National Mission for Clean Ganga

Recently, the World Bank has approved a five year loan (for the second phase) to the National
Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) or Namami Gange Project worth Rs.3,000 crore to help stem
pollution in the Ganga river basin.
So far, 313 projects worth Rs. 25,000 crore have been sanctioned under the mission.
Key Points
 The First Phase: The Namami Gange has already received Rs. 4,535 crore from the World
Bank as part of the first phase (valid until December 2021) of the National Ganga River Basin.
 The Second Phase:
o Hybrid Annuity Projects: The loan would fund three new ‘Hybrid Annuity Projects’ in
Agra, Meerut and Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh for the tributaries of the Ganga.
o Cleaning Projects: Some of the projects include spillover projects from the first phase of
the mission as well cleaning projects in tributaries such as the Yamuna and Kali rivers.
o DBOT Projects: Rs.1,209 crore is provided for the ongoing DBOT (Design, Build,
Operate and Transfer) projects in Buxar, Munger, Begusarai in Bihar.
o Other Initiatives: It would include institutional development, improving investment
resilience to Covid-19 like emergency situations, performance based incentive for Urban
Local Bodies and communication and management programmes.
 Associated Challenges:
o Pollution:
 Most of the Ganga is polluted and it is due to presence of five states on the river’s
main stem i.e. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.
 Industrial pollution from tanneries in Kanpur, distilleries, paper and sugar mills in
the Kosi, Ramganga and Kali river catchments are major contributors.
o Violation of e-Flow Norms: According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), 4 of
the 11 hydro power projects on the upper reaches of the river Ganga’s tributaries are
violating Ganga ecological flow (e-flow) norms which is further interrupting the natural
flow of the river.
o Illegal Construction: The problem of illegal and rampant construction near river beds
has become a major hurdle in cleaning the river.
o Poor Governance: There is less utilisation of funds allotted under the programmes due
to lack of monitoring and superviison.
Namami Gange Programme
 Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a ‘Flagship
Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 to accomplish the twin objectives of
effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
 It is being operated under the Department of Water Resources,River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
 The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its
state counterpart organizations i.e., State Program ManagementGroups (SPMGs).
NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council (set in 2016; which
replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA).
 It has a Rs. 20,000-crore, centrally-funded, non-lapsable corpus and consists of nearly 288
projects.
 The main pillars of the programme are:
o Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure & Industrial Effluent Monitoring,
o River-Front Development & River-Surface Cleaning,
o Bio-Diversity & Afforestation,
o Public Awareness

Other Initiatives Taken

 Ganga Action Plan: It was the first River Action Plan that was taken up by the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1985, to improve the water quality by the
interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage.
The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to the Ganga Action Plan. It aims
at cleaning the Ganga river under Ganga Action Plan phase-2.
 National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA): It was formed by the Government of India in
the year 2009 under Section-3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
It declared the Ganga as the ‘National River’ of India.
 Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was formed for cleaning up of the Ganga, setting up of waste
treatment plants, and conservation of biotic diversity of the river.
 Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It ensures involvement of the public in monitoring of pollution
entering into the river Ganga.
 Ban on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the National Green Tribunal banned the disposal of any
waste in the Ganga.

Committee on Criminal Law Reform

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a national level committee for
reform in criminal law.
Key Points
 Committee For Reform In Criminal Law:
o The committee has been constituted under Ranbir Singh and several other members.
 o The committee would be gathering opinions online by consulting with experts and
collating material for their report to the government.
o The consultation exercise would start on 4th July 2020 and go on for the next three
months.
 Background of Criminal Justice System:
o The codification of criminal laws in India was done during the British rule, which more or
less remains the same even in the 21st century.
o Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay is said to be the chief architect of codifications of
criminal laws in India.
o Criminal law in India is governed by Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973, and Indian Evidence Act, 1872, etc.
 Need for Reforms:
o Colonial Era Laws: The criminal justice system is a replica of the British colonial
jurisprudence, which was designed with the purpose of ruling the nation and not serving
the citizens.
o Ineffectiveness: The purpose of the criminal justice system was to protect the rights of
the innocents and punish the guilty, but nowadays the system has become a tool of
harassment of common people.
o Pendency of Cases: According to Economic Survey 2018-19, there are about 3.5 crore
cases pending in the judicial system, especially in district and subordinate courts, which
leads to actualisation of the maxim “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
o Huge Undertrials: India has one of the world’s largest number of undertrial prisoners.
According to NCRB -Prison Statistics India (2015), 67.2% of our total prison
population comprises undertrial prisoners.
o Investigation: Corruption, huge workload and accountability of police is a major hurdle in
speedy and transparent delivery of justice.
o Madhav Menon Committee: It submitted its report in 2007, suggesting various
recommendations on reforms in the CJSI.
o Malimath Committee Report: It submitted its report in 2003 on the Criminal Justice
System of India (CJSI).
 The Committee had opined that the existing system “weighed in favour of the
accused and did not adequately focus on justice to the victims of crime.”
 It has provided various recommendations to be made in the CJSI, which were not
implemented.

