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The Big Picture : One Nation, One Gas Grid

Why in News? The Prime Minister of India has recently inaugurated the 450-km natural gas pipeline between Kochi in Kerala to Mangalore in...

12 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Issues with Agriculture in India

Why in News The protest by thousands of farmers at Delhi’s borders have brought to focus a range of issues in agriculture in India. The...

12 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Covid-19 Vaccine Policy

This article is based on “Devising a vaccine strategy for India” which was published in The Hindustan Times on 07/01/2021. It talks...

11 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Why in News Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the...

11 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
CAFE-2 Regulations and BS-VI Stage II Norms

Why in News The auto industry has requested the government to defer the implementation of Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) regulations and...

11 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
National Family Health Survey-5

Introduction The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households...

11 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Demand For Autonomy in Assam

Why In News There has been a demand for implementation of Article 244A for the creation of an autonomous State within Assam. Key...

09 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Death Penalty For Sexual Offences

This article is based on “The wrong answer” which was published in The Indian Express on 06/01/2021. It talks about the issues related...

08 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Vertical and Horizontal Reservations

Why in News Recently, the Supreme Court (SC), in a case, has clarified the position of law on the interplay of vertical and horizontal...

08 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Scheme for Industrial Development of Jammu and Kashmir

Why in News Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade...

08 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Last Mile Challenges To Financial Inclusion

This article is based on “Not by digital alone” which was published in The Indian Express on 06/01/2021. It talks about the last mile...

07 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Longitudinal Ageing Study of India

Why in News Recently, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has released the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1 Report on the...

07 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog

Why in News Recently, the Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog has announced ‘Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Exam’ with an aim to “infuse...

07 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Sulfur Dioxide Emission Norms Delayed

Why in News The Ministry of Power has proposed pushing back the deadlines for adoption of new emission norms by coal-fired power plants, stating "an...

07 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Payment Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme

Why in News Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the operationalisation of the Payment Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF)...

07 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Toycathon 2021

Why in News Recently, the government has launched a virtual toy hackathon ‘Toycathon 2021’. Key Points Initiative of: The...

06 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
The Big Picture: The Demands of Farmers

Why in News? Farmers have been protesting for over months and have congregated on the periphery of the National Capital. They have blocked...

06 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Sagarmala Seaplane Services

Why in News The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is starting the ambitious Project of Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS) with potential...

05 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Human Development Index

This article is based on “Three Decades of HDI” which was published in The Economic & Political Weekly on 02/01/2021. It talks...

04 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions
Lithium-ion Technology

Why in News India, through a newly-floated state-owned company Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, has inked a pact with an Argentine firm to jointly prospect...

