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Starch-based Materials to Stop Blood Loss

Why in News Recently, scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) have developed a starch-based ‘hemostat’...

18 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Permanent Commission for Women in Indian Navy

Why in News Recently, the Supreme Court upheld the right of serving Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers of the Navy to be granted...

18 Mar 2020 News Analysis
NBCFDC and NISD

Why in News The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is exploring the possibilities of a scheme for persons engaged in the act of...

18 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Regulating Payment Aggregators and Gateways

Why in News The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released guidelines for regulating activities of Payment Aggregators (PAs) and Payment Gateways...

18 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Subdued Gender Participation In STEM

This article is based on “Closing the gender gap in science” which was published in The Hindu on 17/03/2020. It talks about the gender...

17 Mar 2020 News Editorials
Classical Languages

Why in News Recently, a Bill to grant the status of Central universities to three deemed Sanskrit universities was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The...

17 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Use of Waterways for Reducing Transportation Cost

Why in News Recently, the Minister of State for Shipping has informed in the Rajya Sabha that significant savings in the cost of transportation are...

17 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Superhydrophobic Coating on Metallic Surfaces

Why in News A team from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, and Ohio State University has created a...

17 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Sheikh Mujibur Rehman

Why in News The 100th Birth Anniversary celebrations of ‘Jatir Pita’ Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is being celebrated on 17th...

17 Mar 2020 News Analysis
ICMR to test for Community Transmission of COVID-19

Why in News The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has announced that it would start testing influenza patients without any travel history or...

17 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Boko Haram

Boko Haram is the militant group in northern Nigeria that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 3 million people. Boko...

17 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Covid-19 and India

This article is based on “Smart-locking India” and “Virus, on balance: Dealing with coronavirus requires a clear public health...

16 Mar 2020 News Editorials
OneHealth Approach

Why in News Recently, to deal with zoonotic diseases, a need to operationalize “OneHealth’ policy in India was...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Video Conference of SAARC Leaders on COVID-19

Why in News The Video Conference of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Leaders on COVID-19 was held recently. All the...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Successful Trails in Treating Drug-Resistant TB

Why in News Recently, a small trial was undertaken to test the safety and efficacy of a few oral drugs against the extensively drug-resistant TB...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Defence Fund Shortfall

Why in News Recently, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has shown concern at the widening gap between projections and allocations in the...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Tara Tarini Temple

Why in News The annual Chaitra Jatra festival scheduled to be held on 17th March, 2020 at Odisha’s Tara Tarini hill shrine has been cancelled...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Krishna Raja Sagar Dam

Why in News The water level in the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya district (Karnataka) is coming down rapidly owing to the increase in the...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
Iron Rain on Exoplanet

Why in News Wasp-76b, an exoplanet (planet outside the solar system), probably has iron raining on it. Key Points Wasp-76b orbits so close...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis
ROPAX Service

Why in News The Ministry of Shipping has launched a roll on-roll off cum passenger ferry service, called ‘ROPAX’, between Mumbai and...