Attorney General of India

Why in News
The central government has extended the term of K.K. Venugopal as Attorney General (AG) for one
year.
Venugopal was appointed the 15th AG of India in 2017. He succeeded Mukul Rohatgi who was
AG from 2014-2017.
Key Points
 The Attorney General (AG) of India is a part of the Union Executive. AG is the highest law
officer in the country.
 Article 76 of the Constitution provides for the office of AG of India.
 Appointment and Eligibility:
o AG is appointed by the President on the advice of the government. S/he must be a
person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court, i.e. s/he must
be a citizen of India and must have been a judge of some high court for five years or an
advocate of some high court for ten years or an eminent jurist, in the opinion of the
President.
 Term of the Office: Not fixed by the Constitution.
 Removal: Procedures and grounds for the removal of AG are not stated in the Constitution.
S/he holds office during the pleasure of the President (may be removed by the President at
any time).
 Duties and Functions:
o To give advice to the Government of India (GoI) upon such legal matters, which are
referred to her/him by the President.
o To perform such other duties of a legal character that are assigned to her/him by the
President.
 To appear on behalf of the GoI in all cases in the Supreme Court or in any case in
any High Court in which the GoI is concerned.
 To represent the GoI in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court
under Article 143 (Power of the President to consult the Supreme Court) of the
Constitution.
o To discharge the functions conferred on her/him by the Constitution or any other law.
 Rights and Limitations:
o S/he has the right to speak and to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of
Parliament or their joint sitting and any committee of the Parliament of which s/he may be
named a member, but without a right to vote.
o S/he enjoys all the privileges and immunities that are available to a member of
Parliament.
 o S/he does not fall in the category of government servants. S/he is not debarred from
private legal practice.
o However, s/he should not advise or hold a brief against the GoI.
 Solicitor General of India and Additional Solicitor General of India assist the AG in
fulfillment of the official responsibilities.
 Corresponding Office in the States: Advocate General (Article 165).

Cog X 2020: Festival of AI & Emerging Technology

Why in News
Recently MyGov Corona Helpdesk Chatbot has bagged two awards under categories (1) “Best
Innovation for Covid-19 – Society” and (2) “People’s Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner” at the
recently held CogX 2020.
Key Points
 CogX is a prestigious Global Leadership Summit and Festival of Artificial Intelligence &
Emerging Technology held annually in London with over 15,000 participants in attendance from
the highest levels of business, government, industry, and research.
The CogX Awards are given out to the best-of-the-best in AI and emerging technologies
across the world.
 MyGov Corona Helpdesk demonstrated the true Public, Private Partnership (PPP), wherein,
citizen centric services were provided by MyGov, while the state-of-the-art technological
solution including infrastructure were designed, developed, and deployed by a private partner-
JioHaptik Technologies Limited.
 This Chatbox has been developed by MyGov, JioHaptik Technologies Limited and
WhatsApp.
 MyGov (launched in 2014) is the world’s largest citizen engagement platform, which
facilitates two-way communication between the Government and Citizen and facilitates
participatory governance in India.