04 Jan 2021 Government Policies & Interventions

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		'title' => 'The Big Picture : One Nation, One Gas Grid',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wvy_6E2YisY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Prime Minister of India has recently inaugurated the 450-km natural gas pipeline between Kochi in Kerala to Mangalore in Karnataka.</li>
<li>The government has set the energy roadmap, envisaging more than double the share of cleaner natural gas in the consumption basket, diversifying sources of energy, connecting the nation with one gas pipeline grid and bringing affordable fuel to people and industry.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A gas-based economy is crucial for an Atmanirbhar Bharat and work is being done in the direction of <strong>'One Nation, One Gas Grid'.</strong></li>
<li>The pipeline grid is expected to not only help improve clean energy access, but also aid in the development of city gas projects.</li>
<li>The government is also considering the proposal of bringing natural gas under the ambit of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/goods-and-services-tax-gst-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Good and Services Tax.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>One Nation, One Gas Grid</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Indian Power system for planning and operational purposes is divided into five regional grids.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>One Nation, One Gas Grid refers to the integration of these regional grids thus establishing a National Grid for providing energy produced by natural gas to various stakeholders like the central government, the state governments, the public and the private sectors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1610439260_image1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1610439260_image1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" caption="false" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Objective and Need of One Nation &amp; One Gas Grid</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Meeting the targets:</strong> The initiative of the Indian government will help meet its target of reaching 15% natural gas in its energy basket mix by 2030 which is currently at 6.2-6.5% whereas the global average is 23-24%.</li>
<li><strong>Connecting the nation:</strong> With one nation and one gas grid, the energy produced from natural gas will be supplied to the whole country via a single source.</li>
<li><strong>Improving regional imbalance:</strong> It will help in improving the regional imbalance of gas availability as currently the natural gas is only in limited pockets of the country.</li>
<li><strong>India as a gas based economy:</strong> One nation, one gas grid which will help emerge India as a gas based economy.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will not only lead to robust development in the economy but also encourage a clean environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Cleaner environment:</strong> In times when conventionalsSources are depleting and mining is being extended to a greater depth and area, natural gas can prove to be a boon by preventing deforestation and desertification.</li>
<li><strong>Reduce import dependency:</strong> The import dependency of natural gas in India has reached to 53%. In order to reduce this high percentage, the government is taking measures to diversify the energy mix of India.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>India&rsquo;s Targets</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>To increase the share of natural gas, the government has announced the expansion of the natural gas grid from the previous 17,500 kilometers to 34,500 kilometers. To which, 450 kms have already been added making it approx 18000.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The next 16000 kms is expected to be achieved in the next 4-6 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Primarily, as a grid, the north and west part of India were already connected via LNG terminal.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the last 4 years, efforts have also been made to connect eastern India with North via the Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline which is a <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-gas-grid-fuel-for-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>PM Urja Ganga Project</strong></a> which is in its final stages and will also add around 3000 kms to the grid.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The southern part of India is also being looked upon and is expected to add about 1500 kms to the grid.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Encouraging investments:</strong> Investing in natural gas should be more encouraged. The share can be divided as : 20% for smaller manufacturing brands whereas for the government and bigger companies it should be 80%.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is important because investing in natural gas means investing in:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Cleaner environment</li>
<li>Better health for our people</li>
<li>Creating more jobs and a better economy for our people.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Educating about natural gas:</strong> One area where we all should work is in educating people about the natural gas economy because at present the lack of knowledge about natural gas based economy is widely persistent.</li>
<li><strong>Empowering the vehicles:</strong> Empowered vehicles are needed to reach the destination of One Nation, One Gas Grid. Vehicles such as GAIL, <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-natural-gas-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ONGC</strong></a> etc need to be strengthened and empowered to eradicate natural gas energy poverty.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is important to give more importance to companies like ONGC when it comes to upstream for gas and GAIL India when it comes to midstream production and gas distribution, and to companies like Oil India when it comes to oil distribution.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>We need more LNG terminals for more upstream production of gas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Marketing and pricing reforms:</strong> To increase domestic exploration, investment and production of natural gas, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/natural-gas-marketing-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Marketing and Pricing Reforms</strong></a> are the one step that the Government of India has taken in a couple of months.</li>
<li><strong>Natural gas democracy:</strong> Like no citizen of a country should be kept out of democracy, similarly no one should be left out of the benefits of natural gas, it should reach each and every household.</li>
<li><strong>Collaborative effort:</strong> It is not enough that only the central government takes initiatives in the direction, various state govts should also come on board or even a public sector is also as important when it comes to contributing their share in the notion of One Nation, One Gas Grid.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Tremendous efforts are on the way to achieve clean affordable and sustainable energy but going forward there will be infrastructure related and many other possible challenges that must be tackled in order to end energy poverty in the times to come, ensuring energy security for the citizens as well.</p>',
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		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Issues with Agriculture in India',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/farmer-s-protest" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>protest by thousands of farmers</strong></a> at Delhi&rsquo;s borders have brought to focus a range of<strong> issues in agriculture in India.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The protests are against the three farm bills that seek to replace <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/agricultural-marketing-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ordinances issued in june 2020.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Concerns of Protesting Farmers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These laws signal the beginning of the <strong>end of open-ended procurement of wheat and paddy.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>success of states (Punjab and Haryana)</strong> in creating the infrastructure for procurement may now<strong> become the reason for withdrawal of support of the Centre.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Stocking by corporates,</strong> especially those which are in modern retail and e-commerce</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Land Size:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Decreasing Area:</strong> Area under agriculture has been shrinking, it reduced from <strong>159.5</strong> million hectares <strong>(mn ha) in 2010-11 to 157 mn ha in 2015-16.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Increase in Land Holdings:</strong> The number of<strong> operational holdings has been rising</strong> (increased from 138.3 million to about 146 million) owing to increasing population.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This<strong> leads to falling average landholdings&rsquo; size</strong> of farmers, which has come down from 1.2 ha to about 1.08 ha.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Forced Selling: Smaller landholdings produce smaller pockets of produce,</strong> aggregation of which becomes essential for even a trolley-load to be carried to an <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/agricultural-marketing-reforms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)</strong> </a>mandi or a nearby market. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Due to small holdings caused by fragmentation, small and marginal farmers are <strong>forced to sell their produce at the farm gate itself.</strong></li>
<li>This is especially so in states that have a weak network of APMC mandis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>No Access to Modern Technology:</strong> Bringing new technologies and practices to such a large number of smallholders scattered over a vast countryside and integrating them with the modern input and output markets is a <strong>huge challenge for Indian agriculture.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>More Farm Labourers than Farmers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A <strong>farmer</strong> is usually a<strong> farm owner,</strong> while <strong>employees</strong> of the farm are farm labourers, farmhands, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Employment in Agri-sector:</strong> As per recent estimates from the<strong> Labour Bureau, 45%</strong> of India&rsquo;s workforce is employed in agriculture. .</li>
<li><strong>Labours in Agri-sector:</strong> According to<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/2011-census-data-on-migration" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Census 2011</strong></a>, <strong>55%</strong> of the agri-workforce comprises agri-labourers.</li>
<li><strong>No support for Labours:</strong> It is tough to drive or sustain growth in agriculture since farm labourers get no policy support or incentive to invest in farming.</li>
<li><strong>Owners Getting the Benefit:</strong> All benefits like seed kit, fertilisers, pesticides, farm machinery, micro-irrigation, land development assistance etc. are meant only for those who can prove land ownership.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Falling Investment in Agriculture:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Gross Capital Formation (GCF)</strong> in agriculture as a percentage of the total GCF in the economy has<strong> fallen from 8.5 % in Financial Year 2011-12 to 6.5 % in Financial Year 2018-19.</strong> This is because the share of private investment has shrunk.</li>
<li>Though public investment has gone up it is not sufficient to check the slide or keep the GCF at FY12 level.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Subsidy and Related Issues:.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Flowing to Businesses:</strong> A number of subsidies meant for agriculture also flow to businesses, e.g <strong>grants given to food processing units and cold chain projects.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Net Loss of Farmers:</strong> As per the <strong>Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations- <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/oecds-forecast-for-global-economy-in-2060" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development</a> (ICRIER-OECD)</strong> report, despite the plethora of schemes run to support and subsidise Indian farmers, because of <strong>regressive policies on the marketing side</strong> (both domestic and international trade policies) and the <strong>deficit of basic infrastructure for storage, transportation</strong> etc., <strong>Indian farmers suffered net losses</strong> and thus emerged to be net taxed despite receiving subsidies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Related Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Selective Procurement:</strong> The government<strong> declares <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/minimum-support-price-for-crops#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20major%20demands,of%20the%20cost%20of%20production." target="_blank" rel="noopener">MSP</a> for 23 crops,</strong> only wheat and paddy (rice) are procured in large quantities as they are required to meet the requirement of the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/public-distribution-system-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Public Distribution System</strong> </a>(PDS), which is about 65 million tonnes.</li>
<li><strong>Stagnant Rates of MSP:</strong> The government declaration of Minimum support prices do not increase at par with increase in cost of production.</li>
<li><strong>Unequal Access:</strong> The benefits of this scheme do not reach all farmers and for all crops. There are many regions of the country like the north-eastern region where the implementation is too weak.</li>
<li><strong>Non Scientific Practices:</strong> MSP leads to non-scientific agricultural practices whereby the soil, water are stressed to an extent of degrading ground water table and salinisation of soil.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>If India has to move away from procurement-based support, at present restricted to certain crops only, a <strong>more attractive income support scheme has to be conceived coupled with much higher investment, both public and private,</strong> in agri-infrastructure.</li>
<li>The <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/food-security-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)</strong> </a>incentivised the states, which increased their expenditure on agriculture. The <strong>Centre&rsquo;s assistance for such states should be higher.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Focused research on crops grown in low-productivity states can deliver better seeds,</strong> which can withstand the challenge of higher temperature due to climate change.</li>
<li>Democratic norms and processes like <strong>open public debate, dialogue with stakeholders and detailed Parliamentary scrutiny</strong> to ensure every aspect and implication of a public policy goes through meticulous examination before being adopted and implemented is crucial to fix the issues with agriculture.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/issues-in-indian-agriculture-7141148/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7429,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Covid-19 Vaccine Policy',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/devising-a-vaccine-strategy-for-india/story-u12s0fA8oFOmfMxXo3St1H.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Devising a vaccine strategy for India&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on 07/01/2021. It talks about the challenges and solutions in the development &amp; distribution of Covid-19 vaccine.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, India has approved the Covid-19 vaccines developed by<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/phase-ii-iii-clinical-trials-of-covishield" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Astra-Zeneca (Covishield)</strong> </a><strong>and</strong> <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covaxin-approved-for-human-clinical-trials" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bharat Biotech (Covaxin)</strong></a>. There are several more vaccines that will likely be available later in 2021.</p>
<p>Although India will not need to vaccinate its entire population, it would have to vaccinate at least 30-40% of the people to develop herd immunity fully. Even at a minimum scale, approximately 1 billion doses of <strong>Covid-19 vaccines</strong> will be required, given that most vaccines need a booster dose.</p>
<p>Moreover, other factors, like allocation, distribution, financing, communication, etc., will be impediments to<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-vaccine-distribution" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Covid-19 vaccination</strong> </a>drive. Therefore, deploying a robust vaccine development &amp; distribution policy will be very crucial for India.</p>
<h3>Associated Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Allocation:</strong> Most nations will vaccinate healthcare workers first. They treat those who are infected with Covid-19 and vaccinate the remaining population. After that, it seems logical to prioritise the elderly, who have a higher infection fatality rate. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, premature death costs a young person more years of life than an older adult. This is a more significant concern for India, as 80% of its population is below 50.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Distribution:</strong> Moving vaccines from companies to warehouses will be relatively easy, but moving it from warehouses to distributors to end-users will be tricky, given the difficulties with cold chains and storage facilities.</li>
