The <strong>National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)</strong> is a statutory body of the Ministry, with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NTCA was launched in 2005, following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. It was given statutory status by the 2006 amendment of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India now has as many as 2,967 tigers in the wild, with <strong>more than half of them in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka,</strong> according to the latest tiger estimation report for 2018.</li>
<li>The population of tigers have <strong>increased by 33%</strong> since the last census in 2014 when the total estimate was 2,226.</li>
<li><strong>Sariska is the first tiger reserve</strong> to have successfully <strong>relocated Royal Bengal tigers in India</strong> and at present there are around 20 tigers in the reserve.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Dekho Apna Desh</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Dekho Apna Desh is one of the three components of the Paryatan Parv.The other two are Tourism for All and Tourism &amp; Governance.</li>
<li>It intends to encourage Indians to travel their own country.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=202744" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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