16 Mar 2020 News Analysis

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		(int) 0 => [
			'title' => 'Starch-based Materials to Stop Blood Loss',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, scientists from the<strong> Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST)</strong> have developed a <strong>starch-based &lsquo;hemostat&rsquo; material </strong>that<strong> concentrates the natural clotting factors in blood by physically absorbing excess fluid.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hemostat materials absorb excess fluid by concentrating the natural clotting factors in the blood that are critical for stopping the blood flow.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584519904_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584519904_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The product is made by microparticles known as <strong>'calcium-modified carboxymethyl-starch'.</strong></li>
<li>When the microparticles combine, they create an <strong>adherent gel</strong> that can remain on the wound until slowly dissipating as healing proceeds.</li>
<li>These microparticles are prepared by <strong>modifying some of the chemical hydroxyl groups on starch to carboxymethyl groups</strong> while also incorporating the beneficial calcium ions, which encourages the aggregation of red blood cells and platelets and their activation to generate the fibrin protein network that forms a stable blood clot.</li>
<li><strong>This modification increases the ability of the molecules to interact with water.</strong> This is the basis of its impressive ability to absorb fluid from the blood and hence concentrate the clotting factors.</li>
<li>The<strong> product has increased absorption capacity and adhesion, it is inexpensive, non-toxic, biocompatible as well as biodegradable.</strong></li>
<li>Presently, no single hemostatic agent exists that can work in all situations and current hemostat materials are very expensive and available mostly in developed countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Blood Clotting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Clotting is a necessary process that can <strong>prevent too much loss of blood when there is cut or injury.</strong></li>
<li>A blood clot is a<strong> clump of blood</strong> that has changed from a liquid to a gel-like or semisolid state.</li>
<li>Blood clots are healthy and lifesaving when they stop bleeding. But unnecessary clotting causes serious medical problems which include a heart attack, stroke, etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>E.g If a clot formed inside one of veins breaks free and travels through veins to heart and lungs, it can get stuck and prevent blood flow.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>An injury or a trauma stimulates the <strong>platelets (also called thrombocytes)</strong> in the blood to release certain factors which activate the mechanism of clotting.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Calcium ions, Fibrinogens, a protein and Vitamin K</strong> are also needed for clotting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Starch</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Starch is a <strong>carbohydrate</strong> extracted from agricultural raw materials.</li>
<li>The starch molecule consists of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds.</li>
<li>It is the most important carbohydrate in the human diet.</li>
<li>Because it is renewable and biodegradable it is also a perfect raw material as a substitute for fossil-fuel components in numerous chemical applications such as plastics, detergents, glues etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INST is an <strong>autonomous institution</strong> of the <strong>Department of Science and Technology,</strong> Government of India under the <strong>Society Registration Act, 1960.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.nic.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1606710" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		],
		(int) 1 => [
			'title' => 'Permanent Commission for Women in Indian Navy',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Supreme Court upheld<strong> the right of serving <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/command-posts-for-women-in-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers</a> of the Navy to be granted Permanent Commission (PC)</strong> on a par with their male counterparts.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The judgment was based on a case filed by 17 women SSC officers who were denied PC and discharged despite completing 14 years of service as SSC officers.</li>
<li>The verdict comes after the top court had <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/women-eligible-for-permanent-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>opened the doors for similarly-placed women officers in the Army.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A<strong> permanent commission </strong>entitles an officer to serve in the Navy <strong>till he/she retires </strong>unlike<strong> Short Service Commission (SSC), which is currently for 10 years </strong>and can be <strong>extended by four more years, </strong>or a total of 14 years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>PC for Women :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SC has directed that SSC women officers found suitable for the grant of PC shall be entitled to <strong>all consequential benefits, including arrears of pay, promotions and retirement benefits as and when due.</strong></li>
<li>The grant of PCs will be subject to availability of vacancies in the stabilised cadre, suitability of the candidate and recommendation by the chief of Naval Staff.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Criticism of Government&rsquo;s View:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It rejected the submissions of the Centre stating that <strong>certain sea-sailing duties are ill-suited for women officers</strong> as there is no return to the base, unlike in the Army and the Air Force.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stand against Discrimination:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Court <strong>denied the discrimination on the grounds of physiology, motherhood and physical attributes</strong> of the women officers in the Indian Navy.</li>
<li>Thus the judgement ensured the <strong>right to fair and equal treatment with constitutional entitlement to dignity at the workplace for women.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Previous Notifications for PC of Women :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Court stated that the government had already drawn up <strong>policies in 1991 and 1998 to give Permanent Commission to women in the Navy.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The 1991 notification lifted the restriction on the appointment or enrolment of women for specified cadres/branches of the Navy.</li>
<li>The 1998 notification made women eligible for appointment as officers in all the branches of the Indian Navy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also directed that the stipulation in a <strong>policy letter dated September 26, 2008,</strong> making the grant of PC prospective and restricting its application to specified cadres/branches of the Navy <strong>shall not be enforced.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-allows-permanent-commission-for-women-in-navy/article31089114.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/permanent-commission-for-women-in-indian-navy'
		],
		(int) 2 => [
			'title' => 'NBCFDC and NISD',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>The Ministry of Social Justice &amp; Empowerment</strong> is exploring the possibilities of a scheme for persons engaged in the act of begging.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Scheme would cover identification, rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development with the support of State Governments/UTs and Voluntary Organizations, etc.</li>
<li>The Ministry also provides funds to the <strong>National Backward Classes Finance &amp; Development Corporation (NBCFDC)</strong> and the <strong>National Institute of Social Defence (NISD)</strong> for the development of members of beggars&rsquo; community.</li>
</ul>
<h3>National Backward Classes Finance &amp; Development Corporation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBCFDC is a <strong>Government of India Undertaking</strong> under the aegis of <strong>Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.</strong></li>
<li>It was incorporated under <strong>Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956</strong> on 13<sup>th</sup> January 1992 as a Company not for profit.</li>
<li>Its objective is to promote economic and developmental activities for the benefit of Backward Classes and to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures.</li>
</ul>
<h3>National Institute of Social Defence</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) is an <strong>Autonomous Body</strong> and is <strong>registered under Societies Act XXI of 1860 with the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT), Delhi.</strong></li>
<li>It is a central advisory body <strong>for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.</strong></li>
<li>It is the<strong> nodal training and research institute</strong> in the field of social defence.</li>
<li>The institute currently focuses on <strong>human resource development</strong> in the areas of drug abuse prevention, welfare of senior citizens, beggary prevention, transgender and other social defence issues.</li>
<li>The mandate of the institute is to provide inputs for the <strong>social defence programmes of the Government of India through training, research &amp; documentation.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1606806" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nbcfdc-and-nisd'
		],
		(int) 3 => [
			'title' => 'Regulating Payment Aggregators and Gateways',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> has released <strong>guidelines</strong> for regulating activities of <strong>Payment Aggregators (PAs)</strong> and <strong>Payment Gateways (PGs)</strong> in the country.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PAs and PGs are intermediaries playing an important function in <strong>facilitating payments in the online space.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Payment Aggregators facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants in accepting payment instruments from the customers</strong> for completion of their payment obligations without the need for merchants to create a separate payment integration system of their own. <strong>Example:</strong> Billdesk.</li>
<li><strong>Payment Gateways</strong> are entities that <strong>provide technology infrastructure</strong> to route and facilitate processing of an online payment transaction without any involvement in handling of funds. PGs in India mainly include <strong>banks.</strong></li>
<li>A Payment Gateway allows the merchants to deal in a specific payment option put on the portal, whereas a Payment Aggregator allows one to have multitudes of options for payment. Thus, <strong>a Payment Aggregator covers a payment gateway in its ambit.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Guidelines</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Authorisation</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Non-bank PAs</strong> will require authorisation from the RBI under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSSA). A PA should be a company incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 1956 / 2013.</li>
<li><strong>Banks provide PA services</strong> as part of their normal banking relationship and <strong>do not therefore require a separate authorisation from RBI.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/e-commerce-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>E-commerce marketplaces</strong></a> (e.g. flipkart, Paytm) providing PA services <strong>should separate PA services from the marketplace business</strong> and they should apply for authorisation on or before 30<sup>th</sup> June, 2021.</li>
<li>PGs will be considered as &lsquo;technology providers&rsquo; or &lsquo;outsourcing partners&rsquo; of banks or non-banks, as the case may be.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Capital Requirement</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Existing PAs</strong> have to achieve a net worth of ₹15 crore by 31<sup>st</sup> March, 2021 and a net worth of ₹25 crore on or before 31<sup>st</sup> March, 2023. The net worth of ₹25 crore has to be maintained at all times thereafter.</li>
<li><strong>New PAs</strong> should have a minimum net worth of ₹15 crore at the time of application for authorisation and have to attain a net worth of ₹25 crore by the end of the third financial year of the grant of authorisation. The net worth of ₹25 crore has to be maintained at all times thereafter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disclosure Requirements</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>PAs need to disclose <strong>comprehensive information</strong> regarding merchant policies, customer grievances, privacy policy and other terms and conditions on the website and / or their mobile application.</li>
<li>They need to undertake <strong>background and antecedent checks of the merchants</strong> to ensure that such merchants do not have any malafide intention of duping customers, and do not sell fake / counterfeit / prohibited products.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/rbi-to-regulate-payment-aggregators/article31095144.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/regulating-payment-aggregators-and-gateways'
		],
		(int) 4 => [
			'title' => 'Subdued Gender Participation In STEM',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/closing-the-gender-gap-in-science/article31084926.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Closing the gender gap in science&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 17/03/2020. It talks about the gender gap in Indian society, especially in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).</p>
</div>
<p>Countries globally, including India, have agreed to fulfil the <strong><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sustainable Development Goals</a>&nbsp;</strong>(SDGs) -a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Bringing<strong> gender equality</strong> (SDG 5) is seen as a key goal, both in itself and for achieving other goals.</p>
<p>India has taken many strides in bringing gender empowerment, however, increasing gender participation in <strong>STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, remains the Achilles heel for India.</strong></p>
<h3>Fact Sheet of Gender Inequality in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <strong>Global Gender Gap Index 2020,</strong> a study covering 153 economies, India has slipped to the 112<sup>th</sup> spot from its 108<sup>th</sup> position in 2018.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report also says it would take nearly a hundred years to close the gender gap in various fields in India compared to the time it would take in other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>WEF&rsquo;s Gender Gap Index,</strong> India ranks 147<sup>th</sup> out of 149 countries on the health and survival of women and 142<sup>nd</sup> out of 149 in terms of economic participation of women.</li>
<li>According to the <strong>World Bank,</strong> India ranks 163<sup>rd</sup> out of 181 countries in <strong>female labour force participation.</strong></li>
<li>Also, India is one of the few countries in the world where women&rsquo;s work participation rates have fallen sharply &mdash; from 29% in 2004-5 to 22% in 2011-12 and to 17 % in 2017-18.</li>
<li>According to the <strong>Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE),</strong> a large percentage of all the jobs lost last year were held by women.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Out of the 11 million jobs lost in 2018, women accounted for 8.8 million.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian women receive 34% fewer wages</strong> than men for equivalent work, spend around five hours a day on unpaid care work compared to a mere half an hour for men and are primarily engaged in low-paying, informal sector work.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons for this Problem</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Incomplete Reform:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inclusive nationalism propounded by Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and others during the struggle for Independence encouraged women to break the familial and cultural shackles and enter the freedom struggle.</li>
<li>However, after independence, this wave of social transformation got fizzled out, and women again got confined to the household work.</li>
<li>This restricted the prospects of higher education for girls.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Imbibed Sexism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cultural and gender norms that engendered discrimination is a major reason why India lost out on an important opportunity to build a culture of including women in STEM fields</li>
<li>For example, India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 every year to mark C.V. Raman&rsquo;s discovery of the scattering of light. However, for some time, the women candidates were refused admission to the Indian Institute of Science in the 1930s, during Raman&rsquo;s tenure as director.</li>
<li>Apart from this, organisational factors have also played a big role in preventing gender parity. Lack of women leaders and women role models may be preventing more women from entering these fields.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Leaky Pipeline Problem:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women across the world face the <strong>&lsquo;leaky pipeline&rsquo; problem.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>leaky pipeline</strong> is a metaphor for the way that women disappear from some careers especially pertaining to STEM fields.</li>
<li>Women leave the workforce, due to the absence of supportive institutional structures during pregnancy, safety issues in fieldwork and workplace.</li>
<li>Not just societal norms but issues related to poor education and healthcare access are responsible for a lesser number of women in these fields.</li>
<li>Also, 23 million girls drop out of school each year because of the economic stress faced by their families or because of inadequate sanitation or improper menstrual hygiene capabilities in schools.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Instances of Gender Equality in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After independence, there has been an exponential growth in the participation of women in the undergraduate and graduate levels.</li>
<li>Though STEM was once seen as a &lsquo;men only&rsquo; domain, recent instances show that social shackles pertaining to women are loosening and women participation is on the rise. For example,<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The role of women engineers in the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation&rsquo;s second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2.</li>
<li>In India, more than 40% of PhD-holders (in academics) in India are women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Despite India&rsquo;s well-known biological imbalance &mdash; one of the world&rsquo;s worst sex ratios &mdash; it boasts a top 20 ranking (19th out of 149 countries) in terms of political empowerment of women, according to the World Economic Forum.</li>
<li>With the launch of Digital India, there has been a dramatic rise in terms of increased access to the internet across the country.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the GSMA, some of the most significant beneficiaries of this surge are women. More than 40% of Indian women are now aware of the mobile internet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Subdued gender participation emanates from social-economic issues, which can be treated by bringing<strong> behavioural change.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This can be changed if more <strong>women are given leadership positions.</strong></li>