<li><strong>Financing:</strong> In the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, vaccines are likely to be entirely free and administered publicly.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, given the tight fiscal situation, the Indian government faces the dilemma of whether to finance vaccinations publicly or privately.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Human Resource:</strong> Administering 30-40 million immunisations (under regular vaccination drive) a year is very different from vaccinating 600 million people in a year.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sourcing the trained human resources necessary to deliver intramuscular shots, without diverting from existing priorities, will not be easy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Public Confidence:</strong> &ldquo;Optimism bias," as it is called, makes vaccination seem unnecessary to them. Concerning diseases, a lot of people tend to think that their risk is low.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, this behaviour can prove fatal in battling a pandemic like Covid-19 pandemic.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vaccine Prioritisation:</strong> The protective benefit from vaccination is much lower if one has immunity from a prior infection. Hence, the allocation of the vaccine among the working-age population should consider two factors: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It may be prudent to screen people for Covid-19 antibodies and prioritise vaccination of those without antibodies.</li>
<li>Areas closest to herd immunity even without suppression require the least number of doses to return to regular economic activity and have higher returns from vaccination.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Strengthening VaccineSupply Chain:</strong> Enhancing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/electronic-vaccine-intelligence-network" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network</strong></a> (eVIN) system will enhance real-time information on vaccine stocks and storage temperatures across all country&rsquo;s cold chain points.</li>
<li><strong>Bridging Human Resource Gap:</strong> Engaging medical students, phlebotomists, paramedics and pharmacists can be rapidly and reliably trained to administer vaccines, will bridge the human resource gap.</li>
<li><strong>Hybrid Financing Policy:</strong> India will need a hybrid strategy, where the majority of the population (economically challenged) is vaccinated for free publicly while allowing private markets to operate for rich people.</li>
<li><strong>Effective Communication:</strong> A good communication strategy that envisages removing myths associated with Covid-19 vaccine should be science-led, involve regular communication, utilise respected community leaders to widen reach, and clamp down on the spread of misinformation.</li>
<li><strong>Need For Vaccine Certification:</strong> To resume normalcy and allow free movement of people, every country will need an internal set of protocols regarding proof of vaccination that is interoperable with norms elsewhere. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In other words, proof of vaccination in India or Tanzania must be acceptable to Singapore Airlines or Qantas.</li>
<li>This will also require multilateral bodies to play an active role in creating frameworks, around which digital platforms can be developed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>India&rsquo;s Covid-19 vaccine drive will be a monumental mission, not just in terms of vaccinating its own population, but also vaccinating a large part of the world thanks to its position as the world&rsquo;s leading vaccine producer.</p>
<p>Addressing the issues associated with the development and distribution of vaccines will augment the effort to efficiently get vaccines to hundreds of millions in the shortest period of time.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fefff2;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&ldquo;Covid-19 immunisation drive will be a different kettle of fish from regular vaccination programs&rdquo;. In light of the statement analyse the challenges in the development &amp; distribution of Covid-19 vaccine.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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		'article_id' => (int) 7425,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Pravasi Bharatiya Divas',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) </strong>is<strong> celebrated on 9<sup>th</sup> January every year</strong> to mark the contribution of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/india-s-diaspora" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Overseas Indian community</strong></a> in the development of India.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>On the occasion, several events such as <strong>PBD Convention, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award</strong> and <strong>Bharat ko Janiye Quiz</strong> are organised.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>9<sup>th</sup> January</strong> was chosen as the day to celebrate PBD since it was <strong>on this day in 1915 that <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mahatma-gandhi-jayanti" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mahatma Gandhi</a>, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa,</strong> led India&rsquo;s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>PBD Conventions:</strong> These are<strong> held once every two years.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>PBD 2021:</strong> The <strong>16<sup>th</sup> PBD Convention</strong> was held virtually in New Delhi. The <strong>theme</strong> was <strong>"Contributing to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aatmanirbhar Bharat</a>".</strong></li>
<li><strong>Chief Guest:</strong> President of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi.</li>
<li><strong>Highlights:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Response to the Pandemic:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Despite dependence on critical things like PPE kits, masks, ventilators or testing kits, India developed its capabilities not only to become self-reliant but started exporting many things.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s drugs regulator has <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covishield-and-covaxin-approved-for-restricted-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>approved</strong></a> the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine <strong>Covishield,</strong> manufactured by the Serum Institute, and<strong> indigenously developed Covaxin</strong> of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Use of Technology:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India is using technology to <strong>end corruption <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-advisory-on-direct-benefit-transfer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Direct Benefit Transfer)</a>.</strong></li>
<li>Further, <strong>India's <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/new-space-policy-for-new-space-age" target="_blank" rel="noopener">space programme</a></strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/parliamentary-committee-report-on-startups#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20flagship%20initiative,innovation%20and%20entrepreneurship%20in%20India." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>tech start-up ecosystem</strong></a> is a leader in the global sphere.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recent Initiatives:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Including <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>New Education Policy 2020</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pli-scheme-for-ten-more-sectors" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Production Linked Subsidies Scheme.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Initiatives for Indian Diaspora:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/vande-bharat-mission" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Vande Bharat Mission</strong></a>, in which more than 45 lakh Indians were rescued during Corona times.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/swades-skill-mapping-exercise-for-returning-citizens#:~:text=It%20aims%20to%20create%20a,placement%20opportunities%20in%20the%20country." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support (SWADES)</strong></a>, an initiative for returning immigrants from the Gulf and other areas.</li>
<li><strong>Global Pravasi Rishta Portal</strong> for better connectivity and communication with the Pravasi Bharatiyas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>75<sup>th</sup> Anniversary of India&rsquo;s Freedom (2021):</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Prime Minister <strong>asked the members of the diaspora</strong> and people in Indian Missions world over to prepare a portal, a digital platform where contribution of the Pravasi Bharatiyas in the freedom struggle of India can be documented.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the <strong>highest honour conferred on</strong> a <strong>Non-Resident</strong> Indian, <strong>Person of Indian Origin;</strong> or an organisation or <strong>institution established and run by Non-Resident Indians</strong> or Persons of Indian Origin, who have made significant contribution in better understanding of India abroad, support India's causes and concerns in a tangible way, community work abroad, welfare of local Indian community, philanthropic and charitable work, etc.</li>
<li>During the PBD convention, select eminent Indian diaspora members are awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards in the presence of the President of India.</li>
<li><strong>30 Winners of the 2021 Award:</strong> Including<strong> Suriname President</strong> Chandrikapersad Santokhi, <strong>Curacao Prime Minister</strong> Eugene Rhuggenaath and<strong> New Zealand minister</strong> Priyanca Radhakrishnan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Third Edition Bharat ko Janiye Quiz (2021):</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was <strong>launched in 2015-16</strong> in order to<strong> strengthen the engagement with young overseas Indians (18-35)</strong> and encourage them to know more about their country of origin.</li>
<li>The first edition was held in 2015-16 and the second one in 2018-19.</li>
<li><strong>Fifteen winner</strong>s of the Quiz were announced during the PBD convention and<strong> will be invited for an India Tour</strong> (Bharat ko Janiye Darshan) after Covid.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1687362" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7422,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'CAFE-2 Regulations and BS-VI Stage II Norms',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>auto industry</strong> has <strong>requested the government</strong> to<strong> defer the implementation</strong> of <strong>Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) regulations</strong> and <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/policy-watch-india-will-shift-to-bs-vi-norms" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>BS-VI</strong></a> <strong>stage II norms to April 2024,</strong> given the <strong>impact of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/21-days-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lockdown</a></strong> measures.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>As of now,</strong> the <strong>CAFE-2 norms</strong> and <strong>BS-VI stage II norms</strong> are set to come into effect in<strong> 2022</strong> and <strong>April 2023 respectively.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) Regulations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>CAFE or Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy</strong> regulations are in force in many advanced as well as developing nations, including India.</li>
<li>They <strong>aim at lowering fuel consumption</strong> (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by<strong> lowering Carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions,</strong> thus serving the<strong> twin purposes</strong> of <strong>reducing dependence on oil</strong> for fuel and <strong>controlling pollution.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Corporate Average</strong> refers to<strong> sales-volume</strong> weighted average for every auto manufacturer. The idea of CAF&Eacute; is to push manufacturers to achieve fuel efficiency targets by <strong>producing and selling more fuel-efficient models,</strong> including <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/electric-vehicles-evs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>electric vehicles</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Launch in India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The CAF&Eacute; standards<strong> were first notified in 2017</strong> by the Union <strong>Ministry of Power</strong> (MoP) under<strong> Energy Conservation Act, 2001.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The regulation is<strong> in accordance with the fuel consumption standards of 2015 </strong>that aim to <strong>increase fuel efficiency of vehicles road by 35% by 2030.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)</strong> is the<strong> nodal agency</strong> responsible for monitoring and reporting a summary of annual fuel consumption by automobile manufacturers at the end of each fiscal year.</li>
<li>The regulation was <strong>introduced in two target phases: Carbon dioxide emission target of 130 gram/kilometre by 2022-23</strong> and<strong> 113 g/km 2022-23 onwards.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Applicability:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The norms are applicable for <strong>petrol, diesel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) passenger vehicles. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>BS-VI Stage II Norms:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards are laid down by the government to<strong> regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine and spark-ignition engine equipment,</strong> including motor vehicles.</li>
<li>These standards are targeted at making<strong> improvements in three areas -</strong> emission control, fuel efficiency and engine design.</li>
<li>The central government has <strong>mandated</strong> that vehicle makers must manufacture, sell and register<strong> only BS-VI (BS6) vehicles from 1<sup>st</sup> April, 2020.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>BS-VI is <strong>equivalent to Euro-VI norms</strong> currently in place across countries in Europe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As per BS-VI emission norms, <strong>petrol vehicles</strong> will have to effect <strong>a 25% reduction in their NOx,</strong> or nitrogen oxide emissions. <strong>Diesel engines</strong> will have to <strong>reduce their HC+NOx</strong> (hydro carbon + nitrogen oxides) <strong>by 43%,</strong> their <strong>NOx levels by 68%</strong> and<strong> particulate matter levels by 82%.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sulfur-dioxide-emission-norms-delayed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sulphur content</strong></a> in fuel is a<strong> major cause for concern.</strong> BS-VI fuel's sulphur content is much lower than BS-IV fuel. It is reduced to 10 mg/kg max in BS-VI from 50 mg/kg under BS-IV.</li>
<li>Some of the <strong>measures to be introduced from 2023 onwards</strong> include deciding the <strong>confirmatory factor for in-service compliance, market surveillance and independent verification testing</strong> of in-use vehicles by regulatory authorities, adoption of <strong>more stringent driving cycle for emissions testing, public disclosure of emissions data</strong> by the manufacturers on publicly accessible websites, and <strong>on-board fuel consumption meters</strong> among others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/automakers-seek-relief-on-new-fuel-efficiency-emission-norms-7141289/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7421,
		'category_id' => (int) 27,
		'title' => 'National Family Health Survey-5',
		'description' => '<h3>Introduction</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-family-health-survey-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Family Health Survey (NFHS)</strong></a> is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.</li>
<li>The <strong>Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW),</strong> Government of India has designated the <strong>International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai,</strong> as the <strong>nodal agency</strong> for providing coordination and technical guidance for the survey.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>IIPS collaborates with a number of Field Organizations (FO) for survey implementation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The survey provides <strong>state and national information</strong> for India on: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Fertility</li>
<li>Infant and child mortality</li>
<li>The practice of family planning</li>
<li>Maternal and child health</li>
<li>Reproductive health</li>
<li>Nutrition</li>
<li>Anaemia</li>
<li>Utilization and quality of health and family planning services</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Each successive round of the NFHS has had two specific goals: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To provide essential data on health and family welfare needed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other agencies for policy and programme purposes.</li>
<li>To provide information on important emerging health and family welfare issues.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The funding for different rounds of NFHS has been provided by <strong>USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/unicef-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNICEF</a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/state-of-the-world-population-2020-unfpa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNFPA</a>, and MoHFW (Government of India).</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>The United States Agency for International Development:</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>USAID is the world's premier international development agency.</li>
<li>It is an independent agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.</li>
<li>It was established by former US President John. F. Kennedy in 1961.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>History of National Family Health Survey</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>First National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1)</strong> was conducted in <strong>1992-93.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> Second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2)</strong> was conducted in <strong>1998-99</strong> in<strong> all 26 states of India.</strong> The project was funded by the<strong> USAID,</strong> with additional support from<strong> UNICEF.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3)</strong> was carried out in<strong> 2005-2006.</strong> NFHS-3 funding was provided by the USAID, the<strong> Department for International Development</strong> (UK), <strong>the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, UNFPA, </strong>and the<strong> Government of India.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>Fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4)</strong> in <strong>2014-2015,</strong> the fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) was conducted. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In addition to the <strong>29 states,</strong> NFHS-4 <strong>included all six union territories</strong> for the first time and provided estimates of most indicators at the district level for all <strong>640 districts in the country</strong> as per the<strong> 2011 census.</strong></li>