National Doctor’s Day

Why in News
National Doctor's Day is celebrated on 1st July every year to recognise the invaluable work done by
doctors and physicians and thank them for their dedicated service.
The day also marks the birth and death anniversary of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy who was
one of the most renowned physicians in the country.
Key Points
 Background: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) observed the first National Doctor’s day
in July 1991.
o IMA is a representative, national voluntary organisation of Doctors of Modern Scientific
System of Medicine, which looks after the interest of doctors as well as the well being of
the community at large. It was formed in 1928, headquartered in New Delhi.
o IMA in 1946 helped in organisation of the World Medical Association, and thus became
its founder member. WMA has its headquarters in France.
 2020 Theme: ‘Lessen the mortality of Covid-19’ which includes awareness about
asymptomatic hypoxia and early aggressive therapy.
Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882-1962)
 Dr B.C. Roy served as a physician, a freedom fighter, an educationist and a politician.
 He was born in Patna Bengal Presidency, British India, in 1882 He was a follower of Brahmo
Samaj. He also led the Civil disobedience movement (began in 1930) in Bengal.
 He served as a physician to Mahatma Gandhi and was also elected as the second Chief
Minister of West Bengal.
He laid the foundation of five eminent cities, namely, Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar,
Ashokenagar and Habra.
 The British Medical Journal, in its obituary of Roy, called him the “first medical consultant in the
subcontinent of India, who towered over his contemporaries in several fields”.
 The Government honoured him with the country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1961.
 Further, the B.C. Roy National Award was instituted in 1976 for work in the area of medicine,
politics, science, philosophy, literature and arts.

India-China Conflict
Recently, the third round of Corps Commander-level talks was held between India and China.
Both the sides emphasised on expeditious, phased and step-wise de-escalation in areas close
to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh as priority.
Key Points
 Background:
o In the previous two rounds, India sought restoration of the status quo as it existed
before the standoff began in May 2020.
Indian and Chinese troops scuffled at Pangong Tso in Ladakh on 5/6 th May.
o After the first round of talks on 6th June, 2020, clashes occurred in Galwan Valley
(Ladakh) that claimed 20 Indian soldiers’ lives and an unknown number of casualties on
the Chinese side.
 o While faceoffs and standoffs keep occurring on the LAC due to differences in perception
on the alignment, there has been no instance of firing on the LAC since 1975.
India and China fought a war in 1962.
 India’s Response:
o Military:
 India has moved in additional divisions, tanks and artillery across the LAC to match
Chinese deployments.
 Further, India has approved the purchase of 33 Russian fighter jets and upgrades
to 59 war planes at a cost of Rs. 18,148 crore.
o Economic:
 Citing the “emergent nature of threats” from mobile applications, including popular
ones of Chinese origin such as TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, and Weibo, the
government has banned 59 apps.
 Further, India’s trade deficit with China fell to $48.66 billion in 2019-20 on
account of the decline in imports. The trade deficit stood at $53.56 billion in 2018-
19 and $63 billion in 2017-18.
 However, the tensions on the border, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic,
have thrown light on India’s economic dependencies on China.
 India remains reliant on Chinese products in several critical and
strategically sensitive sectors, from semiconductors and active
pharmaceutical ingredients to the telecom sector, where Chinese vendors
are involved not only in India’s 4G network but in on-going 5G trials as well.
 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China in India has dipped to $163.78
million in 2019-20 from $229 million in 2018-19.
In April 2020, the Indian government tightened FDI norms coming from
the countries which share land borders with India. Government approval
has been made mandatory.
 China’s Reaction:
It has described the app ban action as “a deliberate interference in practical cooperation”
between the two countries. China’s State media has warned of economic repercussions,
such as affecting outbound Chinese investment into India.
 Length of the LAC: India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it
to be only around 2,000 km.

