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National Investigation Agency

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was constituted under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008. Headquarters: New Delhi It is a...

04 Apr 2020 News Analysis
50 Years of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

This article is based on “[email protected]: The Genesis of a Flawed Bargain”. It talks about issues pertaining to Non-Proliferation of Nuclear...

03 Apr 2020 News Editorials
Impact of Covid-19 on Global Economy

Why in News Recently, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has observed that the economic uncertainty sparked by the...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
PRS Capsule February 2020

Key Highlights of PRS Polity Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill 22nd Law Commission Select Committee on the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill Science...

03 Apr 2020 PRS Capsule
In Depth - The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Recently, a Bill to amend the Companies Act, 2013 and decriminalise various offences under it was introduced in the Lok Sabha. The proposed...

03 Apr 2020 Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions
Classes in Distance Mode

Why in News The Centre is planning to start the next academic year virtually. Many schools have been shut since early March due to the COVID-19...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Demand for MGNREGA Work Increased

Why in News The demand for work by households under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) programme surged to a...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Impact of Lockdown on Banks

Why News Banks are concerned about the build up of Non-performing Assets (NPAs) as the disruption caused to business operations and supply chains...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Covid-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS)

Why in News The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Agasthyavanam Biological Park

Why in News The Forest Department is procuring forest produce collected by the tribespeople of the Agasthyavanam Biological Park (ABP) and...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Operation Sanjeevani

Why in News Recently, India supplied 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives, under Operation Sanjeevani as assistance in the fight against...

03 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Centre Defines J&K Domicile Rules

Why in News Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order,...

02 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Planning In India

This article is based on “Thinking national, acting local” which was published in The Hindu on 02/04/2020. It talks about the scenario...

02 Apr 2020 News Editorials
Wimbledon Postponed due to Covid-19

Why in News Recently, the Wimbledon championships, which were scheduled for 29th June-12th July, have been cancelled for the first time since World...

02 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Fall in Goods and Services Tax (GST) Collections

Why in News Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for March 2020 stood at ₹97,597 crore, dropping below the ₹1 lakh-crore mark after four...

02 Apr 2020 News Analysis
National Medical Commission Act

This article is based on the “National Medical Commission Act”, “National Medical Commission Act, 2019”. It talks about...

01 Apr 2020 News Editorials
Zoonotic Diseases

Introduction The word 'Zoonosis' (Pleural: Zoonoses) was introduced by Rudolf Virchow in 1880 to include collectively the diseases shared in...

01 Apr 2020 Paper 3
Globalisation & Covid-19

Why in News Global leaders have reached this consensus that the pandemic Covid-19 and the crisis it has generated is a turning point in modern...

01 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Fundraising for Covid-19

Why in News Recently, the Government has hiked Ways and Means Advance (WMA) limit with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by 60%. WMA limit is...

01 Apr 2020 News Analysis
Quasi-subspecies of Covid-19

Why in News According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) a mixture of three quasi-subspecies of SARS-CoV-2 is in circulation in...