<li>The survey covered a range of health-related issues, including fertility, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, perinatal mortality, adolescent reproductive health, high-risk sexual behaviour, safe injections, tuberculosis, and malaria, non-communicable diseases, domestic violence, HIV knowledge, and attitudes toward people living with HIV.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - 5</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The NFHS-5 has captured the data during 2019-20 and has been conducted in around 6.1 lakh households.</li>
<li>Many indicators of NFHS-5 are similar to those of NFHS-4, carried out in 2015-16 to make possible comparisons over time.</li>
<li>Phase 2 of the survey (covering remaining states) was delayed due to the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Covid-19 pandemic</strong></a> and its results are expected to be made available in May 2021.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It provides an indicator for tracking 30 <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong> </a>that the country aims to achieve by 2030.</li>
<li>NFHS-5 includes some new topics, such as <strong>preschool education, disability, access to a toilet facility, death registration, bathing practices during menstruation, </strong>and<strong> methods and reasons for abortion.</strong></li>
<li>NFHS-5 includes new focal areas that will give requisite input for strengthening existing programmes and evolving new strategies for policy intervention. The areas are:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Expanded domains of child immunization</li>
<li>Components of micro-nutrients to children</li>
<li>Menstrual hygiene</li>
<li>Frequency of alcohol and tobacco use</li>
<li>Additional components of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)</li>
<li>Expanded age ranges for measuring hypertension and diabetes among all aged 15 years and above.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 2019, for the first time, the NFHS-5 sought details on the percentage of women and men who have ever used the Internet.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings of the NFHS-5</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Sex ratio at birth (SRB)</strong> has remained unchanged or increased in most States/UTs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Majority of the states are in normal sex ratio of 952 or above.</li>
<li><strong>SRB</strong> is below 900 in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Dadra &amp; Nagar Haveli and Daman &amp; Diu.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Child Marriages:</strong> There has been an increase in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/child-marriage-and-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>child marriages</strong></a> in <strong>Tripura</strong> (40.1% from 33.1% in 2015-16), <strong>Manipur</strong> (16.3% from 13.7% in 2015-16) and <strong>Assam</strong> (31.8% from 30.8 % in 2015-16).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>States such as <strong>Tripura, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland</strong> have also shown an increase in teenage pregnancies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Child nutrition indicators</strong> show a mixed pattern across states. While the situation improved in many States/UTs, there has been minor deterioration in others.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Malnutrition:</strong> it has worsened. Stunting has risen in 11 out of 18 states. Wasting was going up in 14 states.</li>
<li><strong>Stunting:</strong> 13 out of 22 states and UTs surveyed, recorded a rise in the percentage of stunting in children.</li>
<li><strong>Wasted:</strong> 12 out of 22 states and UTs surveyed, recorded a rise in the percentage of children under five years who are wasted in comparison to NFHS-4.</li>
<li><strong>Overweight:</strong> 20 states and UTs have recorded a rise in the percentage of children under 5 years who are overweight.</li>
<li><strong>Diarrhoea:</strong> Children with diarrhoea in the two weeks preceding the survey also jumped to 7.2% from 6.6%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Infant &amp; Child Mortalities; NMR, IMR and U5MR</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Infant and child mortality rates across most Indian states have declined. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Sikkim, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Goa and Assam were the best performers as they witnessed a steep reduction in<strong> neonatal mortality rate (NMR), infant mortality rate (IMR) </strong>and<strong> under-five mortality rate (U5MR).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Tripura, Andaman &amp; Nicobar Island, Meghalaya and Manipur Recorded a spike in all three categories of child mortality.</li>
<li><strong>Bihar</strong> registered the <strong>highest prevalence of NMR (34), IMR (47), and U5MR (56)</strong> across 22 surveyed states and Union territories while Kerala reported the lowest death rates.</li>
<li>The child mortality rate of Maharashtra remained unchanged in the last five years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Spousal Violence</strong> has witnessed an increase in five states, namely <strong>Sikkim, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Karnataka</strong> witnessed the largest increase in spousal violence, from 20.6% in NFHS 4 to 44.4% in NFHS-5.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Comparison between NFHS- 4 and NFHS- 5</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Total Fertility Rates (TFR): Declined since NFHS-4</strong> in almost all the Phase-1 States and UTs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Replacement Level of Fertility</strong> (2.1) has been achieved in 19 out of the 22 States/UTs.</li>
<li>Only 3 states viz. Manipur (2.2), Meghalaya (2.9) and Bihar (3.0) have TFR above replacement levels now.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR): Increased substantially</strong> in most States/UTs.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Highest in Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal (74%).</li>
<li>Use of modern methods of contraception has also increased in almost all States/UTs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a declining trend</strong> in most of the Phase-1 States/UTs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The percentage has come down to less than 10% in all the States except Meghalaya and Mizoram.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bank Accounts: Considerable progress</strong> has been recorded between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 in regard to women operating bank accounts.</li>
<li><strong>Immunisation:</strong> Full immunization drive among children aged 12-23 months has recorded <strong>substantial improvement</strong> across States/UTs/districts. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>More than two-third of children are fully immunized in all the States and UTs except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Assam.</li>
<li>In almost three-fourths of districts, 70% or more children aged 12-23 months are<strong> fully immunized against childhood diseases.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Institutional births:</strong> Institutional births have <strong>increased substantially</strong> with over four-fifth of the women delivering in institutions in 19 States and UTs. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Institutional delivery is over 90% in 14 out of the total 22 States and UTs.</li>
<li>Almost 91% of districts recorded over 70% institutional deliveries of births in the 5 years preceding the survey.</li>
<li>Along with an increase in institutional births, there has also been a substantial increase in C-section deliveries in many States/UTs especially in private health facilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Improved Sanitation and Cooking Facilities:</strong> The percentage of households with <strong>improved sanitation facilities and clean fuel</strong> for cooking has increased in almost all the 22 States/UTs over the last four years (from 2015-16 to 2019-20).</li>
<li><strong>Anaemia: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/anaemia-in-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anaemia among women</a></strong> and children <strong>continues to be a cause of concern.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>More than half of the children and women are anaemic in 13 of the 22 States/UTs.</li>
<li>It has also been observed that anaemia among pregnant women has increased in half of the States/UTs compared to NFHS-4, in spite of substantial increase in the consumption of IFA tablets by pregnant women for 180 days or more.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Key Terms</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Neonatal death</strong> is defined as a death during the first 28 days of life, while <strong>neonatal mortality rate</strong> is defined as the number of neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>SDG goal 3</strong> calls for an end to preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age and specifies that all countries should aim to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 deaths per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality to at least as low as 25 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Total Fertility Rate:</strong> TFR indicates the average number of children expected to be born to a woman during her reproductive span of 15-49 years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The replacement level</strong> is the number of children needed to replace the parents, after accounting for fatalities, skewed sex ratio, infant mortality, etc. Population starts falling below this level.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/indias-falling-fertility-rate#:~:text=India's%20total%20fertility%20rate%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>India&rsquo;s total fertility rate</strong></a> (TFR) is declining. <strong>It is now 2.2 per woman,</strong> nearing the <strong>replacement rate of 2.1,</strong> according to the latest government data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Contraceptive Prevalence Rate:</strong> CPR is the proportion of women who are currently using, or whose sexual partner is currently using, at least one method of <strong>contraception,</strong> regardless of the method being used. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is reported as a<strong> percentage</strong> with reference to women of respective marital status and age group.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sex ratio at birth (SRB)</strong> is defined as the number of female births per 1,000 male births. The SRB is a key indicator of a son's preference vis-&agrave;-vis daughters.</li>
<li><strong>Stunting</strong> is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Wasting</strong> is defined as<strong> low weight-for-height.</strong> It often indicates recent and severe weight loss, although it can also persist for a long time. Wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death if not treated properly.</li>
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-tackling-infant-mortality#:~:text=Schemes%20like%20Janani%20Suraksha%20Yojana,reduce%20the%20prevalence%20of%20IMR." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)</strong></a> is defined as the &lsquo;number of deaths of children under the age of 1 year per 1000 live births for a given year.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The country&rsquo;s average IMR stands at 32 per 1,000 live births which includes an average 36 deaths for rural and 23 for urban areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
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	(int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7414,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Demand For Autonomy in Assam',
		'description' => '<h3>Why In News</h3>
<p>There has been a demand for implementation of <strong>Article 244A for the creation of an autonomous State</strong> within Assam.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The appeal to the Centre has been for the creation of an autonomous State for the <strong>Karbi Anglong region.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This has been a demand since 1986.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The districts are currently governed by<strong> two autonomous councils Karbi Anglong and North Cachar hills.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Definition of Scheduled and Tribal Areas:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The areas inhabited by the socially and educationally backward<strong> &lsquo;Aboriginals&rsquo;</strong> are called Scheduled Areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are <strong>two schedules (5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup>) of the Indian Constitution</strong> which entail the details about the control and management of the Scheduled and Tribal Areas.</li>
<li><strong>Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The provisions regarding the administration and control of <strong>Scheduled and Tribal Areas</strong> of any state <strong>except the four states (Assam, Meghalaya,Tripura, Mizoram)</strong> are mentioned under this schedule.</li>
<li>At present, 10 States namely <strong>Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana</strong> have Fifth Schedule Areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/sixth-schedule-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>This schedule deals with the administration</strong></a> and control of the scheduled and tribal areas of <strong>the four states</strong> of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scheduled and Tribal Areas are dealt with two articles:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Article 244:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This article deals with the administration of the Scheduled and Tribal Areas.</li>
<li>It defines <strong>Scheduled Areas as the areas defined so by the President of India</strong> and are mentioned<strong> in the fifth schedule</strong> of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Article 244A:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Formation of an <strong>autonomous state comprising</strong> certain tribal areas in Assam and creation of local legislature or Council of Ministers or both therefore.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/assam-bjp-lawmakers-seek-autonomous-state/article33512508.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7411,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Death Penalty For Sexual Offences',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/maharashtra-shakti-bill-rape-offence-disha-bill-maharashtra-cabinet-7135848/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;The wrong answer&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Indian Express on 06/01/2021. It talks about the issues related to the award of the death penalty for sexual offences.</p>
</div>
<p>Sexual offences against women and children are one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. Given this, the public has a real and legitimate interest in addressing such concerns, leading to the death penalty&rsquo;s demand to deter sexual offences purportedly.</p>
<p>In this context, on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-human-rights-day-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Human Rights Day 2020</strong></a>, the Maharashtra cabinet approved the Shakti Bill, enlarging the scope of harsher and mandatory sentences &mdash; including the death penalty &mdash; for non-homicidal rape (excluding <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/marital-rape-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Marital Rape</strong></a>).</p>
<p>The Shakti Bill comes amid the recent legislative trend to invoke the death penalty for sexual offences. For instance, the Andhra Pradesh government passed the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/disha-bill-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Disha Bill in 2020</strong></a> (pending presidential assent), that provides the death penalty for the rape of adult women.</p>
<p>However, introducing the death penalty diverts attention from deep-rooted issues &amp; long-term solutions. It suggests that the reason for such crimes is that the punishment is not severe enough.</p>
<h3>Associated Issues With Death Penalty Against Sexual Offences</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>May Do More Harm To Victim:</strong> Women&rsquo;s right groups have argued that the death penalty is a knee-jerk and populist solution to counter sexual offences. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Also, Child-right activists insist that introducing capital punishment for non-homicidal rape may lead rapists to kill their victims to erase testimonial evidence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Death Penalty Won&rsquo;t Remove Prejudice:</strong> Introducing harsher penalties does not remove systemic prejudices from the minds of judges and the police.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Generally, police might refuse to register complaints or acquit offenders in cases they do not consider &ldquo;serious&rdquo; enough to warrant a mandatory minimum.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lower Rate of Conviction:</strong> According to crime data from the <a href="/printpdf/crime-in-india-2019-report-ncrb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Crime Records Bureau</strong></a>, in 93.6% of sexual offences, the perpetrators were known to the victims. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, introducing capital punishment would deter complainants from registering complaints.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Delay in Closure of Justice:</strong> The execution of a death sentence comes at the end of multiple stages of appeals and avenues of seeking clemency. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This time extended to the defendant to exhaust all legal remedies will delay the judicial process&rsquo;s finality and closure&mdash;militating against the competing interest of ensuring speedy justice.</li>