Italian Marines Case

Recently, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has published an extract of the final award of
the ad-hoc tribunal constituted to settle disputes related to the United Nations Convention for
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regarding Italian marine Case between India and Italy.
It has rejected India’s contention that the soldiers, who were accused of killing Indian
fishermen, could be tried in Indian courts and ordered India to cease all criminal
proceedings.
Background
 In 2012, Indian police had detained two Italian marines posted on oil tanker Enrica Lexie who
had shot at two Indian fishermen on an Indian vessel, apparently mistaking them for pirates
operating near the Kerala Coast.
 After three years, Italy moved the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) seeking
for two italian marines to stay in their own country during the trial process and also to
stop India from going ahead with its criminal prosecution.
 At that time, India had set up a specially designated court, as ordered by Indian Supreme
Court, to determine the applicability of jurisdiction.
India’s National Investigation Agency had already slapped charges against the two
Italians under sections of the Indian Penal Code, related to murder, attempt to murder,
mischief and common intent.
 The ITLOS judgement of 2015 called on Italy and India to suspend all domestic
prosecutions arising from the Enrica Lexie Case. It had also ordered not to initiate any
steps that might jeopardize or prejudice the carrying out of any decision which the arbitral
tribunal may provide.
 The matter led to a long freeze in diplomatic relations between India and Italy, which were
reset only in 2016.
Key Points
 Judgements in Favour of India:
o The tribunal held that the actions of the Italian military officers breached India’s freedom
of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90.
o The tribunal also held that India is entitled for payment of compensation in connection
with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by
captain and crew of ‘St Antony’, the Indian vessel.
 Judgements in Favour of Italy:
o India had called on the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) UNCLOS tribunal to
adjudge and declare that PCA has no jurisdiction with respect to the case submitted to it
by Italy. However, a majority of the court's five- member bench ruled 4-1 that it had
jurisdiction in the matter.
 o Italian position that the marines, being members of the Italian armed forces in the official
exercise cannot be tried by Indian courts, was held and immunity was granted to
Italian marine officials.
 Basis of the Judgement:
o The tribunal observed that India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the incident
and a valid legal basis to institute criminal proceedings against the marines.
o However, it also observed that the immunities enjoyed by the marines as State officials
operate as an exception to the jurisdiction of the Indian courts and, hence, preclude
them to judge the marines.
Permanent Court of Arbitration
 The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) was established in 1899 and headquartered at the
Hague in Netherlands.
 It is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to serve the international community in the
field of dispute resolution and to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution
between States.
 It has a Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries meet part of
the costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the
PCA.

New Defence Weapons Approved

Recently, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved several proposals that will boost the
combat capabilities of all three services—Army, Navy and the Air Force.
Key Points
 Proposals: It includes buying of missile systems and additional fighter jets.
o The government will buy 33 aircrafts, which include 21 MiG-29s from Russia, 12 new
Sukhoi-30 fighters from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
It also includes upgradation of 59 MiG-29 jets.
o Under the missile system, the government will buy Pinaka ammunition, Astra Beyond
Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, land-attack cruise missile (LACM) systems
with a range of 1,000 km among others.
 Cost of Proposal: It will cost around Rs. 39000 crore. The acquisitions from Indian Industry will
cost around Rs. 31,130 crore and rest acquisitions will be done from Russia.
 Pinaka Ammunition:
o It is an all-weather, indirect fire, free flight artillery rocket system developed by
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
 o The Pinaka weapon system consists of Rocket, Multi Barrel Rocket launcher, Battery
Command Post, Loader cum Replenishment Vehicle, Replenishment Vehicle and
Digicora MET Radar.
 Astra Missiles:
o Astra missile is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO).
o It is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) class of Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) system designed
to be mounted on fighter aircraft. It has capability to destroy the enemy targets which are
beyond their visual range.
o The missile has all weather day and night capability and will serve as a force multiplier
and immensely add to the strike capability of the Navy and Air Force.
 Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile Systems:
o It is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
o It is aimed at enhancing the firing range of the Brahmos missile from 400- 500 km to
1000 km.
o Its features include aerodynamic configuration, vertical launch using solid booster, thrust
vector control system, booster separation, in-flight wing deployment, in-flight engine start
and long range way-point navigation system”.
o The proposed development of fully indigenous long-range land attack cruise missiles can
greatly enhance the operational capability of services.
 MIG 29 Fighter jets:
It is a twin-engine, multirole fighter jet, developed by the Soviet Russia in the 1970s.
It has been upgraded since.
 Su-30 MKI Fighter jets:
o The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft
developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation.
o It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep prohibition
missions.
Defence Acquisition Council
 It is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies
and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast
Guard.
 The Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council.
 It was formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National
Security System', in 2001, post Kargil War (1999).