01 Apr 2020 News Analysis

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			'title' => 'National Investigation Agency',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was constituted under the <strong>National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> New Delhi</li>
<li>It is a central agency to<strong> investigate and prosecute offences</strong> related to terrorism and certain other Act <strong>post-2008 Mumbai terror attacks</strong> such as:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Affecting the <strong>sovereignty, security and integrity of India,</strong> security of State, friendly relations with foreign States.</li>
<li>Against <strong>atomic and nuclear facilities.</strong></li>
<li>Smuggling in High-Quality <strong>Counterfeit Indian Currency.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It <strong>implements international treaties, agreements, conventions and resolutions</strong> of the United Nations, its agencies and other international organisations.</li>
<li>It&rsquo;s objective is also to <strong>combat terror in India.&nbsp;</strong>It acts as the <strong>Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Assist all States and other investigating agencies in the <strong>investigation of terrorist cases.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Build a database</strong> of all terrorist-related information and share the database available with the States and other agencies.</li>
<li>Study and analyse laws relating to terrorism in other countries and regularly <strong>evaluate the adequacy of existing laws</strong> in India and propose changes as and when necessary.</li>
<li>To execute in-depth professional investigation <strong>of scheduled offences</strong> using the latest scientific methods of investigation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Scheduled Offences</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The schedule to the Act specifies a<strong> list of offences</strong> which are to be investigated and prosecuted by the NIA.</li>
<li>These include offences under Acts such as the<strong> Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Mandate of NIA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The cases are assigned to the NIA by the Central Government in accordance with <strong>section VI of the NIA Act, 2008.</strong></li>
<li>The investigation of the cases is done by the Agency<strong> independently.</strong></li>
<li>After investigation, the cases are placed before <strong>the NIA Special Court.</strong></li>
<li>It is empowered to deal<strong> with terror-related crimes across states without special permission from the states.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Recent Amendments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The various features or provisions of the<strong> NIA (Amendment) ACT, 2019</strong> are as follows:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It applied the provisions of the NIA Act <strong>also to persons who commit a scheduled offence beyond India</strong> against Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India.</li>
<li>It provided that the officers of the NIA shall have the similar powers, duties, privies and liabilities being exercised by the <strong>police officers in connection with the investigation of offences,</strong> not only in India but also outside India.</li>
<li>It empowered the central government, with respect to a scheduled offence committed outside India, to direct the NIA to register the case and take up investigation as if <strong>such offence had taken place in India.</strong></li>
<li>It provided that the central government and the state governments may designate <strong>Sessions Courts as Special Courts for conducting the trial of offences</strong> under the NIA Act.</li>
<li>It inserted certain new offences in the <strong>Schedule of the NIA Act.</strong> Consequently, the NIA is also empowered to probe the offences relating to<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>human trafficking,</li>
<li>counterfeit currency or bank notes,</li>
<li>manufacture or sale of prohibited arms,</li>
<li>cyber-terrorism and</li>
<li>explosive substances.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues in the Recent Amendments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under schedule VII of the Constitution, the maintenance of <strong>public order and police forces are matters of state list.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, <strong>Criminal law forms part of the concurrent list</strong> and national security comes under the domains of the union list.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Central government gets the authority to have the NIA take over the investigation of crimes, which involve allegations of human trafficking, offences under the Explosives Act, and certain offences under the Arms Act.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, <strong>not every criminal offence in the above act is a threat to national security and sovereignty</strong> and consequently, states have the competence to deal with the same.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Amendment Bill puts<strong> Section 66F of the Information Technology Act, 2000</strong> into the Schedule listing offences. Section 66F deals with <strong>cyber terrorism.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>But India <strong>does not have a data protection act </strong>and there is <strong>no definition of cyber terrorism.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The amendment to the NIA Act also gives the agency authority to investigate crimes committed by persons which are against Indian citizens or <strong>&ldquo;affecting the interest of India&rdquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, the term &ldquo;affecting the interest of India&rdquo; is <strong>undefined</strong> and can be <strong>misused by governments</strong> to curb freedom of speech and expression.</li>
<li>Further, the laws, under which the NIA has the authority to investigate, themselves <strong>do not mention &ldquo;affecting the interest of India&rdquo; as an offence.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/activists-decry-akhil-gogois-serial-rearrest-in-assam/article31253206.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => '50 Years of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://idsa.in/issuebrief/npt-50-genesis-flawed-avkumar-310320" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;[email protected]: The Genesis of a Flawed Bargain&rdquo;</strong></a>. It talks about issues pertaining to Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT).</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Year 2020 marked the 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary</strong> of the entry-into-force of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/npt-must-for-india-s-entry-into-nsg-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)</strong></a>, a legal instrument treated as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.</p>
<p>The treaty institutionalised the non-proliferation norm by de-legitimising &lsquo;proliferation&rsquo; (production and transfer) of nuclear weapons, fissile materials and related technology by the <strong>non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS)</strong> while the recognised<strong> five nuclear-weapon states (NWS) &mdash;</strong> namely the <strong>US, Russia, the UK, France and China,</strong> can continue to possess nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>The Treaty can be described to have <strong>three objectives of non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</strong> However, NNWS criticised this treaty of having <strong>structural flaws</strong> and viewed it as an imbalanced instrument.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the treaty has attained a near-universal status with just <strong>four hold-outs &mdash; India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea</strong> and it is widely acknowledged that having a treaty to halt the spread of nuclear weapons was better than having none at all.</p>
<h3>Issues Pertaining to NPT</h3>
<p><strong>Failure of Disarmament Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NPT is largely seen as a <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/cold-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cold War era</strong> </a>instrument that has failed to fulfil the objective of creating a pathway towards a credible disarmament process.</li>
<li>Treaty proposes <strong>no tangible disarmament roadmap, no reference to test ban or to the freezing of production of either fissile materials or nuclear weapons, and omitted provisions for reductions and elimination.</strong></li>
<li>It instead allowed sustenance and expansion of arsenals by stipulating <strong>January 1, 1967</strong> as the cut-off date to determine the NWS.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>System of Nuclear &lsquo;Haves&rsquo; and &lsquo;Have-Nots&rsquo;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NNWS criticizes the treaty to be discriminatory as it focuses on <strong>preventing only horizontal proliferation while there is no limit for vertical proliferation.</strong></li>
<li>In this context, NNWS groupings demand that the NWS should renounce their arsenals and further production in return for commitment of NNWS not to produce them.</li>
<li>Apart from it, <strong>other reasons for tussle between NWS and NNWS.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NNWS held that Articles I &amp; II of the treaty (prohibition of possessing nuclear weapons) did not prohibit nuclear weapons on allied territory of NWS. For example, NATO countries for the US.</li>
<li>NWWS also feels that the restrictions on <strong>Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE)</strong> technology are one-sided.</li>
<li>Under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) protocols of nuclear safety, the NWS allowed to maintain &lsquo;voluntary&rsquo; safeguards while the rest were subjected to comprehensive safeguards, which seemed intrusive and discriminatory to the NNWS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Due to this tussle, most of the quadrennial <strong>Review Conferences (RevCon),</strong> the forum that reviews the health and functioning of the treaty, has remained largely inconclusive since 1995.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Vertical Proliferation vs Horizontal Proliferation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical proliferation</strong> can be defined as the advancement or modernization of a nation-state's nuclear arsenal, whereas <strong>horizontal proliferation</strong> is the direct or indirect transfer of technologies from one nation-state to another, which ultimately leads to the more advanced development and proliferation of nuclear weapons.</li>
<li>As there is no explicit obligation on part of NWS to reduce their arsenal, NWS have continued to expand their respective arsenals without any constraints.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Peaceful Nuclear Explosions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) are nuclear explosions conducted for non-military purposes.</li>
<li>The US proposed to prohibit PNE rights and instead offered to provide the technology on a commercial basis.</li>
<li>The Indian representatives consistently termed the offer as 'atomic apartheid' and 'commercial super-monopoly,' and insisted that PNE rights need to be integral to all peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</li>
<li>India conducted its first PNE in 1974 in opposition to this discriminatory principle.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Post-Cold War Challenges</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The treaty&rsquo;s existential challenges began in the post-Cold War setting when the attempts by a few State Parties to break-out or gain nuclear latency led to numerous instances of non-compliance, violations and defiance. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the US alleges Iran of building nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The NPT&rsquo;s indefinite extension in 1995, while invoking its irreplaceability, also underlined the inability of states to formulate a stand-alone instrument towards the objective of disarmament, as enshrined in the NPT.</li>
<li>The emergence of non-state actors with declared intent to access weapons of mass destruction and the detection of a global nuclear black-market, has raised concerns on the limitations of the treaty to address the challenges thrown up by the new strategic milieu.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Stand on NPT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew,</strong> thus becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.</li>
<li>India always considered the NPT as <strong>discriminatory</strong> and had refused to sign it.</li>
<li>India has opposed the international treaties aimed at non-proliferation since they were selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rising energy demands have led to a growing number of countries pursuing nuclear energy, and many countries wish to be energy-independent, in order to ensure a sustainable and dependable domestic energy supply. As clean energy, development, and peaceful coexistence are essential for every country.</li>
<li>Thus, the challenge for the international community will be to reconcile states&rsquo; desire for energy independence with their desire to both reduce the intrusiveness of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/63rd-general-conference-of-iaea" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>IAEA</strong></a> safeguards and diminish the possibility of proliferation.</li>
<li>Also, NNWS welcomes<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-start-treaty" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> New START</strong> </a>and other initiatives, but is anxious to see more concrete actions on reducing the role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrines, reducing alert levels, increasing transparency, and other steps.</li>
<li>More regions in the world (preferably comprising NWS) should enter into an arrangement of establishing <strong>Nuclear-weapon-free zones.</strong></li>
<li>Further, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a step in the right direction for nuclear disarmament.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) is a geographical area declared free of nuclear weapons as described</li>
<li>under Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in the United Nations Guidelines on NuclearWeapon-Free Zones from 1999. As of 2016, there are five such regional treaties in place in populated areas</li>
<li>of the world: Latin-America and the Caribbean, Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific.</li>
<li>In addition, the status of Mongolia as a nuclear-free territory has been recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. Antarctica is also considered nuclear-free, and so is outer space.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585915432_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585915432_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" 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: #fff9e3;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Discuss the issues pertaining to Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/50-years-of-nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'Impact of Covid-19 on Global Economy',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uncdat-world-investment-report-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</a> (UNCTAD)</strong> has observed that the economic uncertainty sparked by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> will likely cost the global economy $1 trillion in 2020.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The observation is based on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-economic-situation-and-prospects-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020</strong></a> released by UNCTAD.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Observations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <strong>slowdown in the global economy to under 2%</strong> for this year is envisaged which will probably cost in the order of $1 trillion.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Worst possible scenario:</strong> If the world economy grew at only 0.5% which would involve a $2 trillion hit to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>gross domestic product</strong></a> (GDP).</li>
<li><strong>Best case scenario:</strong> With moderate declines in private consumption, investment and exports and offsetting increases in government spending, global growth would fall to 1.2% in 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global financial market is fluctuating</strong> due to the<strong> supply-chain interruptions from China</strong> and<strong> oil price uncertainty</strong> among major producers.</li>
<li><strong>European economies</strong> had already been performing extremely badly towards the end of 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Europe</strong> is almost certain to go into <strong>recession</strong> over the coming months.</li>
<li><strong>German</strong> economy is in a<strong> fragile</strong> state.</li>
<li><strong>Italian</strong> economy and other parts of the <strong>European periphery</strong> are also facing very <strong>serious stresses</strong> right now.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Many parts of the <strong>Latin American</strong> region are also vulnerable.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Argentina</strong> in particular will be struggling as a consequence of the knock-on effects of this pandemic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>least developed countries</strong> whose economies are driven by the<strong> sale of raw materials</strong> will also face hard consequences.</li>
<li>Heavily-indebted <strong>developing countries,</strong> particularly <strong>commodity exporters,</strong> face a particular threat due to the <strong>weaker export returns linked to a stronger US dollar.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The likelihood of a <strong>stronger dollar</strong> as investors seek safe-havens for their money and the almost certain<strong> rise in commodity prices</strong> as the global economy slows down, means that commodity exporters are particularly <strong>vulnerable.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A series of <strong>dedicated policy responses and institutional reforms</strong> are needed to prevent a localized health scare from turning into a global economic meltdown.</li>
<li>Governments need to <strong>spend now in order to prevent more damaging meltdown</strong> in the coming times.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chinese</strong> Government is likely to introduce <strong>significant expansionary measures &ndash;</strong> shorthand for increasing spending or tax cuts.</li>
<li>The<strong> US</strong> government is in an election year and it needs to do <strong>more than simply cutting taxes and reducing interest rates.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was established in <strong>1964</strong> to promote development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.</li>
<li>UNCTAD is a <strong>permanent intergovernmental body</strong> headquartered at <strong>Geneva</strong> in Switzerland.</li>
<li>Some of the <strong>reports published by it are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Trade and Development Report</li>
<li>World Investment Report</li>
<li>The Least Developed Countries Report</li>
<li>Information and Economy Report</li>
<li>Technology and Innovation Report</li>
<li>Commodities and Development Report</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059011" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: UN</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-economy'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'PRS Capsule February 2020',
			'catname' => 'PRS Capsule',
			'desc' => '<p><em><strong>Key Highlights of PRS</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="#1">Polity</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="#2">Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill</a></li>
<li><a href="#3">22<sup>nd</sup> Law Commission</a></li>
<li><a href="#4">Select Committee on the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#5">Science &amp; Technology</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="#6">Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#7">Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#8">Draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Amendment Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#9">Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#10">National Technical Textiles Mission</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#11">Environment</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="#12">Revised Guidelines for Central Crop Insurance Schemes</a></li>
<li><a href="#13">Draft National Fisheries Policy</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="1">Polity</h2>
<h3 id="2">Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/direct-tax-vivad-se-vishwas-bill-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020</strong></a> was introduced in Lok Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to income tax and corporation tax.</li>
<li>The idea behind the scheme is to reduce litigation in the direct tax arena.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Appellant:</strong> An appellant is the income-tax authority or the person, or both, whose appeal is pending before any appellate forum (the Supreme Court, the High Courts, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals, or the Commissioner (Appeals) as on January 31, 2020.</li>
<li><strong>Resolution mechanism:</strong> The Bill proposes a mechanism under which an appellant can file a declaration to the designated authority to initiate the resolution of pending direct tax disputes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The last date to file the declaration will be notified by the central government.</li>
<li>Based on the declaration, the designated authority will determine the amount payable by the appellant against the dispute and grant a certificate, containing particulars of the amount payable, within 15 days.</li>
<li>The appellant must pay this amount within 15 days and inform the designated authority.</li>
<li>The amount paid will not be refundable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Amount payable for resolution:</strong> The amount payable by the appellant for resolution of disputes is determined based on whether the dispute relates to the payment of tax, or payment of interest, penalty, or fee.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An additional amount is required to be paid if such payment is made after March 31, 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once the designated authority issues the certificate, appeals pending before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals and the Commissioner (Appeals) will be deemed to be withdrawn.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In case of appeals or petitions pending before the Supreme Court and High Courts, the appellant is required to withdraw the appeal or petition.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">22<sup>nd</sup> Law Commission</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved the constitution of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/22nd-law-commission-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>22<sup>nd</sup> Law Commission</strong></a> of India for a period of 3 years.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It will consist of:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Chairperson,</li>
<li>four members,</li>
<li>Secretaries of the Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs, as ex-officio members, and</li>
<li>up to five part-time members.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Commission&rsquo;s responsibilities will include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>identifying laws which are no longer relevant,</li>
<li>recommending laws which are necessary to implement the Directive Principles of State Policy,</li>
<li>giving its views on subjects referred to it by the government, and</li>
<li>revising central laws of general importance to simplify them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>First Law Commission in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833 and was chaired by Lord Macaulay.</li>
<li>The first Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 for a three-year term. Since then, 21 more Commissions have been established.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Read More: <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/law-commission-of-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To The Point on Law Commission of India</a></strong></em></p>
</div>
<h3 id="4">Select Committee on the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill</h3>
<p>The Select Committee on the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-approves-bill-to-regulate-surrogacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill</a>,</strong> 2019 submitted its report.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Surrogacy is the practice where one woman carries the child for another with the intention of handing over the child after birth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-new-surrogacy-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Commercial vs. altruistic surrogacy</strong></a>: The Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy and allows altruistic surrogacy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Altruistic surrogacy</strong> involves no compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical and insurance expenses related to the pregnancy.</li>
<li>The Committee recommended a surrogacy model based on compensation rather than altruistic surrogacy.</li>
<li>The compensation must take care of the losses suffered by the surrogate mother in terms of health and wages.</li>
<li>The Committee observed that surrogacy has been considered as an economic opportunity by women from economically weak backgrounds. By banning commercial surrogacy, the Bill ignores the fact that altruistic surrogacy is also exploitative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In this regard, the Committee recommended that surrogacy could be classified on the basis of the specific intention with which a woman agrees to be a surrogate mother. The intention could be to either:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>render a paid service and make money, or</li>
<li>do it for altruistic reasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Surrogate being a &lsquo;close relative&rsquo;:</strong> Under the Bill, the surrogate can only be a &lsquo;close relative&rsquo; of the intending couple.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Committee noted that the criteria of being a &lsquo;close relative&rsquo; potentially restricts the availability of surrogate mothers and may affect persons in genuine need.</li>
<li>Hence, it recommended deleting the definition of &lsquo;close relative&rsquo; and allowing any willing woman to act as a surrogate mother.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Five year waiting period:</strong> Under the Bill, the intending couple can undertake a surrogacy arrangement following the inability to conceive after five years of unprotected coitus or other medical conditions preventing conception.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Committee observed that the requirement of a five-year waiting period is too long particularly in conditions like absent uterus, removal of the uterus due to cancer, and medical conditions where normal pregnancy is ruled out.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Committee recommended removing the definition of infertility from the Bill and the five-year waiting period.</li>
<li>It recommended that any couple who have a medical condition (could be either or both members of the couple) which necessitates gestational surrogacy, should be allowed to undertake surrogacy.</li>
<li><strong>Gestational surrogacy</strong> is a practice where a surrogate mother carries a child for the intending couple through implantation of embryo in her womb and the child is not genetically related to the surrogate mother.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="5">Science &amp; Technology</h2>
<h3 id="6">Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/assisted-reproductive-technology-regulation-bill-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill seeks to regulate assisted reproductive technology services in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Assisted reproductive technology (ART)</strong> means all techniques that attempt to obtain a pregnancy by handling the sperm (the oocyte) outside the human body and transferring the gamete (the embryo) into the reproductive tract of a woman.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This includes in-vitro fertilisation, intrauterine insemination, and gestational surrogacy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>A copy of the Bill is not available in the public domain.</strong> However, as per the press release, the Bill sets up a National Board to regulate ART services by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>laying down a code of conduct to be observed by persons working at clinics, and</li>
<li>setting the minimum standards of physical infrastructure, laboratory and diagnostic equipment, and expert manpower to be employed by clinics and banks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Further, the Bill provides for a National Registry and Registration Authority to maintain a central database of all ART Banks and clinics.</li>
<li>The Bill also proposes a stringent punishment for those practising sex selection, sale of human embryos or gametes, and running organisations for such unlawful practices.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It seeks to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934.</li>
<li>The Act regulates the manufacture, possession, use, operation, sale, import and export of civil aircrafts, and licensing of aerodromes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Authorities:</strong> The Bill converts three existing bodies under the Ministry of Civil Aviation into statutory bodies under the Act. These are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),</li>
<li>the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and</li>
<li>the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Each of these bodies will be headed by a Director-General who will be appointed by the centre.</li>
<li><strong>The DGCA</strong> will carry out safety oversight and regulatory functions with respect to matters under the Bill.</li>
<li><strong>The BCAS</strong> will carry out regulatory oversight functions related to civil aviation security.</li>
<li><strong>The AAIB</strong> will carry out investigations related to aircraft accidents and incidents.</li>
<li><strong>Offences and penalties:</strong> Under the Act, the penalty for various offences is imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, or both. These offences include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Carrying arms, explosives, or other dangerous goods aboard an aircraft,</li>
<li>Constructing buildings or structures within the specified radius around an aerodrome reference point, and</li>
<li>Contravening rules notified under the Act.</li>
<li>The Bill raises the maximum limit of fines for these offences from Rs 10 lakh to 1 crore rupees.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Bill allows for the compounding of certain offences under the Act or rules under the Act. These include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>flying to cause danger to any person or property and</li>
<li>the contravention of any directions issued by the Director-General of any of the three bodies.</li>
<li>Offences may be compounded by the Director Generals as prescribed by the centre.</li>
<li>Compounding of offences is not allowed in case of repeat offences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="8">Draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Amendment Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Bill amends the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 which controls the advertisement of certain drugs in India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Amendments Proposed</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Prohibition on advertisement of certain drugs:</strong> The Act prohibits advertisements of drugs and remedies that claim to have magical properties, and makes doing so an offence.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the Act, advertisement is prohibited for drugs for 54 diseases, disorders and conditions.</li>
<li>The draft Bill adds 24 more diseases and disorders to this schedule.</li>
<li>These include:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>drugs or treatment for enhancing sexual performance,</li>
<li>fairness of skin,</li>
<li>premature ageing, and</li>
<li>improvement in height of kids and adults.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Penalties:</strong> Under the Act, the first conviction is punishable with imprisonment of up to six months, and a fine. A subsequent conviction may result in imprisonment of up to a year, and a fine.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft Bill proposes to increase the penalties. For the first conviction, the punishment will be imprisonment of up to two years and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh as against a six months imprisonment presently under the act.</li>
<li>For any subsequent conviction, the imprisonment may extend to five years with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh extending from imprisonment of 1 year as of now in the act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9">Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill seeks to merge three Ayurveda institutes into one institution by the name of Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Bill declares the Institute to be an <strong>institution of National Importance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Institutes of National Importance (INI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India,</li>
<li>An institution which "serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state" may be conferred a status of INI.</li>
<li>Institutes of National Importance receive special recognition and funding from the Government of India.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Merger:</strong> The existing institutes which will be merged into the Institute are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar,</li>
<li>Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Jamnagar, and,</li>
<li>Indian Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jamnagar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The proposed Institute will be situated in the campus of Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar.</li>
<li><strong>Objectives of Institute:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Develop patterns of teaching in medical education in Ayurveda and Pharmacy</li>
<li>Bring together educational facilities for training of personnel in all branches of Ayurveda</li>
<li>Attain self-sufficiency in postgraduate education to meet the need for specialists and medical teachers in Ayurveda</li>
<li>Make an in-depth study and research in the field of Ayurveda</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Composition of Institute:</strong> The Bill provides that the Institute will consist of 15 members. These include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Minister of AYUSH</li>
<li>Secretary and technical head of Ayurveda, Ministry of AYUSH</li>
<li>Secretary, department of health, government of Gujarat</li>
<li>Director of the Institute</li>
<li>Director-General, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda</li>
<li>Three experts in Ayurveda with expertise in education, industry and research, and</li>
<li>Three Members of Parliament</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Director of the Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar will be appointed as the first Director of the Institute.</li>
<li>Further, the Bill states that there will be a Governing Body of the Institute, which will exercise powers and such functions of the Institute, as specified.</li>
<li><strong>Functions of Institute:</strong> The functions of the Institute will include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>provide for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Ayurveda (including pharmacy),</li>
<li>prescribe courses and curricula for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Ayurveda,</li>
<li>provide facilities for research in the various branches of Ayurveda,</li>
<li>hold examinations and grant degrees, diplomas and other distinctions and titles in education in Ayurveda and pharmacy, and</li>
<li>maintain well-equipped colleges and hospitals for Ayurveda supporting staff such as nurses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="10">National Technical Textiles Mission</h3>
<p>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, approved the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-technical-textiles-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Technical Textiles Mission.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Technical textiles are textiles manufactured for technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic characteristics.</li>
<li>They have applications in areas such as railway tracks and bulletproof jackets.</li>
<li>Based on usage, there are 12 technical textile segments; Agrotech, Meditech, Buildtech, Mobiltech, Clothtech, Oekotech, Geotech, Packtech, Hometech, Protech, Indutech and Sportech.</li>
<li>The Mission will be implemented over a period of four years, from 2020-21 to 2023-24.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Research:</strong> The Mission will promote research into the development of:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>fibres such as carbon fibre and nylon fibre</li>
<li>textiles such as geo-textiles and biodegradable textiles</li>