<li>For this, the Indian scientific community should act as a <strong>pressure group t</strong>o build greater focus on the issue and push for concrete measures to address the problem.</li>
<li>Contributions of women in the STEM sector should be <strong>highlighted in textbooks.</strong> This may motivate the next generation of girls to be leaders in the STEM sector.</li>
<li>In India, we have many examples of women researchers who are involved in exciting scientific experiments. It is imperative that we understand and remove the sexism and institutional obstacles that prevent more women from entering the scientific field.</li>
<li>Women-oriented government initiatives such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kiran-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) Scheme</strong></a>, represent steps in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #ede9d1;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Including more women in science and applied technologies is critical for the advancement of society. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/subdued-gender-participation-in-stem'
		],
		(int) 5 => [
			'title' => 'Classical Languages',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a Bill to grant the status of Central universities to three deemed Sanskrit universities was passed by the Rajya Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 gives Central status to the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Delhi and the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Tirupati.</li>
<li>The government has been accused of neglecting other classical languages in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently there are <strong>six languages</strong> that enjoy the <strong>&lsquo;Classical&rsquo; status in India:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tamil (declared in 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).</li>
<li>All the Classical Languages are <strong>listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> Ministry of Culture</strong> provides the guidelines regarding Classical languages.</li>
<li><strong>Guidelines for declaring a language as &lsquo;Classical&rsquo; are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years;</li>
<li>A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers;</li>
<li>The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community;</li>
<li>The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once a language is notified as a Classical language, <strong>the Human Resource and Development Ministry provides certain benefits to promote it:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages</li>
<li>A Centre of Excellence for studies in Classical Languages is set up</li>
<li>The University Grants Commission is requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for the Classical Languages so declared.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bill-granting-central-status-to-three-sanskrit-deemed-varsities-passed/article31084089.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/classical-languages'
		],
		(int) 6 => [
			'title' => 'Use of Waterways for Reducing Transportation Cost',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Minister of State for Shipping</strong> has informed in the Rajya Sabha that <strong>significant savings</strong> in the cost of transportation are expected <strong>by using the Inland Water Transport (IWT) mode.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IWT mode is widely recognized as <strong>environment-friendly</strong> and <strong>cost-effective</strong> mode of transport.</li>
<li>It <strong>aims to create</strong> for the shippers and logistic players, <strong>an alternative</strong> to the two dominant modes of transport viz. road and rail.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As per <strong>RITES Report of 2014 </strong>on<strong> Integrated National Waterways Transportation Grid,</strong> the cost comparison on the modes of surface transport is given below:</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584438475_image3.png" /></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways which comprise of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.</li>
<li>About 55 million tonnes of cargo is being moved annually by IWT, a <strong>fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode.</strong></li>
<li>As per the <strong>National Waterways Act 2016, 111 waterways have been declared as National Waterways (NWs).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>National Waterway-1 (Prayagraj-Haldia)</strong> with length 1620 km is the <strong>longest National waterway in India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ladis-least-available-depth-information-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Inland Waterways Authority of India</strong></a> <strong>(IWAI)</strong> is implementing the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jal-marg-vikas-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jal Marg Vikas Project</strong> </a><strong>(JMVP)</strong> at an estimated cost of ₹5369.18 crores for capacity augmentation of navigation on the <strong>Haldia-Varanasi stretch of Ganga (part of NW-1)</strong> with the technical and financial assistance of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Integrated National Waterways Transportation Grid</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It plans to <strong>link many of the national waterways to each other and also to roads, railways and major ports.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Setting up of a large number of ports/terminals, riverside jetties, godowns, boat building workshops, repairing yards and ancillary industries will spur investment opportunities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The capital cost is estimated at ₹22,763 crores to be used in <strong>phase-I (2015-18) </strong>and <strong>phase- II (2018-23).</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584438496_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584438496_image4.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="599" height="563" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Inland Waterways Authority of India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It came into<strong> existence on 27<sup>th</sup> October 1986</strong> for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.</li>
<li>It primarily undertakes <strong>projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure</strong> on national waterways through grants received from the <strong>Ministry of Shipping.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>headquartered at Noida</strong> with <strong>regional offices</strong> at Patna (Bihar), Kolkata (West Bengal), Guwahati (Assam) and Kochi (Kerala) and sub-offices at other places throughout India.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1606554" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/use-of-waterways-for-reducing-transportation-cost'
		],
		(int) 7 => [
			'title' => 'Superhydrophobic Coating on Metallic Surfaces',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A team from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, and Ohio State University has created a superhydrophobic coating to save steel from rusting.</li>
<li>The coating was made from<strong> polyurethane and silicon dioxide nanoparticles.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Superhydrophobic Surfaces</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The term hydrophobicity is derived from two greek words that are <strong>hydro (water)</strong> and <strong>phobos (fear).</strong> It is the ability to <strong>repel water.</strong></li>
<li>Superhydrophobic coating is a nanoscopic surface layer that repels water.</li>
<li>Adding a superhydrophobic coating makes a surface liquid and water repellent, easy to clean, and boosts its anti-icing performance (ability to delay the formation of ice for a certain period of time)</li>
<li>Super-hydrophobic coatings are also found in nature; they appear on plant leaves, such as the Lotus leaf, and some insect wings.</li>
<li>Apart from steel the coating can be done on <strong>other metallic surfaces, such as aluminum, copper, brass.</strong> The coatings have also been<strong> developed for glass, cloth, paper and wood.</strong></li>
<li>Developing an antimicrobial superhydrophobic coating for biomedical applications is also being worked on.</li>
<li>Without this, the coating tends to easily peel off due to smoothness of steel.</li>
<li>The spin coating was found to be more <strong>advantageous and cost-effective</strong> compared to immersion coating and spray coating.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Spin coating <strong>dried quickly</strong> and the thickness of the coat could be controlled easily</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Silicon dioxide</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Silicon dioxide (SiO2), also known as silica, is a natural compound made of two of the earth's most abundant materials: silicon (Si) and oxygen (O2).</li>
<li>Silicon dioxide is most often recognized in the form of quartz. It's found naturally in water, plants, animals, and the earth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Polyurethane</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Polyurethane <strong>is a polymer composed of organic units joined by urethane links.</strong></li>
<li>It is a plastic material, which exists in various forms.</li>
<li>They are used in a wide variety of applications to create all manner of consumer and industrial products that play a crucial role in making our lives more convenient, comfortable and environmentally friendly.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Properties of the Coating</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Chemically Stability: Stable in both acidic (pH 5) and alkaline (pH 8)</strong> conditions for more than six weeks.</li>
<li><strong>Thermal Stability:</strong> Stable up to 230 degree C.</li>
<li><strong>Mechanical Stability:</strong> Highly stable when tested with water jet, floating, bending, sand abrasion tests.</li>
<li><strong>Self-cleaning</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>When water droplets were made to fall on an uncoated surface they stuck to it and made a messy surface.</li>
<li>However, in the case of a coated sample, water droplets roll away while collecting dust from the surface.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Easy to make</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The chemicals used to make the coating are easily available and are also environmentally friendly.</li>
<li>The cost of coating will further reduce when mass-produced on commercial scale.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/superhydrophobic-coating-to-save-metallic-surfaces/article31069547.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/superhydrophobic-coating-on-metallic-surfaces'
		],
		(int) 8 => [
			'title' => 'Sheikh Mujibur Rehman',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>100<sup>th</sup> Birth Anniversary celebrations</strong> of &lsquo;Jatir Pita&rsquo; Bangabandhu,<strong> Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,</strong> is being celebrated on <strong>17<sup>th</sup> March 2020</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-bangladesh-relationship" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bangladesh.</strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584436602_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584436602_image2.jpg" style="float: right;" width="164" caption="false" height="216" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mujibur Rahman was <strong>born on 17<sup>th</sup> March 1920 </strong>in<strong> Tungipara, India (now in Bangladesh) </strong>and<strong> passed away on 15<sup>th</sup> August 1975</strong> in<strong> Dhaka, Bangladesh.</strong></li>
<li>He was a Bengali leader who became the <strong>first prime minister of Bangladesh (1972&ndash;75)</strong> and later became the <strong>president of the same in 1975.</strong></li>
<li>He began his formal <strong>political career in 1949</strong> as a <strong>co-founder of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bangladesh-general-elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Awami League.</a></strong></li>
<li>He played a <strong>crucial role in advocating political autonomy for East Pakistan,</strong> the detached eastern part of Pakistan (now Bangladesh).</li>
<li><strong>Sheikh Hasina Wazed,</strong> the<strong> current prime minister of Bangladesh,</strong> is the <strong>daughter</strong> of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1606650" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sheikh-mujibur-rehman'
		],
		(int) 9 => [
			'title' => 'ICMR to test for Community Transmission of COVID-19',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has announced that it would start testing influenza patients <strong>without any travel history or contact with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)</a> for signs of community transmission.</strong></p>
<h3>Four Stages of Transmission of COVID-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Stage 1-Imported Transmission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is reported among the travellers<strong> entering the country </strong>via the<strong> borders and airports.</strong></li>
<li>These can be controlled through thermal screening and quarantine.</li>
<li>To prevent imported transmissions, India has suspended visas to foreign nationals and the facility of visa-free travel to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/overseas-citizenship-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-holders.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stage 2-Local Transmission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a> defines it as the transmission through <strong>direct contact with an infected person within the country.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stage 3-Community Transmission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It signifies that a virus is circulating in the community and can affect people with no history of travel to affected areas or of contact with an infected person.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s current emphasis on social distancing and discouragement of public gatherings is aimed at checking community transmission.</li>
<li>Once community transmission begins, it is more difficult to trace contacts. As one unknown source of infection can infect many people unknowingly.</li>
<li>Among the countries where community transmission seems to have begun are China, Italy and South Korea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stage 4- Epidemic</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> epidemic</strong></a> is a large outbreak, one that spreads among a population or region.</li>
<li>It is less severe than pandemic due to a limited area of spread.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Level of Transmission in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>So far, most of the cases in India have had a history of travel abroad or have contracted the disease from somebody around them.</li>
<li>However, some of the cases in the country had neither any history of foreign travel nor had they come directly in contact with an infected person.</li>
<li><strong>Currently, India is at Stage 2 of Local Transmission</strong> and precautions are being taken to prevent it from entering Stage 3 of Community Transmission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Current Strategy to tackle COVID-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Social Distancing and Cluster Containment:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cluster containment strategy intends to contain the disease within a defined geographic area by early detection, breaking the chain of transmission and thus preventing its spread to new areas.</li>
<li>It includes geographic quarantine, social distancing measures, enhanced active surveillance, testing all suspected cases, isolation of cases, home quarantine of contacts, social mobilization to follow preventive public health measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Possible Involvement of the Private Sector:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government is working with private hospitals to develop standard operating procedures for treatment and isolation of patients.</li>
<li>The involvement of the private sector may face some issues like <strong>the possibility of profiteering, affordability issues, crowding of people at a large number of places, etc.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Italy</strong> followed a<strong> model of lockdown</strong> whereas <strong>South Korea</strong> has observed a <strong>model of free testing.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India</strong> has been following the <strong>Italian model of lockdown.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China</strong> has adopted a <strong>graded approach,</strong> and the number of new cases are gradually declining. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has locked down Hubei, the epicentre. Elsewhere, it enforced social distancing measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indian Council of Medical Research</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the <strong>apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.</strong></li>
<li>Its mandate is to conduct, coordinate and implement medical research for the benefit of the Society; translating medical innovations into products/processes and introducing them into the public health system.</li>
<li>It is <strong>funded by</strong> 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://indianexpress.com/article/india/icmr-to-test-for-community-transmission-of-covid-19-6313521/" 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/icmr-to-test-for-community-transmission-of-covid-19'
		],
		(int) 10 => [
			'title' => 'Boko Haram',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Boko Haram is the <strong>militant group in northern Nigeria</strong> that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 3 million people.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584433378_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584433378_image1.png" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Boko Haram militants mainly inhabit areas in the northern states of Nigeria, specifically Yobe, Kano, Bauchi, Borno and Kaduna.</li>
<li>Boko Haram means <strong>"Western education is forbidden."</strong> The group was<strong> founded in 2002.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The group also refers to itself as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, meaning "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad."</li>
<li>The group&rsquo;s initial proclaimed intent was to uproot the corruption and injustice in Nigeria, which it blamed on Western influences, and to impose Sharīʿah, or Islamic law.</li>
<li>In 2015, the <strong>group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant</strong> (ISIL) and took the name Islamic State (or State&rsquo;s) West African Province (ISWAP; also known as Islamic State in West Africa, or ISWA).</li>
</ul>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/boko-haram'
		],
		(int) 11 => [
			'title' => 'Covid-19 and India',
			'catname' => 'News Editorials',
			'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak-india-world-cases-deaths-vaccine-6315850/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Smart-locking India&rdquo;</strong></a> and <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-outbreak-who-pandemic-india-cases-6315898/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Virus, on balance: Dealing with coronavirus requires a clear public health focus while addressing individual fears&rdquo;.</strong></a> It talks about challenges and possible solutions pertaining to the spread of Covid-19 in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the <strong>World Health Organization</strong> (WHO) characterised <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-s-preparedness" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> as a pandemic. The global death toll due to Covid-19 has crossed the 5,300 mark, with over 1.42 lakh people infected and rapidly it has transitioned across different geographies of the world, from Asia to Europe.</p>