Constitutional Amendments in Russia

The Russian citizens have supported a set of constitutional amendments including continuation
of presidency by Vladimir Putin in a recently held referendum in the country.
 The referendum also included clauses related to the reorganisation of the government,
introducing a higher minimum pension and wages, a ban on gay marriage, restricting top
officials from holding dual citizenship, enshrining “faith in God” as a core value and emphasising
the primacy of the Constitution over international treaties and rulings.
o A referendum is a direct and universal vote in which an entire electorate is invited to
vote on a particular proposal and can have nationwide or local forms.
o It supports direct democracy.
 The referendum was originally planned for April 2020 but was delayed due to the
coronavirus outbreak.
 Clause for Continuation of Presidency Term:
o The Russian Constitution bars more than two consecutive presidential terms.
o The new Constitution doesn’t change the two term limit in theory, but in practice, it
resets the Mr. Putin's terms so that it will be the first election under the new Constitution
for him, to be held in 2024.
o According to the referendum the current President of Russia Vladimir Putin can stay in
power for two more six year terms (until 2036) after his term expires in 2024.
 Significance:
o The amendments have enhanced the powers of the State Council, an advisory body.
Overall, the changes will help to tighten his grip over Russia.
o The proposed changes had already been approved by Parliament and the Supreme
Court but it was put to vote to gain legitimacy and popular approval.
The preliminary results released by the Election Commission showed that almost
78% of voters endorsed the amendments, while 21% voted against them.
Some 65% voters had turned up to cast their ballots.
 Background:
o Mr. Putin became President for the first time in 2000. After completing his two terms, he
swapped the presidency with Mr. Dmitry Medvedv. During the Medvendv presidency, Mr.
Putin remained the centre of power as Prime Minister.
Mr. Medvedv served one term and stepped aside for Mr. Putin to assume the
presidency again. Thus, Mr. Putin is now into the second term of his second stint as
President, which will expire in 2024.
o If Mr. Putin stays in power for two more terms, he will be the longest serving Russian
leader since Peter the Great.
 The Tsar, who built the Russian Empire, was in power for 43 years until his death
in 1725.
 Challenges Ahead:
o According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the economy hasn’t expanded in
dollar terms for a decade. The Fund estimates the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to
shrink by 6.6% in 2020.
o The pandemic affecting local businesses and the falling oil prices reducing exports
revenue.
o In foreign policy, Russia’s relationship with the West remains troublesome. The
sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 are still in
place.
o Though Russia managed to prevent the collapse of the Syrian regime after its
intervention in the civil war, the Syrian crisis is far from resolved.
o Russia also faces allegations of interference in the elections of other countries.

Increasing E-waste
According to a recent United Nations University (UNU) report, global e-waste will
increase by 38% in the decade between 2020 and 2030.
UNU is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organization headquartered in Japan.
UNU’s mission is to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and
welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its peoples and the member states.
E-Waste
 E-Waste is short for Electronic-Waste and the term used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded
electronic appliances.
 It is categorised into 21 types under two broad categories:
o Information technology and communication equipment.
o Consumer electrical and electronics.
 E-waste includes their components, consumables, parts and spares.
Key Points
 Data Analysis of 2019:
o There was 53.6 million tonnes (MT) e-waste in 2019, which is a nearly 21% increase in just five
years.
o Asia generated the greatest volume (around 24.9 MT) followed by the Americas (13.1 MT) and
Europe (12 MT). Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 MT and 0.7 MT respectively.
o Most E-waste consisted of small and large equipment like screens and monitors, lamps,
telecommunication equipment etc and temperature exchange equipment.
o Less than 18% of the e-waste generated in 2019 was collected and recycled.
 E-waste consisting of gold, silver, copper, platinum and other high-value, recoverable
materials worth at least USD 57 billion was mostly dumped or burned rather than being
collected for treatment and reuse.
o The number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation or
regulation has increased from 61 to 78 and includes India.
It is far from the target set by the International Telecommunication Union to raise the
percentage of countries with e-waste legislation to 50%.
 Concerns:
o Toxicity: E-waste consists of toxic elements such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium,
Polybrominated biphenyls and Polybrominated diphenyl.
o Effects on Humans: Some of the major health effects include serious illnesses such as lung
cancer, respiratory problems, bronchitis, brain damages, etc due to inhalation of toxic fumes,
exposure to heavy metals and alike.
o Effects on Environment: E-waste is an environmental hazard causing groundwater pollution,
acidification of soil and contamination of groundwater and air pollution due to the burning of
plastic and other remnants.
E-waste in India
 Structured management of e-waste in India is mandated under the E-Waste (Management) Rules,
2016.
 Some of the salient features of the rules include e-waste classification, extended producer
responsibility (EPR), collection targets and restrictions on import of e-waste containing hazardous
materials.
 There are 312 authorised recyclers of e-waste in India, with the capacity for treating approximately 800
kilo tons annually. However, formal recycling capacity remains underutilised because over 90% of
the e-waste is still handled by the informal sector.
 Almost over a million people in India are involved in manual recycling operations.
 Workers are not registered so it is hard to track the issues of employment such as workers’ rights,
remunerations, safety measures, etc.
 Labourers are from the vulnerable sections of the society and lack any form of bargaining power and
are not aware of their rights. This has a serious impact on the environment since none of the
procedures is followed by workers or local dealers.