<li>This component will have an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Promotion and market development:</strong> Indian technical textiles consist of approximately 6% (USD 16 billion) of the USD 250 billion global technical textiles market.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Mission aims to increase the domestic market size to USD 40-50 billion by 2024 through market development and investment promotion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Export:</strong> The current annual value of exports of technical textiles is approximately Rs 14,000 crore.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Mission aims to increase the annual value of exports to Rs 20,000 crore by 2021-22, and ensure a 10% average growth in exports per year up to 2023-24.</li>
<li>Further, an <strong>Export Promotion Council</strong> for technical textiles will be set up for effective coordination and promotion activities relating to exports.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Education:</strong> The Mission also aims to promote technical education in higher engineering in areas related to technical textiles and its application.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="11">Environment</h2>
<h3 id="12">Revised Guidelines for Central Crop Insurance Schemes</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/revamp-of-the-crop-insurance-schemes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>revised guidelines for central crop insurance schemes</strong></a>, namely the <a href="/printpdf/pradhan-mantri-fasal-bima-yojana-(pmfby)" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)</strong></a> and the <strong>Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme,</strong> with the aim of addressing the existing implementation challenges. <strong>The revised guidelines will be effective from the Kharif season 2020-21.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The crop insurance schemes provide insurance coverage to farmers for crop failure due to various risks such as calamities, adverse weather conditions, pest attacks, and other yield and post-harvest losses.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Changes Proposed</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Voluntary enrolment:</strong> Both the schemes have been made voluntary for all farmers.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier, they were mandatory for farmers who have taken crop loans (loanee farmers).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Flexibility to select insurance cover:</strong> States have been given the flexibility to select additional risk covers, such as mid-season adversity, prevented sowing, post-harvest losses, and localised calamity, under both the schemes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the case of PMFBY, states can also offer specific single-risk insurance covers with or without opting for the base cover.</li>
<li>Earlier, PMFBY did not allow states to add any risk other than the ones specified.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Limit on centre&rsquo;s premium subsidy:</strong> Under the schemes, farmers are required to pay an insurance premium, which is a certain percentage of the sum insured <strong>(2% for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops).</strong> Rest of the premium amount is equally paid by the central and state government in the form of premium subsidy, with no limit applicable.</li>
<li>Under the revised guidelines, the premium subsidy payable by the central government will not be higher than:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>25% of the sum insured for irrigated areas, and</li>
<li>30% of the sum insured for unirrigated areas.</li>
<li>For this purpose, districts with more than 50% area under irrigation will be considered as irrigated districts or areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increase in the centre&rsquo;s share for the north-eastern states:</strong> Under the two schemes, premium subsidy is equally shared by the central and state government.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For north-eastern states, the central government will provide 90% of the subsidy, with the remaining 10% coming from the state government.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Delay by states:</strong> States will not be allowed to implement the schemes in subsequent seasons in case they considerably delay the release of premium subsidy to insurance companies beyond a prescribed time limit.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="13">Draft National Fisheries Policy</h3>
<p>The Department of Fisheries released the draft <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/blue-revolution-that-will-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Fisheries Policy.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The policy aims to integrate the various policies relating to different aspects of fisheries (such as inland fisheries, marine plants and animals, processing, and marketing) for its comprehensive development.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>enhancing fish production and productivity in a responsible and sustainable manner,</li>
<li>providing a robust regulatory framework for effective fisheries resource management,</li>
<li>modernising and diversifying fishing practices in oceans and seas through use of science and technology,</li>
<li>strengthening and modernising the value chain, and</li>
<li>generating gainful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities leading to higher income of fishers and fish farmers and improvement of their living standards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Legal framework:</strong> Fisheries governance will be improved to facilitate coordination among states, national agencies, and other stakeholders.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Comprehensive management and regulation of fisheries resources in the <strong>Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)</strong> will be ensured through a national law.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note: Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)</strong> is the area of the sea outside territorial water to which India has the exclusive rights for economic activities, and <strong>extends to 200 nautical miles from the coast of India.</strong></p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The central government will empower coastal state governments by delegating the powers to grant marine fishing licences for the EEZ and high seas (the area beyond EEZ).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sustainability:</strong> The central government will encourage and empower traditional and small fisher and fisher groups to undertake resource-specific deep-sea fishing to harness untapped high-value resources sustainably.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The expertise of scientific institutions and fishers will be utilized to optimise fishing efforts and implement measures to check resource depletion and ensure sustainability.</li>
<li>Comprehensive fisheries management plans will be made to conserve and sustainably manage natural fisheries resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inter-sector coordination:</strong> The central and state governments will take up with Nodal departments such as water, irrigation, and rural development to ensure that the Department of Fisheries is fittingly represented in all the committees entrusted with the management and usages of water resources.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The fisheries sector requires greater attention of the government in the form of incentives such as the ones given to the agriculture sector.</li>
<li>The scope of land use categories at state level needs to be increased to specifically include fisheries and aquaculture as integral components of agriculture.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-february-2020'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'In Depth - The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020',
			'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
			'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z9_6cVJhDSU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Recently, a Bill to amend the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/committee-to-review-the-offences-under-the-companies-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Companies Act, 2013</strong></a> and decriminalise various offences under it was introduced in the Lok Sabha. The proposed amendments aim to reduce the burden on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/final-report-on-penal-provisions-of-company-act-2013" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Company Law Tribunal.</strong></a> The Bill was however vehemently opposed and was demanded to be referred to the <strong>Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.</strong></p>
<h3>Proposed Amendments in the Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill removes the penalty and imprisonment in certain offences along with the reduction in the amount of fine payable.</li>
<li><strong>Decriminalization:</strong> The Bill proposed 72 amendments to the Companies Act, 2013 to decriminalise various offences which can promote <strong>Ease of doing ethical business and Ease of doing honest business.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will also boost the confidence of the investors along with giving an impetus to the business as the fear of imprisonment will be reduced.</li>
<li>The decriminalization is only for <strong>minor, procedural and technical falls</strong> which do not involve fraud, injury to the public interest, or non- compoundable offences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recategorization:</strong> The changes <strong>recategorize</strong> at least 23 offences out of the 66 compoundable offences mentioned under the Act in case of <strong>defaults</strong> (which can be <strong>determined objectively</strong> and which <strong>lack an element of fraud</strong> or do not involve larger public interest). Such cases will be dealt with an <strong>in-house adjudication framework.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Compoundable Offences</strong> are those which can be conciliated by the parties under dispute (without the requirement of the permission of the Court).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Producer Companies:</strong> Under the 2013 Act, certain provisions from the Companies Act, 1956 continue to apply to producer companies. These include provisions on their membership, the conduct of meetings, and maintenance of accounts. The Bill removes these provisions and adds a new chapter in the Act with similar provisions on producer companies.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Producer companies include companies which are engaged in the production, marketing and sale of agricultural produce, and sale of produce from cottage industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Direct Listing in Foreign Jurisdictions:</strong> The Bill empowers the Central government to allow certain classes of Indian public companies to directly list classes of securities (as may be prescribed) in foreign jurisdictions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is likely to<strong> help start-ups to tap overseas markets</strong> for raising capital.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Remuneration to non-executive Directors:</strong> The 2013 Act made special provisions for payment of remuneration to executive directors of a company (including managing director and other full-time directors) if the company has inadequate or no profits in a year. The Bill extends this provision to non-executive directors, including independent directors.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This will <strong>enhance the productivity</strong> of such non-executive directors because of their increased remuneration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Financial Results Filing &amp; Corporate Governance:</strong> Specified class of unlisted companies will now have to prepare and file their financial results periodically and also complete the <strong>audit or review</strong> of such results.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, the Bill provides for a window within which the penalties shall not be levied for delay in filing of annual returns.</li>
<li>This aims to improve corporate governance as it will bring more transparency into affairs of closely held companies which are used by major shareholders of large public interest companies <strong>to divert funds</strong> through transactions that are not on an <strong>arm&rsquo;s length basis.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benches of NCLAT:</strong> The Bill seeks to establish benches of the <strong>National Company Law Appellate Tribunal</strong> in order to ease their burden and decrease the pendency of cases.</li>
<li><strong>Penalties:</strong> It extends <strong>lesser penalties</strong> for small companies (i.e., with lower paid-up share capital and turnover thresholds), one-person companies (i.e., companies with only one member), and producer companies, in case of all offences which attract monetary penalties.</li>
<li><strong>Exclusion from listed companies:</strong> The Bill empowers the Central government, in consultation with the <strong>Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI),</strong> to exclude companies issuing specified classes of securities from the definition of a &ldquo;listed company&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Exemptions from filing resolutions:</strong> The 2013 Act required companies to file certain resolutions with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). However, banking companies were exempted from filing such resolutions. This exemption has been extended to registered non-banking financial companies and housing finance companies by the proposed Bill.</li>
<li><strong>Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):</strong> Under <strong>Section 135</strong> of the Companies Act, 2013, companies with net worth, turnover or profits above a specified amount are required to constitute <strong>CSR Committees</strong> and spend 2% of their average net profits in the last three financial years, towards its CSR policy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Bill exempts companies with a CSR liability of up to Rs 50 lakh a year from setting up CSR Committees.</li>
<li>Further, the Bill allows eligible companies (which spend any amount in excess of their CSR obligation in a financial year) to set off the excess amount towards their CSR obligations in the subsequent financial years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Corporate Social Responsibility</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/companies-amendment-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Corporate Social Responsibility</strong></a> is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.</li>
<li>While CSR law mandates spending across <strong>12 prescribed schedules</strong> ranging from education and health care to sports or gender equality, few companies spend towards community development, infrastructure, social &amp; child welfare, etc.</li>
<li>Under it, companies are mandated to constitute a<strong> CSR committee,</strong> comprising at least 3 members of the Board (with at least 1 independent member).</li>
<li><strong>Related Facts:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Indian businesses spend more than Rs. 10,000 crore a year on CSR.</li>
<li><strong>CSR expenditure</strong> of companies listed at the <strong>National Statistical Commission</strong> have <strong>grown</strong> at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17% over the last 5 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was enacted to consolidate and amend the laws relating to companies.</li>
<li>It tightened the <strong>CSR compliance norms</strong> and ensured stricter norms for non-compliance of the company law regulations.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It allowed companies to transfer their unspent CSR funds to a separate account, the same has to be spent within three financial years.</li>
<li>In case, the money remains unspent, then it should be transferred to any fund specified in Schedule VII of the Act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It empowered the Registrar <strong>of Companies</strong> to initiate action for removal of a company&rsquo;s name if it is not carrying out business activities as per the Companies Act.</li>
<li>It provided for <strong>transferring of functions</strong> with regard to dealing with applications for change of financial year and <strong>shifting of powers</strong> for conversion from public to private companies from NCLT to the Central government.</li>
<li>It provided more teeth to the Central government to deal with violators and reduced the burden on special courts and enabled the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-financial-reporting-authority" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)</strong></a> to perform its functions through divisions and executive bodies.</li>
</ul>
<p>A healthy business can only succeed in a healthy society. Thus, it is in the best interest of a company to produce goods and services which strengthen the health of the society along with the supportive efforts of the government to provide and create a conducive environment for the growth of the companies.</p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-the-companies-amendment-bill-2020'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Classes in Distance Mode',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Centre is planning to start the next academic year virtually.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many schools have been shut since early March due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a> pandemic, even before the countrywide lockdown.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This means that the new academic calendar will begin as usual in April for classes 9 to 12, though the last academic year may have been somewhat truncated, with examinations postponed in some cases including the CBSE exams for classes 10 and 12.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently, it has been decided that the cbse will conduct exams only for the main subjects: required for promotion or may be crucial for admission in higher educational institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Centre plans to restart classes in the distance mode, with teaching via <strong>dedicated TV and radio channels in English and Hindi.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is an existing program,<strong> Swayam Prabha,</strong> which is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting high-quality educational programmes on 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)</strong> has been asked to create a structured programme for schools class-wise. This is being done along with the <strong>National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)</strong> using their syllabus.</li>
<li>The material will be ready for use by schools following the NIOS or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus.</li>
<li><strong>For the State Boards</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) mobile app has been offered to States</strong> as a platform to provide content in local languages.</li>
<li>If States are willing to produce the content in local languages, the Centre can give them 2-3 hours on the channel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Diksha Portal was launched by the<strong> Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)</strong></li>
<li>in 2017 for providing a digital platform to teachers giving them an opportunity to <strong>learn and train themselves and connect with the teacher community.</strong></li>
<li>It is built considering the <strong>whole teacher's life cycle</strong> - from the time student teachers enroll in Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) to after they retire as teachers.</li>
<li><strong>States, government bodies and even private organisations,</strong> can integrate DIKSHA into their respective teacher initiatives based on their goals, needs and capabilities.</li>
<li>It also provides access to NCERT textbooks and lessons, following the regular school curriculum.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Institute of Open Schooling</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NIOS, formerly known as National Open School (NOS) was established in November,1989 as an <strong>autonomous organisation in pursuance of National Policy on Education 1986</strong> by the <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).</strong></li>
<li>NIOS provides a number of <strong>Vocational, Life Enrichment and community oriented courses besides General and Academic Courses at Secondary and Senior Secondary level.</strong></li>
<li>It also offers <strong>Elementary level Courses</strong> through its Open Basic Education Programmes (OBE).</li>
<li>Government of India has vested NIOS with the authority to <strong>examine and certify</strong> learners registered with it upto pre degree level courses whether Academic, Technical or Vocational.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-plans-classes-in-distance-mode/article31194604.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/classes-in-distance-mode'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Demand for MGNREGA Work Increased',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The demand for work by households under the <strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act</strong> (MGNREGA) programme surged to a nine-year high in 2019-20.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the MGNREGA official portal, 5.47 crore households sought MGNREGA works, <strong>the highest since 2010-11,</strong> when the number was 5.5 crore.</li>
<li><strong>More individuals too worked under MGNREGA in 2019-20,</strong> with 7.86 crore employed at various sites across the country. This is the highest since 2012-13, when 7.97 crore individuals worked under this programme.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>disruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown,</strong> however, may impact the final figure of the person days generated in March 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>gram panchayats not recording any MGNREGA expenditure has also declined.</strong> This shows that more and more panchayats are using MGNREGA to provide unskilled work to the unemployed.</li>
<li>These new <strong>MGNREGA figures coincide with the sharp fall in GDP growth rate</strong> to 5% in 2019-20, the lowest in a decade.</li>
<li>The <strong>demand for works under MGNREGA is surging despite the fact that wages have been flattening</strong> in recent years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2019-20, average MGNREGA wage per day per person was Rs 182.09, barely Rs 3 higher than Rs 179.13 in 2018-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The data also showed that <strong>263.73 crore person days</strong> were generated during 2019-20, slightly lower than 267.96 crore in 2018-19 but significantly higher than the total person days generated during each financial year from 2012-13 to 2017-18.</li>
<li>During 2019-20, the Centre released Rs 72,162.13 crore for the MGNREGA, the <strong>highest ever amount,</strong> and substantially higher than the Rs 62,125.07 crore released in 2018-19.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Act <strong>aims at enhancing the livelihood security </strong>of people<strong> in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household</strong> whose <strong>adult members</strong> (at least 18 years of age) volunteer to do unskilled work.</li>
<li>The <strong>central government bears the full cost of unskilled labour,</strong> 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<strong> &lsquo;right to work&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Rural Development (MRD),</strong> Government of India in association with state governments, <strong>monitors the implementation of the scheme.</strong></li>
<li>Agriculture and allied activities constitute more than 65% of the works taken up under the programme.</li>
<li>Social inclusion, gender parity, social security and equitable growth are the founding pillars of MGNREGA.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/as-growth-slows-demand-for-work-under-mnrega-shoots-to-9-yr-high-6344865/" 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/demand-for-mgnrega-work-increased'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Impact of Lockdown on Banks',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Banks are concerned about the build up of Non-performing Assets (NPAs) as the disruption caused to business operations and supply chains during the 21-day <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>lockdown</strong></a> period will take time to repair.</li>
<li>This is despite the fact that 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> (RBI) has injected fresh liquidity into the banking system and given banks leeway to deal with potential stress in loan accounts.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Non-Performing Asset</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NPA refers to a classification for loans or advances that are in <strong>default or are in arrears</strong> on scheduled payments of principal or interest.</li>
<li>In most cases, debt is classified as non-performing, when the loan payments have not been made for a <strong>minimum period of 90 days.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Gross non-performing assets</strong> are the sum of all the loans that have been defaulted by the individuals who have acquired loans from the financial institution.</li>
<li><strong>Net non-performing assets</strong> are the amount that is realized after provision amount has been deducted from the gross non-performing assets.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns of Bankers</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Fresh NPAs</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 21-day period lockdown would cause pain to lenders, especially in loan</li>
<li>accounts from sectors including <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong></a>, airlines, real estate, auto dealers, gems and jewellery, metals among others.</li>
<li>Banks are concerned about MSME loans and those extended to manufacturing sectors, such as auto, steel, renewable energy, as those where fresh NPAs are looming.</li>
<li>According to the RBI&rsquo;s financial stability report, the share of large borrowers in scheduled commercial banks&rsquo; total loan portfolios and their share in GNPAs was at 51.8%and 79.3% respectively, in September 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Problems Within Different Sectors</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even if the lockdown is lifted on April 14, operations of a number of companies in specific sectors will not see business getting back to normal as the labour has moved out and the production may not be able to restart.</li>
<li>Apart from these, capital intensive sectors such as aviation, real estate, consumer durables, and jewellery may take a long time before there is a demand revival.</li>
<li>Renewable power is struggling because of complete disruption of supply chains from China, as a result of which they are way behind on project schedules and could face payment issues from their customers, the power discoms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fear of Extended Lockdown:</strong> Measures by the RBI will provide banks some relief during the next three months, but a buildup of bad loans looks inevitable.While moratorium provides temporary relief to borrowers and helps check the NPAs during that period, an extended lockdown is expected to have a significant adverse effect on the economy.</li>
<li><strong>Analysis By Different Rating Agencies</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Moody&rsquo;s Investors Service:</strong> It expects deterioration in banks&rsquo; asset quality due to disruption in economic activity. It has changed the outlook for Indian banking system to negative from stable.</li>
<li><strong>According to a report released by Crisil:</strong> The asset classes will see continuing pressures on asset quality due to weaker profiles of borrowers and expectation of only a gradual economic recovery. In study of 35 sectors, both from manufacturing and services,there is a sharp variation in resilience in a post-Covid-19 landscape. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>High Resilience Category:</strong> Pharmaceuticals, telecom, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), fertiliser, oil refineries, power &amp; gas distribution and transmission are among the sectors comprising nearly 44% of the debt.</li>
<li><strong>Moderate Resilience Category:</strong> Another 52% debt is in sectors such as automobile manufacturers, power generators, roads and construction.</li>
<li><strong>Least Resilient Category:</strong> Around 4% of debt in sectors such as airlines, gems and jewellery, auto dealers and real estate, given the discretionary nature of goods and services, and weak balance sheets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/coronavirus-india-lockdown-despite-rbi-liquidity-push-banks-stare-at-fresh-npas-6344760/" 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/impact-of-lockdown-on-banks'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Covid-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS)',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding the application called<strong> COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CQAS collects phone data, including the device&rsquo;s location, on a common secured platform and alerts the local agencies in case of a violation by<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> COVID</strong></a> patients under watch or in isolation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Developed By:</strong> The DoT and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), in coordination with telecom service providers, have developed and tested the application.</li>
<li><strong>Working:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CQAS prepares a list of mobile numbers, segregates them on the basis of telecom service providers, and the location data provided by the telecom companies is run on the application to create <strong>geo-fencing.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Geo-fencing</strong> is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a <strong>virtual boundary</strong> set up around a <strong>geographical location, known as a geofence.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Geo-fencing will only work</strong> if the quarantined person has a mobile phone from Airtel, Vodafone-Idea or Reliance Jio, as &ldquo;BSNL/MTNL&rdquo; do not support location based services. BSNL and MTNL are government owned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The location information is received periodically over a secure network for the authorised cases with <strong>&ldquo;due protection of the data received&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The System <strong>triggers e-mails and SMS alerts</strong> to an authorised government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the person&rsquo;s mobile phone&rsquo;s cell tower location. The<strong> &ldquo;geo-fencing&rdquo; is accurate by up to 300 m.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Use of Powers under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Centre is using powers under the <strong>Indian Telegraph Act</strong> to <strong>&ldquo;fetch information&rdquo;</strong> from telecom companies<strong> every 15 minutes</strong> to track COVID-19 cases across the country.</li>
<li>The States have been asked to seek the approval of their Home Secretaries under the provisions of<strong> Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885,</strong> for the specified mobile phone numbers to request the DoT to provide information by email or SMS in case of violation of &ldquo;geo-fencing&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Section 5(2) authorises State or Centre to access information of a user&rsquo;s phone data in case of<strong> &ldquo;occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of the public safety.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protection of Data</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the SOP, the phone number should be deleted from the system after the period for which location monitoring required is over and the data would be deleted four weeks from thereon.</li>
<li>The data collected shall be used only for the purpose of <strong>Health Management in the context of COVID-19</strong> and is strictly not for any other purposes. Any violation in this regard would attract penal provisions under the relevant laws.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Centre for Development of Telematics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>C-DOT was established in August 1984 as <strong>an autonomous Telecom R&amp;D Centre of DoT.</strong></li>
<li>It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.</li>
<li>It is a<strong> registered &lsquo;public funded research institution&rsquo;</strong> with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Global Positioning System</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Global Positioning System is a <strong>Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),</strong> used to determine the ground position of an object. It is a US-owned utility that provides users with Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Radio-Frequency Identification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the <strong>use of radio waves</strong> to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object. A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Wi-Fi</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking technology that<strong> uses radio waves</strong> to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. WiFi network <strong>enables connection between two or more devices</strong> wirelessly for data sharing purposes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-geo-fencing-app-will-be-used-to-locate-quarantine-violators/article31241055.ece"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-quarantine-alert-system-cqas'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'Agasthyavanam Biological Park',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Forest Department is procuring forest produce collected by the tribespeople of the Agasthyavanam Biological Park (ABP) and surrounding forest ranges to be sold to commercial establishments and various collectives to deal with the lockdown necessitated by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-and-medical-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19 pandemic.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established in <strong>1997,</strong> Agasthyavanam Biological Park is a <strong>wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The park is located <strong>near Thiruvananthapuram/Trivandrum,</strong> the capital city of Kerala.</li>
<li>It is contiguous to <strong>Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary </strong>and<strong> Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The park has been <strong>named after the Agasthyamalai Agasthyakoodam Peak,</strong> which can be seen at a distance from the park. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-15th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve</strong></a> is located in the southernmost end of the Western Ghats and incorporates peaks towering 1,868 m above sea level. It covers 3,500 km<sup>2</sup> and encompasses tropical forest ecosystems that fall within the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu and the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Agasthyavanam Biological Park is <strong>spread</strong> over an area of 23 sq. km., of which 17.5 sq. km. of the park has been dedicated for natural regeneration to develop into a dense forest. The rest area of the park is left for systematic conservation programs.</li>
<li>The Park has <strong>endemic medicinal plants </strong>and<strong> rich biodiversity.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585899334_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585899334_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="680" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/forest-department-to-the-rescue-of-tribespeople/article31241953.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/agasthyavanam-biological-park'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Operation Sanjeevani',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>India supplied 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives,</strong> under <strong>Operation Sanjeevani</strong> as assistance in the fight against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID 19.</strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The medicines were delivered by an <strong>Hercules C-130J-30 aircraft of Indian Air Force.</strong></li>
<li>The medicines<strong> include influenza vaccines, antiviral drugs such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/anti-hiv-drugs-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lopinavir and ritonavir</a></strong> among others as well as consumables such as catheters, nebulisers, urine bags and infant feeding tubes.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Lopinavir and ritonavir have been used to treat patients with COVID-19 in some countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In March India also dispatched a <strong>14-member Army medical team to Maldives to set up a viral testing lab </strong>there and<strong> gifted 5.5 tonne of essential medicines.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Previous India&rsquo;s Assistance to Maldives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>1988:</strong> Under <strong>Operation Cactus</strong> the Indian Armed Forces have helped the government of Maldives in the <strong>neutralization of the coup attempt.</strong></li>
<li><strong>2004:</strong> India has helped Maldives <strong>after the tsunami.</strong></li>
<li><strong>2014:</strong> Under <strong>'Operation Neer'</strong> India supplied drinking water to Maldives to deal with the drinking water crisis.</li>
<li>The two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) given by India to the Maldivian armed forces have been used in saving Maldivian lives.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Advanced Light Helicopter is a multi-role, new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class, indigenously designed and developed by <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-need-to-modernise-indian-air-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relations Between the Two Countries<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585897490_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585897490_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="300" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>History:</strong> India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links. India was <strong>among the first to recognize Maldives</strong> after its independence in 1965 and later established its mission at Male in 1972.</li>