<p>Though India has done well in containing the spread of the virus, the vulnerability that India faces is still high. As currently, nearly more than 100 cases have been reported all across India.</p>
<h3>What are the challenges faced by India?</h3>
<p>Covid-19 is spread via <strong>airborne droplets (sneeze or cough) or contact with the surface.</strong> It is possible that a person can get Covid-19 by touching a surface or an object that has the virus on it and then touching their own nose, eyes or mouth.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Large Population:</strong> India is highly vulnerable due to the <strong>large population constantly travelling and working</strong> in urban agglomerations like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai.</li>
<li><strong>Poor Public Hygiene:</strong> Public hygiene in India is poor despite the &ldquo;Swachh Bharat (Clean India)&rdquo; movements.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As many people spit and sneeze openly on the road.</li>
<li>Also, mobile phones, or keyboards, a virtual extension of hands are some of the <strong>dirtiest reservoirs of viruses.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unknown Incubation Period:</strong> The incubation period (interval between being infected and showing symptoms) is not very accurate. Hence, it can't be defined how long people should be quarantined.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Covid-19 usually follows what is known as a <strong>biphasic or dual-phase infection.</strong></li>
<li>It means the virus persists and causes a different set of symptoms than observed in the initial bout. Also, sometimes, the recovered person can relapse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Super Spreader Disease:</strong> Currently, the cases and clusters in India are simple spreaders which means an infected person with normal infectivity. But Covid 19 can also have a<strong> &ldquo;super spreader&rdquo;,</strong> which means an infected person with high infectivity who can infect hundreds in no time.</li>
<li><strong>Rumours on Social Media:</strong> As we grapple with the global Covid 19 anxiety and fear, unfortunately, people tend to rely on <strong>social media platforms</strong> where rumours spread faster than the virus.</li>
<li>The <strong>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),</strong> said the virus outbreak could cost the global economy up to $2-trillion this year and that the pandemic could cause a recession in some countries causing global economic growth to clock in below 2.5%.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Indian government is facing the twin challenge of containing the virus when the economy is already in the slowdown.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps to be taken by India</h3>
<p>The ideal approach in dealing with such epidemics must have a clear public health focus while addressing fears at the individual level.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The public health response to such outbreaks comprises three phases: The containment phase, delay phase and mitigation phase.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The containment phase:</strong> The aim is to detect and isolate cases and trace people who have been in contact with those infected. In this regard, there is an urgent need to clamp down on all major cities and towns, in all aspects, from travel to mass gatherings to schools, colleges and workplaces.</li>
<li><strong>The delay phase:</strong> Delay is largely engineered through <strong>social distancing strategies</strong> and personal protection measures. These are the main tools to prevent accelerated transmission when no vaccine is available. This includes school closures, encouraging more home working and avoiding contacts like handshakes.</li>
<li><strong>The mitigation phase:</strong> The focus will be on providing optimal care for people who need hospitalisation and ensuring support for those who become infected but do not require hospital treatment. It also involves plans to minimise the impact of the disease on society, public services and the economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Addressing fears at the individual level.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is a need for good reporting standards, the media should abide by the ethical framework of journalism.</li>
<li>The ICMR has advised the government to go into partial shutdown for implementing partial lockdown (restricting the travel from the countries that have reported the major number of infections).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In order to deal with future epidemics, there is a need for a coordinated strategy between union and state governments.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this pursuit, the subject of &lsquo;health&rsquo; can be transferred to the Concurrent List of the Indian Constitution from the State List.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f0e6d3;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The ideal approach for India to deal with a pandemic like Covid-19 is to have a clear public health focus while addressing fears at the individual level. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1'
		],
		(int) 12 => [
			'title' => 'OneHealth Approach',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, to deal with zoonotic diseases, a need to operationalize &ldquo;OneHealth&rsquo; policy in India was highlighted.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Presently, India is dealing with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>coronavirus (COVID-19)</strong></a>. The virus appears to have its origin in bats.</li>
</ul>
<h3>OneHealth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>OneHealth is an <strong>approach</strong> to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which <strong>multiple sectors communicate</strong> and work together to achieve <strong>better public health outcomes.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>areas of work</strong> in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include <strong>food safety,</strong> the <strong>control of zoonotic diseases</strong> (diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as flu, rabies and Rift Valley Fever), and<strong> combating antibiotic resistance</strong> (when bacteria change after being exposed to antibiotics and become more difficult to treat).</li>
<li>Although OneHealth, as a conceptual entity, emerged relatively recently, a stellar example of OneHealth being operationalised in the field was seen in India in the late 1950s.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Zoonotic Diseases</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The diseases, which <strong>&ldquo;spillover&rdquo; from animals</strong> <strong>to humans</strong> are referred to as zoonotic diseases</li>
<li>They represent more than<strong> 60% of emerging infectious diseases</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li>The destruction of the natural environment, globalised trade and travel and industrialised food production systems have created numerous pathways for new pathogens to jump between animals and humans.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India and OneHealth Approach</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the 1950s, the OneHealth approach helped discover the source of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kyasanur-forest-disease-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)</strong></a>, a highly dangerous haemorrhagic fever more threatening than COVID-19. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This was the result of working of several organizations such as the Virus Research Centre (now known as the National Institute of Virology), Pune, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bombay Natural History Society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In<strong> 2018,</strong> Kerala reacted quickly and efficiently to tackle the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-virus-and-fruit-bat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nipah virus outbreak</strong></a> and successfully managed to confine it to 23 cases. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This success is credited to the strong public health infrastructure and the political will to quickly seek help from a multidisciplinary team of national and international experts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the components of the<strong> National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being</strong> explicitly links biodiversity to human health through the OneHealth framework.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, the regulatory framework for doing OneHealth research in India with international collaboration typically requires <strong>approvals from multiple authorities.</strong> This hampers the country&rsquo;s ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats from infectious diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The mission aims to explore the neglected links between biodiversity science and human well-being across the sectors of health, economic development, agricultural production and livelihood generation, in combination with efforts to mitigate climate change and related disasters.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The frequency with which new pathogens are emerging or old ones are re-emerging across the world are alarm calls for greater transparency, cross-country collaborations, and enhanced national infrastructure and capacity for integrated OneHealth science.</li>
<li>India needs to leap-frog over the systemic and institutional barriers that prevent an integrated OneHealth framework from being operationalised.</li>
<li>The OneHealth framework will help government and private institutions, across a range of disciplines, in collaborating to understand how zoonotic diseases can emerge, the threats they can pose, and the mechanisms by which the emergence or spread can be controlled.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/the-time-is-right-for-onehealth-science/article31069639.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/onehealth-approach'
		],
		(int) 13 => [
			'title' => 'Video Conference of SAARC Leaders on COVID-19 ',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Video Conference of <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/south-asian-association-for-regional-cooperation-saarc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)</a> Leaders on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19</a></strong>&nbsp;was held recently.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>All the <strong>members of SAARC</strong> (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Pakistan) attended the conference.</li>
<li>The conference is considered as a <strong>step towards the revival of SAARC</strong> as the SAARC Summit has not taken place since 2014 because of India-Pakistan tensions.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584350767_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584350767_image5.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>COVID-19 Emergency Fund:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has proposed to create a <strong>COVID-19 Emergency Fund</strong> which could be based on a<strong> voluntary contribution</strong> from all SAARC members.</li>
<li>Further, <strong>$10 million</strong> has been extended by <strong>India</strong> as a contribution to the fund.</li>
<li>The fund can be used to meet the <strong>cost of immediate actions</strong> by any member and will be coordinated through foreign secretaries and embassies of the member countries.</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a> has also constituted the <strong>COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund</strong> with the help of corporate bodies, foundations and the UN Foundation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Proposals by India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has also proposed a <strong>rapid response team of doctors and specialists,</strong> along with testing kits and other equipment for all the member countries.</li>
<li>India has set up an <strong>Integrated Disease Surveillance Portal</strong> to better trace possible virus carriers and the people they contacted. India has offered to share it with member countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic Issues and Measure:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The conference also discussed <strong>longer-term economic consequences</strong> of COVID-19.</li>
<li>The member countries have also proposed <strong>to insulate internal trade of South Asia and local value chains</strong> from its impact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Measures by SAARC to Manage Health Pandemics:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been decided to frame and enforce the<strong> common SAARC <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pandemic</a> protocols.</strong></li>
<li>The members have also decided to establish a <strong>working group of national authorities for health information, data exchange and coordination</strong> in real-time.</li>
<li>It has also proposed a <strong>SAARC health ministers&rsquo; conference </strong>and the<strong> development of regional mechanisms</strong> to share disease surveillance data in real-time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Country-Specific Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Afghanistan</strong> has highlighted the <strong>vulnerability</strong> as it shares a <strong>long and open border with Iran,</strong> one of the worst affected countries in the world.</li>
<li>The <strong>Maldives</strong> has cited the<strong> economic downturn</strong> owing to the <strong>drop in tourists inflow from Italy, China and Europe - the main source of tourists for the country</strong> and sought a South Asian response to the crisis.</li>
<li>The<strong> tourism-dependent countries like Bhutan, Sri Lanka</strong> has also sighted issues related to the <strong>economic slowdown.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-pm-modi-participates-in-saarc-videoconference-to-formulate-joint-strategy-to-combat-covid-19/article31074653.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/video-conference-of-saarc-leaders-on-covid-19'
		],
		(int) 14 => [
			'title' => 'Successful Trails in Treating Drug-Resistant TB',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a small trial was undertaken to test the safety and efficacy of a few oral drugs against the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/agreement-with-the-world-bank-to-eliminate-tb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The trial showed encouraging results with a <strong>success rate of 90%.</strong></li>
<li>The favourable<strong> results held true regardless of the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/hiv-new-hope" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIV status</a></strong> of the patients.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The trial (Nix-TB) tested three oral drugs namely <strong>bedaquiline, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tb-drug-pretomanid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretomanid </a></strong>and<strong> linezolid</strong> in patients with XDR-TB and MDR-TB.</li>
<li><strong>Success Rate</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> 90% treatment success</strong> in the case of hard-to-treat patients is at par with the success rate seen while treating drug-sensitive TB.</li>
<li>Of the 109 patients treated, <strong>11 had unfavourable outcomes.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Of the 11 patients, there were seven deaths and two had a relapse during the six-month follow-up period.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The treatment success rate was <strong>89% for XDR-TB and 92% for MDR-TB.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The MDR-TB patients included in the trial were either not responsive to standard treatment or had discontinued treatment due to side effects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tuberculosis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is caused by <strong>bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)</strong> that most often affect the lungs.</li>
<li><strong>Transmission:</strong> TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.</li>
<li><strong>Symptoms:</strong> Cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.</li>
<li><strong>Treatment:</strong> TB is treatable and curable disease. It is treated with a standard 6 month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a form of TB caused by bacteria that <strong>do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin,</strong> the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs.</li>
<li>MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Extensively drug-resistant Tuberculosis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a more serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that <strong>do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs,</strong> often leaving patients without any further treatment options.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/trial-shows-success-in-treating-drug-resistant-tb/article31069610.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/successful-trails-in-treating-drug-resistant-tb'
		],
		(int) 15 => [
			'title' => 'Defence Fund Shortfall',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a <strong>Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence</strong> has shown concern at the widening gap between projections and allocations in the defence <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/union-budget-2020-21-highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>budget</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Committee noted that<strong> since 2015-16,</strong> none of the three Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) has been given the matching allocation as per the projection.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings of the Committee<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584347358_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a <strong>considerable shortage in the allocation in the Capital Head,</strong> which is <strong>35% less than the projection.</strong></li>
<li>The Committee noted that<strong> committed liabilities</strong> constitute a significant part of the Capital Head and inadequate allocation would definitely lead to &lsquo;default situation&rsquo; on contractual obligations.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Committed liabilities are payments anticipated during a financial year for contracts concluded in previous years.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Such a situation is <strong>not conducive for preparation of the country to modern-day warfare,</strong> where possession of capital intensive modern machines is a prerequisite for tilting the result of the war in favour and also to have a credible deterrence.</li>
<li><strong>Both the Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF)</strong> have a situation where their <strong>committed liabilities are more than their share of the capital allocation</strong> in the Budget.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To offset this, the Services have been <strong>forced to defer payment of committed liabilities of the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU)</strong> among other measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The shortfall in expenditure will affect:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Operationalisation of <strong>three tri-service organizations</strong> i.e. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defence-space-research-agency-dsra" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Space Agency</strong></a> <strong>(DSA), Defence Cyber Agency (DCYA) </strong>and<strong> Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD).</strong></li>
<li>Operational readiness of <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tri-service-command-in-the-domain-of-special-operations-cyberspace-and-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andaman and Nicobar Command</a> (ANC).</strong></li>