Hagia Sophia Museum: Turkey

Recently, the government of Turkey has decided to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia Museum into a
mosque.
Key Points
 Turkey’s Stand:
 o Superiority of the Islamic World: For the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Justice and
Development Party (AKP), and his supporters who tend to have nationalist-Islamist
sympathies, it symbolises the conquest of Christian Constantinople by the Ottomans, and the
superiority of the Islamic world.
o Political Symbol: Hagia Sophia is not only the symbol of Turkey’s most popular tourist attraction
but also acts as a political symbol.
The plan of conversion is also an attempt to gain political support as AKP has lost many
municipal elections.
o USA Recognition of Jerusalem: It also coincided with USA recognition of Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel.
Jerusalem which has a significant population of Arab-muslims who are becoming more
and more hostile because of the USA's recent stand on Israel-Palestine issue. This
step of conversion of mosque would gain support of Arab countries for Turkey.
o Less Opposition: It has also been believed that the government does not need the courts to
decide on the fate of the Hagia Sophia as legal rulings will add legitimacy to his proposals.
Also, there has been less opposition within Turkey because religious minorities do not wish
to be involved in such polarising subjects Domestic Matter: Turkey considers the status of
the Hagia Sophia as a domestic matter and interference of international players is not
required as Greece objected to the conversion of the museum into a mosque.
 Greece’s Stand:
Diplomatic Tension: There have been diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Greece over
many issues related to Hagia Sophia.
o According to Greece, the museum which has been designated a world cultural heritage is
currently being used to promote other purposes.
o Earlier, Greece objected to the reading of passages from the Quran inside the Hagia Sophia on
the 567th anniversary of the Ottoman invasion of the former Byzantine capital.
 Role of UNESCO: Greece had appealed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), objecting to Turkey’s moves on grounds that the conversion is a violation of
UNESCO’s ‘Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
UNESCO too has objected to Turkey's plans.
 USA’s Stand: It has expressed that by the conversion the Hagia Sophia would not be able to serve
humanity as a bridge between those of differing faith and cultures.
Background
 Hagia Sophia is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman
imperial mosque and now a museum located in Istanbul, Turkey.
 Built in AD 537 (Byzantine architecture), during the reign of Justinian 1, the Eastern Roman
emperor, it is famous for its large dome.
 In 1453, when Constantinople (capital city of the Roman Empire) fell to Sultan Mehmet II’s Ottoman
forces, the Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque.
 For a long time, the Hagia Sophia was Istanbul’s most important mosque.
 In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, converted the mosque into
a museum in an attempt to make the country more secular.
 The 1,500-year-old structure has been listed as a UNESCO'S World Heritage site.
A World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical
significance.