<li><strong>Defence:</strong> India provides the largest number of training opportunities for Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), meeting around 70% of their <strong>defence training requirements.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&lsquo;Ekuverin&rsquo;</strong> is a joint military exercise between India and Maldives.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disaster Management:</strong> The Government of India has provided large-scale assistance to Maldives in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and during the 2014 Male water crisis.</li>
<li><strong>Trade and Tourism:</strong> India is Maldives&rsquo; 4<sup>th</sup> largest trade partner after UAE, China and Singapore. In 2018, India was the 5<sup>th</sup> largest source of tourist arrivals in Maldives.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Maldivian economy is heavily dependent on its tourism sector, which is the major source of foreign exchange earnings and government revenue.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/iaf-airlifts-62-tonne-essential-drugs-to-maldives/article31240436.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/operation-sanjeevani'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Centre Defines J&K Domicile Rules',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs</strong> (MHA) has issued the <strong><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-jammu-and-kashmir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jammu and Kashmir</a> Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On 5<sup>th</sup> August 2019, the Centre <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/article-370-and-35-a-revoked" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>revoked J&amp;K's special status</strong></a> under <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-article-370" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 370</strong></a> <strong>and <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-article-35a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 35A</a> of the Constitution </strong>and<strong> bifurcated it into the UTs of J&amp;K and Ladakh.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two revoked constitutional provisions let the state legislature decide the <strong>&lsquo;permanent residents&rsquo;,</strong> prohibiting a non-J&amp;K resident from buying property there and ensuring job reservation for its residents.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are <strong>12 States,</strong> including Himachal Pradesh, where provisions of <strong>special status</strong> under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/article-371" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 371</strong></a> apply.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The provisions pertain to <strong>regulation of ownership and transfer of land</strong> in order to conserve the limited resources available for development and to ensure that the State preserves its unique identity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Highlights of Order</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It amended 109 laws and repealed 29 laws of the erstwhile State and inserted the <strong>&lsquo;domicile&rsquo;</strong> clause in the<strong> Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act, 2010.</strong></li>
<li>The clause for <strong>&lsquo;permanent resident of the State&rsquo;</strong> under the 2010 Act, has been substituted by<strong> &lsquo;Domicile&rsquo;</strong> of the UT.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act pertained to <strong>employment in the civil services</strong> comprising &ldquo;district, divisional and State&rdquo; cadre posts.</li>
<li>Only permanent residents of J&amp;K were eligible to apply for the gazetted and non-gazetted posts but<strong> now</strong> <strong>non-domiciles can also apply</strong> for these posts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>domiciles will be eligible for the purposes of appointment to any post carrying a pay scale of not more than Level 4.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Level 4</strong> post comprises positions such as gardeners, barbers, office peons and waterman and the highest rank in the category is that of a junior assistant.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>reservation</strong> for domiciles <strong>would not apply to Group A and Group B posts,</strong> and like other UTs, recruitment would be done by the<strong> Union Public Service Commission</strong> (UPSC).</li>
<li><strong>Criteria for Domiciles</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Someone who has <strong>resided for a period of 15 years</strong> in the UT of J&amp;K or</li>
<li>Someone who has <strong>studied for a period of seven years</strong> and <strong>appeared in Class 10<sup>th</sup>/12<sup>th</sup> examination</strong> in an educational institution located in the UT of J&amp;K or</li>
<li>Someone who is <strong>registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Children</strong> of Central government officials, All India Services, PSUs, autonomous body of Centre, Public Sector Banks, officials of statutory bodies, Central Universities, recognised research institutes of Centre who have served in J&amp;K for a<strong> total period of 10 years.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Children of such residents of J&amp;K</strong> who reside outside J&amp;K in connection with their employment or business or other professional or vocational reasons but their parents <strong>fulfil any of the conditions provided.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The order also amended the <strong>Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature Members' Pension Act,1984</strong> which fixes the pension for former legislators and councillors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The notification <strong>scraps all pension benefits</strong> such as car, driver, accommodation, phones, electricity, medical facilities and rent-free accommodation to former J&amp;K Chief Ministers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The order has also made amendments to the <strong>Public Safety Act (PSA) 1978</strong> by removing a clause that prohibited J&amp;K residents booked under the Act to be lodged in jails outside.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It <strong>changes the criteria for appointing the PSA advisory board</strong> on the recommendation of a search committee headed by the Chief Secretary instead of the Chief Justice of the J&amp;K High Court.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The advisory board has a crucial role to play in release of detenus under the PSA.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also <strong>bars sitting High Court judges to be made part of the board</strong> without the Chief justice's consultation.</li>
<li>The order also <strong>scraps a clause that deals with the power to regulate place and conditions of detention.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-jobs-to-be-reserved-only-for-domiciles-of-jk-says-centre/article31224164.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/centre-defines-j-k-domicile-rules'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'Planning In India',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/thinking-national-acting-local/article31230613.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Thinking national, acting local&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 02/04/2020. It talks about the scenario of national planning in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Being a developing country, India needs to increase employment and incomes; revive investments and growth; untangle the financial sector; navigate muddied-up international trade; solve the perennial problems of poor education and health, and the growing problems of environmental pollution and water scarcity.</p>
<p>With scarce resources and a huge magnitude of welfare to be done, the role of planning becomes significant. In India the role of planning activities was played by the Planning Commission (until 2014), afterwards <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/niti-aayog-national-institution-for-transforming-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NITI Aayog</strong></a>, a policy Think Tank replaced Planning Commission with an aim to make planning approach more inclusive and bottom-up.</p>
<p>The charter of NITI Aayog describes it as a body that should act as a catalyst of change in India's federal and complex socio-economic system.</p>
<p>However, the experts have raised concerns regarding the independence of NITI Aayog to guide the government and becoming a mouthpiece of the government and an implementer of the government&rsquo;s projects.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829404_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829404_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829424_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829424_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="429" height="410" /></a></p>
<h3>Issues Faced by National Planning</h3>
<p><strong>Complex-System Problem</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economy is a complex system, as economy, human society and natural environment are intimately connected to each other.</li>
<li><strong>A feature of complex systems, in which all the parts are connected, is that the system cannot be healthy if any part becomes very sick. Further, fixing one part of the system alone can make matters worse.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, providing skills to millions of youth before there are enough employment opportunities is a bold fix that can backfire.</li>
<li>Similarly, this can be seen in the air pollution problem in northern India which emanates from stubble burning.</li>
<li>Thus, the complexity of the task demands a good plan and a good strategy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Severe Air Pollution Due to Stubble Burning</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The improvement of productivity of agriculture with mechanization, and the management of water resources, has produced the unintended consequence of Delhi becoming the most polluted city in the world.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ever since mechanization was introduced in the 1980s to improve farm productivity, farmers in Punjab have burned the paddy stubble left by machines.</li>
<li>Later, alarmed by the increasing demand of water for paddy growth which was dwindling groundwater resources, the government passed the Preservation of Subsoil Water Act in 2009.</li>
<li>It stipulated that farmers postpone by one month the sowing and transplanting of paddy so that it was closer to the onset of the monsoon.</li>
<li>This reduced the need for drawing underground water for the transplanted paddy.</li>
<li>However, the post-harvest burning of the stubble also got postponed by a month.</li>
<li>It now coincided with the onset of winter in the North, when wind movement is low and atmospheric moisture content is high. Thus, it gave rise to severe air pollution in Northern India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Federal Issue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, States are expected to improve human development, create infrastructure, and make it easy to do business.</li>
<li>Along with that they are expected to manage their financial resources efficiently and balance their budgets.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>majority of States in India are not financially self-sufficient</strong> and most of the time that has to depend on grants from the centre, as decided by the Finance Commission (where states have no representation).</li>
<li>Further, it is argued that policies formulated by NITI Aayog are based on<strong> 'One size fits all approach'</strong>, most of the time they are unaware of ground realities and have little experience of how to get things done to produce outcomes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Need for Diversification in Policy Making</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A national planning institution must guide all-round progress. It must assist in achieving not just faster economic growth, but also more socially inclusive, and more environmentally sustainable growth. For this, it needs a balanced model in which societal and environmental forces are integrated.</li>
<li>However, <strong>economists have been advising policymakers to have comprehensive models of socio-environmental systems.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This can be testified by the fact that, despite economic growth, inequality and unemployment are rampant in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Planning by an Executive Body</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NITI Aayog <strong>does not have constitutional status</strong> independent from that of the government, thus it is alleged to bend to the will of the Government.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NITI Aayog should act as a force for persuasion, not control centre. Its role should intend to promote local systems solutions to national problems.</li>
<li>Many stakeholders must be involved in the implementation of a plan in a large, diversified and democratic country. Thus, planning should be devolved to State governments, and even to the third tier of city and district governance.</li>
<li>Indian Planning scheme requires a transformational approach to deal with 21<sup>st</sup> century challenges.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It requires new methods to speed up &lsquo;organisational learning&rsquo; amongst stakeholders in the system who must make plans together and implement them together.</li>
<li>Thus, it is not good enough to have a plan, there must also be a strategy for its cooperative implementation too.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; background-color: #dff7df; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Planning in India must adopt a more decentralised approach. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/planning-in-india'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Wimbledon Postponed due to Covid-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Wimbledon championships,</strong> which were scheduled for 29<sup>th</sup> June-12<sup>th</sup> July, have been cancelled for the first time since <strong>World War Two (WWII)</strong> in the wake of the ongoing crisis of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wimbledon <strong>(one of the Grand Slams)</strong> had been one of the few events not to have been officially cancelled or postponed.</li>
<li>Few days back, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tokyo-olympics-2020-postponed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Tokyo Olympics were also postponed.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Grand Slam Tournaments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are the <strong>four most important annual tennis events</strong> and each tournament is played for about two weeks.</li>
<li>It consists of:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Australian Open</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It takes place in <strong>mid-January</strong></li>
<li>Played in <strong>hard</strong> courts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>French Open</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is also known as the Roland-Garros de Paris.</li>
<li>It takes place in <strong>May and June.</strong></li>
<li>Played on<strong> clay</strong> court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wimbledon</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It takes place in <strong>June and July.</strong></li>
<li>Played on a <strong>grass</strong> court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>US Open</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It takes place in<strong> August and September.</strong></li>
<li>Played in<strong> hard</strong> courts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Wimbledon is relatively older than the rest (1877), followed by the US (1881), French (1891) and the Australian (1905).</li>
<li>Only Wimbledon was a major before <strong>1924&ndash;25,</strong> when<strong> all the four became designated Grand Slam tournaments.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585820476_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585820476_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wimbledon-postponed-due-to-covid-19'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Fall in Goods and Services Tax (GST) Collections',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for March 2020 stood at ₹97,597 crore, dropping below the ₹1 lakh-crore mark after four months.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>GST Collected</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Of the total collections, central GST stood at ₹19,183 crore, State GST was at ₹25,601 crore and integrated GST atwas ₹44,508 crore.</li>
<li>The government had settled ₹19,718 crore to CGST and ₹14,915 crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement.</li>
<li>In addition, the Centre also apportioned unsettled balance IGST of ₹6,000 crore on an ad-hoc basis in a 50:50 ratio between the Centre and States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Partial Impact of COVID-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The March revenue collections are based on the business conducted in February.</li>
<li>The collections <strong>do not take into account the full impact</strong> of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a> and the consequent shutdown of many business sectors in India.</li>
<li>It has been warned that <strong>the revenues for the month of April 2020 are likely to dip much further.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In Comparison to March 2019</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the Ministry of Finance, Gross GST revenue for March 2020 was <strong>8% lower than that of March 2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fall in Collection from Imports</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Although GST revenue<strong> from domestic transactions</strong> dropped 4% in comparison with March 2019, there was a <strong>23% fall in the tax collected on import of goods.</strong></li>
<li>Global trade was affected by COVID-19 in February itself.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Step Taken</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Small businesses have been allowed a <strong>three-month deferment of GST payments</strong> due to the COVID-19 situation.</li>
<li>There is a wider industry <strong>demand for a moratorium on payments and reduction in rates.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GST is a <strong>comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.</strong></li>
<li>GST is a comprehensive <strong>Indirect Tax</strong> which has replaced many Indirect Taxes in India.</li>
<li>The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in the Parliament on 29<sup>th</sup> March 2017 and came into effect on 1<sup>st</sup> July 2017</li>
<li>Under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gst-council-meet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GST council</strong> </a>and 101<sup>st</sup> constitutional amendment, the tax is levied <strong>at every point of sale.</strong></li>
<li>GST is categorized into CGST, SGST or IGST depending on whether the transaction is Intra-State or Inter-State.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Central Goods and Services Tax and State Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CGST is a tax levied on <strong>Intra State supplies of both goods and services by the Central Government</strong> and is governed by the CGST Act. SGST is also be levied on the same Intra State supply but will be governed by the State Government.</li>
<li>This implies that both the <strong>Central and the State governments</strong> agree on combining their levies with an appropriate <strong>proportion for revenue sharing between them.</strong></li>
<li>However, it is clearly mentioned in Section 8 of the GST Act that the taxes be levied on all Intra-State supplies of goods and/or services but <strong>the rate of tax shall not be exceeding 14%, each.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Integrated Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGST is a tax levied on all <strong>Inter-State supplies of goods and/or services</strong> and is governed by the IGST Act.</li>
<li>IGST is applicable on any supply of goods and/or services in <strong>both cases of import into India and export from India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/march-gst-revenue-drops-below-1-lakh-cr/article31230254.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/fall-in-goods-and-services-tax-gst-collections'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'National Medical Commission Act',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on the<a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/9/commentary/national-medical-commission-act.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;National Medical Commission Act&rdquo;</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/12/commentary/national-medical-commission-act-2019.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;National Medical Commission Act, 2019&rdquo;</strong></a>. It talks about issues pertaining to the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.</p>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/national-medical-commission-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (NMC Act)</strong></a> has been billed by the government as the &ldquo;biggest reform&rdquo; in the medical profession and a &ldquo;pro-poor legislation&rdquo; that shall make quality medical care more accessible to the people. The Act seems to bring governance reforms in the medical field, addressing the needs of health services, standardizing quality to be maintained in medical education, etc.</p>
<p>However, the Act has faced severe resistance from the medical community, who it was supposed to improve.</p>
<h3>What was the need for the Act?</h3>
<p>The Act seeks to rectify some of the fundamental issues in India's healthcare scenario.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corruption Charges Against Previous Regulator:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Medical Council of India</strong> (MCI), the body in charge of regulating the medical profession (before NMC Act) has faced corruption scandals.</li>
<li>Further, MCI was alleged of <strong>promoting Inspector Raj</strong> (that is, inspections carried out by the MCI to ensure the maintenance of required standards by medical colleges) and the malpractices linked with it.</li>
<li>In this context, the NMC Act replaced MCI with the<strong> National Medical Commission (NMC).</strong></li>
<li>The NMC Act has outlined the composition of the NMC with ex officio members, nominees of states and union territories, and from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Urban-Rural Divide in Healthcare:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Healthcare system in India is among the most privatized systems in the world, where <strong>most qualified doctors tend to serve in the urban areas,</strong> whereas rural areas are at the mercy of poorly functional public healthcare systems.</li>
<li>In order to rectify this, the NMC may grant<strong> limited licence to practice medicine at mid-level as Community Health Provider</strong> to such persons connected with a <strong>modern scientific medical profession</strong> who qualify such criteria as may be specified by the regulations.</li>
<li>These <strong>Community Health Providers acn bridge the shortages of medical professionals in rural areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Equity in Accessing Medical Education:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Democratisation of medical education</strong> is very important as it is becoming more expensive with every passing year. With the rising fees, expensive books and equipment become a barrier for several deserving students.</li>
<li>According to the Act, NMC will <strong>determine fees for 50% of the seats</strong> in private medical colleges and deemed universities.</li>
<li>This move will broaden the opportunity for students from all sections of society to undertake medical education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Uniformity in Quality:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NMC Act, 2019 provides for<strong> National Exit Test (NEXT)</strong> for granting a licence to practise medicine and enrolment in the State Register or the National Register, which shall also be the basis for admission to postgraduate broad-speciality education in medical institutions.</li>
<li>Similar efforts have been made by the government, for bringing uniformity in under-graduate medical entrance exams through <strong>National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Associated Issues</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Audit by Third Party:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NMC Act proposed to set up a <strong>&ldquo;Medical Assessment and Rating Board&rdquo;</strong> to hire and authorise any other third-party agency or persons for carrying out inspections of medical institutions for assessing and rating such institutions.</li>
<li>The authenticity of quality audits by private bodies can be questioned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issue of Autonomy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act provides NMC as a <strong>complete subsidiary of the government.</strong> From the selection of its office-bearers and members to its finances, its functioning and powers, all being comprehensively controlled by the government.</li>
<li>This absolute control of the government of the NMC, threatens its autonomy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Formalizing Quackery:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act is silent on the method by which the &ldquo;commission&rdquo; will grant &ldquo;limited licence&rdquo; to<strong> community health providers</strong> to practise modern medicine.</li>
<li>The absence of clarity on this front, may allow some unqualified personnel to perform duties of a medical practitioner.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issue of Federalism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though <strong>health is primarily a state subject,</strong> the Act empowers the central government to give such directions and the state government shall comply with such directions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The achievement of the<strong> third <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sustainable Development Goal</a> (SDG)</strong> in India will need well-functioning health systems that work towards ensuring universal health coverage.</p>
<p>In this context, the NMC Act is consciously contributing to medical education to channelise the supply-side to meet the future requirements. However, holistic governance reforms in the medical sector are the need of the hour, so as to instil the medical ethos of transparency, equity and accountability.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>PESTEL Analysis: Challenges to Healthcare in India</strong><br /><strong>Political:</strong> Lack of accountability; healthcare facilities not monitored regularly; policy loopholes, approach to healthcare governance not participatory and inclusive.<br /><strong>Economic:</strong> Low public healthcare investment and inadequate health infrastructure; high out of pocket expenses; lack of accessibility and affordability<br /><strong>Social:</strong> Urban-Rural, Poor-Rich Divide; gender divide; lack of awareness; poor hygiene culture and sanitation practices; lack of capacity building of health workers.<br /><strong>Technological:</strong> Lack of technological up-gradation, research and development. <br /><strong>Environmental:</strong> Severe pollution; increase in zoonotic diseases.<br /><strong>Legal:</strong> Lack of legal awareness. Eg- &lsquo;informed consent of patient&rsquo;; &lsquo;negligence by medical professionals&rsquo; not covered strictly under medical jurisprudence.</p>
</div>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fcfce3;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The achievement of SDG-3 in India will need well-functioning health systems that work towards ensuring universal health coverage. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/national-medical-commission-act'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Zoonotic Diseases',
			'catname' => 'Paper 3',
			'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word 'Zoonosis' (Pleural: Zoonoses) was introduced by Rudolf Virchow in 1880 to include collectively the diseases shared in nature by man and animals.</li>
<li>Later WHO in 1959 defined that Zoonoses are those diseases and infections which are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man.</li>
<li>Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, or may involve unconventional agents.</li>
<li>As well as being a public health problem, many of the major zoonotic diseases prevent the efficient production of food of animal origin and create obstacles to international trade in animal products.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739441_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739441_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>How do germs spread between animals and people?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Zoonotic transmission can occur in any context in which there is companionistic (pets), economic (farming, etc.), predatory (hunting, butchering or consuming wild game) or research contact with animals.</li>
<li><strong>Contamination of food or water supply:</strong> Eating or drinking contaminated food can cause various types of diseases in humans.</li>
<li><strong>Direct contact:</strong> While petting or touching animals, and bites or scratches.</li>
<li><strong>Indirect contact:</strong> Coming into contact with areas where animals live and roam.</li>
<li><strong>Vector-borne:</strong> Being bitten by a tick, or an insect, like a mosquito or a flea food-borne</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Types of Influenza in Animals</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most strains of influenza that infect humans are human diseases, although many strains of bird flu and swine flu are zoonoses.</li>
<li><strong>Influenza A viruses</strong> are found in many different animals, including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, seals, and cats.</li>
<li>These viruses occasionally recombine with human strains of the flu and can cause pandemics.</li>
<li><strong>Bat influenza:</strong> Influenza A viruses are found in bats.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bat flu was first discovered in &ldquo;little Yellow-shouldered bats&rdquo; in Guatemala</li>
<li>Internal genes of bat flu viruses are compatible with human flu viruses</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Influenza in cats:</strong> Cats can be infected with influenza viruses, including avian influenza viruses.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Influenza in cats is thought to spread the same way that human flu spreads: through direct contact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Canine influenza (dog flu):</strong> A contagious respiratory disease in dogs caused by specific type A influenza viruses &mdash; H3N8, H3N2.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>No human infections with canine influenza have ever been reported.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Swine/Variant influenza:</strong> A respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses.</li>
<li><strong>Avian influenza:</strong> These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>All subtypes of influenza A viruses apart from H17N10 and H18N11 can infect birds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Classification of Zoonoses</h3>
<p><strong>According to the Etiological (Originating) Agents</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bacterial zoonoses:</strong> e.g. anthrax, brucellosis, plague, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, lyme disease</li>
<li><strong>Viral zoonoses:</strong> e.g. rabies, arbovirus infections, KFD, yellow fever, influenza</li>
<li><strong>Rickettsial zoonoses:</strong> e.g. murine typhus, tick typhus, scrub typhus, Q-fever</li>
<li><strong>Protozoal zoonoses:</strong> e.g. toxoplasmosis, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis</li>
<li><strong>Helminthic zoonoses:</strong> e.g. echinococcosis (hydatid disease), taeniasis</li>
<li><strong>Fungal zoonose:</strong> s e.g. deep mycosis - histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis</li>
<li><strong>Ectoparasites:</strong> e.g. scabies, myiasis</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>According to the mode of transmission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Direct zoonoses:</strong> Transmitted from an infected vertebrate host to a susceptible host (man) by direct contact, by contact with a fomite or by a mechanical vector. Eg: rabies, anthrax, brucellosis etc.</li>
<li><strong>Cyclozoonoses:</strong> Require more than one vertebrate host species, but no invertebrate host for the completion of the life cycle of the agent, e.g. echinococcosis, taeniasis.</li>
<li><strong>Metazoonoses:</strong> These are transmitted biologically by invertebrate vectors, in which the agent multiplies and/or develops and there is always an extrinsic incubation (prepatent) period before transmission to another vertebrate host e.g., plague.</li>
<li><strong>Saprozoonoses:</strong> These require a vertebrate host and a non-animal developmental site like soil, plant material, pigeon dropping etc. for the development of the infectious agent e.g. aspergillosis.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>According to the reservoir host</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Anthropozoonoses Infections:</strong> Transmitted to man from lower vertebrate animals e.g. rabies, leptospirosis, plague, arboviral infections, brucellosis and Q-fever.</li>
<li><strong>Zooanthroponoses Infections:</strong> Transmitted from man to lower vertebrate animals e.g. streptococci, staphylococci, diphtheria, enterobacteriaceae, human tuberculosis in cattle and parrots.</li>
<li><strong>Amphixenoses Infections:</strong> Maintained in both man and lower vertebrate animals and transmitted in either direction e.g. salmonellosis, staphylococcosis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Factors Influencing Prevalence of Zoonoses</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Ecological changes in man's environment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Exploitation of new territories and natural resources like harnessing the power of rivers, constructing roads and pipelines through thinly populated areas, clearing, irrigating and cultivating new land, deforestation lead to entering of humans in the unaccustomed ecosystem in which potential pathogens form part of the biotic community (natural focus).</li>
<li>Large scale expansion of agricultural and engineering resources, construction of dams, artificial lakes, irrigation schemes, clearing of forests -all these lead to changing of the biting habits of the blood sucking vectors and alteration in the population of reservoir animals which has led to the spread of such diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Handling animal by-products and wastes (occupational hazards)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For eg- anthrax in carpet weavers, live stock raisers and workers with animal hair in the textile industry, leptospirosis in rice field workers, listeriosis in agricultural workers etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increased movements of man</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Land development, engineering project work, pilgrimages, tourism, etc. expose the people to contaminated food and water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increased trade in animal products</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Wool, bone meal, meat, etc. from an area where some of the zoonoses are endemic, are likely to introduce the disease into new territories.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Transportation of virus infected mosquitoes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Eg- Aircraft, ship, train, motor and other vehicles bring the viruses in to a new area, e.g. yellow fever Chikungunya fever, dengue fever etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cultural anthropological norms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For eg- in Kenya, people allow the dogs and hyenas to eat human dead bodies infected with hydatidosis. This helps to perpetuate the transmission cycle of the disease.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Case Studies</h3>
<p><strong>Kyasanur Forest Disease/Monkey Fever</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) is caused by Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV), a member of the virus family <em>Flaviviridae.</em></li>
<li>KFDV was identified in 1957 when it was isolated from a sick monkey from the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka (formerly Mysore) State. Since then, between 400-500 humans cases per year have been reported.</li>
<li>Hard ticks are the reservoir of the KFD virus and once infected, remain so for life.</li>
<li>Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after being bitten by an infected tick.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739232_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739232_image2.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="/printpdf/novel-strain-of-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID 19</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Another example of a zoonotic disease is COVID-19, which broke out in China's Wuhan district in December 2019.</li>
<li>It was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020 with total cases reaching nearly 8 lakh.</li>