<li>It might also see an increase in instances of instant retribution, such as the extrajudicial killing of gang-rape and murder suspects in Hyderabad late in 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Regressive Step:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/j-s-verma-committee-on-sexual-harassment-at-workplace-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Justice Verma Committee Report</strong></a> that made several recommendations on the laws on sexual offences (after Nirbhya rape case 2012), held that the death penalty&rsquo;s deterrent effect is &ldquo;a myth&rdquo;. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The report stated that it would be a regressive step to introduce the death sentence in non-homicidal cases.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Other Issues Related to Shakti Bill</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The other anti-women assertion in the bill moves away from the standard of affirmative consent in cases involving adult victims and offenders.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Significant advocacy from the women&rsquo;s movement led to introducing an affirmative standard of consent, rooted in unequivocal voluntary agreement by women through words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In a sharp departure, the bill stipulates that valid consent can be presumed from the &ldquo;conduct of the parties&rdquo; and the &ldquo;circumstances surrounding it&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Rape trials continue to be guided by misogynistic notions, expecting survivors to necessarily resist the act, suffer injuries and appear visibly distressed.</li>
<li>Therefore, the bill&rsquo;s vaguely worded explanation holds dangerous possibilities of expecting survivors to respond only in a particular manner, thus creating the stereotype of an &ldquo;ideal&rdquo; victim.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Plugging Gaps in Justice Delivery:</strong> The most severe gaps in the justice delivery system are reporting a police complaint. Therefore, the focus of the criminal justice system needs to shift from sentencing and punishment to the stages of reporting, investigation, and victim-support mechanisms. In this context, the following measures must be ensured: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The victim reports a case without any fear.</li>
<li>Police to conduct a sound investigation.</li>
<li>Victim protection throughout the trial.</li>
<li>Making testification as easy and as quick as possible.</li>
<li>Allocation of resources and more robust implementation of the law than is currently evident.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sensitisation At a Broader Level:</strong> Despite the ever-increasing ambit of the death sentence, there has been little effort to address prejudices in society.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Addressing the prejudices in the society against sexual offences requires sensitisation of functionaries of the justice system &amp; more importantly society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Instead of merely enhancing punishment, tackling crimes against women and children requires broader social reforms, sustained governance efforts and strengthening investigative and reporting mechanisms.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f5fff5;">
<p><span style="color: #800000;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Punitive responses to sexual violence need serious rethinking, given the multitude of perverse consequences and their minor role in addressing the actual needs of rape survivors. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ytfp3NErDB0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/where-india-and-us-diverge-ht-editorial/story-fPy0uthKnZr3iRrt6O8CLL.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Where India and US diverge&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindustan Times on January 7<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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	(int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7410,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Vertical and Horizontal Reservations',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a> (SC)</strong>, in a case, has clarified the <strong>position of law</strong> on the interplay of vertical and horizontal <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/reservation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>reservations.</strong></a></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Vertical Reservation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Reservation for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/reimagining-the-national-commission-for-scheduled-castes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scheduled Castes</strong></a>, <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/xaxa-committee-on-tribal-communities-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scheduled Tribes</strong></a>, <strong>and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/extension-to-obc-sub-categorisation-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Other Backward Classes</a></strong> is referred to as vertical reservation.</li>
<li>It <strong>applies separately for each of the groups</strong> specified under the law.</li>
<li><strong>Example: Article 16(4)</strong>&nbsp;of the Constitution contemplates vertical reservation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Horizontal Reservation:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It refers to the<strong> equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries</strong> such as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals <strong>with disabilities,</strong> cutting through the vertical categories.</li>
<li><strong>Example: Article 15 (3)</strong>&nbsp;of the Constitution contemplates horizontal reservation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Application of Reservations:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>horizontal quota is applied separately</strong> to each vertical category, and not across the board.</li>
<li>For<strong> example,</strong> if <strong>women have 50% horizontal quota,</strong> then <strong>half of the selected candidates will have to necessarily be women in each vertical quota</strong> category i.e., half of all selected <strong>Scheduled Caste candidates</strong> will have to be women, half of the unreserved or general category will have to be women, and so on.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The Case:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><em><strong>Saurav Yadav versus State of Uttar Pradesh</strong></em><strong> 2020</strong> dealt with issues arising from the way different classes of reservation were to be applied in the selection process to fill posts of constables in the state.</li>
<li>The <strong>Uttar Pradesh government&rsquo;s policy was to restrict and contain reserved category candidates to their categories,</strong> even when they had secured higher grades.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>SC&rsquo;s Ruling:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The court ruled against the Uttar Pradesh government, holding that if a <strong>person belonging to an intersection of vertical-horizontal reserved category </strong>had <strong>secured scores high enough to qualify without the vertical reservation, the person would be counted as qualifying without the vertical reservation, and cannot be excluded from the horizontal quota</strong> in the general category.</li>
<li>The court said Uttar Pradesh Government's argument meant that it was ensuring that the general category was &lsquo;reserved&rsquo; for upper castes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The ruling will give <strong>clarity on reservation and make it easier for governments to implement and apply reservation.</strong></li>
<li>More<strong> needy scheduled caste, scheduled tribes and other backward class candidates will be benefited</strong> if high scoring candidates are recruited under general category.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Reservation</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Reservation is a form of <strong>positive discrimination, created to promote equality among marginalised sections,</strong> so as to protect them from social and historical injustice.</li>
<li>Generally, it means giving <strong>preferential treatment to marginalised sections</strong> of society in employment and access to education.</li>
<li>It was also originally <strong>developed to correct years of discrimination and to give a boost to disadvantaged groups.</strong></li>
<li>In India, people have been historically discriminated against on the basis of caste.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservation in India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Article 15(3)</strong> allows <strong>protective discrimination in favour of women.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Article 15(4) and 16(4)</strong> of the Constitution enabled the State and Central Governments to<strong> reserve seats in government services</strong> for the members of the SC and ST.</li>
<li>The Constitution was amended by the Constitution<strong> (77<sup>th</sup> Amendment) Act,</strong> 1995 and a new clause <strong>(4A) was inserted in Article 16 to enable the government to provide reservation in promotion.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recently, the Supreme Court of India has said that reservation of seats provided to certain communities <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/reservation-not-a-fundamental-right-supreme-court#:~:text=SC%2FST%20Reservation%3A,scheduled%20castes%20and%20scheduled%20tribes.&amp;text=The%20quota%20for%20SCs%20is,for%20STs%20it%20is%207.5%25" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>is not a fundamental right.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Later, clause (4A) was modified</strong> by the Constitution <strong>(85<sup>th</sup> Amendment) Act, 2001</strong> to provide consequential seniority to SC and ST candidates promoted by giving reservation.</li>
<li><strong>Constitutional 81<sup>st</sup> Amendment Act, 2000</strong> inserted Article 16 (4 B) which enables the state to fill the unfilled vacancies of a year which are reserved for SCs/STs in the succeeding year, thereby nullifying the ceiling of fifty percent reservation on total number of vacancies of that year.</li>
<li><strong>Article 330 and 332</strong> provides for specific representation through<strong> reservation of seats</strong> for SCs and STs<strong> in the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies</strong> respectively.</li>
<li><strong>Article 243D</strong> provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every <strong>Panchayat.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It also <strong>provides for the reservation of not less than one-third of the total number of seats for women</strong> (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the SCs and STs).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Article 233T</strong> provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every<strong> Municipality.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Article 335</strong> of the Constitution says that the claims of SCs and STs shall be taken into consideration constituently with the maintenance of efficacy of the administration.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-horizontal-vertical-quotas-work-what-sc-said-7135872/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7408,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Scheme for Industrial Development of Jammu and Kashmir',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-committees-formed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs</strong></a> has approved the proposal of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dipp-renamed-as-dpiit" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)</strong></a> for<strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/proposal-to-hike-monthly-pensions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Central Sector Scheme</a> for Industrial Development of Jammu and Kashmir (J&amp;K).</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>DPIIT</strong> comes under the <strong>Ministry of Commerce and Industry.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Central Sector Schemes</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>These schemes are <strong>100% funded by the Central government.</strong></li>
<li>Implemented by the Central Government machinery.</li>
<li>Formulated on subjects mainly from the Union List.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aim:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To <strong>take industrial development to the block level in Union Territory (UT)</strong> of J and K, which is the<strong> first time in any Industrial Incentive Scheme of the Government of India</strong> and attempts for a more <strong>sustained and balanced industrial growth</strong> in the entire UT.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Beneficiaries:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Scheme is made attractive for <strong>both <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-msme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smaller</a> and larger industrial units. </strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Expenditure:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The financial outlay is <strong>Rs. 28,400 crore</strong> for the scheme <strong>period 2020-21 to 2036-37</strong> (17 years).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of J&amp;K in Implementation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Scheme envisages a greater role of the UT of J&amp;K <strong>in registration and implementation of the scheme</strong> while having proper checks and balances by having an <strong>independent audit agency</strong> before the claims are approved.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Incentives Under the Scheme:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Capital Investment Incentive:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It provides an <strong>incentive at the rate of 30% in Zone-A and 50% in Zone-B on investment</strong> made in plant and machinery (in manufacturing), or construction of building and other durable physical assets (in service sector).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Zone-B</strong> includes far-off areas and will receive higher incentives so as to ensure equal opportunities of growth in far-flung areas and major towns.</li>
<li><strong>Zone-A</strong> includes areas other than Zone-B.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>A <strong>capital investment</strong> is a sum of money that goes towards furthering the objectives of a business or towards purchasing long-term assets for the business.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Capital Interest subvention:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It provides for <strong>6% capital interest subvention for a maximum of seven years on loans up to Rs. 500 crore</strong> for investment in plant and machinery (in manufacturing), or construction in building and all other durable physical assets (in service sector) for 10 years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Capitalized interest</strong> is the cost of borrowing to acquire or construct a long-term asset.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>GST Linked Incentive:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is based on<strong> Gross <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/goods-and-services-tax-gst-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goods and Services Tax (GST).</a></strong></li>
<li>This will <strong>incentivise output up to 300% of the eligible value of actual investment</strong> made in the plant and machinery (in manufacturing), or construction in building and all other durable physical assets (in service sector).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Working Capital Interest Incentive:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This will provide all existing units<strong> incentive at the annual rate of 5% for maximum 5 years.</strong> Maximum limit of incentive is <strong>Rs. 1 crore.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Working capital,</strong> also known as<strong> net working capital (NWC),</strong> is the <strong>difference between a company's current assets,</strong> such as cash, accounts receivable (customers' unpaid bills) and inventories of raw materials and finished goods,<strong> and its current liabilities,</strong> such as accounts payable.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The scheme will encourage <strong>new investment, substantial expansion and also nurture the existing industries</strong> in the Union Territory.</li>
<li>It will also provide <strong>employment to 4.5 lakh people</strong> besides leading to equitable, balanced and sustainable<strong> socio-economic development of the region.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ayushman-bharat-pm-jay-sehat-jk" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) Social Endeavour for Health and Telemedicine (SEHAT) scheme</strong></a> was launched to extend health insurance coverage to all residents of J&amp;K.</li>
<li>The <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/day-nrlm-special-package-for-j-k-and-ladakh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Union Cabinet has also approved a special package</a> worth Rs. 520 crore in the Union Territories (UTs) of J&amp;K and Ladakh</strong> for a period of five years under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-rural-economic-transformation-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM).</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In August 2019, the Central government had suspended all modes of communications in the wake of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/article-370-and-35-a-revoked" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, granted under Article 370.</strong></a> Eventually, services were partially restored, with internet speed restricted to 2G.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1686743#:~:text=of%20Jammu%20%26%20Kashmir.-,The%20scheme%20is%20approved%20with%20a%20total%20outlay%20of%20Rs,the%20UT%20of%20Jammu%20%26%20Kashmir." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7403,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Last Mile Challenges To Financial Inclusion',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/how-over-reliance-on-tech-worsens-financial-exclusion-in-rural-india-7134424/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Not by digital alone&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 06/01/2021. It talks about the last mile challenges to financial inclusion in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Being a welfare state, one of the prime objectives of government policy in India has been to enable financial inclusion and to reduce abject poverty through interventionist public policies. One such approach is the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rbi-advisory-on-direct-benefit-transfer" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) initiative.</strong></a></p>