Non-State Actors in Nagaland

Recently, the Governor of Nagaland R.N. Ravi wrote a letter to the state's Chief Minister Neiphiu
Rio.
 The letter highlighted that the legitimacy of the constitutionally-established State
government is being challenged on a daily basis by armed gangs that question the
sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
 Mr. Ravi was appointed as the Centre’s interlocutor for the Naga peace process in August
2014 for his hold on the affairs of the northeast.
 Various Taxes Imposed by Non-State Actors:
o The letter pointed out the issue of ‘taxes’ levied by armed gangs or parallel
governments as well as the cost escalation of development and infrastructure
projects in the state due to the system of handing over a part of the project cost to these
armed gangs for the projects to be executed.
o The extremist groups have been collecting ‘taxes’ or ‘donations’ from people in their
areas of operation before and after the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM) in mid-
1997.
 Reactions:
o The Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), a
conglomerate of seven extremist groups, denied indulging in extortion.
o NSCN (IM) insisted that it does not extort people but levies ‘genuine taxes’ which
have been the source of sustenance bringing the Naga political movement this far.
It held that it is the inherent right of any sovereign people and nation to collect taxes
from the people and commercial establishments and the right was legitimately
acknowledged by the earlier interlocutors and Indian authorities.
o The Chief Minister objected to the Governor’s reminder of Article 371A (1)(b) of the
Constitution. He said that terming the organisations as ‘armed gangs’ may not be
congenial to the achievement of lasting peace, which is the desire of both the Central
and the state governments.
Article 371A
 The Acts of Parliament relating to the following matters would not apply to Nagaland unless
decided by the State Legislative Assembly:
o Religious or social practices of the Nagas.
o Naga customary law and procedure.
o Administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga
customary law.
o Ownership and transfer of land and its resources.
 Article 371A (1)(b): The Governor of Nagaland shall have special responsibility for law and
order in the state so long as internal disturbances caused by the hostile Nagas continue. In the
discharge of this responsibility, the Governor, after consulting the Council of Ministers, exercises
his individual judgement and his decision is final. This special responsibility of the Governor
shall cease when the President so directs.
 The Governor has to ensure that the money provided by the Central Government for any
specific purpose is included in the demand for a grant relating to that purpose and not in
any other demand moved in the State Legislative Assembly.

Use of Winter Diesel in Ladakh

Recently, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has sought approval from the Directorate General of
Quality Assurance (DGQA) for the use of winter diesel by armed forces for operations in high
altitude areas such as Ladakh.
The winter diesel was introduced as a technological solution by the IOC in 2019 in high-
altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza and Keylong, which face the problem of freezing of
diesel in their vehicles in extreme weather conditions.
 Winter Diesel:
o It is a specialised fuel specifically for high altitude regions and lowtemperature
regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become unusable.
o It also meets the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specification of BS-VI grade.
 Characteristics:
o Low Viscosity: It contains additives to maintain lower viscosity by enabling the fuel to
remain fluid in such conditions.
 Regular diesel fuel contains paraffin wax which is added for improving viscosity
and lubrication. At low temperatures, the paraffin wax thickens or “gels” and hinders
the flow of the fuel in the car engine.
 The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance (due to internal friction) to
deformation thereby maintaining the state of being thick and semi-fluid in
consistency.
  Paraffin wax is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal or shale oil
that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules.
o Low Pour Point: It has a low pour point (as low as minus 30-degree celsius). It is the
temperature below which the liquid loses its flow characteristics.
 The flow characteristics of regular diesel change at low temperatures and using it
may be detrimental to vehicles.
 Earlier, the IOCL provided the Diesel High sulphur Pour Point (DHPP -W) to
armed forces, which also has a pour point of -30°C.
o Higher Cetane Rating: It has a higher cetane rating — which is an indicator of the
combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition.
o Lower Sulphur Content: It would lead to lower chemical deposits in engines and
better performance.
 Significance:
o Border Tensions with China in Ladakh: It is expected that demand for the winter fuel
may rise due to the border tensions in the Galwan valley in Ladakh for the patrolling
purposes.
o Boost to Local Economy: Supply of the special fuel to Ladakh would reduce the
hardships faced by the local people for transportation and mobility during winter
months, therefore facilitate the local economy and tourism.
o Curb in Air Pollution: Before the launch of winter diesel, consumers in such areas were
using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable, which leads to more air pollution.
Now use of winter diesel would replace use of Kerosene therefore helping in the
reduction of air pollution.
Indian Oil Corporation Limited
 Commonly known as Indian Oil it is an Indian government-owned oil and gas company
(Maharatna Status) which was founded in 1959.
 Headquarter: New Delhi
 It is the largest commercial oil company in the country .
 Functions: It operates in the entire hydrocarbon value-chain, including refining, pipeline
transportation, marketing of petroleum products, exploration and production of crude oil, natural
gas and petrochemicals.
 Subsidiaries: It has subsidiaries in Sri Lanka (Lanka IOC), Mauritius [IndianOil (Mauritius) Lt])
and the Middle East (IOC Middle East FZE).
Directorate General Quality Assurance
 The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) is under the Department Of Defence
Production, Ministry of Defence.
 The organisation provides Quality Assurance (QA) cover for the entire range of Arms,
Ammunitions, Equipments and Stores supplied to Armed Forces.