<li>COVID-19 is caused by the virus SARS-CoV2 which is believed to have started in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SARS CoV</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged in 2002-2003 in southern China.</li>
<li>SARS-CoV is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002.</li>
<li>An epidemic of SARS affected 26 countries and resulted in more than 8000 cases in 2003.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>MERS CoV</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.</li>
<li>Current scientific evidence suggests that dromedary camels are a major reservoir host for MERS-CoV and an animal source of MERS infection in humans.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Nipah</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The classic example of emergence of zoonotic disease is the outbreak of Nipah in Kerala.</li>
<li>The virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (bats and pigs), and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.</li>
<li>Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Zoonotic Diseases and India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is among the top geographical hotspots where zoonotics diseases are a major public health issue causing <strong>high burden of morbidity and mortality.</strong></li>
<li>High priority zoonotic diseases like Brucellosis have emerged from Haryana to Goa, incidence and prevalence of occupational zoonotic disease like Anthrax have affected human health throughout.</li>
<li>Similarly, Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle that impacts productivity and represents a major public health threat and is considered endemic in India.</li>
<li>Further, being among the highest bacterial disease burden in the world, antibiotics, therefore, have a critical role in limiting morbidity and morality and consequently Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has huge implications for India.</li>
<li>Major public health zoonotic diseases in India include Rabies, Brucellosis, Toxoplasmosis, Cysticercosis, Echinococcosis, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Plague, Leptospirosis, Scrub typus, Nipah, Trypanosomiasis, Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).</li>
<li>According to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), about 75% of emerging and re-emerging infections are zoonotic, and new pathogens (viruses) continue to emerge and spread across countries.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Challenges to Controlling Zoonotic Diseases in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Large human population</strong> and its frequent interactions with animals.</li>
<li><strong>Poverty:</strong> Leads to increased dependence on animal rearing as a means of livelihood. The intimate human-animal contact puts them at risk for this category of diseases.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Poverty-struck communities are primarily dependent on rearing animals as a means of livelihood and, therefore, the intimate human-animal contact puts them at risk for this category of diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unawareness:</strong> Large part of population remains unaware of the basic hygiene routine to be followed.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of proper vaccination programmes, poor sero-surveillance </strong>and<strong> lack of diagnostic facilities</strong> make the preventive and precautionary approach more difficult.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Measures Taken ToControl Zoonotic Diseases</strong></p>
<p>Following Programmes have been launched under <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></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)</li>
<li>National Programme for Containment of Anti-Microbial Resistance</li>
<li>National Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Programme</li>
<li>Strengthening Inter-sectoral coordination for prevention and control of Zoonotic Diseases of Public Health Importance</li>
<li>National Rabies control programme</li>
<li>Programme for prevention and control of Leptospirosis</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Zoonoses comprise a large percentage of all newly identified infectious diseases as well as existing infectious diseases.</li>
<li>Cross-sectoral collaboration is key to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-policy-for-disease-control" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>understanding and managing public health risks</strong></a> at the human-animal-environment interface and improving global health security.</li>
<li>Coordination between physicians, veterinarians, and epidemiologists should be strengthened.</li>
<li>Technology should be used effectively. Each district and state in the country needs to be linked through satellite to the designated national headquarters for collecting real-time data on the activity of pathogens and diseases.</li>
<li>International Organisations such as the WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) should work in close collaboration to carry out expansive research in the field to prevent and manage the threats of such pandemics.</li>
<li>The international community should also push for more transparency in the working of organisations such as WHO.</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Globalisation & Covid-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Global leaders have reached this consensus that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>pandemic</strong></a> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> and the crisis it has generated is a turning point in modern history.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The crisis offers the world an opportunity to <strong>forge a new human-centric concept of globalisation.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rapid worldwide spread of<strong> Covid-19</strong> has a lot to do with the <strong>fallout of globalisation,</strong> including the <strong>travel</strong> industry,<strong> tourism</strong> and the neoliberal attack on <strong>universal health care</strong> which can be understood by the <strong>examples of South Korea, Iran and Sri Lanka.</strong></li>
<li><strong>South Korea:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The transmission of the Covid-19 in South Korea is related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. This <strong>cult facilitated the transmission</strong> of the disease from Wuhan to South Korea because of<strong> frequent travel among its followers.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Iran:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The coronavirus was introduced in Iran through <strong>globalisation-triggered international alignment and incubated through political and religious processes.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic sanctions imposed</a> by the U.S. dominated western countries</strong> compelled Iran to develop ties with China. Which in turn, made the <strong>traders act as the carriers</strong> of the viruses.</li>
<li>The<strong> initial hub of disease transmission</strong> in Iran was Qom, a <strong>popular pilgrimage centre for Shiite Muslims</strong> from where it reached the<strong> Iranian Parliament,</strong> having strong ties with Qom.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sri Lanka &amp; India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Here the onset of the Covid-19 has a lot to do with<strong> tourism and labour migration,</strong> processes intimately connected with globalisation.</li>
<li>Both in <strong>Sri Lanka and India,</strong> the <strong>first cases were reported among foreign tourists</strong> from China and Italy respectively.</li>
<li>The <strong>tour guides</strong> became the<strong> first set of local people exposed</strong> to the disease triggering local transmissions.</li>
<li>Both Sri Lanka and Kerala in India have <strong>large portions of their labour force employed overseas.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Returnees</strong> from these overseas destinations have contributed to the upsurge in the Covid-19 epidemic in South Asian countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The quarantine and social distancing processes may not be <strong>totally effective</strong> in so far as the migrant workers and their families are often in between two states, experiencing difficulties at both ends.</li>
<li>Both migrant workers and tourist guides already experience discrimination of various kinds because of their occupations and the risks involved and the quarantine has added to their misery.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The world needs to think <strong>beyond social distancing and quarantining</strong> the affected people and places.</li>
<li>Broader and deeper issues like <strong>fallout from globalisation need to be analysed</strong> and questioned.</li>
<li>In the recent <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/virtual-g20-leaders-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>G20 video conference</strong></a>, Indian Prime Minister stressed the world leaders to look at <strong>humanitarian aspects to global challenges like pandemics, climate change and terrorism, not just economic ones.</strong></li>
<li>The world needs to redefine the definition of globalisation and make it more <strong>human-centric instead of market and profit-oriented.</strong></li>
<li>There is a need to <strong>devote special attention to the needs of less developed countries</strong> as they might not contribute to the causes but face the severity of the situation far worse.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Globalisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It refers to the<strong> economic,</strong> <strong>social and political integration of nations.</strong> It entails the spread of products, technology, information and jobs across national borders and cultures.</li>
<li>In <strong>economic terms,</strong> it describes an <strong>interdependence of nations</strong> around the globe, fostered through free trade.</li>
<li>Globalisation can be further divided into subcategories based on its time frame and focus areas:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Globalization 1.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was <strong>pre-World War I</strong> globalization, which was launched by a historic drop in trade costs.</li>
<li>This globalization came with almost no government support and was without global governance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Globalization 2.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is the <strong>post-World War II</strong> phase where trade in goods was combined with complimentary domestic policies.</li>
<li>The market was in charge of efficiency while the government was in charge of justice.</li>
<li>It saw the establishment of institute-based, rule-based international governance, specifically the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong></a> (UN), <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-monetary-fund-imf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Monetary Fund</strong> </a>(IMF), <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank</strong></a>, <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-trade-organisation-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Trade Organisation</strong></a> (WTO, earlier GATT), <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-labour-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labor Organization</strong></a> (ILO) etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Globalization 3.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It created a new world of manufacturing in which high-tech was combined with low wages.</li>
<li>This was achieved through establishment of global supply chains as factories crossed international borders.</li>
<li>It was variously called <strong>New globalization, Hyper globalization, Global value chain evolution.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Globalization 4.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is the latest stage of globalization which involves cutting-edge new technologies like <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>artificial intelligence</strong></a> (AI) that powers forward with the explosion of information technology.</li>
<li>These technologies shrink distances, open up borders and minds and bring people all across the globe closer together.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/beyond-social-distancing-to-fight-covid-19/article31221877.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Fundraising for Covid-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Government has hiked <strong>Ways and Means Advance (WMA)</strong> limit with 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> by 60%.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WMA limit is proposed to be revised to Rs 1.20 lakh crore and would be reviewed on a need basis (from Rs 75,000 crore last year).</li>
<li>This is to compensate for the cash flow mismatch in Financial Year (FY) 21 expected from higher spending to combat the spread of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-s-preparedness" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ways and Means Advance scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ways and Means Advances scheme was <strong>introduced in 1997.</strong></li>
<li>The Ways and Means Advances scheme was introduced to <strong>meet mismatches in the receipts and payments of the government.</strong></li>
<li>The government can avail of <strong>immediate cash from the RBI,</strong> if required. But it has to <strong>return the amount within 90 days.</strong> Interest is charged at the <strong>existing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/repo-rate-unchanged-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repo rate.</a></strong></li>
<li>If the WMA exceeds 90 days, it would be treated as an <strong>overdraft</strong> (the interest rate on overdrafts is 2 percentage points more than the repo rate).</li>
<li>The limits for Ways and Means Advances are <strong>decided by the government and RBI</strong> mutually and revised periodically.</li>
<li>A<strong> higher limit provides the government flexibility</strong> to raise funds from RBI without borrowing them from the market.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government has announced a <strong>Rs 1.7 lakh crore package (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana</a>)</strong> to provide income support, free food and other facilities to the poor to help them <strong>during the 21-day national <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lockdown.</a></strong></li>
<li>The fundraising resources are <strong>not only from the market, but also from institutions such as the RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/union-budget-2020-21-highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Budget 2020-21</strong> </a>has pegged the Centre&rsquo;s net market borrowing, including government securities, treasury bills and post office life insurance fund at Rs 5.36 lakh crore.</li>
<li>Out of<strong> gross borrowings</strong> of Rs 7.8 lakh crore in FY21, the Centre has proposed to borrow Rs 4.88 lakh crore, or 62.56%, in the first half of the fiscal, as against 62.25% done in the previous fiscal.</li>
<li>In FY21, the Centre also plans to issue the <strong>Debt Exchange Traded Fund</strong> comprising government securities to widen the base of investors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This will enable <strong>retail investors,</strong> who otherwise find it difficult to buy government bonds directly, take an exposure in this <strong>risk free instrument.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Exchange Traded Fund</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is a<strong> basket of securities</strong> that trade on an exchange, just like a stock.</li>
<li>ETF reflects the<strong> composition of an Index,</strong> like BSE Sensex. Its <strong>trading value is based on the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the underlying stocks</strong> (such as shares) that it represents.</li>
<li>ETF share prices <strong>fluctuate all day</strong> as it is bought and sold. This is different from mutual funds that only trade once a day after the market closes.</li>
<li>An ETF can <strong>own hundreds or thousands of stocks across various industries,</strong> or it could be isolated to one particular industry or sector.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/govt-hikes-wma-limit-with-rbi-by-60-frontloads-borrowing-6341083/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'Quasi-subspecies of Covid-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the<strong> Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)</strong> a mixture of three quasi-subspecies of SARS-CoV-2 is in circulation in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, scientists are yet to classify a<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> SARS-Cov-2</strong></a> variant as an Indian strain.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These imported variants of SARs-CoV-2 showed no differences from how they behaved in the place of origin. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s COVID-19 cases were mainly from people with travel history and their immediate contacts, which is to say that this virus was brought in from outside.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The government has also constituted a <strong>Science and Technology Empowered Committee to</strong> coordinate among science agencies, scientists, industries and regulatory bodies <strong>for Covid-19 response.</strong></li>
<li>The Committee will work with the Department of Science &amp; Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Institute for Science (IISC) to <strong>take speedy decisions on research and development</strong> keeping in view of the critical need to increase the testing facilities for COVID-19 disease.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.</li>
<li>It was founded in <strong>1911</strong> with the name of Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) and <strong>renamed as ICMR in 1949.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>funded</strong> by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, <strong>Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/three-quasi-subspecies-of-coronavirus-in-circulation-says-icmr/article31222507.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'title' => 'National Investigation Agency',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was constituted under the <strong>National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Headquarters:</strong> New Delhi</li>
<li>It is a central agency to<strong> investigate and prosecute offences</strong> related to terrorism and certain other Act <strong>post-2008 Mumbai terror attacks</strong> such as:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Affecting the <strong>sovereignty, security and integrity of India,</strong> security of State, friendly relations with foreign States.</li>
<li>Against <strong>atomic and nuclear facilities.</strong></li>
<li>Smuggling in High-Quality <strong>Counterfeit Indian Currency.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It <strong>implements international treaties, agreements, conventions and resolutions</strong> of the United Nations, its agencies and other international organisations.</li>
<li>It&rsquo;s objective is also to <strong>combat terror in India.&nbsp;</strong>It acts as the <strong>Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Assist all States and other investigating agencies in the <strong>investigation of terrorist cases.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Build a database</strong> of all terrorist-related information and share the database available with the States and other agencies.</li>
<li>Study and analyse laws relating to terrorism in other countries and regularly <strong>evaluate the adequacy of existing laws</strong> in India and propose changes as and when necessary.</li>
<li>To execute in-depth professional investigation <strong>of scheduled offences</strong> using the latest scientific methods of investigation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Scheduled Offences</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The schedule to the Act specifies a<strong> list of offences</strong> which are to be investigated and prosecuted by the NIA.</li>
<li>These include offences under Acts such as the<strong> Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Mandate of NIA</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The cases are assigned to the NIA by the Central Government in accordance with <strong>section VI of the NIA Act, 2008.</strong></li>
<li>The investigation of the cases is done by the Agency<strong> independently.</strong></li>
<li>After investigation, the cases are placed before <strong>the NIA Special Court.</strong></li>
<li>It is empowered to deal<strong> with terror-related crimes across states without special permission from the states.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Recent Amendments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The various features or provisions of the<strong> NIA (Amendment) ACT, 2019</strong> are as follows:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It applied the provisions of the NIA Act <strong>also to persons who commit a scheduled offence beyond India</strong> against Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India.</li>
<li>It provided that the officers of the NIA shall have the similar powers, duties, privies and liabilities being exercised by the <strong>police officers in connection with the investigation of offences,</strong> not only in India but also outside India.</li>
<li>It empowered the central government, with respect to a scheduled offence committed outside India, to direct the NIA to register the case and take up investigation as if <strong>such offence had taken place in India.</strong></li>
<li>It provided that the central government and the state governments may designate <strong>Sessions Courts as Special Courts for conducting the trial of offences</strong> under the NIA Act.</li>
<li>It inserted certain new offences in the <strong>Schedule of the NIA Act.</strong> Consequently, the NIA is also empowered to probe the offences relating to<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>human trafficking,</li>
<li>counterfeit currency or bank notes,</li>
<li>manufacture or sale of prohibited arms,</li>
<li>cyber-terrorism and</li>
<li>explosive substances.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues in the Recent Amendments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Under schedule VII of the Constitution, the maintenance of <strong>public order and police forces are matters of state list.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, <strong>Criminal law forms part of the concurrent list</strong> and national security comes under the domains of the union list.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Central government gets the authority to have the NIA take over the investigation of crimes, which involve allegations of human trafficking, offences under the Explosives Act, and certain offences under the Arms Act.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, <strong>not every criminal offence in the above act is a threat to national security and sovereignty</strong> and consequently, states have the competence to deal with the same.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Amendment Bill puts<strong> Section 66F of the Information Technology Act, 2000</strong> into the Schedule listing offences. Section 66F deals with <strong>cyber terrorism.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>But India <strong>does not have a data protection act </strong>and there is <strong>no definition of cyber terrorism.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The amendment to the NIA Act also gives the agency authority to investigate crimes committed by persons which are against Indian citizens or <strong>&ldquo;affecting the interest of India&rdquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, the term &ldquo;affecting the interest of India&rdquo; is <strong>undefined</strong> and can be <strong>misused by governments</strong> to curb freedom of speech and expression.</li>
<li>Further, the laws, under which the NIA has the authority to investigate, themselves <strong>do not mention &ldquo;affecting the interest of India&rdquo; as an offence.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/activists-decry-akhil-gogois-serial-rearrest-in-assam/article31253206.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => '50 Years of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://idsa.in/issuebrief/npt-50-genesis-flawed-avkumar-310320" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;[email protected]: The Genesis of a Flawed Bargain&rdquo;</strong></a>. It talks about issues pertaining to Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT).</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Year 2020 marked the 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary</strong> of the entry-into-force of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/npt-must-for-india-s-entry-into-nsg-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)</strong></a>, a legal instrument treated as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.</p>
<p>The treaty institutionalised the non-proliferation norm by de-legitimising &lsquo;proliferation&rsquo; (production and transfer) of nuclear weapons, fissile materials and related technology by the <strong>non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS)</strong> while the recognised<strong> five nuclear-weapon states (NWS) &mdash;</strong> namely the <strong>US, Russia, the UK, France and China,</strong> can continue to possess nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>The Treaty can be described to have <strong>three objectives of non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</strong> However, NNWS criticised this treaty of having <strong>structural flaws</strong> and viewed it as an imbalanced instrument.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the treaty has attained a near-universal status with just <strong>four hold-outs &mdash; India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea</strong> and it is widely acknowledged that having a treaty to halt the spread of nuclear weapons was better than having none at all.</p>
<h3>Issues Pertaining to NPT</h3>
<p><strong>Failure of Disarmament Process</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NPT is largely seen as a <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/cold-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cold War era</strong> </a>instrument that has failed to fulfil the objective of creating a pathway towards a credible disarmament process.</li>
<li>Treaty proposes <strong>no tangible disarmament roadmap, no reference to test ban or to the freezing of production of either fissile materials or nuclear weapons, and omitted provisions for reductions and elimination.</strong></li>
<li>It instead allowed sustenance and expansion of arsenals by stipulating <strong>January 1, 1967</strong> as the cut-off date to determine the NWS.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>System of Nuclear &lsquo;Haves&rsquo; and &lsquo;Have-Nots&rsquo;</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NNWS criticizes the treaty to be discriminatory as it focuses on <strong>preventing only horizontal proliferation while there is no limit for vertical proliferation.</strong></li>
<li>In this context, NNWS groupings demand that the NWS should renounce their arsenals and further production in return for commitment of NNWS not to produce them.</li>
<li>Apart from it, <strong>other reasons for tussle between NWS and NNWS.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>NNWS held that Articles I &amp; II of the treaty (prohibition of possessing nuclear weapons) did not prohibit nuclear weapons on allied territory of NWS. For example, NATO countries for the US.</li>
<li>NWWS also feels that the restrictions on <strong>Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE)</strong> technology are one-sided.</li>
<li>Under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) protocols of nuclear safety, the NWS allowed to maintain &lsquo;voluntary&rsquo; safeguards while the rest were subjected to comprehensive safeguards, which seemed intrusive and discriminatory to the NNWS.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Due to this tussle, most of the quadrennial <strong>Review Conferences (RevCon),</strong> the forum that reviews the health and functioning of the treaty, has remained largely inconclusive since 1995.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Vertical Proliferation vs Horizontal Proliferation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical proliferation</strong> can be defined as the advancement or modernization of a nation-state's nuclear arsenal, whereas <strong>horizontal proliferation</strong> is the direct or indirect transfer of technologies from one nation-state to another, which ultimately leads to the more advanced development and proliferation of nuclear weapons.</li>
<li>As there is no explicit obligation on part of NWS to reduce their arsenal, NWS have continued to expand their respective arsenals without any constraints.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Peaceful Nuclear Explosions</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) are nuclear explosions conducted for non-military purposes.</li>
<li>The US proposed to prohibit PNE rights and instead offered to provide the technology on a commercial basis.</li>
<li>The Indian representatives consistently termed the offer as 'atomic apartheid' and 'commercial super-monopoly,' and insisted that PNE rights need to be integral to all peaceful uses of nuclear energy.</li>
<li>India conducted its first PNE in 1974 in opposition to this discriminatory principle.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Post-Cold War Challenges</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The treaty&rsquo;s existential challenges began in the post-Cold War setting when the attempts by a few State Parties to break-out or gain nuclear latency led to numerous instances of non-compliance, violations and defiance. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the US alleges Iran of building nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The NPT&rsquo;s indefinite extension in 1995, while invoking its irreplaceability, also underlined the inability of states to formulate a stand-alone instrument towards the objective of disarmament, as enshrined in the NPT.</li>
<li>The emergence of non-state actors with declared intent to access weapons of mass destruction and the detection of a global nuclear black-market, has raised concerns on the limitations of the treaty to address the challenges thrown up by the new strategic milieu.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Stand on NPT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew,</strong> thus becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.</li>
<li>India always considered the NPT as <strong>discriminatory</strong> and had refused to sign it.</li>
<li>India has opposed the international treaties aimed at non-proliferation since they were selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Rising energy demands have led to a growing number of countries pursuing nuclear energy, and many countries wish to be energy-independent, in order to ensure a sustainable and dependable domestic energy supply. As clean energy, development, and peaceful coexistence are essential for every country.</li>
<li>Thus, the challenge for the international community will be to reconcile states&rsquo; desire for energy independence with their desire to both reduce the intrusiveness of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/63rd-general-conference-of-iaea" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>IAEA</strong></a> safeguards and diminish the possibility of proliferation.</li>
<li>Also, NNWS welcomes<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-start-treaty" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> New START</strong> </a>and other initiatives, but is anxious to see more concrete actions on reducing the role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrines, reducing alert levels, increasing transparency, and other steps.</li>
<li>More regions in the world (preferably comprising NWS) should enter into an arrangement of establishing <strong>Nuclear-weapon-free zones.</strong></li>
<li>Further, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a step in the right direction for nuclear disarmament.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) is a geographical area declared free of nuclear weapons as described</li>
<li>under Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in the United Nations Guidelines on NuclearWeapon-Free Zones from 1999. As of 2016, there are five such regional treaties in place in populated areas</li>
<li>of the world: Latin-America and the Caribbean, Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific.</li>
<li>In addition, the status of Mongolia as a nuclear-free territory has been recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. Antarctica is also considered nuclear-free, and so is outer space.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585915432_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585915432_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="750" 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: #fff9e3;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Discuss the issues pertaining to Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/50-years-of-nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-npt'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'Impact of Covid-19 on Global Economy',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uncdat-world-investment-report-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</a> (UNCTAD)</strong> has observed that the economic uncertainty sparked by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> will likely cost the global economy $1 trillion in 2020.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The observation is based on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-economic-situation-and-prospects-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020</strong></a> released by UNCTAD.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Observations</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <strong>slowdown in the global economy to under 2%</strong> for this year is envisaged which will probably cost in the order of $1 trillion.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Worst possible scenario:</strong> If the world economy grew at only 0.5% which would involve a $2 trillion hit to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>gross domestic product</strong></a> (GDP).</li>
<li><strong>Best case scenario:</strong> With moderate declines in private consumption, investment and exports and offsetting increases in government spending, global growth would fall to 1.2% in 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global financial market is fluctuating</strong> due to the<strong> supply-chain interruptions from China</strong> and<strong> oil price uncertainty</strong> among major producers.</li>
<li><strong>European economies</strong> had already been performing extremely badly towards the end of 2019.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Europe</strong> is almost certain to go into <strong>recession</strong> over the coming months.</li>
<li><strong>German</strong> economy is in a<strong> fragile</strong> state.</li>
<li><strong>Italian</strong> economy and other parts of the <strong>European periphery</strong> are also facing very <strong>serious stresses</strong> right now.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Many parts of the <strong>Latin American</strong> region are also vulnerable.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Argentina</strong> in particular will be struggling as a consequence of the knock-on effects of this pandemic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>least developed countries</strong> whose economies are driven by the<strong> sale of raw materials</strong> will also face hard consequences.</li>
<li>Heavily-indebted <strong>developing countries,</strong> particularly <strong>commodity exporters,</strong> face a particular threat due to the <strong>weaker export returns linked to a stronger US dollar.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The likelihood of a <strong>stronger dollar</strong> as investors seek safe-havens for their money and the almost certain<strong> rise in commodity prices</strong> as the global economy slows down, means that commodity exporters are particularly <strong>vulnerable.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A series of <strong>dedicated policy responses and institutional reforms</strong> are needed to prevent a localized health scare from turning into a global economic meltdown.</li>
<li>Governments need to <strong>spend now in order to prevent more damaging meltdown</strong> in the coming times.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chinese</strong> Government is likely to introduce <strong>significant expansionary measures &ndash;</strong> shorthand for increasing spending or tax cuts.</li>
<li>The<strong> US</strong> government is in an election year and it needs to do <strong>more than simply cutting taxes and reducing interest rates.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was established in <strong>1964</strong> to promote development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.</li>
<li>UNCTAD is a <strong>permanent intergovernmental body</strong> headquartered at <strong>Geneva</strong> in Switzerland.</li>
<li>Some of the <strong>reports published by it are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Trade and Development Report</li>
<li>World Investment Report</li>
<li>The Least Developed Countries Report</li>
<li>Information and Economy Report</li>
<li>Technology and Innovation Report</li>
<li>Commodities and Development Report</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059011" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: UN</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-economy'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'PRS Capsule February 2020',
		'catname' => 'PRS Capsule',
		'desc' => '<p><em><strong>Key Highlights of PRS</strong></em></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="#1">Polity</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="#2">Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill</a></li>