<li>Maintenance of <strong>SIGINT (Signal Intelligence)</strong> equipment.</li>
<li>Administration of training institutes and operational units.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The committee has recommended a <strong>dedicated fund for committed liabilities and procurements</strong> before the shortfall impacts modernisation, invariably from next Budget onwards (2021-22).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/defence-house-panel-recommends-dedicated-fund-for-committed-liabilities-new-schemes/article31069726.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/defence-fund-shortfall'
		],
		(int) 16 => [
			'title' => 'Tara Tarini Temple',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The annual<strong> Chaitra Jatra festival</strong> scheduled to be held on 17<sup>th</sup> March, 2020 at <strong>Odisha&rsquo;s Tara Tarini hill shrine</strong> has been <strong>cancelled</strong> as a precautionary measure against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a> infection.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The festival is <strong>held on each Tuesday in the month of Chaitra,</strong> which falls in March-April as per the English calendar.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584347042_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584347042_image1.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="259" height="195" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tara Tarini hill shrine, located at a hilltop on banks of the <strong>Rushikulya river,</strong> is a major centre of <strong>Shakti worship in Odisha.</strong></li>
<li>The twin goddesses Tara and Tarini represent one Shakti and are the <strong>main deity of Ganjam district (Odisha).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tara is an important deity of Mahayana Buddhist Sect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This temple had been built as per traditional <strong>Rekha style of Odia <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/temple-architecture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temple architecture</a></strong>, as per which famous Jagannath temple of Puri and Lingaraj temple of Bhubaneswar have been built.</li>
<li>Unlike other temples, it wasn&rsquo;t built under the patronage of a King or a Noble, the temple was set up by a <strong>Brahmin named Basu Praharaj</strong> as per popular legend.</li>
<li>Since its inception it has been an established <strong>seat of Tantrism.</strong></li>
<li>Indian Navy&rsquo;s sailboat <strong>INSV Tarini</strong> was named after Tara Tarini hill shrine.The first Indian all-woman crew had circumnavigated the globe in INSV Tarini.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/covid-19-odisha-cancels-annual-chaitra-jatra-festival/article31077548.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/tara-tarini-temple'
		],
		(int) 17 => [
			'title' => 'Krishna Raja Sagar Dam',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The water level in the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya district (Karnataka) is coming down rapidly owing to the increase in the evaporation rate and the decrease in the inflows as a result of summer.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Krishna Raja Sagar Dam was built across river Kaveri for the <strong>Mysore and Mandya districts in Karnataka</strong> in 1932.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584346799_image4.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584346799_image4.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="320" height="219" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The dam is named for the then ruler of the Mysore Kingdom, <strong>Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Dam is the creation of one of the greatest engineers that India had produced, Sir M. Vishweshwaraiah. His birthday, <strong>15<sup>th</sup> September is celebrated as Engineers day.</strong></li>
<li>The reservoir is also the main source of drinking water for <strong>all of Mysore city and almost the whole of Bangalore.</strong></li>
<li>The water released from this dam is further used as an important source of water in the <strong>state of Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Kaveri River</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Source:</strong> The river rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka.</li>
<li><strong>Drainage Basin:</strong> It flows in a southeasterly direction through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and descends the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls. Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the &ldquo;garden of southern India.&rdquo;</li>
<li><strong>Tributaries:</strong> Arkavathi, Hemavathi, Lakshmana Theertha, Shimsa, Kabini and Harangi.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/as-summer-picks-up-water-level-at-krs-comes-down/article31078451.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/krishna-raja-sagar-dam'
		],
		(int) 18 => [
			'title' => 'Iron Rain on Exoplanet',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Wasp-76b,</strong> an<strong> exoplanet</strong> (planet outside the solar system), probably has<strong> iron raining</strong> on it.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wasp-76b orbits so close to its host star that its dayside temperatures exceed 2,400 degrees Celsius - hot enough to vaporise metals like iron.</li>
<li>The planet's nightside, on the other hand, is 1,000 degrees cooler, allowing those metals to condense and rain out.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Wasp-76b</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wasp-76b is a <strong>huge gas planet</strong> that is<strong> twice the width of Jupiter.</strong> Its name comes from the UK-led Wasp telescope system that detected it in 2016.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The UK <strong>Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP)</strong> is a collaborative project involving several UK universities. The primary aim is the discovery of exoplanets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is <strong>640 light-years from the Earth</strong> and is so close to its star that it takes just 43 hours to complete one revolution.</li>
<li>Another of the planet's interesting features is that it always presents the same face to the star - a behaviour scientists call being <strong>"tidally locked".</strong> Earth's Moon does exactly the same thing.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tidal locking is the name given to the situation when an object&rsquo;s orbital period matches its rotational period.</li>
<li>The moon takes 28 days to go around the Earth and 28 days to rotate once around its axis. This results in the same face of the Moon always facing the Earth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
			'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
			'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iron-rain-on-exoplanet'
		],
		(int) 19 => [
			'title' => 'ROPAX Service',
			'catname' => 'News Analysis',
			'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The<strong> Ministry of Shipping</strong> has launched a <strong>roll on-roll off cum passenger ferry service,</strong> called <strong>&lsquo;ROPAX&rsquo;, between Mumbai and Mandwa</strong> (Maharashtra).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ROPAX service is a <strong>water transport service</strong> project under <strong>Eastern Waterfront Development.</strong></li>
<li>The road distance from Mumbai to Mandwa is about 110 kilometres, and it takes three to four hours, whereas by waterway the distance is about 18 kilometres and a journey of just an hour.</li>
<li><strong>ROPAX Vessel M2M -1</strong> was built in Greece in September 2019. This Vessel has a speed of 14 knots and can carry 200 cars and 1000 passengers at a time. It is capable of operating even in a monsoon season.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>People will be able to travel in their cars directly on to the ROPAX vessel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>benefits</strong> of this service include reduction in the travel time, vehicular emission and traffic on the road.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Eastern Waterfront Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Eastern Waterfront is the <strong>Mumbai Port Trust&rsquo;s (MbPT&rsquo;s) plan</strong> to develop the port lands across Mumbai&rsquo;s eastern coast stretching from Sassoon Dock to Wadala. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>MbPT is an autonomous Body of the Government of India under the Ministry of Shipping.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Some of the major proposals under the project include a 93- hectare park near Haji Bunder, around 17 hectares for tourism-related projects such as themed streets and affordable housing.</li>
<li>The project also has a focus on a water transport by making a provision for water taxis, international and domestic cruises and ro-pax (roll on/roll off passengers) services.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1606464" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'title' => 'Starch-based Materials to Stop Blood Loss',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently, scientists from the<strong> Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST)</strong> have developed a <strong>starch-based &lsquo;hemostat&rsquo; material </strong>that<strong> concentrates the natural clotting factors in blood by physically absorbing excess fluid.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Hemostat materials absorb excess fluid by concentrating the natural clotting factors in the blood that are critical for stopping the blood flow.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584519904_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584519904_image1.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The product is made by microparticles known as <strong>'calcium-modified carboxymethyl-starch'.</strong></li>
<li>When the microparticles combine, they create an <strong>adherent gel</strong> that can remain on the wound until slowly dissipating as healing proceeds.</li>
<li>These microparticles are prepared by <strong>modifying some of the chemical hydroxyl groups on starch to carboxymethyl groups</strong> while also incorporating the beneficial calcium ions, which encourages the aggregation of red blood cells and platelets and their activation to generate the fibrin protein network that forms a stable blood clot.</li>
<li><strong>This modification increases the ability of the molecules to interact with water.</strong> This is the basis of its impressive ability to absorb fluid from the blood and hence concentrate the clotting factors.</li>
<li>The<strong> product has increased absorption capacity and adhesion, it is inexpensive, non-toxic, biocompatible as well as biodegradable.</strong></li>
<li>Presently, no single hemostatic agent exists that can work in all situations and current hemostat materials are very expensive and available mostly in developed countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Blood Clotting</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Clotting is a necessary process that can <strong>prevent too much loss of blood when there is cut or injury.</strong></li>
<li>A blood clot is a<strong> clump of blood</strong> that has changed from a liquid to a gel-like or semisolid state.</li>
<li>Blood clots are healthy and lifesaving when they stop bleeding. But unnecessary clotting causes serious medical problems which include a heart attack, stroke, etc.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>E.g If a clot formed inside one of veins breaks free and travels through veins to heart and lungs, it can get stuck and prevent blood flow.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>An injury or a trauma stimulates the <strong>platelets (also called thrombocytes)</strong> in the blood to release certain factors which activate the mechanism of clotting.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Calcium ions, Fibrinogens, a protein and Vitamin K</strong> are also needed for clotting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Starch</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Starch is a <strong>carbohydrate</strong> extracted from agricultural raw materials.</li>
<li>The starch molecule consists of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds.</li>
<li>It is the most important carbohydrate in the human diet.</li>
<li>Because it is renewable and biodegradable it is also a perfect raw material as a substitute for fossil-fuel components in numerous chemical applications such as plastics, detergents, glues etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>INST is an <strong>autonomous institution</strong> of the <strong>Department of Science and Technology,</strong> Government of India under the <strong>Society Registration Act, 1960.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.nic.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1606710" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'title' => 'Permanent Commission for Women in Indian Navy',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Supreme Court upheld<strong> the right of serving <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/command-posts-for-women-in-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers</a> of the Navy to be granted Permanent Commission (PC)</strong> on a par with their male counterparts.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The judgment was based on a case filed by 17 women SSC officers who were denied PC and discharged despite completing 14 years of service as SSC officers.</li>
<li>The verdict comes after the top court had <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/women-eligible-for-permanent-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>opened the doors for similarly-placed women officers in the Army.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NOTE</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A<strong> permanent commission </strong>entitles an officer to serve in the Navy <strong>till he/she retires </strong>unlike<strong> Short Service Commission (SSC), which is currently for 10 years </strong>and can be <strong>extended by four more years, </strong>or a total of 14 years.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>PC for Women :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>SC has directed that SSC women officers found suitable for the grant of PC shall be entitled to <strong>all consequential benefits, including arrears of pay, promotions and retirement benefits as and when due.</strong></li>
<li>The grant of PCs will be subject to availability of vacancies in the stabilised cadre, suitability of the candidate and recommendation by the chief of Naval Staff.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Criticism of Government&rsquo;s View:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It rejected the submissions of the Centre stating that <strong>certain sea-sailing duties are ill-suited for women officers</strong> as there is no return to the base, unlike in the Army and the Air Force.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stand against Discrimination:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Court <strong>denied the discrimination on the grounds of physiology, motherhood and physical attributes</strong> of the women officers in the Indian Navy.</li>
<li>Thus the judgement ensured the <strong>right to fair and equal treatment with constitutional entitlement to dignity at the workplace for women.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Previous Notifications for PC of Women :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Court stated that the government had already drawn up <strong>policies in 1991 and 1998 to give Permanent Commission to women in the Navy.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The 1991 notification lifted the restriction on the appointment or enrolment of women for specified cadres/branches of the Navy.</li>
<li>The 1998 notification made women eligible for appointment as officers in all the branches of the Indian Navy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It also directed that the stipulation in a <strong>policy letter dated September 26, 2008,</strong> making the grant of PC prospective and restricting its application to specified cadres/branches of the Navy <strong>shall not be enforced.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-allows-permanent-commission-for-women-in-navy/article31089114.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/permanent-commission-for-women-in-indian-navy'
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'title' => 'NBCFDC and NISD',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>The Ministry of Social Justice &amp; Empowerment</strong> is exploring the possibilities of a scheme for persons engaged in the act of begging.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Scheme would cover identification, rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development with the support of State Governments/UTs and Voluntary Organizations, etc.</li>
<li>The Ministry also provides funds to the <strong>National Backward Classes Finance &amp; Development Corporation (NBCFDC)</strong> and the <strong>National Institute of Social Defence (NISD)</strong> for the development of members of beggars&rsquo; community.</li>
</ul>
<h3>National Backward Classes Finance &amp; Development Corporation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>NBCFDC is a <strong>Government of India Undertaking</strong> under the aegis of <strong>Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.</strong></li>
<li>It was incorporated under <strong>Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956</strong> on 13<sup>th</sup> January 1992 as a Company not for profit.</li>
<li>Its objective is to promote economic and developmental activities for the benefit of Backward Classes and to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures.</li>
</ul>
<h3>National Institute of Social Defence</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) is an <strong>Autonomous Body</strong> and is <strong>registered under Societies Act XXI of 1860 with the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT), Delhi.</strong></li>
<li>It is a central advisory body <strong>for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.</strong></li>
<li>It is the<strong> nodal training and research institute</strong> in the field of social defence.</li>
<li>The institute currently focuses on <strong>human resource development</strong> in the areas of drug abuse prevention, welfare of senior citizens, beggary prevention, transgender and other social defence issues.</li>
<li>The mandate of the institute is to provide inputs for the <strong>social defence programmes of the Government of India through training, research &amp; documentation.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1606806" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nbcfdc-and-nisd'
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'title' => 'Regulating Payment Aggregators and Gateways',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India (RBI)</strong></a> has released <strong>guidelines</strong> for regulating activities of <strong>Payment Aggregators (PAs)</strong> and <strong>Payment Gateways (PGs)</strong> in the country.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>PAs and PGs are intermediaries playing an important function in <strong>facilitating payments in the online space.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Payment Aggregators facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants in accepting payment instruments from the customers</strong> for completion of their payment obligations without the need for merchants to create a separate payment integration system of their own. <strong>Example:</strong> Billdesk.</li>
<li><strong>Payment Gateways</strong> are entities that <strong>provide technology infrastructure</strong> to route and facilitate processing of an online payment transaction without any involvement in handling of funds. PGs in India mainly include <strong>banks.</strong></li>