<p>Various government programmes such as maternity entitlements, student scholarships, and wages for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/mgnrega-and-migrant-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MGNREGA</strong></a> workers fall under the DBT initiative where the money is transferred to the respective beneficiaries&rsquo; bank accounts.</p>
<p>However, the beneficiaries face many hurdles in accessing their money. For example, in rural areas, beneficiaries have to travel miles and wait for several hours to make one banking transaction.</p>
<p>These hurdles are broadly referred to as <strong>&ldquo;last mile challenges''</strong>. These challenges have widened the distance between the rights holder and their entitlements, which must be urgently resolved.</p>
<h3>Last Mile Challenges &amp; Their Impact</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Digital Exclusions:</strong> A recently published KPMG report found that India&rsquo;s Internet usage is the lowest of the BRICS nations. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Similarly, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/digital-quality-of-life-index-2020-surfshark" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2020</strong></a> reflects the dismal performance of India in digital parameters.</li>
<li>Moreover, digital illiteracy, innumeracy, and unfamiliarity with technology hinder the digital product&rsquo;s full uptake.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unfamiliarity With DBT:</strong> Beneficiaries of DBT do not know what to do when their payments get rejected, often due to technical reasons such as incorrect account numbers and incorrect Aadhaar mapping with bank accounts. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>More importantly, the workers/beneficiaries have rarely been consulted regarding their preferred mode of transacting.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Breeding of Corruption:</strong> The digital exclusion and unfamiliarity of beneficiaries with DBT, has created new forms of corruption.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This was evidenced in the massive scholarship scam in Jharkhand, where many poor students were deprived of their scholarships owing to a nexus of intermediaries, government officials, banking correspondents and others.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inadequate Rural Banking:</strong> There are just 14.6 bank branches per 1 lakh adults in India. It is sparser in rural India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Moreover, rural banks are short-staffed and tend to get overcrowded.</li>
<li>Accessing banks in rural areas leads to loss of one wage day for the worker. Also, people have to spend money on transportation to access the bank to withdraw their payments/subsidies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unsuccessful Banking Correspondent Model:</strong> More than a decade after the first regulations on the Business Correspondent (BC) Model were issued in 2006, banks and other financial service providers are struggling to establish a viable and sustainable business case for branchless banking.</li>
<li><strong>Accountability Issue:</strong> The lack of accountability and absence of grievance redressal continue to impact all DBT programmes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Expanding Scope of Social Justice:</strong> Understanding social justice should be broadened by including the right to access own money in a timely and transparent manner. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Moreover, these rights should be protected through strengthening grievance redressal processes and setting accountability norms for all payment intermediaries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Providing More Choices:</strong> Universalization of Aadhar Enabled Payment System will enable Aadhar Enabled Bank Account holders to carry out seamless financial transactions.</li>
<li><strong>Establishing a Code of Conduct for BC Model:</strong> Banks should develop standard rules and formulate a code of conduct to develop effective monitoring and supervision of banking correspondents.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Geotagging and GPS mapping of agent locations to search agent points will also enable better monitoring and supervision.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Uber Model:</strong> There is a need to explore the possibility to adopt the &ldquo;Uber&rdquo; model to handle cash-in/cash-out (CICO), by enabling customers to act as CICO points. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will reduce dependence on agents and allow them to go beyond CICO.</li>
<li>On the other hand, customers would be able to transact beyond a stationary and limited agent network.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Promoting Digital Literacy:</strong> Digital literacy is the lynchpin of triggering a revolution in India&rsquo;s financial inclusion and doorstep delivery models.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this context, <a href="/pdf/1607550498-conference-on-digital-cashless-economy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)</strong></a> is a step in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>There is a clear need for a fresh perspective by re-imagining some key aspects of DBT initiative. It requires that all stakeholders, including the government, regulators, service providers, industry bodies, and others, need to catalyse radical changes in the way the &lsquo;last mile&rsquo; functions at present.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #f51d1d; background-color: #fff9cf;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>In rural India, over-reliance on digital technology has worsened financial exclusion. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m5eqIEUgN64" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/india-at-the-horse-shoe-table/story-KZexjyZVCTyCJKnoDIuqCN.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;India at the horseshoe table&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindustan Times on January 6th, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7402,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Longitudinal Ageing Study of India',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare</strong> has released the <strong>Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1 Report</strong> on the virtual platform.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About LASI:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is a full scale <strong>national survey of scientific investigation of the health, economic, and social determinants and consequences of population ageing</strong> in India. It was <strong>commissioned in 2016.</strong></li>
<li>It is India&rsquo;s <strong>first and the world&rsquo;s largest ever survey that provides a longitudinal database</strong> for designing policies and programmes <strong>for the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/elderly-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">older population</a></strong> in the broad domains of social, health, and economic well-being.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Agencies Involved:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>National Programme for Health Care of Elderly,</strong> Ministry of Health &amp; Family Welfare has undertaken the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India, through <strong>International Institute for Population Sciences,</strong> (IIPS), <strong>Mumbai</strong> in collaboration with <strong>Harvard School of Public Health, University of Southern California, USA, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/state-of-world-population-2019-unfpa#:~:text=According%20to%20State%20of%20World,annual%20growth%20rate%20of%20China." target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Population Fund</a> (UNFPA)</strong> and <strong>National Institute on Ageing.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>first national wave of the LASI (Wave 1)</strong> covered a <strong>baseline sample of 72,250</strong> individuals <strong>aged 45 and above and their spouses</strong>, including elderly persons aged <strong>60</strong> and above and oldest-old persons aged <strong>75</strong> and above from all States and Union Territories (UTs) of India (excluding Sikkim).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Methodology:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It collects detailed data on health and biomarkers together with information on family and social network, income, assets, and consumption.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In medicine, a biomarker is a <strong>measurable indicator of the severity or presence of some disease state</strong>. More generally a biomarker is anything that can be used <strong>as an indicator of a particular disease</strong> state or some other physiological state of an organism.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Findings:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the 2011 census, the <strong>60+ population accounted for 8.6% of India&rsquo;s population,</strong> accounting for <strong>103 million elderly people.</strong></li>
<li>Growing at around <strong>3% annually</strong>, the number of elderly people will rise to <strong>319 million in 2050.</strong></li>
<li><strong>75%</strong> of the elderly people suffer from one or the other <strong>chronic disease. 40%</strong> of the elderly people have <strong>one or the other disability</strong> and <strong>20%</strong> have issues related to <strong>mental health.</strong></li>
<li>The self-reported prevalence of diagnosed <strong>cardiovascular diseases</strong> (CVDs) is <strong>28%</strong> among older adults aged <strong>45 and above.</strong></li>
<li>The prevalence of <strong>multi-morbidity conditions</strong> among the elderly age <strong>60 and above</strong> is <strong>much higher in the states/UTs</strong> of Kerala (52%), Chandigarh (41%), Lakshadweep (40%), Goa (39%) and Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands (38%). The prevalence of <strong>single morbidity and multi-morbidity</strong> conditions increases with age.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The evidence from LASI will be used to further strengthen and broaden the <strong>scope of the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly</strong> and also help in establishing a range of preventive and health care programmes for the older population and most vulnerable among them.</li>
<li>The study holds significance in light of the ongoing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronaviruses" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> pandemic with the elderly and persons with <strong>comorbidities</strong> being at the highest risk of contracting the disease.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Comorbidity</strong> simply means <strong>more than one illness or disease occurring in one person at the same time</strong> and <strong>multimorbidity means more than two illnesses</strong> or diseases occurring in the same person at the same time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>National Programme for Health Care of Elderly</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The programme is being implemented under the <strong>Non-Communicable Disease</strong> (NCD) flexible pool within the overarching umbrella of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-health-mission-and-janani-suraksha-yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Health Mission</strong></a> for Districts and below in the States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vision:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To provide <strong>accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive and dedicated care services</strong> to an Ageing population.</li>
<li>Creating a new <strong>&ldquo;architecture&rdquo;</strong> for Ageing.</li>
<li>To build a framework to create an enabling environment for <strong>&ldquo;a Society for all Ages&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>To promote the concept of <strong>Active and Healthy Ageing.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Funding Pattern:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Centre bears 75% of the total budget and the State Government contributes <strong>25%</strong> of the budget, for activities up to district level.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Eligible Beneficiary:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>All elderly People (above 60 Years) in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Types of Benefits:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Free, Specialized health care facilities exclusively for the elderly people through the State health delivery system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1686552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source:PIB</a></p>',
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	(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7400,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<h3></h3>
<h3><span style="font-size: 14px;">Recently, the <strong>Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog</strong> has announced <strong>&lsquo;Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Exam&rsquo;</strong> with an aim to &ldquo;infuse curiosity&rdquo; among people about the importance of cows, and to &ldquo;sensitise and educate&rdquo; them about the bovine species.</span></h3>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog</strong> is an agency under the <strong>Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry &amp; Dairying)</strong> established for the protection of cows.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li>
<li>It has been constituted to organize animal husbandry on <strong>modern and scientific lines</strong> and to take steps for preserving and improving breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>There are 50 well-defined breeds of cattle and 17 breeds of buffaloes in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It is a <strong>high-powered permanent body</strong> to formulate policies and to provide directions for the implementation of schemes related to cattle so as to lay more emphasis on livelihood generation for small &amp; marginal farmers, women and youth entrepreneurs.</li>
<li>It functions as an integral part of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rashtriya-gokul-mission#:~:text=Government%20has%20sanctioned%20funds%20under,in%20remaining%2017%20Gokul%20grams."><strong>Rashtriya Gokul Mission</strong></a>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Rashtriya Gokul Mission was initiated by Government of India in December 2014 with the aim of development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds, genetic upgradation of bovine population and enhancing milk production and productivity of bovines thereby making milk production more remunerative to the farmers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/emotions-to-earthquakes-einstein-waves-a-govt-bodys-cattle-class-7136043/">Source: IE</a></p>',
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	(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7397,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Sulfur Dioxide Emission Norms Delayed',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Ministry of Power</strong> has <strong>proposed pushing back the deadlines for adoption of new emission norms by coal-fired power plants</strong>, stating "an unworkable time schedule" would burden utilities and lead to an increase in power tariffs.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India initially had set a <strong>2017 deadline</strong> for <strong>thermal power plants</strong> to comply with <strong>emissions standards for installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units</strong> that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was <strong>later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FED):</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Removal of Sulfur Dioxide</strong> is called as Flue-gas Desulphurization (FGD).</li>
<li>It seeks to remove gaseous pollutants viz. SO<sub>2</sub> from exhaust flue gases generated in furnaces, boilers, and other industrial processes due to thermal processing, treatment, and combustion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Proposal of the Ministry of Power:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has proposed<strong> a "graded action plan,"</strong> whereby areas where plants are located would be graded according to the severity of pollution, with <strong>Region 1 referring to critically polluted areas</strong>, and <strong>Region 5 being the least polluted.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Strict control of emissions</strong> shall be required in such key areas for thermal power stations categorised under <strong>Region 1</strong>.</li>
<li>Plants in <strong>Region 2</strong> could begin to <strong>take action one year after those in Region 1.</strong></li>
<li>Presently <strong>no action</strong> is required for power plants that are situated under <strong>Region 3, 4 &amp; 5.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the Ministry, the target should be to maintain <strong>uniform ambient air quality</strong> across the country and <strong>not uniform emission norms</strong> for thermal power plants.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This could avoid immediate increase in power price in various relatively clean areas of the country (and) avoid unnecessary burden on power utilities/consumers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Sulfur Dioxide Pollution</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Source:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The largest source of SO<sub>2</sub> in the atmosphere is the<strong> burning of fossil fuels</strong> by power plants and other industrial facilities.</li>
<li>Smaller sources of SO<sub>2&nbsp;</sub>emissions include: industrial processes such as extracting metal from ore; <strong>natural sources such as volcanoes</strong>; and locomotives, ships and other vehicles and heavy equipment that burn fuel with a high sulfur content.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact:</strong> SO<sub>2</sub> can affect both <strong>health and the environment.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Short-term exposures</strong> to SO<sub>2</sub> can <strong>harm the human respiratory system</strong> and make breathing difficult. People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO<sub>2</sub>.</li>