<li><a href="#3">22<sup>nd</sup> Law Commission</a></li>
<li><a href="#4">Select Committee on the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#5">Science &amp; Technology</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="#6">Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#7">Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#8">Draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Amendment Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#9">Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="#10">National Technical Textiles Mission</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#11">Environment</a>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="#12">Revised Guidelines for Central Crop Insurance Schemes</a></li>
<li><a href="#13">Draft National Fisheries Policy</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="1">Polity</h2>
<h3 id="2">Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill</h3>
<p><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/direct-tax-vivad-se-vishwas-bill-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020</strong></a> was introduced in Lok Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to income tax and corporation tax.</li>
<li>The idea behind the scheme is to reduce litigation in the direct tax arena.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Appellant:</strong> An appellant is the income-tax authority or the person, or both, whose appeal is pending before any appellate forum (the Supreme Court, the High Courts, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals, or the Commissioner (Appeals) as on January 31, 2020.</li>
<li><strong>Resolution mechanism:</strong> The Bill proposes a mechanism under which an appellant can file a declaration to the designated authority to initiate the resolution of pending direct tax disputes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The last date to file the declaration will be notified by the central government.</li>
<li>Based on the declaration, the designated authority will determine the amount payable by the appellant against the dispute and grant a certificate, containing particulars of the amount payable, within 15 days.</li>
<li>The appellant must pay this amount within 15 days and inform the designated authority.</li>
<li>The amount paid will not be refundable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Amount payable for resolution:</strong> The amount payable by the appellant for resolution of disputes is determined based on whether the dispute relates to the payment of tax, or payment of interest, penalty, or fee.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An additional amount is required to be paid if such payment is made after March 31, 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once the designated authority issues the certificate, appeals pending before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals and the Commissioner (Appeals) will be deemed to be withdrawn.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In case of appeals or petitions pending before the Supreme Court and High Courts, the appellant is required to withdraw the appeal or petition.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="3">22<sup>nd</sup> Law Commission</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved the constitution of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/22nd-law-commission-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>22<sup>nd</sup> Law Commission</strong></a> of India for a period of 3 years.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It will consist of:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Chairperson,</li>
<li>four members,</li>
<li>Secretaries of the Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs, as ex-officio members, and</li>
<li>up to five part-time members.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Commission&rsquo;s responsibilities will include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>identifying laws which are no longer relevant,</li>
<li>recommending laws which are necessary to implement the Directive Principles of State Policy,</li>
<li>giving its views on subjects referred to it by the government, and</li>
<li>revising central laws of general importance to simplify them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>First Law Commission in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The first Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833 and was chaired by Lord Macaulay.</li>
<li>The first Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 for a three-year term. Since then, 21 more Commissions have been established.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>Read More: <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/law-commission-of-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To The Point on Law Commission of India</a></strong></em></p>
</div>
<h3 id="4">Select Committee on the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill</h3>
<p>The Select Committee on the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-approves-bill-to-regulate-surrogacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill</a>,</strong> 2019 submitted its report.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Surrogacy is the practice where one woman carries the child for another with the intention of handing over the child after birth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-new-surrogacy-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Commercial vs. altruistic surrogacy</strong></a>: The Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy and allows altruistic surrogacy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Altruistic surrogacy</strong> involves no compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical and insurance expenses related to the pregnancy.</li>
<li>The Committee recommended a surrogacy model based on compensation rather than altruistic surrogacy.</li>
<li>The compensation must take care of the losses suffered by the surrogate mother in terms of health and wages.</li>
<li>The Committee observed that surrogacy has been considered as an economic opportunity by women from economically weak backgrounds. By banning commercial surrogacy, the Bill ignores the fact that altruistic surrogacy is also exploitative.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In this regard, the Committee recommended that surrogacy could be classified on the basis of the specific intention with which a woman agrees to be a surrogate mother. The intention could be to either:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>render a paid service and make money, or</li>
<li>do it for altruistic reasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Surrogate being a &lsquo;close relative&rsquo;:</strong> Under the Bill, the surrogate can only be a &lsquo;close relative&rsquo; of the intending couple.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Committee noted that the criteria of being a &lsquo;close relative&rsquo; potentially restricts the availability of surrogate mothers and may affect persons in genuine need.</li>
<li>Hence, it recommended deleting the definition of &lsquo;close relative&rsquo; and allowing any willing woman to act as a surrogate mother.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Five year waiting period:</strong> Under the Bill, the intending couple can undertake a surrogacy arrangement following the inability to conceive after five years of unprotected coitus or other medical conditions preventing conception.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Committee observed that the requirement of a five-year waiting period is too long particularly in conditions like absent uterus, removal of the uterus due to cancer, and medical conditions where normal pregnancy is ruled out.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Committee recommended removing the definition of infertility from the Bill and the five-year waiting period.</li>
<li>It recommended that any couple who have a medical condition (could be either or both members of the couple) which necessitates gestational surrogacy, should be allowed to undertake surrogacy.</li>
<li><strong>Gestational surrogacy</strong> is a practice where a surrogate mother carries a child for the intending couple through implantation of embryo in her womb and the child is not genetically related to the surrogate mother.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="5">Science &amp; Technology</h2>
<h3 id="6">Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/assisted-reproductive-technology-regulation-bill-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill seeks to regulate assisted reproductive technology services in the country.</li>
<li><strong>Assisted reproductive technology (ART)</strong> means all techniques that attempt to obtain a pregnancy by handling the sperm (the oocyte) outside the human body and transferring the gamete (the embryo) into the reproductive tract of a woman.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This includes in-vitro fertilisation, intrauterine insemination, and gestational surrogacy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>A copy of the Bill is not available in the public domain.</strong> However, as per the press release, the Bill sets up a National Board to regulate ART services by:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>laying down a code of conduct to be observed by persons working at clinics, and</li>
<li>setting the minimum standards of physical infrastructure, laboratory and diagnostic equipment, and expert manpower to be employed by clinics and banks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Further, the Bill provides for a National Registry and Registration Authority to maintain a central database of all ART Banks and clinics.</li>
<li>The Bill also proposes a stringent punishment for those practising sex selection, sale of human embryos or gametes, and running organisations for such unlawful practices.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="7">Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It seeks to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934.</li>
<li>The Act regulates the manufacture, possession, use, operation, sale, import and export of civil aircrafts, and licensing of aerodromes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Authorities:</strong> The Bill converts three existing bodies under the Ministry of Civil Aviation into statutory bodies under the Act. These are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),</li>
<li>the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and</li>
<li>the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Each of these bodies will be headed by a Director-General who will be appointed by the centre.</li>
<li><strong>The DGCA</strong> will carry out safety oversight and regulatory functions with respect to matters under the Bill.</li>
<li><strong>The BCAS</strong> will carry out regulatory oversight functions related to civil aviation security.</li>
<li><strong>The AAIB</strong> will carry out investigations related to aircraft accidents and incidents.</li>
<li><strong>Offences and penalties:</strong> Under the Act, the penalty for various offences is imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, or both. These offences include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Carrying arms, explosives, or other dangerous goods aboard an aircraft,</li>
<li>Constructing buildings or structures within the specified radius around an aerodrome reference point, and</li>
<li>Contravening rules notified under the Act.</li>
<li>The Bill raises the maximum limit of fines for these offences from Rs 10 lakh to 1 crore rupees.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Bill allows for the compounding of certain offences under the Act or rules under the Act. These include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>flying to cause danger to any person or property and</li>
<li>the contravention of any directions issued by the Director-General of any of the three bodies.</li>
<li>Offences may be compounded by the Director Generals as prescribed by the centre.</li>
<li>Compounding of offences is not allowed in case of repeat offences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="8">Draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Amendment Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the draft Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Bill amends the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 which controls the advertisement of certain drugs in India.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Amendments Proposed</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Prohibition on advertisement of certain drugs:</strong> The Act prohibits advertisements of drugs and remedies that claim to have magical properties, and makes doing so an offence.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the Act, advertisement is prohibited for drugs for 54 diseases, disorders and conditions.</li>
<li>The draft Bill adds 24 more diseases and disorders to this schedule.</li>
<li>These include:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>drugs or treatment for enhancing sexual performance,</li>
<li>fairness of skin,</li>
<li>premature ageing, and</li>
<li>improvement in height of kids and adults.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Penalties:</strong> Under the Act, the first conviction is punishable with imprisonment of up to six months, and a fine. A subsequent conviction may result in imprisonment of up to a year, and a fine.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The draft Bill proposes to increase the penalties. For the first conviction, the punishment will be imprisonment of up to two years and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh as against a six months imprisonment presently under the act.</li>
<li>For any subsequent conviction, the imprisonment may extend to five years with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh extending from imprisonment of 1 year as of now in the act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="9">Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020</h3>
<p>The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill seeks to merge three Ayurveda institutes into one institution by the name of Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Bill declares the Institute to be an <strong>institution of National Importance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Institutes of National Importance (INI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India,</li>
<li>An institution which "serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state" may be conferred a status of INI.</li>
<li>Institutes of National Importance receive special recognition and funding from the Government of India.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Merger:</strong> The existing institutes which will be merged into the Institute are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar,</li>
<li>Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Jamnagar, and,</li>
<li>Indian Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jamnagar.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The proposed Institute will be situated in the campus of Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar.</li>
<li><strong>Objectives of Institute:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Develop patterns of teaching in medical education in Ayurveda and Pharmacy</li>
<li>Bring together educational facilities for training of personnel in all branches of Ayurveda</li>
<li>Attain self-sufficiency in postgraduate education to meet the need for specialists and medical teachers in Ayurveda</li>
<li>Make an in-depth study and research in the field of Ayurveda</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Composition of Institute:</strong> The Bill provides that the Institute will consist of 15 members. These include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Minister of AYUSH</li>
<li>Secretary and technical head of Ayurveda, Ministry of AYUSH</li>
<li>Secretary, department of health, government of Gujarat</li>
<li>Director of the Institute</li>
<li>Director-General, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda</li>
<li>Three experts in Ayurveda with expertise in education, industry and research, and</li>
<li>Three Members of Parliament</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Director of the Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar will be appointed as the first Director of the Institute.</li>
<li>Further, the Bill states that there will be a Governing Body of the Institute, which will exercise powers and such functions of the Institute, as specified.</li>
<li><strong>Functions of Institute:</strong> The functions of the Institute will include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>provide for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Ayurveda (including pharmacy),</li>
<li>prescribe courses and curricula for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Ayurveda,</li>
<li>provide facilities for research in the various branches of Ayurveda,</li>
<li>hold examinations and grant degrees, diplomas and other distinctions and titles in education in Ayurveda and pharmacy, and</li>
<li>maintain well-equipped colleges and hospitals for Ayurveda supporting staff such as nurses.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="10">National Technical Textiles Mission</h3>
<p>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, approved the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-technical-textiles-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Technical Textiles Mission.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Technical textiles are textiles manufactured for technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic characteristics.</li>
<li>They have applications in areas such as railway tracks and bulletproof jackets.</li>
<li>Based on usage, there are 12 technical textile segments; Agrotech, Meditech, Buildtech, Mobiltech, Clothtech, Oekotech, Geotech, Packtech, Hometech, Protech, Indutech and Sportech.</li>
<li>The Mission will be implemented over a period of four years, from 2020-21 to 2023-24.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Research:</strong> The Mission will promote research into the development of:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>fibres such as carbon fibre and nylon fibre</li>
<li>textiles such as geo-textiles and biodegradable textiles</li>
<li>This component will have an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Promotion and market development:</strong> Indian technical textiles consist of approximately 6% (USD 16 billion) of the USD 250 billion global technical textiles market.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Mission aims to increase the domestic market size to USD 40-50 billion by 2024 through market development and investment promotion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Export:</strong> The current annual value of exports of technical textiles is approximately Rs 14,000 crore.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Mission aims to increase the annual value of exports to Rs 20,000 crore by 2021-22, and ensure a 10% average growth in exports per year up to 2023-24.</li>
<li>Further, an <strong>Export Promotion Council</strong> for technical textiles will be set up for effective coordination and promotion activities relating to exports.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Education:</strong> The Mission also aims to promote technical education in higher engineering in areas related to technical textiles and its application.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="11">Environment</h2>
<h3 id="12">Revised Guidelines for Central Crop Insurance Schemes</h3>
<p>The Union Cabinet approved <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/revamp-of-the-crop-insurance-schemes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>revised guidelines for central crop insurance schemes</strong></a>, namely the <a href="/printpdf/pradhan-mantri-fasal-bima-yojana-(pmfby)" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)</strong></a> and the <strong>Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme,</strong> with the aim of addressing the existing implementation challenges. <strong>The revised guidelines will be effective from the Kharif season 2020-21.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The crop insurance schemes provide insurance coverage to farmers for crop failure due to various risks such as calamities, adverse weather conditions, pest attacks, and other yield and post-harvest losses.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Changes Proposed</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Voluntary enrolment:</strong> Both the schemes have been made voluntary for all farmers.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier, they were mandatory for farmers who have taken crop loans (loanee farmers).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Flexibility to select insurance cover:</strong> States have been given the flexibility to select additional risk covers, such as mid-season adversity, prevented sowing, post-harvest losses, and localised calamity, under both the schemes.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the case of PMFBY, states can also offer specific single-risk insurance covers with or without opting for the base cover.</li>
<li>Earlier, PMFBY did not allow states to add any risk other than the ones specified.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Limit on centre&rsquo;s premium subsidy:</strong> Under the schemes, farmers are required to pay an insurance premium, which is a certain percentage of the sum insured <strong>(2% for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops).</strong> Rest of the premium amount is equally paid by the central and state government in the form of premium subsidy, with no limit applicable.</li>
<li>Under the revised guidelines, the premium subsidy payable by the central government will not be higher than:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>25% of the sum insured for irrigated areas, and</li>
<li>30% of the sum insured for unirrigated areas.</li>
<li>For this purpose, districts with more than 50% area under irrigation will be considered as irrigated districts or areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increase in the centre&rsquo;s share for the north-eastern states:</strong> Under the two schemes, premium subsidy is equally shared by the central and state government.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For north-eastern states, the central government will provide 90% of the subsidy, with the remaining 10% coming from the state government.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Delay by states:</strong> States will not be allowed to implement the schemes in subsequent seasons in case they considerably delay the release of premium subsidy to insurance companies beyond a prescribed time limit.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="13">Draft National Fisheries Policy</h3>
<p>The Department of Fisheries released the draft <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/blue-revolution-that-will-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Fisheries Policy.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The policy aims to integrate the various policies relating to different aspects of fisheries (such as inland fisheries, marine plants and animals, processing, and marketing) for its comprehensive development.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Key Features</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>enhancing fish production and productivity in a responsible and sustainable manner,</li>
<li>providing a robust regulatory framework for effective fisheries resource management,</li>
<li>modernising and diversifying fishing practices in oceans and seas through use of science and technology,</li>
<li>strengthening and modernising the value chain, and</li>
<li>generating gainful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities leading to higher income of fishers and fish farmers and improvement of their living standards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Legal framework:</strong> Fisheries governance will be improved to facilitate coordination among states, national agencies, and other stakeholders.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Comprehensive management and regulation of fisheries resources in the <strong>Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)</strong> will be ensured through a national law.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Note: Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)</strong> is the area of the sea outside territorial water to which India has the exclusive rights for economic activities, and <strong>extends to 200 nautical miles from the coast of India.</strong></p>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The central government will empower coastal state governments by delegating the powers to grant marine fishing licences for the EEZ and high seas (the area beyond EEZ).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sustainability:</strong> The central government will encourage and empower traditional and small fisher and fisher groups to undertake resource-specific deep-sea fishing to harness untapped high-value resources sustainably.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The expertise of scientific institutions and fishers will be utilized to optimise fishing efforts and implement measures to check resource depletion and ensure sustainability.</li>
<li>Comprehensive fisheries management plans will be made to conserve and sustainably manage natural fisheries resources.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inter-sector coordination:</strong> The central and state governments will take up with Nodal departments such as water, irrigation, and rural development to ensure that the Department of Fisheries is fittingly represented in all the committees entrusted with the management and usages of water resources.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The fisheries sector requires greater attention of the government in the form of incentives such as the ones given to the agriculture sector.</li>
<li>The scope of land use categories at state level needs to be increased to specifically include fisheries and aquaculture as integral components of agriculture.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-february-2020'
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'In Depth - The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020',
		'catname' => 'Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Discussions',
		'desc' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z9_6cVJhDSU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Recently, a Bill to amend the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/committee-to-review-the-offences-under-the-companies-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Companies Act, 2013</strong></a> and decriminalise various offences under it was introduced in the Lok Sabha. The proposed amendments aim to reduce the burden on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/final-report-on-penal-provisions-of-company-act-2013" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Company Law Tribunal.</strong></a> The Bill was however vehemently opposed and was demanded to be referred to the <strong>Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.</strong></p>
<h3>Proposed Amendments in the Bill</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill removes the penalty and imprisonment in certain offences along with the reduction in the amount of fine payable.</li>
<li><strong>Decriminalization:</strong> The Bill proposed 72 amendments to the Companies Act, 2013 to decriminalise various offences which can promote <strong>Ease of doing ethical business and Ease of doing honest business.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will also boost the confidence of the investors along with giving an impetus to the business as the fear of imprisonment will be reduced.</li>
<li>The decriminalization is only for <strong>minor, procedural and technical falls</strong> which do not involve fraud, injury to the public interest, or non- compoundable offences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recategorization:</strong> The changes <strong>recategorize</strong> at least 23 offences out of the 66 compoundable offences mentioned under the Act in case of <strong>defaults</strong> (which can be <strong>determined objectively</strong> and which <strong>lack an element of fraud</strong> or do not involve larger public interest). Such cases will be dealt with an <strong>in-house adjudication framework.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Compoundable Offences</strong> are those which can be conciliated by the parties under dispute (without the requirement of the permission of the Court).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Producer Companies:</strong> Under the 2013 Act, certain provisions from the Companies Act, 1956 continue to apply to producer companies. These include provisions on their membership, the conduct of meetings, and maintenance of accounts. The Bill removes these provisions and adds a new chapter in the Act with similar provisions on producer companies.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Producer companies include companies which are engaged in the production, marketing and sale of agricultural produce, and sale of produce from cottage industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Direct Listing in Foreign Jurisdictions:</strong> The Bill empowers the Central government to allow certain classes of Indian public companies to directly list classes of securities (as may be prescribed) in foreign jurisdictions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This is likely to<strong> help start-ups to tap overseas markets</strong> for raising capital.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Remuneration to non-executive Directors:</strong> The 2013 Act made special provisions for payment of remuneration to executive directors of a company (including managing director and other full-time directors) if the company has inadequate or no profits in a year. The Bill extends this provision to non-executive directors, including independent directors.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This will <strong>enhance the productivity</strong> of such non-executive directors because of their increased remuneration.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Financial Results Filing &amp; Corporate Governance:</strong> Specified class of unlisted companies will now have to prepare and file their financial results periodically and also complete the <strong>audit or review</strong> of such results.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, the Bill provides for a window within which the penalties shall not be levied for delay in filing of annual returns.</li>
<li>This aims to improve corporate governance as it will bring more transparency into affairs of closely held companies which are used by major shareholders of large public interest companies <strong>to divert funds</strong> through transactions that are not on an <strong>arm&rsquo;s length basis.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benches of NCLAT:</strong> The Bill seeks to establish benches of the <strong>National Company Law Appellate Tribunal</strong> in order to ease their burden and decrease the pendency of cases.</li>
<li><strong>Penalties:</strong> It extends <strong>lesser penalties</strong> for small companies (i.e., with lower paid-up share capital and turnover thresholds), one-person companies (i.e., companies with only one member), and producer companies, in case of all offences which attract monetary penalties.</li>
<li><strong>Exclusion from listed companies:</strong> The Bill empowers the Central government, in consultation with the <strong>Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI),</strong> to exclude companies issuing specified classes of securities from the definition of a &ldquo;listed company&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>Exemptions from filing resolutions:</strong> The 2013 Act required companies to file certain resolutions with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). However, banking companies were exempted from filing such resolutions. This exemption has been extended to registered non-banking financial companies and housing finance companies by the proposed Bill.</li>
<li><strong>Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):</strong> Under <strong>Section 135</strong> of the Companies Act, 2013, companies with net worth, turnover or profits above a specified amount are required to constitute <strong>CSR Committees</strong> and spend 2% of their average net profits in the last three financial years, towards its CSR policy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Bill exempts companies with a CSR liability of up to Rs 50 lakh a year from setting up CSR Committees.</li>
<li>Further, the Bill allows eligible companies (which spend any amount in excess of their CSR obligation in a financial year) to set off the excess amount towards their CSR obligations in the subsequent financial years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Corporate Social Responsibility</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/companies-amendment-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Corporate Social Responsibility</strong></a> is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.</li>
<li>While CSR law mandates spending across <strong>12 prescribed schedules</strong> ranging from education and health care to sports or gender equality, few companies spend towards community development, infrastructure, social &amp; child welfare, etc.</li>
<li>Under it, companies are mandated to constitute a<strong> CSR committee,</strong> comprising at least 3 members of the Board (with at least 1 independent member).</li>
<li><strong>Related Facts:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Indian businesses spend more than Rs. 10,000 crore a year on CSR.</li>
<li><strong>CSR expenditure</strong> of companies listed at the <strong>National Statistical Commission</strong> have <strong>grown</strong> at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17% over the last 5 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was enacted to consolidate and amend the laws relating to companies.</li>
<li>It tightened the <strong>CSR compliance norms</strong> and ensured stricter norms for non-compliance of the company law regulations.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It allowed companies to transfer their unspent CSR funds to a separate account, the same has to be spent within three financial years.</li>
<li>In case, the money remains unspent, then it should be transferred to any fund specified in Schedule VII of the Act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It empowered the Registrar <strong>of Companies</strong> to initiate action for removal of a company&rsquo;s name if it is not carrying out business activities as per the Companies Act.</li>
<li>It provided for <strong>transferring of functions</strong> with regard to dealing with applications for change of financial year and <strong>shifting of powers</strong> for conversion from public to private companies from NCLT to the Central government.</li>
<li>It provided more teeth to the Central government to deal with violators and reduced the burden on special courts and enabled the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-financial-reporting-authority" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)</strong></a> to perform its functions through divisions and executive bodies.</li>
</ul>
<p>A healthy business can only succeed in a healthy society. Thus, it is in the best interest of a company to produce goods and services which strengthen the health of the society along with the supportive efforts of the government to provide and create a conducive environment for the growth of the companies.</p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-the-companies-amendment-bill-2020'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Classes in Distance Mode',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Centre is planning to start the next academic year virtually.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Many schools have been shut since early March due to the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a> pandemic, even before the countrywide lockdown.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This means that the new academic calendar will begin as usual in April for classes 9 to 12, though the last academic year may have been somewhat truncated, with examinations postponed in some cases including the CBSE exams for classes 10 and 12.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently, it has been decided that the cbse will conduct exams only for the main subjects: required for promotion or may be crucial for admission in higher educational institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Centre plans to restart classes in the distance mode, with teaching via <strong>dedicated TV and radio channels in English and Hindi.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is an existing program,<strong> Swayam Prabha,</strong> which is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting high-quality educational programmes on 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)</strong> has been asked to create a structured programme for schools class-wise. This is being done along with the <strong>National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)</strong> using their syllabus.</li>
<li>The material will be ready for use by schools following the NIOS or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus.</li>
<li><strong>For the State Boards</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) mobile app has been offered to States</strong> as a platform to provide content in local languages.</li>
<li>If States are willing to produce the content in local languages, the Centre can give them 2-3 hours on the channel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Diksha Portal was launched by the<strong> Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)</strong></li>
<li>in 2017 for providing a digital platform to teachers giving them an opportunity to <strong>learn and train themselves and connect with the teacher community.</strong></li>
<li>It is built considering the <strong>whole teacher's life cycle</strong> - from the time student teachers enroll in Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) to after they retire as teachers.</li>