<li>A Payment Gateway allows the merchants to deal in a specific payment option put on the portal, whereas a Payment Aggregator allows one to have multitudes of options for payment. Thus, <strong>a Payment Aggregator covers a payment gateway in its ambit.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Guidelines</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Authorisation</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Non-bank PAs</strong> will require authorisation from the RBI under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSSA). A PA should be a company incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 1956 / 2013.</li>
<li><strong>Banks provide PA services</strong> as part of their normal banking relationship and <strong>do not therefore require a separate authorisation from RBI.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/e-commerce-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>E-commerce marketplaces</strong></a> (e.g. flipkart, Paytm) providing PA services <strong>should separate PA services from the marketplace business</strong> and they should apply for authorisation on or before 30<sup>th</sup> June, 2021.</li>
<li>PGs will be considered as &lsquo;technology providers&rsquo; or &lsquo;outsourcing partners&rsquo; of banks or non-banks, as the case may be.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Capital Requirement</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Existing PAs</strong> have to achieve a net worth of ₹15 crore by 31<sup>st</sup> March, 2021 and a net worth of ₹25 crore on or before 31<sup>st</sup> March, 2023. The net worth of ₹25 crore has to be maintained at all times thereafter.</li>
<li><strong>New PAs</strong> should have a minimum net worth of ₹15 crore at the time of application for authorisation and have to attain a net worth of ₹25 crore by the end of the third financial year of the grant of authorisation. The net worth of ₹25 crore has to be maintained at all times thereafter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disclosure Requirements</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>PAs need to disclose <strong>comprehensive information</strong> regarding merchant policies, customer grievances, privacy policy and other terms and conditions on the website and / or their mobile application.</li>
<li>They need to undertake <strong>background and antecedent checks of the merchants</strong> to ensure that such merchants do not have any malafide intention of duping customers, and do not sell fake / counterfeit / prohibited products.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/rbi-to-regulate-payment-aggregators/article31095144.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
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	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'title' => 'Subdued Gender Participation In STEM',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/closing-the-gender-gap-in-science/article31084926.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Closing the gender gap in science&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindu on 17/03/2020. It talks about the gender gap in Indian society, especially in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).</p>
</div>
<p>Countries globally, including India, have agreed to fulfil the <strong><a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sustainable Development Goals</a>&nbsp;</strong>(SDGs) -a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Bringing<strong> gender equality</strong> (SDG 5) is seen as a key goal, both in itself and for achieving other goals.</p>
<p>India has taken many strides in bringing gender empowerment, however, increasing gender participation in <strong>STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, remains the Achilles heel for India.</strong></p>
<h3>Fact Sheet of Gender Inequality in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the <strong>Global Gender Gap Index 2020,</strong> a study covering 153 economies, India has slipped to the 112<sup>th</sup> spot from its 108<sup>th</sup> position in 2018.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report also says it would take nearly a hundred years to close the gender gap in various fields in India compared to the time it would take in other countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>WEF&rsquo;s Gender Gap Index,</strong> India ranks 147<sup>th</sup> out of 149 countries on the health and survival of women and 142<sup>nd</sup> out of 149 in terms of economic participation of women.</li>
<li>According to the <strong>World Bank,</strong> India ranks 163<sup>rd</sup> out of 181 countries in <strong>female labour force participation.</strong></li>
<li>Also, India is one of the few countries in the world where women&rsquo;s work participation rates have fallen sharply &mdash; from 29% in 2004-5 to 22% in 2011-12 and to 17 % in 2017-18.</li>
<li>According to the <strong>Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE),</strong> a large percentage of all the jobs lost last year were held by women.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Out of the 11 million jobs lost in 2018, women accounted for 8.8 million.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian women receive 34% fewer wages</strong> than men for equivalent work, spend around five hours a day on unpaid care work compared to a mere half an hour for men and are primarily engaged in low-paying, informal sector work.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reasons for this Problem</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Incomplete Reform:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Inclusive nationalism propounded by Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and others during the struggle for Independence encouraged women to break the familial and cultural shackles and enter the freedom struggle.</li>
<li>However, after independence, this wave of social transformation got fizzled out, and women again got confined to the household work.</li>
<li>This restricted the prospects of higher education for girls.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Imbibed Sexism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cultural and gender norms that engendered discrimination is a major reason why India lost out on an important opportunity to build a culture of including women in STEM fields</li>
<li>For example, India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 every year to mark C.V. Raman&rsquo;s discovery of the scattering of light. However, for some time, the women candidates were refused admission to the Indian Institute of Science in the 1930s, during Raman&rsquo;s tenure as director.</li>
<li>Apart from this, organisational factors have also played a big role in preventing gender parity. Lack of women leaders and women role models may be preventing more women from entering these fields.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Leaky Pipeline Problem:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women across the world face the <strong>&lsquo;leaky pipeline&rsquo; problem.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>leaky pipeline</strong> is a metaphor for the way that women disappear from some careers especially pertaining to STEM fields.</li>
<li>Women leave the workforce, due to the absence of supportive institutional structures during pregnancy, safety issues in fieldwork and workplace.</li>
<li>Not just societal norms but issues related to poor education and healthcare access are responsible for a lesser number of women in these fields.</li>
<li>Also, 23 million girls drop out of school each year because of the economic stress faced by their families or because of inadequate sanitation or improper menstrual hygiene capabilities in schools.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Instances of Gender Equality in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After independence, there has been an exponential growth in the participation of women in the undergraduate and graduate levels.</li>
<li>Though STEM was once seen as a &lsquo;men only&rsquo; domain, recent instances show that social shackles pertaining to women are loosening and women participation is on the rise. For example,<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The role of women engineers in the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation&rsquo;s second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2.</li>
<li>In India, more than 40% of PhD-holders (in academics) in India are women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Despite India&rsquo;s well-known biological imbalance &mdash; one of the world&rsquo;s worst sex ratios &mdash; it boasts a top 20 ranking (19th out of 149 countries) in terms of political empowerment of women, according to the World Economic Forum.</li>
<li>With the launch of Digital India, there has been a dramatic rise in terms of increased access to the internet across the country.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the GSMA, some of the most significant beneficiaries of this surge are women. More than 40% of Indian women are now aware of the mobile internet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Subdued gender participation emanates from social-economic issues, which can be treated by bringing<strong> behavioural change.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This can be changed if more <strong>women are given leadership positions.</strong></li>
<li>For this, the Indian scientific community should act as a <strong>pressure group t</strong>o build greater focus on the issue and push for concrete measures to address the problem.</li>
<li>Contributions of women in the STEM sector should be <strong>highlighted in textbooks.</strong> This may motivate the next generation of girls to be leaders in the STEM sector.</li>
<li>In India, we have many examples of women researchers who are involved in exciting scientific experiments. It is imperative that we understand and remove the sexism and institutional obstacles that prevent more women from entering the scientific field.</li>
<li>Women-oriented government initiatives such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kiran-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) Scheme</strong></a>, represent steps in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #ede9d1;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Including more women in science and applied technologies is critical for the advancement of society. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/subdued-gender-participation-in-stem'
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'title' => 'Classical Languages',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a Bill to grant the status of Central universities to three deemed Sanskrit universities was passed by the Rajya Sabha.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 gives Central status to the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Delhi and the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Tirupati.</li>
<li>The government has been accused of neglecting other classical languages in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Currently there are <strong>six languages</strong> that enjoy the <strong>&lsquo;Classical&rsquo; status in India:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tamil (declared in 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).</li>
<li>All the Classical Languages are <strong>listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> Ministry of Culture</strong> provides the guidelines regarding Classical languages.</li>
<li><strong>Guidelines for declaring a language as &lsquo;Classical&rsquo; are:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years;</li>
<li>A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers;</li>
<li>The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community;</li>
<li>The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Once a language is notified as a Classical language, <strong>the Human Resource and Development Ministry provides certain benefits to promote it:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages</li>
<li>A Centre of Excellence for studies in Classical Languages is set up</li>
<li>The University Grants Commission is requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for the Classical Languages so declared.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bill-granting-central-status-to-three-sanskrit-deemed-varsities-passed/article31084089.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/classical-languages'
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'title' => 'Use of Waterways for Reducing Transportation Cost',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Minister of State for Shipping</strong> has informed in the Rajya Sabha that <strong>significant savings</strong> in the cost of transportation are expected <strong>by using the Inland Water Transport (IWT) mode.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>IWT mode is widely recognized as <strong>environment-friendly</strong> and <strong>cost-effective</strong> mode of transport.</li>
<li>It <strong>aims to create</strong> for the shippers and logistic players, <strong>an alternative</strong> to the two dominant modes of transport viz. road and rail.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As per <strong>RITES Report of 2014 </strong>on<strong> Integrated National Waterways Transportation Grid,</strong> the cost comparison on the modes of surface transport is given below:</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584438475_image3.png" /></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways which comprise of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.</li>
<li>About 55 million tonnes of cargo is being moved annually by IWT, a <strong>fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode.</strong></li>
<li>As per the <strong>National Waterways Act 2016, 111 waterways have been declared as National Waterways (NWs).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>National Waterway-1 (Prayagraj-Haldia)</strong> with length 1620 km is the <strong>longest National waterway in India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ladis-least-available-depth-information-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Inland Waterways Authority of India</strong></a> <strong>(IWAI)</strong> is implementing the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/jal-marg-vikas-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Jal Marg Vikas Project</strong> </a><strong>(JMVP)</strong> at an estimated cost of ₹5369.18 crores for capacity augmentation of navigation on the <strong>Haldia-Varanasi stretch of Ganga (part of NW-1)</strong> with the technical and financial assistance of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-bank-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Bank.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Integrated National Waterways Transportation Grid</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It plans to <strong>link many of the national waterways to each other and also to roads, railways and major ports.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Setting up of a large number of ports/terminals, riverside jetties, godowns, boat building workshops, repairing yards and ancillary industries will spur investment opportunities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The capital cost is estimated at ₹22,763 crores to be used in <strong>phase-I (2015-18) </strong>and <strong>phase- II (2018-23).</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584438496_image4.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584438496_image4.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="599" height="563" /></strong></a></p>
<h3>Inland Waterways Authority of India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It came into<strong> existence on 27<sup>th</sup> October 1986</strong> for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.</li>
<li>It primarily undertakes <strong>projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure</strong> on national waterways through grants received from the <strong>Ministry of Shipping.</strong></li>
<li>It is <strong>headquartered at Noida</strong> with <strong>regional offices</strong> at Patna (Bihar), Kolkata (West Bengal), Guwahati (Assam) and Kochi (Kerala) and sub-offices at other places throughout India.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1606554" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/use-of-waterways-for-reducing-transportation-cost'
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'title' => 'Superhydrophobic Coating on Metallic Surfaces',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A team from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, and Ohio State University has created a superhydrophobic coating to save steel from rusting.</li>
<li>The coating was made from<strong> polyurethane and silicon dioxide nanoparticles.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Superhydrophobic Surfaces</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The term hydrophobicity is derived from two greek words that are <strong>hydro (water)</strong> and <strong>phobos (fear).</strong> It is the ability to <strong>repel water.</strong></li>
<li>Superhydrophobic coating is a nanoscopic surface layer that repels water.</li>
<li>Adding a superhydrophobic coating makes a surface liquid and water repellent, easy to clean, and boosts its anti-icing performance (ability to delay the formation of ice for a certain period of time)</li>
<li>Super-hydrophobic coatings are also found in nature; they appear on plant leaves, such as the Lotus leaf, and some insect wings.</li>
<li>Apart from steel the coating can be done on <strong>other metallic surfaces, such as aluminum, copper, brass.</strong> The coatings have also been<strong> developed for glass, cloth, paper and wood.</strong></li>
<li>Developing an antimicrobial superhydrophobic coating for biomedical applications is also being worked on.</li>
<li>Without this, the coating tends to easily peel off due to smoothness of steel.</li>
<li>The spin coating was found to be more <strong>advantageous and cost-effective</strong> compared to immersion coating and spray coating.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Spin coating <strong>dried quickly</strong> and the thickness of the coat could be controlled easily</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Silicon dioxide</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Silicon dioxide (SiO2), also known as silica, is a natural compound made of two of the earth's most abundant materials: silicon (Si) and oxygen (O2).</li>
<li>Silicon dioxide is most often recognized in the form of quartz. It's found naturally in water, plants, animals, and the earth.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Polyurethane</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Polyurethane <strong>is a polymer composed of organic units joined by urethane links.</strong></li>
<li>It is a plastic material, which exists in various forms.</li>
<li>They are used in a wide variety of applications to create all manner of consumer and industrial products that play a crucial role in making our lives more convenient, comfortable and environmentally friendly.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Properties of the Coating</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Chemically Stability: Stable in both acidic (pH 5) and alkaline (pH 8)</strong> conditions for more than six weeks.</li>
<li><strong>Thermal Stability:</strong> Stable up to 230 degree C.</li>
<li><strong>Mechanical Stability:</strong> Highly stable when tested with water jet, floating, bending, sand abrasion tests.</li>
<li><strong>Self-cleaning</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>When water droplets were made to fall on an uncoated surface they stuck to it and made a messy surface.</li>
<li>However, in the case of a coated sample, water droplets roll away while collecting dust from the surface.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Easy to make</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The chemicals used to make the coating are easily available and are also environmentally friendly.</li>
<li>The cost of coating will further reduce when mass-produced on commercial scale.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/superhydrophobic-coating-to-save-metallic-surfaces/article31069547.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/superhydrophobic-coating-on-metallic-surfaces'