<li>SO<sub>2</sub> emissions that lead to high concentrations of SO<sub>2</sub> in the air generally also lead to the <strong>formation of other sulfur oxides (SOx)</strong>. SOx can react with other compounds in the atmosphere to form small particles. These particles <strong>contribute to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/dashboard-for-monitoring-air-quality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">particulate matter (PM)</a> pollution.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Small particles may penetrate deeply into the lungs and in sufficient quantities can contribute to health problems.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s Case:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India&rsquo;s sulphur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) emissions <strong>recorded a significant decline of approximately 6% in 2019 compared to 2018</strong>, the steepest drop in four years, according to a report from Greenpeace India and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, India remained the <strong>largest emitter of SO<sub>2</sub>.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>2015</strong>, the <strong>Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC)</strong> <strong>introduced Sulfur Dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) emission limits for coal power stations.</strong></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/safar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Air Quality sub-index</strong> </a>has been evolved for <strong>eight pollutants</strong> (PM10, PM2.5, NO<sub>2</sub>, SO<sub>2</sub>, CO, O<sub>3</sub>, NH<sub>3</sub>, and Pb) for which short-term (upto 24-hours) <strong>National Ambient Air Quality Standards</strong> are prescribed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/indias-power-ministry-proposes-pushing-back-emission-norms-deadline/article33495403.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7396,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Payment Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/important-institutions-national-institution-reserve-bank-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Reserve Bank of India</strong></a> (RBI) has announced the operationalisation of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/payments-infrastructure-development-fund" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Payment Infrastructure Development Fund</strong></a> <strong>(PIDF) scheme</strong>.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Objective:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Develop <strong>payment acceptance infrastructure in tier-3 to tier-6 cities</strong> (centres), with a special focus on the <strong>north-eastern states</strong> of <strong>the country</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Time Period:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The fund will be operational for <strong>three years</strong> effective from <strong>1<sup>st</sup> January, 2021</strong> and may be extended for <strong>two more years</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Management:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>An <strong>Advisory Council</strong> (AC) under the chairmanship of RBI <strong>deputy governor BP Kanungo</strong> has been constituted for managing the PIDF.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fund Allocated:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The PIDF presently has a corpus of <strong>Rs. 345 crore</strong>, with <strong>Rs. 250 crore</strong> contributed by the RBI and <strong>Rs. 95 crore</strong> by the major <strong>authorised card networks in the country.</strong> The <strong>authorised card networks</strong> shall contribute in all <strong>Rs. 100 crore</strong>.</li>
<li>Besides the initial corpus, PIDF shall also receive annual contributions from <strong>card networks and card issuing banks</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For example, Card networks will have to chip in <strong>0.01 paisa per rupee of transaction</strong>.</li>
<li>The role of a <strong>card network</strong> is to facilitate transactions between merchants and card issuers. E.g. Mastercard, Visa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The focus shall be to target those merchants who are yet to be <strong>terminalised (merchants who do not have any payment acceptance device).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Merchants engaged in services such as <strong>transport and hospitality, government payments, fuel pumps, public distribution system (PDS) shops, healthcare and kirana shops</strong> may be included, especially in the targeted geographies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The fund will be used to <strong>subsidize banks and non-banks for deploying payment infrastructure</strong>, which will be contingent upon specific targets being achieved.</li>
<li>The <strong>Advisory Council will devise a transparent mechanism for allocation of targets</strong> to acquiring banks and non-banks in different segments and locations.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>implementation of targets shall be monitored by the RBI</strong> with assistance from card networks, the Indian Banks&rsquo; Association (IBA) and the Payments Council of India (PCI).</li>
<li><strong>Acquiring banks</strong> (also <strong>acquirers or merchant banks</strong>) are financial institutions processing debit and credit card transactions on behalf of a merchant or business.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Tentatively, <strong>tier-3 and tier-4 centres</strong> will be allocated <strong>30%</strong> of the acceptance devices, <strong>tier-5 and tier-6 centres</strong> will get <strong>60%</strong> and the <strong>north eastern states will be given 10%.</strong></li>
<li>Multiple payment acceptance devices and infrastructure supporting underlying card payments, such as <strong>physical Point of Sale, mobile Point of Sale, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) , Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and QR code-based payments</strong> will be funded under the scheme.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Breakup of Subsidy:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A subsidy of <strong>30% to 50% of cost of physical PoS and 50% to 75% subsidy for Digital PoS</strong> shall be offered.</li>
<li>The subsidy shall be granted on a <strong>half-yearly basis</strong>, after ensuring that performance parameters are achieved, including conditions for <strong>&lsquo;active&rsquo;</strong> status of the acceptance device and <strong>&lsquo;minimum usage&rsquo;</strong> criteria, as defined.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fixing Accountability:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Acquirers of the subsidy shall submit <strong>quarterly reports</strong> on the <strong>achievement of targets to the RBI.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Related Steps:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The setting of PIDF is in line with the measures proposed by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/payment-and-settlement-systems-in-india-vision-2019-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>vision document on payment and settlement systems in India 2019-2021.</strong></a></li>
<li>Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constructed a composite <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/digital-payments-index-rbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Digital Payments Index</strong></a> (DPI) to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/rbi-operationalises-payment-infra-development-fund/2165068/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source:FE</a></p>',
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	(int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7390,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Toycathon 2021',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the government has launched a virtual toy hackathon &lsquo;Toycathon 2021&rsquo;.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Initiative of:&nbsp;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Textile, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/initiatives-of-aicte" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>All India Council for Technical Education.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Aim:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To conceptualize innovative toys based on the Indian value system which will inculcate the positive behaviour and good value among the children.</li>
<li>To promote India as a global toy manufacturing hub (Atmanirbhar Abhiyan).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Based on:</strong> Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.</li>
<li><strong>Themes:</strong> Nine themes, including fitness and sport and rediscovering traditional Indian toys.</li>
<li><strong>Participants:</strong> Students, teachers, start-ups and toy experts.</li>
<li><strong>Prize:</strong> Participants can get prizes upto Rs. <strong>50 lakhs.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:&nbsp;</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Toys can be an excellent medium to further the spirit of <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/31-10-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat&rsquo;</strong></a>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>&ldquo;Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat&rdquo;</strong> was announced by the Prime Minister in 2015 to&nbsp; <strong>enhance the understanding and bonding between the States,</strong> thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It will help in promoting&nbsp; the use of educational toys in line with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.</strong></a></li>
<li>It will create an ecosystem for the <strong>domestic Toy industry and the local manufacturers,</strong> tapping the untapped resources and <strong>utilizing their potential.</strong></li>
<li>It will help in <strong>reducing toy imports.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Though the toy market in India is worth USD 1 billion, <strong>80% toys are imported.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/government-launches-hackathon-for-toys/article33504203.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7377,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: The Demands of Farmers',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TM_cpDR0S90" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Farmers have been protesting for over months and have congregated on the periphery of the National Capital.</li>
<li>They have blocked roads to Delhi and remain firm on their demand to repeal the recently passed <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/agricultural-reforms#:~:text=The%20Government%20with%20the%20aim,three%20important%20legislation%20from%20Parliament.&amp;text=The%20Farmers%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>farm laws</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Despite the government&rsquo;s assurance given to the farmers that the new laws are for their benefit, they still fear that their livelihood will be severely affected.</li>
<li>The major demands of farmers include completely rolling back the three farm laws along with ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) on the crop products.</li>
<li>Farmer unions had also intensified their agitation against the farm laws by calling for 'Bharat Bandh' to show their discontentment with amendments to the agricultural legislations being proposed by the government.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Farmers&rsquo; Demands</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Repealing the farm laws:</strong> The first and foremost demand of the protesting farmers&rsquo; organisations is the repeal of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/agricultural-reforms#:~:text=The%20Government%20with%20the%20aim,three%20important%20legislation%20from%20Parliament.&amp;text=The%20Farmers%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>three new agricultural laws</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Minimum support price:</strong> The second demand of farmers is the guarantee of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/minimum-support-price-for-crops" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Minimum Support Price (MSP)</strong></a> to ensure procurement of crops at a suitable price.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Farmers are also demanding to get a written assurance in the form of a Bill for the continuation MSP and conventional food grain procurement system.</li>
<li>The Farmers&rsquo; organisations want the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/agriculture-produce-to-agriculture-marketinghttps://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/agriculture-produce-to-agriculture-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>APMC</strong></a> or the Mandi System to be protected.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Electricity (Amendment) Bill:</strong> The third demand of farmers is the withdrawal of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/electricity-amendment-bill-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Electricity (Amendment) Bill</strong></a>, as they feel that they won&rsquo;t get free electricity due to this.</li>
<li><strong>Stubble burning:</strong> The farmers&rsquo; fourth demand is to end the fine and jail sentence for <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/stubble-burning-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>stubble burning</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Swaminathan Commission:</strong> The Farmers are demanding MSP as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Swaminathan Commission Report states that the government should raise the MSP to at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production. <strong>It is also known as the C2+ 50% formula.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It includes the imputed cost of capital and the rent on the land (called &lsquo;C2&rsquo; ) to give farmers 50% returns.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Are the Demands Justified?</h3>
<p><strong>Arguments in Against</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>MSP is an incentive not a right:</strong> Even though the MSP might be beneficial for a section of the farmers only, the cost of MSP itself is very high for the country as a whole.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>MSP was given to the farmers as an incentive to prevent them from exploitation, it cannot be mandated as a right.</li>
<li>It is an artificially high price which hurts the population who does not cultivate these crops but is poor; e.g. landless labourers, small &amp; marginal farmers in villages who are also the net buyers of the food grains.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>The law does not dismantle the APMC system:</strong> The APMCs are not going to shut down and will continue to be available as an alternate option for the sale of farmers&rsquo; produce.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government has only given the farmers the freedom to sell out of the APMCs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Contract farming:</strong> Contract farming already exists in parts of the country. Large scale informal contract farming is already happening in West Bengal and around Delhi.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The law simply recognises contract farming, makes it legal and provides mechanism protection for the farmers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Allowing stubble burning:</strong> The farmers, who burn stubble, are conscious of going to jail if they continue burning the stubble as the law provides for a fine up to Rs. 1 crore or jail of up to five years or both.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Despite the raging need for laws against pollution, this demand of the farmers is utterly saddening.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Arguments in Favour</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Corporatisation of agriculture is against the farmers&rsquo; welfare:</strong> The global experience across agricultural markets demonstrates that corporatisation of agriculture without a concomitant security net in the form of an assured payment guarantee to the farmers results in the exploitation of farmers at the hands of big business.</li>
<li><strong>Threat for small and marginal farmers:</strong> This poses a significant challenge to Small and Marginal Farmers which constitute 86% of our agricultural class.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The present laws alter the bargaining landscape in favour of the corporate players.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Dispute resolution mechanism:</strong> The new farm laws expressly exclude the jurisdiction of the civil court, leaving the farmers remediless and with no independent medium of dispute redressal mechanism.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The farmers shall be given the right to take their stand to the court.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gradual decline of APMC mandis:</strong> The farm laws open the field to an alternate set of markets/private yards, where the buyer will have no statutory obligation to pay the MSP.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Since the markets/private yards will not be charged any market fee/levy and the agricultural sector will see the gradual shifting of trade from the APMC mandis to these private yards.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Agriculture is a state subject:</strong> The Union Government has by-passed the federal structure by legislating on subjects that exclusively fall within the domain of the state government under the state list of the <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/30-09-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Seventh Schedule of the Constitution</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Choosing a middle ground:</strong> The government is not going to repeal all the three laws while the farmers are adamant about their protest for repealing the laws. The need here is to adopt a middle path.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There must be some negotiations between the two, while the government is accepting the genuine demands, the farmers should also agree to some of the former&rsquo;s terms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Complete information about the rights:</strong> What farmers need is complete information of their rights and duties and connectivity which needs to be provided by central as well as state governments.</li>