<li><strong>States, government bodies and even private organisations,</strong> can integrate DIKSHA into their respective teacher initiatives based on their goals, needs and capabilities.</li>
<li>It also provides access to NCERT textbooks and lessons, following the regular school curriculum.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>National Institute of Open Schooling</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NIOS, formerly known as National Open School (NOS) was established in November,1989 as an <strong>autonomous organisation in pursuance of National Policy on Education 1986</strong> by the <strong>Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).</strong></li>
<li>NIOS provides a number of <strong>Vocational, Life Enrichment and community oriented courses besides General and Academic Courses at Secondary and Senior Secondary level.</strong></li>
<li>It also offers <strong>Elementary level Courses</strong> through its Open Basic Education Programmes (OBE).</li>
<li>Government of India has vested NIOS with the authority to <strong>examine and certify</strong> learners registered with it upto pre degree level courses whether Academic, Technical or Vocational.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-plans-classes-in-distance-mode/article31194604.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/classes-in-distance-mode'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Demand for MGNREGA Work Increased',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The demand for work by households under the <strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act</strong> (MGNREGA) programme surged to a nine-year high in 2019-20.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the MGNREGA official portal, 5.47 crore households sought MGNREGA works, <strong>the highest since 2010-11,</strong> when the number was 5.5 crore.</li>
<li><strong>More individuals too worked under MGNREGA in 2019-20,</strong> with 7.86 crore employed at various sites across the country. This is the highest since 2012-13, when 7.97 crore individuals worked under this programme.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>disruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown,</strong> however, may impact the final figure of the person days generated in March 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>gram panchayats not recording any MGNREGA expenditure has also declined.</strong> This shows that more and more panchayats are using MGNREGA to provide unskilled work to the unemployed.</li>
<li>These new <strong>MGNREGA figures coincide with the sharp fall in GDP growth rate</strong> to 5% in 2019-20, the lowest in a decade.</li>
<li>The <strong>demand for works under MGNREGA is surging despite the fact that wages have been flattening</strong> in recent years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2019-20, average MGNREGA wage per day per person was Rs 182.09, barely Rs 3 higher than Rs 179.13 in 2018-19.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The data also showed that <strong>263.73 crore person days</strong> were generated during 2019-20, slightly lower than 267.96 crore in 2018-19 but significantly higher than the total person days generated during each financial year from 2012-13 to 2017-18.</li>
<li>During 2019-20, the Centre released Rs 72,162.13 crore for the MGNREGA, the <strong>highest ever amount,</strong> and substantially higher than the Rs 62,125.07 crore released in 2018-19.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Act <strong>aims at enhancing the livelihood security </strong>of people<strong> in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household</strong> whose <strong>adult members</strong> (at least 18 years of age) volunteer to do unskilled work.</li>
<li>The <strong>central government bears the full cost of unskilled labour,</strong> 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<strong> &lsquo;right to work&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Rural Development (MRD),</strong> Government of India in association with state governments, <strong>monitors the implementation of the scheme.</strong></li>
<li>Agriculture and allied activities constitute more than 65% of the works taken up under the programme.</li>
<li>Social inclusion, gender parity, social security and equitable growth are the founding pillars of MGNREGA.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/as-growth-slows-demand-for-work-under-mnrega-shoots-to-9-yr-high-6344865/" 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/demand-for-mgnrega-work-increased'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Impact of Lockdown on Banks',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Banks are concerned about the build up of Non-performing Assets (NPAs) as the disruption caused to business operations and supply chains during the 21-day <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>lockdown</strong></a> period will take time to repair.</li>
<li>This is despite the fact that 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> (RBI) has injected fresh liquidity into the banking system and given banks leeway to deal with potential stress in loan accounts.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Non-Performing Asset</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NPA refers to a classification for loans or advances that are in <strong>default or are in arrears</strong> on scheduled payments of principal or interest.</li>
<li>In most cases, debt is classified as non-performing, when the loan payments have not been made for a <strong>minimum period of 90 days.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Gross non-performing assets</strong> are the sum of all the loans that have been defaulted by the individuals who have acquired loans from the financial institution.</li>
<li><strong>Net non-performing assets</strong> are the amount that is realized after provision amount has been deducted from the gross non-performing assets.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Concerns of Bankers</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Fresh NPAs</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The 21-day period lockdown would cause pain to lenders, especially in loan</li>
<li>accounts from sectors including <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)</strong></a>, airlines, real estate, auto dealers, gems and jewellery, metals among others.</li>
<li>Banks are concerned about MSME loans and those extended to manufacturing sectors, such as auto, steel, renewable energy, as those where fresh NPAs are looming.</li>
<li>According to the RBI&rsquo;s financial stability report, the share of large borrowers in scheduled commercial banks&rsquo; total loan portfolios and their share in GNPAs was at 51.8%and 79.3% respectively, in September 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Problems Within Different Sectors</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Even if the lockdown is lifted on April 14, operations of a number of companies in specific sectors will not see business getting back to normal as the labour has moved out and the production may not be able to restart.</li>
<li>Apart from these, capital intensive sectors such as aviation, real estate, consumer durables, and jewellery may take a long time before there is a demand revival.</li>
<li>Renewable power is struggling because of complete disruption of supply chains from China, as a result of which they are way behind on project schedules and could face payment issues from their customers, the power discoms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fear of Extended Lockdown:</strong> Measures by the RBI will provide banks some relief during the next three months, but a buildup of bad loans looks inevitable.While moratorium provides temporary relief to borrowers and helps check the NPAs during that period, an extended lockdown is expected to have a significant adverse effect on the economy.</li>
<li><strong>Analysis By Different Rating Agencies</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Moody&rsquo;s Investors Service:</strong> It expects deterioration in banks&rsquo; asset quality due to disruption in economic activity. It has changed the outlook for Indian banking system to negative from stable.</li>
<li><strong>According to a report released by Crisil:</strong> The asset classes will see continuing pressures on asset quality due to weaker profiles of borrowers and expectation of only a gradual economic recovery. In study of 35 sectors, both from manufacturing and services,there is a sharp variation in resilience in a post-Covid-19 landscape. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>High Resilience Category:</strong> Pharmaceuticals, telecom, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), fertiliser, oil refineries, power &amp; gas distribution and transmission are among the sectors comprising nearly 44% of the debt.</li>
<li><strong>Moderate Resilience Category:</strong> Another 52% debt is in sectors such as automobile manufacturers, power generators, roads and construction.</li>
<li><strong>Least Resilient Category:</strong> Around 4% of debt in sectors such as airlines, gems and jewellery, auto dealers and real estate, given the discretionary nature of goods and services, and weak balance sheets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/coronavirus-india-lockdown-despite-rbi-liquidity-push-banks-stare-at-fresh-npas-6344760/" 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/impact-of-lockdown-on-banks'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Covid-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS)',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding the application called<strong> COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CQAS collects phone data, including the device&rsquo;s location, on a common secured platform and alerts the local agencies in case of a violation by<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> COVID</strong></a> patients under watch or in isolation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Developed By:</strong> The DoT and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), in coordination with telecom service providers, have developed and tested the application.</li>
<li><strong>Working:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The CQAS prepares a list of mobile numbers, segregates them on the basis of telecom service providers, and the location data provided by the telecom companies is run on the application to create <strong>geo-fencing.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Geo-fencing</strong> is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a <strong>virtual boundary</strong> set up around a <strong>geographical location, known as a geofence.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Geo-fencing will only work</strong> if the quarantined person has a mobile phone from Airtel, Vodafone-Idea or Reliance Jio, as &ldquo;BSNL/MTNL&rdquo; do not support location based services. BSNL and MTNL are government owned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The location information is received periodically over a secure network for the authorised cases with <strong>&ldquo;due protection of the data received&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>The System <strong>triggers e-mails and SMS alerts</strong> to an authorised government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the person&rsquo;s mobile phone&rsquo;s cell tower location. The<strong> &ldquo;geo-fencing&rdquo; is accurate by up to 300 m.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Use of Powers under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Centre is using powers under the <strong>Indian Telegraph Act</strong> to <strong>&ldquo;fetch information&rdquo;</strong> from telecom companies<strong> every 15 minutes</strong> to track COVID-19 cases across the country.</li>
<li>The States have been asked to seek the approval of their Home Secretaries under the provisions of<strong> Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885,</strong> for the specified mobile phone numbers to request the DoT to provide information by email or SMS in case of violation of &ldquo;geo-fencing&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Section 5(2) authorises State or Centre to access information of a user&rsquo;s phone data in case of<strong> &ldquo;occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of the public safety.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Protection of Data</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the SOP, the phone number should be deleted from the system after the period for which location monitoring required is over and the data would be deleted four weeks from thereon.</li>
<li>The data collected shall be used only for the purpose of <strong>Health Management in the context of COVID-19</strong> and is strictly not for any other purposes. Any violation in this regard would attract penal provisions under the relevant laws.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Centre for Development of Telematics</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>C-DOT was established in August 1984 as <strong>an autonomous Telecom R&amp;D Centre of DoT.</strong></li>
<li>It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.</li>
<li>It is a<strong> registered &lsquo;public funded research institution&rsquo;</strong> with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Global Positioning System</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Global Positioning System is a <strong>Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),</strong> used to determine the ground position of an object. It is a US-owned utility that provides users with Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Radio-Frequency Identification</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the <strong>use of radio waves</strong> to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object. A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Wi-Fi</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking technology that<strong> uses radio waves</strong> to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. WiFi network <strong>enables connection between two or more devices</strong> wirelessly for data sharing purposes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-geo-fencing-app-will-be-used-to-locate-quarantine-violators/article31241055.ece"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-quarantine-alert-system-cqas'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'Agasthyavanam Biological Park',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Forest Department is procuring forest produce collected by the tribespeople of the Agasthyavanam Biological Park (ABP) and surrounding forest ranges to be sold to commercial establishments and various collectives to deal with the lockdown necessitated by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-and-medical-solutions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19 pandemic.</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established in <strong>1997,</strong> Agasthyavanam Biological Park is a <strong>wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The park is located <strong>near Thiruvananthapuram/Trivandrum,</strong> the capital city of Kerala.</li>
<li>It is contiguous to <strong>Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary </strong>and<strong> Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The park has been <strong>named after the Agasthyamalai Agasthyakoodam Peak,</strong> which can be seen at a distance from the park. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-15th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve</strong></a> is located in the southernmost end of the Western Ghats and incorporates peaks towering 1,868 m above sea level. It covers 3,500 km<sup>2</sup> and encompasses tropical forest ecosystems that fall within the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu and the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Agasthyavanam Biological Park is <strong>spread</strong> over an area of 23 sq. km., of which 17.5 sq. km. of the park has been dedicated for natural regeneration to develop into a dense forest. The rest area of the park is left for systematic conservation programs.</li>
<li>The Park has <strong>endemic medicinal plants </strong>and<strong> rich biodiversity.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585899334_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585899334_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="680" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/forest-department-to-the-rescue-of-tribespeople/article31241953.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/agasthyavanam-biological-park'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Operation Sanjeevani',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, <strong>India supplied 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives,</strong> under <strong>Operation Sanjeevani</strong> as assistance in the fight against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID 19.</strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The medicines were delivered by an <strong>Hercules C-130J-30 aircraft of Indian Air Force.</strong></li>
<li>The medicines<strong> include influenza vaccines, antiviral drugs such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/anti-hiv-drugs-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lopinavir and ritonavir</a></strong> among others as well as consumables such as catheters, nebulisers, urine bags and infant feeding tubes.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Lopinavir and ritonavir have been used to treat patients with COVID-19 in some countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In March India also dispatched a <strong>14-member Army medical team to Maldives to set up a viral testing lab </strong>there and<strong> gifted 5.5 tonne of essential medicines.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Previous India&rsquo;s Assistance to Maldives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>1988:</strong> Under <strong>Operation Cactus</strong> the Indian Armed Forces have helped the government of Maldives in the <strong>neutralization of the coup attempt.</strong></li>
<li><strong>2004:</strong> India has helped Maldives <strong>after the tsunami.</strong></li>
<li><strong>2014:</strong> Under <strong>'Operation Neer'</strong> India supplied drinking water to Maldives to deal with the drinking water crisis.</li>
<li>The two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) given by India to the Maldivian armed forces have been used in saving Maldivian lives.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Advanced Light Helicopter is a multi-role, new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class, indigenously designed and developed by <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-need-to-modernise-indian-air-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Relations Between the Two Countries<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585897490_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585897490_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="300" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>History:</strong> India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links. India was <strong>among the first to recognize Maldives</strong> after its independence in 1965 and later established its mission at Male in 1972.</li>
<li><strong>Defence:</strong> India provides the largest number of training opportunities for Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), meeting around 70% of their <strong>defence training requirements.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>&lsquo;Ekuverin&rsquo;</strong> is a joint military exercise between India and Maldives.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disaster Management:</strong> The Government of India has provided large-scale assistance to Maldives in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and during the 2014 Male water crisis.</li>
<li><strong>Trade and Tourism:</strong> India is Maldives&rsquo; 4<sup>th</sup> largest trade partner after UAE, China and Singapore. In 2018, India was the 5<sup>th</sup> largest source of tourist arrivals in Maldives.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Maldivian economy is heavily dependent on its tourism sector, which is the major source of foreign exchange earnings and government revenue.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/iaf-airlifts-62-tonne-essential-drugs-to-maldives/article31240436.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/operation-sanjeevani'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Centre Defines J&K Domicile Rules',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs</strong> (MHA) has issued the <strong><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-jammu-and-kashmir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jammu and Kashmir</a> Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On 5<sup>th</sup> August 2019, the Centre <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/article-370-and-35-a-revoked" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>revoked J&amp;K's special status</strong></a> under <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-article-370" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 370</strong></a> <strong>and <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-article-35a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 35A</a> of the Constitution </strong>and<strong> bifurcated it into the UTs of J&amp;K and Ladakh.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The two revoked constitutional provisions let the state legislature decide the <strong>&lsquo;permanent residents&rsquo;,</strong> prohibiting a non-J&amp;K resident from buying property there and ensuring job reservation for its residents.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There are <strong>12 States,</strong> including Himachal Pradesh, where provisions of <strong>special status</strong> under <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/article-371" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 371</strong></a> apply.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The provisions pertain to <strong>regulation of ownership and transfer of land</strong> in order to conserve the limited resources available for development and to ensure that the State preserves its unique identity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Highlights of Order</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It amended 109 laws and repealed 29 laws of the erstwhile State and inserted the <strong>&lsquo;domicile&rsquo;</strong> clause in the<strong> Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act, 2010.</strong></li>
<li>The clause for <strong>&lsquo;permanent resident of the State&rsquo;</strong> under the 2010 Act, has been substituted by<strong> &lsquo;Domicile&rsquo;</strong> of the UT.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act pertained to <strong>employment in the civil services</strong> comprising &ldquo;district, divisional and State&rdquo; cadre posts.</li>
<li>Only permanent residents of J&amp;K were eligible to apply for the gazetted and non-gazetted posts but<strong> now</strong> <strong>non-domiciles can also apply</strong> for these posts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>domiciles will be eligible for the purposes of appointment to any post carrying a pay scale of not more than Level 4.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Level 4</strong> post comprises positions such as gardeners, barbers, office peons and waterman and the highest rank in the category is that of a junior assistant.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>reservation</strong> for domiciles <strong>would not apply to Group A and Group B posts,</strong> and like other UTs, recruitment would be done by the<strong> Union Public Service Commission</strong> (UPSC).</li>
<li><strong>Criteria for Domiciles</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Someone who has <strong>resided for a period of 15 years</strong> in the UT of J&amp;K or</li>
<li>Someone who has <strong>studied for a period of seven years</strong> and <strong>appeared in Class 10<sup>th</sup>/12<sup>th</sup> examination</strong> in an educational institution located in the UT of J&amp;K or</li>
<li>Someone who is <strong>registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Children</strong> of Central government officials, All India Services, PSUs, autonomous body of Centre, Public Sector Banks, officials of statutory bodies, Central Universities, recognised research institutes of Centre who have served in J&amp;K for a<strong> total period of 10 years.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Children of such residents of J&amp;K</strong> who reside outside J&amp;K in connection with their employment or business or other professional or vocational reasons but their parents <strong>fulfil any of the conditions provided.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The order also amended the <strong>Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature Members' Pension Act,1984</strong> which fixes the pension for former legislators and councillors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The notification <strong>scraps all pension benefits</strong> such as car, driver, accommodation, phones, electricity, medical facilities and rent-free accommodation to former J&amp;K Chief Ministers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The order has also made amendments to the <strong>Public Safety Act (PSA) 1978</strong> by removing a clause that prohibited J&amp;K residents booked under the Act to be lodged in jails outside.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It <strong>changes the criteria for appointing the PSA advisory board</strong> on the recommendation of a search committee headed by the Chief Secretary instead of the Chief Justice of the J&amp;K High Court.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The advisory board has a crucial role to play in release of detenus under the PSA.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also <strong>bars sitting High Court judges to be made part of the board</strong> without the Chief justice's consultation.</li>
<li>The order also <strong>scraps a clause that deals with the power to regulate place and conditions of detention.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-jobs-to-be-reserved-only-for-domiciles-of-jk-says-centre/article31224164.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/centre-defines-j-k-domicile-rules'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'Planning In India',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/thinking-national-acting-local/article31230613.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Thinking national, acting local&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 02/04/2020. It talks about the scenario of national planning in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Being a developing country, India needs to increase employment and incomes; revive investments and growth; untangle the financial sector; navigate muddied-up international trade; solve the perennial problems of poor education and health, and the growing problems of environmental pollution and water scarcity.</p>
<p>With scarce resources and a huge magnitude of welfare to be done, the role of planning becomes significant. In India the role of planning activities was played by the Planning Commission (until 2014), afterwards <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/niti-aayog-national-institution-for-transforming-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NITI Aayog</strong></a>, a policy Think Tank replaced Planning Commission with an aim to make planning approach more inclusive and bottom-up.</p>
<p>The charter of NITI Aayog describes it as a body that should act as a catalyst of change in India's federal and complex socio-economic system.</p>
<p>However, the experts have raised concerns regarding the independence of NITI Aayog to guide the government and becoming a mouthpiece of the government and an implementer of the government&rsquo;s projects.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829404_image2.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829404_image2.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829424_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585829424_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="429" height="410" /></a></p>
<h3>Issues Faced by National Planning</h3>
<p><strong>Complex-System Problem</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Economy is a complex system, as economy, human society and natural environment are intimately connected to each other.</li>
<li><strong>A feature of complex systems, in which all the parts are connected, is that the system cannot be healthy if any part becomes very sick. Further, fixing one part of the system alone can make matters worse.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, providing skills to millions of youth before there are enough employment opportunities is a bold fix that can backfire.</li>
<li>Similarly, this can be seen in the air pollution problem in northern India which emanates from stubble burning.</li>
<li>Thus, the complexity of the task demands a good plan and a good strategy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Severe Air Pollution Due to Stubble Burning</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The improvement of productivity of agriculture with mechanization, and the management of water resources, has produced the unintended consequence of Delhi becoming the most polluted city in the world.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ever since mechanization was introduced in the 1980s to improve farm productivity, farmers in Punjab have burned the paddy stubble left by machines.</li>
<li>Later, alarmed by the increasing demand of water for paddy growth which was dwindling groundwater resources, the government passed the Preservation of Subsoil Water Act in 2009.</li>
<li>It stipulated that farmers postpone by one month the sowing and transplanting of paddy so that it was closer to the onset of the monsoon.</li>
<li>This reduced the need for drawing underground water for the transplanted paddy.</li>
<li>However, the post-harvest burning of the stubble also got postponed by a month.</li>
<li>It now coincided with the onset of winter in the North, when wind movement is low and atmospheric moisture content is high. Thus, it gave rise to severe air pollution in Northern India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><strong>Federal Issue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In India, States are expected to improve human development, create infrastructure, and make it easy to do business.</li>
<li>Along with that they are expected to manage their financial resources efficiently and balance their budgets.</li>
<li>However, the <strong>majority of States in India are not financially self-sufficient</strong> and most of the time that has to depend on grants from the centre, as decided by the Finance Commission (where states have no representation).</li>
<li>Further, it is argued that policies formulated by NITI Aayog are based on<strong> 'One size fits all approach'</strong>, most of the time they are unaware of ground realities and have little experience of how to get things done to produce outcomes.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Need for Diversification in Policy Making</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A national planning institution must guide all-round progress. It must assist in achieving not just faster economic growth, but also more socially inclusive, and more environmentally sustainable growth. For this, it needs a balanced model in which societal and environmental forces are integrated.</li>
<li>However, <strong>economists have been advising policymakers to have comprehensive models of socio-environmental systems.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This can be testified by the fact that, despite economic growth, inequality and unemployment are rampant in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Planning by an Executive Body</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NITI Aayog <strong>does not have constitutional status</strong> independent from that of the government, thus it is alleged to bend to the will of the Government.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NITI Aayog should act as a force for persuasion, not control centre. Its role should intend to promote local systems solutions to national problems.</li>
<li>Many stakeholders must be involved in the implementation of a plan in a large, diversified and democratic country. Thus, planning should be devolved to State governments, and even to the third tier of city and district governance.</li>
<li>Indian Planning scheme requires a transformational approach to deal with 21<sup>st</sup> century challenges.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It requires new methods to speed up &lsquo;organisational learning&rsquo; amongst stakeholders in the system who must make plans together and implement them together.</li>
<li>Thus, it is not good enough to have a plan, there must also be a strategy for its cooperative implementation too.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; background-color: #dff7df; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Planning in India must adopt a more decentralised approach. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/planning-in-india'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Wimbledon Postponed due to Covid-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Wimbledon championships,</strong> which were scheduled for 29<sup>th</sup> June-12<sup>th</sup> July, have been cancelled for the first time since <strong>World War Two (WWII)</strong> in the wake of the ongoing crisis of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wimbledon <strong>(one of the Grand Slams)</strong> had been one of the few events not to have been officially cancelled or postponed.</li>
<li>Few days back, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tokyo-olympics-2020-postponed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Tokyo Olympics were also postponed.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Grand Slam Tournaments</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These are the <strong>four most important annual tennis events</strong> and each tournament is played for about two weeks.</li>
<li>It consists of:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Australian Open</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It takes place in <strong>mid-January</strong></li>
<li>Played in <strong>hard</strong> courts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>French Open</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is also known as the Roland-Garros de Paris.</li>
<li>It takes place in <strong>May and June.</strong></li>
<li>Played on<strong> clay</strong> court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wimbledon</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It takes place in <strong>June and July.</strong></li>
<li>Played on a <strong>grass</strong> court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>US Open</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It takes place in<strong> August and September.</strong></li>
<li>Played in<strong> hard</strong> courts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Wimbledon is relatively older than the rest (1877), followed by the US (1881), French (1891) and the Australian (1905).</li>
<li>Only Wimbledon was a major before <strong>1924&ndash;25,</strong> when<strong> all the four became designated Grand Slam tournaments.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585820476_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585820476_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/wimbledon-postponed-due-to-covid-19'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Fall in Goods and Services Tax (GST) Collections',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for March 2020 stood at ₹97,597 crore, dropping below the ₹1 lakh-crore mark after four months.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>GST Collected</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Of the total collections, central GST stood at ₹19,183 crore, State GST was at ₹25,601 crore and integrated GST atwas ₹44,508 crore.</li>
<li>The government had settled ₹19,718 crore to CGST and ₹14,915 crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement.</li>
<li>In addition, the Centre also apportioned unsettled balance IGST of ₹6,000 crore on an ad-hoc basis in a 50:50 ratio between the Centre and States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Partial Impact of COVID-19:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The March revenue collections are based on the business conducted in February.</li>
<li>The collections <strong>do not take into account the full impact</strong> of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a> and the consequent shutdown of many business sectors in India.</li>
<li>It has been warned that <strong>the revenues for the month of April 2020 are likely to dip much further.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In Comparison to March 2019</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the Ministry of Finance, Gross GST revenue for March 2020 was <strong>8% lower than that of March 2019.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fall in Collection from Imports</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Although GST revenue<strong> from domestic transactions</strong> dropped 4% in comparison with March 2019, there was a <strong>23% fall in the tax collected on import of goods.</strong></li>
<li>Global trade was affected by COVID-19 in February itself.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Step Taken</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Small businesses have been allowed a <strong>three-month deferment of GST payments</strong> due to the COVID-19 situation.</li>
<li>There is a wider industry <strong>demand for a moratorium on payments and reduction in rates.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>GST is a <strong>comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.</strong></li>
<li>GST is a comprehensive <strong>Indirect Tax</strong> which has replaced many Indirect Taxes in India.</li>
<li>The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in the Parliament on 29<sup>th</sup> March 2017 and came into effect on 1<sup>st</sup> July 2017</li>