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'title' => 'Sheikh Mujibur Rehman',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>100<sup>th</sup> Birth Anniversary celebrations</strong> of &lsquo;Jatir Pita&rsquo; Bangabandhu,<strong> Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,</strong> is being celebrated on <strong>17<sup>th</sup> March 2020</strong> in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-bangladesh-relationship" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bangladesh.</strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584436602_image2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584436602_image2.jpg" style="float: right;" width="164" caption="false" height="216" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Mujibur Rahman was <strong>born on 17<sup>th</sup> March 1920 </strong>in<strong> Tungipara, India (now in Bangladesh) </strong>and<strong> passed away on 15<sup>th</sup> August 1975</strong> in<strong> Dhaka, Bangladesh.</strong></li>
<li>He was a Bengali leader who became the <strong>first prime minister of Bangladesh (1972&ndash;75)</strong> and later became the <strong>president of the same in 1975.</strong></li>
<li>He began his formal <strong>political career in 1949</strong> as a <strong>co-founder of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bangladesh-general-elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Awami League.</a></strong></li>
<li>He played a <strong>crucial role in advocating political autonomy for East Pakistan,</strong> the detached eastern part of Pakistan (now Bangladesh).</li>
<li><strong>Sheikh Hasina Wazed,</strong> the<strong> current prime minister of Bangladesh,</strong> is the <strong>daughter</strong> of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1606650" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sheikh-mujibur-rehman'
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'title' => 'ICMR to test for Community Transmission of COVID-19',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has announced that it would start testing influenza patients <strong>without any travel history or contact with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)</a> for signs of community transmission.</strong></p>
<h3>Four Stages of Transmission of COVID-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Stage 1-Imported Transmission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is reported among the travellers<strong> entering the country </strong>via the<strong> borders and airports.</strong></li>
<li>These can be controlled through thermal screening and quarantine.</li>
<li>To prevent imported transmissions, India has suspended visas to foreign nationals and the facility of visa-free travel to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/overseas-citizenship-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-holders.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stage 2-Local Transmission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a> defines it as the transmission through <strong>direct contact with an infected person within the country.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stage 3-Community Transmission</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It signifies that a virus is circulating in the community and can affect people with no history of travel to affected areas or of contact with an infected person.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s current emphasis on social distancing and discouragement of public gatherings is aimed at checking community transmission.</li>
<li>Once community transmission begins, it is more difficult to trace contacts. As one unknown source of infection can infect many people unknowingly.</li>
<li>Among the countries where community transmission seems to have begun are China, Italy and South Korea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stage 4- Epidemic</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> epidemic</strong></a> is a large outbreak, one that spreads among a population or region.</li>
<li>It is less severe than pandemic due to a limited area of spread.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Level of Transmission in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>So far, most of the cases in India have had a history of travel abroad or have contracted the disease from somebody around them.</li>
<li>However, some of the cases in the country had neither any history of foreign travel nor had they come directly in contact with an infected person.</li>
<li><strong>Currently, India is at Stage 2 of Local Transmission</strong> and precautions are being taken to prevent it from entering Stage 3 of Community Transmission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Current Strategy to tackle COVID-19</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Social Distancing and Cluster Containment:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The cluster containment strategy intends to contain the disease within a defined geographic area by early detection, breaking the chain of transmission and thus preventing its spread to new areas.</li>
<li>It includes geographic quarantine, social distancing measures, enhanced active surveillance, testing all suspected cases, isolation of cases, home quarantine of contacts, social mobilization to follow preventive public health measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Possible Involvement of the Private Sector:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government is working with private hospitals to develop standard operating procedures for treatment and isolation of patients.</li>
<li>The involvement of the private sector may face some issues like <strong>the possibility of profiteering, affordability issues, crowding of people at a large number of places, etc.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Italy</strong> followed a<strong> model of lockdown</strong> whereas <strong>South Korea</strong> has observed a <strong>model of free testing.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India</strong> has been following the <strong>Italian model of lockdown.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China</strong> has adopted a <strong>graded approach,</strong> and the number of new cases are gradually declining. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has locked down Hubei, the epicentre. Elsewhere, it enforced social distancing measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indian Council of Medical Research</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the <strong>apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.</strong></li>
<li>Its mandate is to conduct, coordinate and implement medical research for the benefit of the Society; translating medical innovations into products/processes and introducing them into the public health system.</li>
<li>It is <strong>funded by</strong> 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://indianexpress.com/article/india/icmr-to-test-for-community-transmission-of-covid-19-6313521/" 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/icmr-to-test-for-community-transmission-of-covid-19'
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'title' => 'Boko Haram',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Boko Haram is the <strong>militant group in northern Nigeria</strong> that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 3 million people.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584433378_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584433378_image1.png" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Boko Haram militants mainly inhabit areas in the northern states of Nigeria, specifically Yobe, Kano, Bauchi, Borno and Kaduna.</li>
<li>Boko Haram means <strong>"Western education is forbidden."</strong> The group was<strong> founded in 2002.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The group also refers to itself as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, meaning "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad."</li>
<li>The group&rsquo;s initial proclaimed intent was to uproot the corruption and injustice in Nigeria, which it blamed on Western influences, and to impose Sharīʿah, or Islamic law.</li>
<li>In 2015, the <strong>group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant</strong> (ISIL) and took the name Islamic State (or State&rsquo;s) West African Province (ISWAP; also known as Islamic State in West Africa, or ISWA).</li>
</ul>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/boko-haram'
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'title' => 'Covid-19 and India',
		'catname' => 'News Editorials',
		'desc' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak-india-world-cases-deaths-vaccine-6315850/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Smart-locking India&rdquo;</strong></a> and <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-outbreak-who-pandemic-india-cases-6315898/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Virus, on balance: Dealing with coronavirus requires a clear public health focus while addressing individual fears&rdquo;.</strong></a> It talks about challenges and possible solutions pertaining to the spread of Covid-19 in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the <strong>World Health Organization</strong> (WHO) characterised <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-s-preparedness" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> as a pandemic. The global death toll due to Covid-19 has crossed the 5,300 mark, with over 1.42 lakh people infected and rapidly it has transitioned across different geographies of the world, from Asia to Europe.</p>
<p>Though India has done well in containing the spread of the virus, the vulnerability that India faces is still high. As currently, nearly more than 100 cases have been reported all across India.</p>
<h3>What are the challenges faced by India?</h3>
<p>Covid-19 is spread via <strong>airborne droplets (sneeze or cough) or contact with the surface.</strong> It is possible that a person can get Covid-19 by touching a surface or an object that has the virus on it and then touching their own nose, eyes or mouth.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Large Population:</strong> India is highly vulnerable due to the <strong>large population constantly travelling and working</strong> in urban agglomerations like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai.</li>
<li><strong>Poor Public Hygiene:</strong> Public hygiene in India is poor despite the &ldquo;Swachh Bharat (Clean India)&rdquo; movements.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As many people spit and sneeze openly on the road.</li>
<li>Also, mobile phones, or keyboards, a virtual extension of hands are some of the <strong>dirtiest reservoirs of viruses.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unknown Incubation Period:</strong> The incubation period (interval between being infected and showing symptoms) is not very accurate. Hence, it can't be defined how long people should be quarantined.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Covid-19 usually follows what is known as a <strong>biphasic or dual-phase infection.</strong></li>
<li>It means the virus persists and causes a different set of symptoms than observed in the initial bout. Also, sometimes, the recovered person can relapse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Super Spreader Disease:</strong> Currently, the cases and clusters in India are simple spreaders which means an infected person with normal infectivity. But Covid 19 can also have a<strong> &ldquo;super spreader&rdquo;,</strong> which means an infected person with high infectivity who can infect hundreds in no time.</li>
<li><strong>Rumours on Social Media:</strong> As we grapple with the global Covid 19 anxiety and fear, unfortunately, people tend to rely on <strong>social media platforms</strong> where rumours spread faster than the virus.</li>
<li>The <strong>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),</strong> said the virus outbreak could cost the global economy up to $2-trillion this year and that the pandemic could cause a recession in some countries causing global economic growth to clock in below 2.5%.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Indian government is facing the twin challenge of containing the virus when the economy is already in the slowdown.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps to be taken by India</h3>
<p>The ideal approach in dealing with such epidemics must have a clear public health focus while addressing fears at the individual level.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The public health response to such outbreaks comprises three phases: The containment phase, delay phase and mitigation phase.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The containment phase:</strong> The aim is to detect and isolate cases and trace people who have been in contact with those infected. In this regard, there is an urgent need to clamp down on all major cities and towns, in all aspects, from travel to mass gatherings to schools, colleges and workplaces.</li>
<li><strong>The delay phase:</strong> Delay is largely engineered through <strong>social distancing strategies</strong> and personal protection measures. These are the main tools to prevent accelerated transmission when no vaccine is available. This includes school closures, encouraging more home working and avoiding contacts like handshakes.</li>
<li><strong>The mitigation phase:</strong> The focus will be on providing optimal care for people who need hospitalisation and ensuring support for those who become infected but do not require hospital treatment. It also involves plans to minimise the impact of the disease on society, public services and the economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Addressing fears at the individual level.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is a need for good reporting standards, the media should abide by the ethical framework of journalism.</li>
<li>The ICMR has advised the government to go into partial shutdown for implementing partial lockdown (restricting the travel from the countries that have reported the major number of infections).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In order to deal with future epidemics, there is a need for a coordinated strategy between union and state governments.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this pursuit, the subject of &lsquo;health&rsquo; can be transferred to the Concurrent List of the Indian Constitution from the State List.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f0e6d3;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The ideal approach for India to deal with a pandemic like Covid-19 is to have a clear public health focus while addressing fears at the individual level. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1'
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'title' => 'OneHealth Approach',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, to deal with zoonotic diseases, a need to operationalize &ldquo;OneHealth&rsquo; policy in India was highlighted.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Presently, India is dealing with <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>coronavirus (COVID-19)</strong></a>. The virus appears to have its origin in bats.</li>
</ul>
<h3>OneHealth</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>OneHealth is an <strong>approach</strong> to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which <strong>multiple sectors communicate</strong> and work together to achieve <strong>better public health outcomes.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>areas of work</strong> in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include <strong>food safety,</strong> the <strong>control of zoonotic diseases</strong> (diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as flu, rabies and Rift Valley Fever), and<strong> combating antibiotic resistance</strong> (when bacteria change after being exposed to antibiotics and become more difficult to treat).</li>
<li>Although OneHealth, as a conceptual entity, emerged relatively recently, a stellar example of OneHealth being operationalised in the field was seen in India in the late 1950s.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Zoonotic Diseases</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The diseases, which <strong>&ldquo;spillover&rdquo; from animals</strong> <strong>to humans</strong> are referred to as zoonotic diseases</li>
<li>They represent more than<strong> 60% of emerging infectious diseases</strong> worldwide.</li>
<li>The destruction of the natural environment, globalised trade and travel and industrialised food production systems have created numerous pathways for new pathogens to jump between animals and humans.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>India and OneHealth Approach</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In the 1950s, the OneHealth approach helped discover the source of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kyasanur-forest-disease-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)</strong></a>, a highly dangerous haemorrhagic fever more threatening than COVID-19. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This was the result of working of several organizations such as the Virus Research Centre (now known as the National Institute of Virology), Pune, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bombay Natural History Society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In<strong> 2018,</strong> Kerala reacted quickly and efficiently to tackle the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nipah-virus-and-fruit-bat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nipah virus outbreak</strong></a> and successfully managed to confine it to 23 cases. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This success is credited to the strong public health infrastructure and the political will to quickly seek help from a multidisciplinary team of national and international experts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the components of the<strong> National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being</strong> explicitly links biodiversity to human health through the OneHealth framework.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, the regulatory framework for doing OneHealth research in India with international collaboration typically requires <strong>approvals from multiple authorities.</strong> This hampers the country&rsquo;s ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats from infectious diseases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The mission aims to explore the neglected links between biodiversity science and human well-being across the sectors of health, economic development, agricultural production and livelihood generation, in combination with efforts to mitigate climate change and related disasters.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The frequency with which new pathogens are emerging or old ones are re-emerging across the world are alarm calls for greater transparency, cross-country collaborations, and enhanced national infrastructure and capacity for integrated OneHealth science.</li>
<li>India needs to leap-frog over the systemic and institutional barriers that prevent an integrated OneHealth framework from being operationalised.</li>
<li>The OneHealth framework will help government and private institutions, across a range of disciplines, in collaborating to understand how zoonotic diseases can emerge, the threats they can pose, and the mechanisms by which the emergence or spread can be controlled.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/the-time-is-right-for-onehealth-science/article31069639.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/onehealth-approach'
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'title' => 'Video Conference of SAARC Leaders on COVID-19 ',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Video Conference of <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/south-asian-association-for-regional-cooperation-saarc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)</a> Leaders on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19</a></strong>&nbsp;was held recently.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>All the <strong>members of SAARC</strong> (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Pakistan) attended the conference.</li>