<li><strong>Landless labourers:</strong> The landless labourers are often left out of welfare policies, while they are the majority of rural areas. More policies should be more focussed upon the landless labourers.</li>
<li><strong>People&rsquo;s suggestion:</strong> It is important to take the suggestions of all the stakeholders before passing a new bill especially in the world's largest democratic country.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The farmers are an integral part in the formation of the country, their interests must be preserved and their issues must be looked and worked upon. In this case, adopting a middle path is the best and wisest way forward.</p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7370,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Sagarmala Seaplane Services',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways</strong> is starting the ambitious Project of <strong>Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS)</strong> with potential airline operators.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A seaplane is a <strong>fixed-wing aeroplane</strong> designed for taking off and landing on water.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Mechanism:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The project is being initiated under a <strong>Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework</strong> through prospective airline operators.</li>
<li><strong>SPV</strong> is a legal object formed for a <strong>specifically-defined singular purpose.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Project Implementation:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The project execution and implementation would be through <strong>Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL),</strong> which is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.</li>
<li>Airline operators will be invited to form a SPV with SDCL.</li>
<li>The routes may be operated under the government&rsquo;s subsidised <a href="/pdf/1590974875-udan-4-0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ude desh ka aam nagrik (UDAN) scheme.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Location:</strong> Several destinations are envisaged for seaplane operations:</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609847051_image5.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609847051_image5.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="624" height="351" /></a></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Benefits and Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The seaplanes services will be a game-changer providing a <strong>supplementary means of faster and comfortable transportation across the nation.</strong></li>
<li>Apart from providing air connectivity to various remote religious/tourist places, it will <strong>boost tourism for domestic and international holiday makers.</strong></li>
<li>It will<strong> save travel time</strong> and<strong> stimulate localized short distance travelling</strong> especially in the hilly regions or across the rivers/lakes etc.</li>
<li>It will provide<strong> infrastructure enhancements</strong> at the places of operations.</li>
<li>It will <strong>generate employment opportunities.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Previous Project:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>One such Seaplane Service is already in operation between <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-first-seaplane-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad</strong></a> which was inaugurated in October 2020.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg"><strong>Sagarmala Programme</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Sagarmala Programme was<strong> approved by the Union Cabinet in 2015</strong> which aims at holistic port infrastructure development along the 7,516-km long coastline through modernisation, mechanisation and computerisation.</li>
<li>Under this port-led development framework, the government hopes to increase its cargo traffic three-fold.</li>
<li>It also includes the establishment of rail/road linkages with the port terminals, thus providing last-mile connectivity to ports; development of linkages with new regions, enhanced multi-modal connectivity including rail, inland water, coastal and road services.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1685966" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7359,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Human Development Index',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p style="text-align: justify;">This article is based on <a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/1/editorials/three-decades-hdi.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Three Decades of HDI&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Economic &amp; Political Weekly on 02/01/2021. It talks about India's <strong>dismal performance in the Human Development Index.</strong></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/17-12-2020#:~:text=Overall%20Performance%3A%20HDI%20value%20for,%2C%20an%20increase%20of%2050.3%25." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Human Development Index (HDI)</strong></a>, which combines indicators of <strong>life expectancy, education or access to knowledge and income</strong> or standard of living, captures the level and changes to the quality of life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The index is the making of two acclaimed economists from Pakistan and India, namely Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen. It was initially launched as an alternative measure to the gross domestic product, as it stresses the centrality of human deve&shy;lop&shy;ment in the growth process.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">India has done a seemingly great job in multiplying it&rsquo;s economy many folds, but progress on the HDI front has not been very appealing. The last three decades HDI&rsquo;s data indicate that India has raised its <strong>HDI score at an annual average rate of mere 1.42%.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Therefore, if India has to realise it&rsquo;s the aspiration of becoming a superpower, it must invest to reduce the burden of social and economic disadvantage to vulnerable sections of its population.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Progress Made by India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">As the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/human-development-index-undp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UNDP&rsquo;s HDR Report 2019</strong></a> notes, India&rsquo;s <strong>gross national income per capita has more than doubled</strong> since 2005, and the number of &ldquo;multidimensionally poor&rdquo; people fell by more than 271 million in the decade since 2005-06.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Additionally, inequalities in &ldquo;basic areas&rdquo; of human development have reduced. For instance, historically marginalised groups are catching up with the rest of the population in terms of educational attainment.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Reasons For India&rsquo;s Underperformance on HDI</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The 2019 HDI ranks India with a per capita income of $6,681 in the 131<sup>st</sup> position, which is a notch lower than its 130<sup>th</sup> rank in 2018. The malefic effects of deep-rooted societal and economic disadvantages account for a low rank for an economy that is in the global top 6 by size. Following factors can be dubbed as reasons for India&rsquo;s dismal performance in HDI:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Increasing Income Inequalities:</strong> Income inequalities amplify failings on other HDI indices of human development. Intergenerational income mobility is lower in countries with high-income inequality.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">It manifests at birth and determines access to quality healthcare, education, and opportunities.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Further, there is an increasing trend in income inequality. In India, the income growth of the bottom 40% between 2000 and 2018 (58%) was significantly below the average income growth for the entire population (122%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gender Inequality:</strong> Numbers show female per capita income in India was only 21.8% of that of males, while it was more than double at 49% in other developing countries.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">The meagre per capita income of females in India is mainly because of their exclusion from the labour force.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Only 20.5% of the women in the working-age group were in the labour force, pointing to its dismal <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-women-in-the-workforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Cumulative Impact:</strong> The cumulative impact of these factors spills over across generations. It is this intergenerational cycle which denies opportunities to those at the bottom of the pyramid.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Fair Income Distribution:</strong> While the size of economic resources is a key factor affecting human development, the <strong>distribution and allocation</strong> of these resources also play a major role in determining the level of human development.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Many global case studies show that high growth accompanied by more effective income distribution can help enhance human development, even with moderate social expenditures.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For Example, South Korea and Taiwan improved income distribution through early land reforms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Investing in Social Infrastructure:</strong> Universalisation of education and health care could have pulled deprived sections out of the poverty trap.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sustaining and improving the quality of life will also depend on policies crafted to handle major emerging challenges such as urbanisation, the housing deficit, access to power, water, education and health care.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Streamlining of the Finances:</strong> Streamlining the traditional approach of generating new sources of revenue generation, steps like rationalised targeting of subsidies, judicious use of revenues meant for social sector development etc will probably meet the financial requirements needed for improving HDI.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Good Governance Reforms:</strong> Effective performance evaluation of the projects and activities engaged in the social sector development through innovative methods like outcome budgeting, social auditing and participatory democracy has been known to yield positive results.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gender Empowerment:</strong> Government should invest in Gender equality and women&rsquo;s empowerment, as they are integral to human development.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">India&rsquo;s HDI scores can be substantially enhanced if a politically committed government rolls out inclusive policies that strengthen public health, education and nutrition, and end gender discrimination to usher in a more egalitarian order.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609832600_04.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609832600_04.png" width="400" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #eb092b; background-color: #fffde8;">
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #000080;"><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></span></em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Strengthening public health, education and nutrition, and ending gender discrimination will usher a more egalitarian order. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify;"></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7357,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Lithium-ion Technology',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India, through a newly-floated state-owned company<strong> Khanij Bidesh India Ltd,</strong> has inked a pact with <strong>an Argentine firm</strong> to jointly <strong>prospect lithium in Argentina,</strong> a country that has the <strong>one of the largest reserves</strong> of Lithium in the world.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Khanij Bidesh India Ltd</strong> was incorporated in August 2019 by three state-owned companies, <strong>NALCO, Hindustan Copper and Mineral Exploration Ltd,</strong> with a specific mandate to <strong>acquire strategic mineral assets such as lithium and cobalt abroad.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is also learnt to be exploring options in <strong>Chile and Bolivia,</strong> two other top lithium-producing countries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Lithium is a crucial building block of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nobel-prize-in-chemistry-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>lithium-ion rechargeable batteries</strong></a> that power <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/electric-vehicles-evs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>electric vehicles</strong> </a>(EVs),<strong> laptops</strong> and<strong> mobile phones.</strong></li>
<li>Currently, India is<strong> heavily dependent on import of these cells</strong> and the move to ink sourcing pacts for lithium is also seen as a move to<strong> reduce its dependency on China</strong> which is a <strong>key source of both the raw material and cells.</strong></li>
<li>India is seen as a late mover as it attempts to enter the lithium value chain, coming at a time when <strong>Electric Vehicles</strong> are predicted to be a<strong> sector ripe for disruption.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>2021 is likely to be a <strong>turning point for battery technology,</strong> with several potential improvements to the <strong>Li-ion technology,</strong> and alternatives to this tried-and-tested formulation, under <strong>advanced stages of commercialisation.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About Li-ion Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A lithium-ion battery or Li-ion battery is a type of<strong> rechargeable battery.</strong></li>
<li>Li-ion batteries use an<strong> intercalated</strong> (Intercalation is the reversible inclusion or insertion of a molecule into materials with layered structures) lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery.</li>
<li>The battery consists of electrolyte, which allows for <strong>ionic movement,</strong> and the two electrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell.</li>
<li>Lithium ions move from the <strong>negative electrode</strong> to the <strong>positive electrode during discharge and back when charging.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lithium-ion Battery Applications:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Electronic gadgets, Tele-communication, Aerospace, Industrial applications.</li>
<li>Lithium-ion battery technology has made it the favourite power source for electric and hybrid electric vehicles.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Disadvantages of Li-ion Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Long charging times.</li>
<li>Weak energy density.</li>
<li>Safety issues as instances of batteries catching fires have been there.</li>
<li>Expensive to manufacture.</li>
<li>While the Li-ion batteries are seen as sufficiently efficient for applications such as phones and laptops, in case of EVs, these cells still lack the range that would make them a viable alternative to internal combustion engines.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Potential Alternatives to Li-ion technology:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Graphene Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Graphene batteries may be an important alternative to lithium-ion batteries, with the latter having limitations due to the frequency with which lithium requires charging. Graphene is a newly stabilized and isolated material.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Fluoride Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Fluoride Batteries have the potential to last eight times longer than lithium batteries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sand Battery:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This alternative type of lithium-ion battery <strong>uses silicon to achieve three times better performance</strong> than current graphite Li-ion batteries. The battery is still lithium-ion like the one found in a smartphone, but it uses silicon instead of graphite in the anodes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ammonia-powered Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Ammonia-powered batteries may not be coming any time soon, but the chemical commonly known as a household cleaner is still an alternative to lithium in the way it can power fuel cells in vehicles and other equipment.</li>
<li>If scientists can figure out a way to produce ammonia without creating the greenhouse gas emissions that result right now, they can ship it anywhere in the world to be converted into hydrogen to power those fuel cells.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lithium-Sulfur Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Researchers in Australia say they have developed the world&rsquo;s most powerful rechargeable battery using lithium-sulfur, said to perform four times better than the strongest batteries currently available.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Electrode:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These are good candidates for lithium-ion battery electrodes which require high rate capability and capacity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Solid-state Batteries:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It uses alternatives to<strong> aqueous electrolyte solutions,</strong> an innovation that could lower the risk of fires, sharply increase energy density and potentially take only 10 minutes to charge an EV, cutting the recharging time by two-thirds.</li>
<li>These cells can extend the driving distance of a compact electric vehicle while maintaining legroom - a quantum leap in battery tech.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-relation-argentina-lithium-reserves-economic-growth-rate-7131626/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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