<li>Under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/gst-council-meet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GST council</strong> </a>and 101<sup>st</sup> constitutional amendment, the tax is levied <strong>at every point of sale.</strong></li>
<li>GST is categorized into CGST, SGST or IGST depending on whether the transaction is Intra-State or Inter-State.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Central Goods and Services Tax and State Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>CGST is a tax levied on <strong>Intra State supplies of both goods and services by the Central Government</strong> and is governed by the CGST Act. SGST is also be levied on the same Intra State supply but will be governed by the State Government.</li>
<li>This implies that both the <strong>Central and the State governments</strong> agree on combining their levies with an appropriate <strong>proportion for revenue sharing between them.</strong></li>
<li>However, it is clearly mentioned in Section 8 of the GST Act that the taxes be levied on all Intra-State supplies of goods and/or services but <strong>the rate of tax shall not be exceeding 14%, each.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Integrated Goods and Services Tax</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IGST is a tax levied on all <strong>Inter-State supplies of goods and/or services</strong> and is governed by the IGST Act.</li>
<li>IGST is applicable on any supply of goods and/or services in <strong>both cases of import into India and export from India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/march-gst-revenue-drops-below-1-lakh-cr/article31230254.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/fall-in-goods-and-services-tax-gst-collections'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'National Medical Commission Act',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on the<a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/9/commentary/national-medical-commission-act.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;National Medical Commission Act&rdquo;</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/12/commentary/national-medical-commission-act-2019.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;National Medical Commission Act, 2019&rdquo;</strong></a>. It talks about issues pertaining to the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.</p>
</div>
<p>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/national-medical-commission-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (NMC Act)</strong></a> has been billed by the government as the &ldquo;biggest reform&rdquo; in the medical profession and a &ldquo;pro-poor legislation&rdquo; that shall make quality medical care more accessible to the people. The Act seems to bring governance reforms in the medical field, addressing the needs of health services, standardizing quality to be maintained in medical education, etc.</p>
<p>However, the Act has faced severe resistance from the medical community, who it was supposed to improve.</p>
<h3>What was the need for the Act?</h3>
<p>The Act seeks to rectify some of the fundamental issues in India's healthcare scenario.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corruption Charges Against Previous Regulator:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Medical Council of India</strong> (MCI), the body in charge of regulating the medical profession (before NMC Act) has faced corruption scandals.</li>
<li>Further, MCI was alleged of <strong>promoting Inspector Raj</strong> (that is, inspections carried out by the MCI to ensure the maintenance of required standards by medical colleges) and the malpractices linked with it.</li>
<li>In this context, the NMC Act replaced MCI with the<strong> National Medical Commission (NMC).</strong></li>
<li>The NMC Act has outlined the composition of the NMC with ex officio members, nominees of states and union territories, and from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Urban-Rural Divide in Healthcare:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Healthcare system in India is among the most privatized systems in the world, where <strong>most qualified doctors tend to serve in the urban areas,</strong> whereas rural areas are at the mercy of poorly functional public healthcare systems.</li>
<li>In order to rectify this, the NMC may grant<strong> limited licence to practice medicine at mid-level as Community Health Provider</strong> to such persons connected with a <strong>modern scientific medical profession</strong> who qualify such criteria as may be specified by the regulations.</li>
<li>These <strong>Community Health Providers acn bridge the shortages of medical professionals in rural areas.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Equity in Accessing Medical Education:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Democratisation of medical education</strong> is very important as it is becoming more expensive with every passing year. With the rising fees, expensive books and equipment become a barrier for several deserving students.</li>
<li>According to the Act, NMC will <strong>determine fees for 50% of the seats</strong> in private medical colleges and deemed universities.</li>
<li>This move will broaden the opportunity for students from all sections of society to undertake medical education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Uniformity in Quality:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NMC Act, 2019 provides for<strong> National Exit Test (NEXT)</strong> for granting a licence to practise medicine and enrolment in the State Register or the National Register, which shall also be the basis for admission to postgraduate broad-speciality education in medical institutions.</li>
<li>Similar efforts have been made by the government, for bringing uniformity in under-graduate medical entrance exams through <strong>National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Associated Issues</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Audit by Third Party:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NMC Act proposed to set up a <strong>&ldquo;Medical Assessment and Rating Board&rdquo;</strong> to hire and authorise any other third-party agency or persons for carrying out inspections of medical institutions for assessing and rating such institutions.</li>
<li>The authenticity of quality audits by private bodies can be questioned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issue of Autonomy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act provides NMC as a <strong>complete subsidiary of the government.</strong> From the selection of its office-bearers and members to its finances, its functioning and powers, all being comprehensively controlled by the government.</li>
<li>This absolute control of the government of the NMC, threatens its autonomy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Formalizing Quackery:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Act is silent on the method by which the &ldquo;commission&rdquo; will grant &ldquo;limited licence&rdquo; to<strong> community health providers</strong> to practise modern medicine.</li>
<li>The absence of clarity on this front, may allow some unqualified personnel to perform duties of a medical practitioner.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issue of Federalism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Though <strong>health is primarily a state subject,</strong> the Act empowers the central government to give such directions and the state government shall comply with such directions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The achievement of the<strong> third <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sustainable Development Goal</a> (SDG)</strong> in India will need well-functioning health systems that work towards ensuring universal health coverage.</p>
<p>In this context, the NMC Act is consciously contributing to medical education to channelise the supply-side to meet the future requirements. However, holistic governance reforms in the medical sector are the need of the hour, so as to instil the medical ethos of transparency, equity and accountability.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>PESTEL Analysis: Challenges to Healthcare in India</strong><br /><strong>Political:</strong> Lack of accountability; healthcare facilities not monitored regularly; policy loopholes, approach to healthcare governance not participatory and inclusive.<br /><strong>Economic:</strong> Low public healthcare investment and inadequate health infrastructure; high out of pocket expenses; lack of accessibility and affordability<br /><strong>Social:</strong> Urban-Rural, Poor-Rich Divide; gender divide; lack of awareness; poor hygiene culture and sanitation practices; lack of capacity building of health workers.<br /><strong>Technological:</strong> Lack of technological up-gradation, research and development. <br /><strong>Environmental:</strong> Severe pollution; increase in zoonotic diseases.<br /><strong>Legal:</strong> Lack of legal awareness. Eg- &lsquo;informed consent of patient&rsquo;; &lsquo;negligence by medical professionals&rsquo; not covered strictly under medical jurisprudence.</p>
</div>
<p></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fcfce3;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The achievement of SDG-3 in India will need well-functioning health systems that work towards ensuring universal health coverage. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/national-medical-commission-act'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Zoonotic Diseases',
		'catname' => 'Paper 3',
		'desc' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The word 'Zoonosis' (Pleural: Zoonoses) was introduced by Rudolf Virchow in 1880 to include collectively the diseases shared in nature by man and animals.</li>
<li>Later WHO in 1959 defined that Zoonoses are those diseases and infections which are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man.</li>
<li>Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, or may involve unconventional agents.</li>
<li>As well as being a public health problem, many of the major zoonotic diseases prevent the efficient production of food of animal origin and create obstacles to international trade in animal products.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739441_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739441_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>How do germs spread between animals and people?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Zoonotic transmission can occur in any context in which there is companionistic (pets), economic (farming, etc.), predatory (hunting, butchering or consuming wild game) or research contact with animals.</li>
<li><strong>Contamination of food or water supply:</strong> Eating or drinking contaminated food can cause various types of diseases in humans.</li>
<li><strong>Direct contact:</strong> While petting or touching animals, and bites or scratches.</li>
<li><strong>Indirect contact:</strong> Coming into contact with areas where animals live and roam.</li>
<li><strong>Vector-borne:</strong> Being bitten by a tick, or an insect, like a mosquito or a flea food-borne</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Types of Influenza in Animals</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Most strains of influenza that infect humans are human diseases, although many strains of bird flu and swine flu are zoonoses.</li>
<li><strong>Influenza A viruses</strong> are found in many different animals, including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, seals, and cats.</li>
<li>These viruses occasionally recombine with human strains of the flu and can cause pandemics.</li>
<li><strong>Bat influenza:</strong> Influenza A viruses are found in bats.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bat flu was first discovered in &ldquo;little Yellow-shouldered bats&rdquo; in Guatemala</li>
<li>Internal genes of bat flu viruses are compatible with human flu viruses</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Influenza in cats:</strong> Cats can be infected with influenza viruses, including avian influenza viruses.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Influenza in cats is thought to spread the same way that human flu spreads: through direct contact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Canine influenza (dog flu):</strong> A contagious respiratory disease in dogs caused by specific type A influenza viruses &mdash; H3N8, H3N2.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>No human infections with canine influenza have ever been reported.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Swine/Variant influenza:</strong> A respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses.</li>
<li><strong>Avian influenza:</strong> These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>All subtypes of influenza A viruses apart from H17N10 and H18N11 can infect birds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Classification of Zoonoses</h3>
<p><strong>According to the Etiological (Originating) Agents</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bacterial zoonoses:</strong> e.g. anthrax, brucellosis, plague, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, lyme disease</li>
<li><strong>Viral zoonoses:</strong> e.g. rabies, arbovirus infections, KFD, yellow fever, influenza</li>
<li><strong>Rickettsial zoonoses:</strong> e.g. murine typhus, tick typhus, scrub typhus, Q-fever</li>
<li><strong>Protozoal zoonoses:</strong> e.g. toxoplasmosis, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis</li>
<li><strong>Helminthic zoonoses:</strong> e.g. echinococcosis (hydatid disease), taeniasis</li>
<li><strong>Fungal zoonose:</strong> s e.g. deep mycosis - histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis</li>
<li><strong>Ectoparasites:</strong> e.g. scabies, myiasis</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>According to the mode of transmission</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Direct zoonoses:</strong> Transmitted from an infected vertebrate host to a susceptible host (man) by direct contact, by contact with a fomite or by a mechanical vector. Eg: rabies, anthrax, brucellosis etc.</li>
<li><strong>Cyclozoonoses:</strong> Require more than one vertebrate host species, but no invertebrate host for the completion of the life cycle of the agent, e.g. echinococcosis, taeniasis.</li>
<li><strong>Metazoonoses:</strong> These are transmitted biologically by invertebrate vectors, in which the agent multiplies and/or develops and there is always an extrinsic incubation (prepatent) period before transmission to another vertebrate host e.g., plague.</li>
<li><strong>Saprozoonoses:</strong> These require a vertebrate host and a non-animal developmental site like soil, plant material, pigeon dropping etc. for the development of the infectious agent e.g. aspergillosis.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>According to the reservoir host</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Anthropozoonoses Infections:</strong> Transmitted to man from lower vertebrate animals e.g. rabies, leptospirosis, plague, arboviral infections, brucellosis and Q-fever.</li>
<li><strong>Zooanthroponoses Infections:</strong> Transmitted from man to lower vertebrate animals e.g. streptococci, staphylococci, diphtheria, enterobacteriaceae, human tuberculosis in cattle and parrots.</li>
<li><strong>Amphixenoses Infections:</strong> Maintained in both man and lower vertebrate animals and transmitted in either direction e.g. salmonellosis, staphylococcosis.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Factors Influencing Prevalence of Zoonoses</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Ecological changes in man's environment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Exploitation of new territories and natural resources like harnessing the power of rivers, constructing roads and pipelines through thinly populated areas, clearing, irrigating and cultivating new land, deforestation lead to entering of humans in the unaccustomed ecosystem in which potential pathogens form part of the biotic community (natural focus).</li>
<li>Large scale expansion of agricultural and engineering resources, construction of dams, artificial lakes, irrigation schemes, clearing of forests -all these lead to changing of the biting habits of the blood sucking vectors and alteration in the population of reservoir animals which has led to the spread of such diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Handling animal by-products and wastes (occupational hazards)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For eg- anthrax in carpet weavers, live stock raisers and workers with animal hair in the textile industry, leptospirosis in rice field workers, listeriosis in agricultural workers etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increased movements of man</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Land development, engineering project work, pilgrimages, tourism, etc. expose the people to contaminated food and water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increased trade in animal products</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Wool, bone meal, meat, etc. from an area where some of the zoonoses are endemic, are likely to introduce the disease into new territories.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Transportation of virus infected mosquitoes</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Eg- Aircraft, ship, train, motor and other vehicles bring the viruses in to a new area, e.g. yellow fever Chikungunya fever, dengue fever etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cultural anthropological norms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For eg- in Kenya, people allow the dogs and hyenas to eat human dead bodies infected with hydatidosis. This helps to perpetuate the transmission cycle of the disease.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Case Studies</h3>
<p><strong>Kyasanur Forest Disease/Monkey Fever</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) is caused by Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV), a member of the virus family <em>Flaviviridae.</em></li>
<li>KFDV was identified in 1957 when it was isolated from a sick monkey from the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka (formerly Mysore) State. Since then, between 400-500 humans cases per year have been reported.</li>
<li>Hard ticks are the reservoir of the KFD virus and once infected, remain so for life.</li>
<li>Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after being bitten by an infected tick.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739232_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1585739232_image2.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><a href="/printpdf/novel-strain-of-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID 19</strong></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Another example of a zoonotic disease is COVID-19, which broke out in China's Wuhan district in December 2019.</li>
<li>It was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020 with total cases reaching nearly 8 lakh.</li>
<li>COVID-19 is caused by the virus SARS-CoV2 which is believed to have started in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>SARS CoV</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged in 2002-2003 in southern China.</li>
<li>SARS-CoV is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002.</li>
<li>An epidemic of SARS affected 26 countries and resulted in more than 8000 cases in 2003.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>MERS CoV</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.</li>
<li>Current scientific evidence suggests that dromedary camels are a major reservoir host for MERS-CoV and an animal source of MERS infection in humans.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Nipah</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The classic example of emergence of zoonotic disease is the outbreak of Nipah in Kerala.</li>
<li>The virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (bats and pigs), and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.</li>
<li>Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Zoonotic Diseases and India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India is among the top geographical hotspots where zoonotics diseases are a major public health issue causing <strong>high burden of morbidity and mortality.</strong></li>
<li>High priority zoonotic diseases like Brucellosis have emerged from Haryana to Goa, incidence and prevalence of occupational zoonotic disease like Anthrax have affected human health throughout.</li>
<li>Similarly, Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle that impacts productivity and represents a major public health threat and is considered endemic in India.</li>
<li>Further, being among the highest bacterial disease burden in the world, antibiotics, therefore, have a critical role in limiting morbidity and morality and consequently Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has huge implications for India.</li>
<li>Major public health zoonotic diseases in India include Rabies, Brucellosis, Toxoplasmosis, Cysticercosis, Echinococcosis, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Plague, Leptospirosis, Scrub typus, Nipah, Trypanosomiasis, Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).</li>
<li>According to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), about 75% of emerging and re-emerging infections are zoonotic, and new pathogens (viruses) continue to emerge and spread across countries.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Challenges to Controlling Zoonotic Diseases in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Large human population</strong> and its frequent interactions with animals.</li>
<li><strong>Poverty:</strong> Leads to increased dependence on animal rearing as a means of livelihood. The intimate human-animal contact puts them at risk for this category of diseases.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Poverty-struck communities are primarily dependent on rearing animals as a means of livelihood and, therefore, the intimate human-animal contact puts them at risk for this category of diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unawareness:</strong> Large part of population remains unaware of the basic hygiene routine to be followed.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of proper vaccination programmes, poor sero-surveillance </strong>and<strong> lack of diagnostic facilities</strong> make the preventive and precautionary approach more difficult.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Measures Taken ToControl Zoonotic Diseases</strong></p>
<p>Following Programmes have been launched under <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></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)</li>
<li>National Programme for Containment of Anti-Microbial Resistance</li>
<li>National Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Programme</li>
<li>Strengthening Inter-sectoral coordination for prevention and control of Zoonotic Diseases of Public Health Importance</li>
<li>National Rabies control programme</li>
<li>Programme for prevention and control of Leptospirosis</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Zoonoses comprise a large percentage of all newly identified infectious diseases as well as existing infectious diseases.</li>
<li>Cross-sectoral collaboration is key to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-policy-for-disease-control" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>understanding and managing public health risks</strong></a> at the human-animal-environment interface and improving global health security.</li>
<li>Coordination between physicians, veterinarians, and epidemiologists should be strengthened.</li>
<li>Technology should be used effectively. Each district and state in the country needs to be linked through satellite to the designated national headquarters for collecting real-time data on the activity of pathogens and diseases.</li>
<li>International Organisations such as the WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) should work in close collaboration to carry out expansive research in the field to prevent and manage the threats of such pandemics.</li>
<li>The international community should also push for more transparency in the working of organisations such as WHO.</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/zoonotic-diseases'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Globalisation & Covid-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Global leaders have reached this consensus that the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>pandemic</strong></a> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> and the crisis it has generated is a turning point in modern history.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The crisis offers the world an opportunity to <strong>forge a new human-centric concept of globalisation.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The rapid worldwide spread of<strong> Covid-19</strong> has a lot to do with the <strong>fallout of globalisation,</strong> including the <strong>travel</strong> industry,<strong> tourism</strong> and the neoliberal attack on <strong>universal health care</strong> which can be understood by the <strong>examples of South Korea, Iran and Sri Lanka.</strong></li>
<li><strong>South Korea:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The transmission of the Covid-19 in South Korea is related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. This <strong>cult facilitated the transmission</strong> of the disease from Wuhan to South Korea because of<strong> frequent travel among its followers.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Iran:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The coronavirus was introduced in Iran through <strong>globalisation-triggered international alignment and incubated through political and religious processes.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/us-reimposes-sanctions-on-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic sanctions imposed</a> by the U.S. dominated western countries</strong> compelled Iran to develop ties with China. Which in turn, made the <strong>traders act as the carriers</strong> of the viruses.</li>
<li>The<strong> initial hub of disease transmission</strong> in Iran was Qom, a <strong>popular pilgrimage centre for Shiite Muslims</strong> from where it reached the<strong> Iranian Parliament,</strong> having strong ties with Qom.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sri Lanka &amp; India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Here the onset of the Covid-19 has a lot to do with<strong> tourism and labour migration,</strong> processes intimately connected with globalisation.</li>
<li>Both in <strong>Sri Lanka and India,</strong> the <strong>first cases were reported among foreign tourists</strong> from China and Italy respectively.</li>
<li>The <strong>tour guides</strong> became the<strong> first set of local people exposed</strong> to the disease triggering local transmissions.</li>
<li>Both Sri Lanka and Kerala in India have <strong>large portions of their labour force employed overseas.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Returnees</strong> from these overseas destinations have contributed to the upsurge in the Covid-19 epidemic in South Asian countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The quarantine and social distancing processes may not be <strong>totally effective</strong> in so far as the migrant workers and their families are often in between two states, experiencing difficulties at both ends.</li>
<li>Both migrant workers and tourist guides already experience discrimination of various kinds because of their occupations and the risks involved and the quarantine has added to their misery.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The world needs to think <strong>beyond social distancing and quarantining</strong> the affected people and places.</li>
<li>Broader and deeper issues like <strong>fallout from globalisation need to be analysed</strong> and questioned.</li>
<li>In the recent <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/virtual-g20-leaders-summit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>G20 video conference</strong></a>, Indian Prime Minister stressed the world leaders to look at <strong>humanitarian aspects to global challenges like pandemics, climate change and terrorism, not just economic ones.</strong></li>
<li>The world needs to redefine the definition of globalisation and make it more <strong>human-centric instead of market and profit-oriented.</strong></li>
<li>There is a need to <strong>devote special attention to the needs of less developed countries</strong> as they might not contribute to the causes but face the severity of the situation far worse.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Globalisation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It refers to the<strong> economic,</strong> <strong>social and political integration of nations.</strong> It entails the spread of products, technology, information and jobs across national borders and cultures.</li>
<li>In <strong>economic terms,</strong> it describes an <strong>interdependence of nations</strong> around the globe, fostered through free trade.</li>
<li>Globalisation can be further divided into subcategories based on its time frame and focus areas:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Globalization 1.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was <strong>pre-World War I</strong> globalization, which was launched by a historic drop in trade costs.</li>
<li>This globalization came with almost no government support and was without global governance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Globalization 2.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is the <strong>post-World War II</strong> phase where trade in goods was combined with complimentary domestic policies.</li>
<li>The market was in charge of efficiency while the government was in charge of justice.</li>
<li>It saw the establishment of institute-based, rule-based international governance, specifically the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations</strong></a> (UN), <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-monetary-fund-imf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Monetary Fund</strong> </a>(IMF), <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank</strong></a>, <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-trade-organisation-wto" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Trade Organisation</strong></a> (WTO, earlier GATT), <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-labour-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labor Organization</strong></a> (ILO) etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Globalization 3.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It created a new world of manufacturing in which high-tech was combined with low wages.</li>
<li>This was achieved through establishment of global supply chains as factories crossed international borders.</li>
<li>It was variously called <strong>New globalization, Hyper globalization, Global value chain evolution.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Globalization 4.0</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is the latest stage of globalization which involves cutting-edge new technologies like <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>artificial intelligence</strong></a> (AI) that powers forward with the explosion of information technology.</li>
<li>These technologies shrink distances, open up borders and minds and bring people all across the globe closer together.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/beyond-social-distancing-to-fight-covid-19/article31221877.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Fundraising for Covid-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Government has hiked <strong>Ways and Means Advance (WMA)</strong> limit with 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> by 60%.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>WMA limit is proposed to be revised to Rs 1.20 lakh crore and would be reviewed on a need basis (from Rs 75,000 crore last year).</li>
<li>This is to compensate for the cash flow mismatch in Financial Year (FY) 21 expected from higher spending to combat the spread of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-s-preparedness" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Ways and Means Advance scheme</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ways and Means Advances scheme was <strong>introduced in 1997.</strong></li>
<li>The Ways and Means Advances scheme was introduced to <strong>meet mismatches in the receipts and payments of the government.</strong></li>
<li>The government can avail of <strong>immediate cash from the RBI,</strong> if required. But it has to <strong>return the amount within 90 days.</strong> Interest is charged at the <strong>existing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/repo-rate-unchanged-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repo rate.</a></strong></li>
<li>If the WMA exceeds 90 days, it would be treated as an <strong>overdraft</strong> (the interest rate on overdrafts is 2 percentage points more than the repo rate).</li>
<li>The limits for Ways and Means Advances are <strong>decided by the government and RBI</strong> mutually and revised periodically.</li>
<li>A<strong> higher limit provides the government flexibility</strong> to raise funds from RBI without borrowing them from the market.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government has announced a <strong>Rs 1.7 lakh crore package (<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana</a>)</strong> to provide income support, free food and other facilities to the poor to help them <strong>during the 21-day national <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lockdown.</a></strong></li>
<li>The fundraising resources are <strong>not only from the market, but also from institutions such as the RBI.</strong></li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/union-budget-2020-21-highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Budget 2020-21</strong> </a>has pegged the Centre&rsquo;s net market borrowing, including government securities, treasury bills and post office life insurance fund at Rs 5.36 lakh crore.</li>
<li>Out of<strong> gross borrowings</strong> of Rs 7.8 lakh crore in FY21, the Centre has proposed to borrow Rs 4.88 lakh crore, or 62.56%, in the first half of the fiscal, as against 62.25% done in the previous fiscal.</li>
<li>In FY21, the Centre also plans to issue the <strong>Debt Exchange Traded Fund</strong> comprising government securities to widen the base of investors.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This will enable <strong>retail investors,</strong> who otherwise find it difficult to buy government bonds directly, take an exposure in this <strong>risk free instrument.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Exchange Traded Fund</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is a<strong> basket of securities</strong> that trade on an exchange, just like a stock.</li>
<li>ETF reflects the<strong> composition of an Index,</strong> like BSE Sensex. Its <strong>trading value is based on the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the underlying stocks</strong> (such as shares) that it represents.</li>
<li>ETF share prices <strong>fluctuate all day</strong> as it is bought and sold. This is different from mutual funds that only trade once a day after the market closes.</li>
<li>An ETF can <strong>own hundreds or thousands of stocks across various industries,</strong> or it could be isolated to one particular industry or sector.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/govt-hikes-wma-limit-with-rbi-by-60-frontloads-borrowing-6341083/" 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/fundraising-for-covid-19'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'Quasi-subspecies of Covid-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the<strong> Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)</strong> a mixture of three quasi-subspecies of SARS-CoV-2 is in circulation in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, scientists are yet to classify a<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> SARS-Cov-2</strong></a> variant as an Indian strain.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These imported variants of SARs-CoV-2 showed no differences from how they behaved in the place of origin. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s COVID-19 cases were mainly from people with travel history and their immediate contacts, which is to say that this virus was brought in from outside.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The government has also constituted a <strong>Science and Technology Empowered Committee to</strong> coordinate among science agencies, scientists, industries and regulatory bodies <strong>for Covid-19 response.</strong></li>
<li>The Committee will work with the Department of Science &amp; Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Institute for Science (IISC) to <strong>take speedy decisions on research and development</strong> keeping in view of the critical need to increase the testing facilities for COVID-19 disease.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.</li>
<li>It was founded in <strong>1911</strong> with the name of Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) and <strong>renamed as ICMR in 1949.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>funded</strong> by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, <strong>Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/three-quasi-subspecies-of-coronavirus-in-circulation-says-icmr/article31222507.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'articles.pdf_name' => 'string',
		'pdf_name' => 'string',
		'articles__display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_archive' => 'integer',
		'display_archive' => 'integer'
	],
	'decorators' => (int) 0,
	'executed' => false,
	'hydrate' => true,
	'buffered' => true,
	'formatters' => (int) 0,
	'mapReducers' => (int) 0,
	'contain' => [],
	'matching' => [],
	'extraOptions' => [],
	'repository' => object(App\Model\Table\ArticlesTable) {}

}
$page = (int) 93
$search = 'class'
$totalPages = (float) 274
$title = 'Search'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
$i = (int) 2017
$selected = ''
$m = (int) 13
$month = 'December'

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

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