<li>The conference is considered as a <strong>step towards the revival of SAARC</strong> as the SAARC Summit has not taken place since 2014 because of India-Pakistan tensions.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584350767_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584350767_image5.jpg" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>COVID-19 Emergency Fund:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has proposed to create a <strong>COVID-19 Emergency Fund</strong> which could be based on a<strong> voluntary contribution</strong> from all SAARC members.</li>
<li>Further, <strong>$10 million</strong> has been extended by <strong>India</strong> as a contribution to the fund.</li>
<li>The fund can be used to meet the <strong>cost of immediate actions</strong> by any member and will be coordinated through foreign secretaries and embassies of the member countries.</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation (WHO)</strong></a> has also constituted the <strong>COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund</strong> with the help of corporate bodies, foundations and the UN Foundation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Proposals by India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has also proposed a <strong>rapid response team of doctors and specialists,</strong> along with testing kits and other equipment for all the member countries.</li>
<li>India has set up an <strong>Integrated Disease Surveillance Portal</strong> to better trace possible virus carriers and the people they contacted. India has offered to share it with member countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Economic Issues and Measure:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The conference also discussed <strong>longer-term economic consequences</strong> of COVID-19.</li>
<li>The member countries have also proposed <strong>to insulate internal trade of South Asia and local value chains</strong> from its impact.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Measures by SAARC to Manage Health Pandemics:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been decided to frame and enforce the<strong> common SAARC <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pandemic</a> protocols.</strong></li>
<li>The members have also decided to establish a <strong>working group of national authorities for health information, data exchange and coordination</strong> in real-time.</li>
<li>It has also proposed a <strong>SAARC health ministers&rsquo; conference </strong>and the<strong> development of regional mechanisms</strong> to share disease surveillance data in real-time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Country-Specific Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Afghanistan</strong> has highlighted the <strong>vulnerability</strong> as it shares a <strong>long and open border with Iran,</strong> one of the worst affected countries in the world.</li>
<li>The <strong>Maldives</strong> has cited the<strong> economic downturn</strong> owing to the <strong>drop in tourists inflow from Italy, China and Europe - the main source of tourists for the country</strong> and sought a South Asian response to the crisis.</li>
<li>The<strong> tourism-dependent countries like Bhutan, Sri Lanka</strong> has also sighted issues related to the <strong>economic slowdown.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-pm-modi-participates-in-saarc-videoconference-to-formulate-joint-strategy-to-combat-covid-19/article31074653.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/video-conference-of-saarc-leaders-on-covid-19'
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'title' => 'Successful Trails in Treating Drug-Resistant TB',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a small trial was undertaken to test the safety and efficacy of a few oral drugs against the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/agreement-with-the-world-bank-to-eliminate-tb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The trial showed encouraging results with a <strong>success rate of 90%.</strong></li>
<li>The favourable<strong> results held true regardless of the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/hiv-new-hope" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIV status</a></strong> of the patients.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The trial (Nix-TB) tested three oral drugs namely <strong>bedaquiline, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tb-drug-pretomanid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretomanid </a></strong>and<strong> linezolid</strong> in patients with XDR-TB and MDR-TB.</li>
<li><strong>Success Rate</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> 90% treatment success</strong> in the case of hard-to-treat patients is at par with the success rate seen while treating drug-sensitive TB.</li>
<li>Of the 109 patients treated, <strong>11 had unfavourable outcomes.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Of the 11 patients, there were seven deaths and two had a relapse during the six-month follow-up period.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The treatment success rate was <strong>89% for XDR-TB and 92% for MDR-TB.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The MDR-TB patients included in the trial were either not responsive to standard treatment or had discontinued treatment due to side effects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Tuberculosis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is caused by <strong>bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)</strong> that most often affect the lungs.</li>
<li><strong>Transmission:</strong> TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.</li>
<li><strong>Symptoms:</strong> Cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.</li>
<li><strong>Treatment:</strong> TB is treatable and curable disease. It is treated with a standard 6 month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a form of TB caused by bacteria that <strong>do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin,</strong> the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs.</li>
<li>MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Extensively drug-resistant Tuberculosis</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a more serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that <strong>do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs,</strong> often leaving patients without any further treatment options.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/trial-shows-success-in-treating-drug-resistant-tb/article31069610.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/successful-trails-in-treating-drug-resistant-tb'
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'title' => 'Defence Fund Shortfall',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a <strong>Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence</strong> has shown concern at the widening gap between projections and allocations in the defence <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/union-budget-2020-21-highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>budget</strong></a>.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Committee noted that<strong> since 2015-16,</strong> none of the three Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) has been given the matching allocation as per the projection.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings of the Committee<img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584347358_image2.png" style="float: right;" width="350" caption="false" /></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There is a <strong>considerable shortage in the allocation in the Capital Head,</strong> which is <strong>35% less than the projection.</strong></li>
<li>The Committee noted that<strong> committed liabilities</strong> constitute a significant part of the Capital Head and inadequate allocation would definitely lead to &lsquo;default situation&rsquo; on contractual obligations.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Committed liabilities are payments anticipated during a financial year for contracts concluded in previous years.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Such a situation is <strong>not conducive for preparation of the country to modern-day warfare,</strong> where possession of capital intensive modern machines is a prerequisite for tilting the result of the war in favour and also to have a credible deterrence.</li>
<li><strong>Both the Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF)</strong> have a situation where their <strong>committed liabilities are more than their share of the capital allocation</strong> in the Budget.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To offset this, the Services have been <strong>forced to defer payment of committed liabilities of the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU)</strong> among other measures.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The shortfall in expenditure will affect:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Operationalisation of <strong>three tri-service organizations</strong> i.e. <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defence-space-research-agency-dsra" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Defence Space Agency</strong></a> <strong>(DSA), Defence Cyber Agency (DCYA) </strong>and<strong> Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD).</strong></li>
<li>Operational readiness of <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tri-service-command-in-the-domain-of-special-operations-cyberspace-and-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andaman and Nicobar Command</a> (ANC).</strong></li>
<li>Maintenance of <strong>SIGINT (Signal Intelligence)</strong> equipment.</li>
<li>Administration of training institutes and operational units.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The committee has recommended a <strong>dedicated fund for committed liabilities and procurements</strong> before the shortfall impacts modernisation, invariably from next Budget onwards (2021-22).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/defence-house-panel-recommends-dedicated-fund-for-committed-liabilities-new-schemes/article31069726.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/defence-fund-shortfall'
	],
	(int) 16 => [
		'title' => 'Tara Tarini Temple',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The annual<strong> Chaitra Jatra festival</strong> scheduled to be held on 17<sup>th</sup> March, 2020 at <strong>Odisha&rsquo;s Tara Tarini hill shrine</strong> has been <strong>cancelled</strong> as a precautionary measure against <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a> infection.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The festival is <strong>held on each Tuesday in the month of Chaitra,</strong> which falls in March-April as per the English calendar.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584347042_image1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584347042_image1.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="259" height="195" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Tara Tarini hill shrine, located at a hilltop on banks of the <strong>Rushikulya river,</strong> is a major centre of <strong>Shakti worship in Odisha.</strong></li>
<li>The twin goddesses Tara and Tarini represent one Shakti and are the <strong>main deity of Ganjam district (Odisha).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tara is an important deity of Mahayana Buddhist Sect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>This temple had been built as per traditional <strong>Rekha style of Odia <a href="/to-the-points/paper1/temple-architecture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temple architecture</a></strong>, as per which famous Jagannath temple of Puri and Lingaraj temple of Bhubaneswar have been built.</li>
<li>Unlike other temples, it wasn&rsquo;t built under the patronage of a King or a Noble, the temple was set up by a <strong>Brahmin named Basu Praharaj</strong> as per popular legend.</li>
<li>Since its inception it has been an established <strong>seat of Tantrism.</strong></li>
<li>Indian Navy&rsquo;s sailboat <strong>INSV Tarini</strong> was named after Tara Tarini hill shrine.The first Indian all-woman crew had circumnavigated the globe in INSV Tarini.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/covid-19-odisha-cancels-annual-chaitra-jatra-festival/article31077548.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/tara-tarini-temple'
	],
	(int) 17 => [
		'title' => 'Krishna Raja Sagar Dam',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The water level in the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya district (Karnataka) is coming down rapidly owing to the increase in the evaporation rate and the decrease in the inflows as a result of summer.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Krishna Raja Sagar Dam was built across river Kaveri for the <strong>Mysore and Mandya districts in Karnataka</strong> in 1932.<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584346799_image4.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1584346799_image4.png" style="float: right;" caption="false" width="320" height="219" /></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The dam is named for the then ruler of the Mysore Kingdom, <strong>Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Dam is the creation of one of the greatest engineers that India had produced, Sir M. Vishweshwaraiah. His birthday, <strong>15<sup>th</sup> September is celebrated as Engineers day.</strong></li>
<li>The reservoir is also the main source of drinking water for <strong>all of Mysore city and almost the whole of Bangalore.</strong></li>
<li>The water released from this dam is further used as an important source of water in the <strong>state of Tamil Nadu.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Kaveri River</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Source:</strong> The river rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka.</li>
<li><strong>Drainage Basin:</strong> It flows in a southeasterly direction through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and descends the Eastern Ghats in a series of great falls. Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the &ldquo;garden of southern India.&rdquo;</li>
<li><strong>Tributaries:</strong> Arkavathi, Hemavathi, Lakshmana Theertha, Shimsa, Kabini and Harangi.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/as-summer-picks-up-water-level-at-krs-comes-down/article31078451.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/krishna-raja-sagar-dam'
	],
	(int) 18 => [
		'title' => 'Iron Rain on Exoplanet',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Wasp-76b,</strong> an<strong> exoplanet</strong> (planet outside the solar system), probably has<strong> iron raining</strong> on it.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wasp-76b orbits so close to its host star that its dayside temperatures exceed 2,400 degrees Celsius - hot enough to vaporise metals like iron.</li>
<li>The planet's nightside, on the other hand, is 1,000 degrees cooler, allowing those metals to condense and rain out.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Wasp-76b</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Wasp-76b is a <strong>huge gas planet</strong> that is<strong> twice the width of Jupiter.</strong> Its name comes from the UK-led Wasp telescope system that detected it in 2016.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The UK <strong>Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP)</strong> is a collaborative project involving several UK universities. The primary aim is the discovery of exoplanets.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is <strong>640 light-years from the Earth</strong> and is so close to its star that it takes just 43 hours to complete one revolution.</li>
<li>Another of the planet's interesting features is that it always presents the same face to the star - a behaviour scientists call being <strong>"tidally locked".</strong> Earth's Moon does exactly the same thing.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Tidal locking is the name given to the situation when an object&rsquo;s orbital period matches its rotational period.</li>
<li>The moon takes 28 days to go around the Earth and 28 days to rotate once around its axis. This results in the same face of the Moon always facing the Earth.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/iron-rain-on-exoplanet'
	],
	(int) 19 => [
		'title' => 'ROPAX Service',
		'catname' => 'News Analysis',
		'desc' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The<strong> Ministry of Shipping</strong> has launched a <strong>roll on-roll off cum passenger ferry service,</strong> called <strong>&lsquo;ROPAX&rsquo;, between Mumbai and Mandwa</strong> (Maharashtra).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>ROPAX service is a <strong>water transport service</strong> project under <strong>Eastern Waterfront Development.</strong></li>
<li>The road distance from Mumbai to Mandwa is about 110 kilometres, and it takes three to four hours, whereas by waterway the distance is about 18 kilometres and a journey of just an hour.</li>
<li><strong>ROPAX Vessel M2M -1</strong> was built in Greece in September 2019. This Vessel has a speed of 14 knots and can carry 200 cars and 1000 passengers at a time. It is capable of operating even in a monsoon season.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>People will be able to travel in their cars directly on to the ROPAX vessel.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>benefits</strong> of this service include reduction in the travel time, vehicular emission and traffic on the road.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Eastern Waterfront Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Eastern Waterfront is the <strong>Mumbai Port Trust&rsquo;s (MbPT&rsquo;s) plan</strong> to develop the port lands across Mumbai&rsquo;s eastern coast stretching from Sassoon Dock to Wadala. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>MbPT is an autonomous Body of the Government of India under the Ministry of Shipping.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Some of the major proposals under the project include a 93- hectare park near Haji Bunder, around 17 hectares for tourism-related projects such as themed streets and affordable housing.</li>
<li>The project also has a focus on a water transport by making a provision for water taxis, international and domestic cruises and ro-pax (roll on/roll off passengers) services.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1606464" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
		'postdate' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'url' => 'https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ropax-service'
	]
]
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	'(help)' => 'This is a Query object, to get the results execute or iterate it.',
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		':c0' => [
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		'updatedby' => 'integer',
		'articles__added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.added' => 'timestamp',
		'added' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles.modified' => 'timestamp',
		'modified' => 'timestamp',
		'articles__whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles.whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'whatsnewid' => 'integer',
		'articles__display_printpdf' => 'integer',
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		'articles.display_comments' => 'integer',
		'display_comments' => 'integer',
		'articles__pdf_name' => 'string',
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		'articles__display_archive' => 'integer',
		'articles.display_archive' => 'integer',
		'display_archive' => 'integer'
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	'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) 99
$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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