Article 78
Recently, the Prime Minister of India briefed the President on ‘issues of national and
international importance’.
 The meeting took place against the backdrop of border tensions with China, economic crisis
and the Covid-19 situation.
 Article 78 of the Constitution deals with the duties of the Prime Minister with respect to the
furnishing of information to the President.
Key Points
 As per Article 78, following are the duties of the Prime Minister:
o To communicate to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers (CoM - Article
74) relating to the administration of the affairs of the union and proposals for legislation;
o To furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and
proposals for legislation as the President may call for; and If the President so requires, to
submit for the consideration of the CoM, any matter on which a decision has been taken
by a Minister but which has not been considered by the CoM.
 Article 167 of the Constitution is a corresponding article in the state executive.

New National Logistics Law

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is considering replacing the Multimodal Transportation of
Goods Act, 1993 (MMTG) with a National Logistics Efficiency and Advancement Predictability
and Safety Act (NLEAPS).
 MMTG provides for the regulation of multimodal transportation of goods from any place in India
to any place outside India.
Multimodal transportation refers to a combination of more than one mode of movement,
such as rail, road or sea, for end-to-end delivery of goods.
 It was introduced to facilitate the exporters and give them a sense of security in transporting
their goods.
Key Points
 Aim:
o NLEAPS aims to streamline the logistics ecosystem in the country, with a view to
promote growth of the sector.
 o Modernise and formalise the logistics services and promote digitisation in the sector,
which is key for the smooth movement of goods.
o To reduce the logistics cost from the present 14% of the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) to less than 10% of GDP.
 Reason Behind New Law:
o The new law tends to define various participants of the logistics sector and create a
light regulatory ecosystem.
There is no clear definition of the logistics sector in the MMTG.
o The logistics sector with a market size of USD 160 billion is complex, with more than 20
government agencies, 40 partnering agencies, 37 export promotion councils, 500
certifications and 10,000 commodities.
 Benefit:
Effective implementation of the Act would help provide an impetus to trade, enhance
export competitiveness, and improve India’s ranking in the Logistics Performance Index
and Ease of Doing Business.
Logistics Performance Index
 The Logistics Performance Index (LPI), developed by the World Bank Group, is an interactive
benchmarking tool created to help countries identify the challenges and opportunities they face
in their performance on trade logistics and what they can do to improve their performance.
 The logistics performance (LPI) is the weighted average of the country's scores on the six key
dimensions:
o Efficiency of the clearance process (i.e., speed, simplicity and predictability of formalities)
by border control agencies, including customs.
o Quality of trade and transport related infrastructure (e.g., ports, railroads, roads,
information technology).
o Ease of arranging competitively priced shipments.
o Competence and quality of logistics services (e.g., transport operators, customs
brokers). Ability to track and trace consignments.
o Timeliness of shipments in reaching destinations within the scheduled or expected
delivery time.
 India ranked 44th on the LPI in 2018.
Mahajobs Portal: Maharashtra
Why in News
The Maharashtra Government has launched a portal named ‘Mahajobs’ for job seekers and
employers, owing to the economic situation caused by Covid-19 pandemic.
Key Points
 Aim: To make local manpower available to companies and employment opportunities to
workers.
 Functioning:
o The job seekers and providers/industrial units can register themselves on the Portal.
o The Portal has identified 17 sectors including engineering, logistics, and chemicals, and
provides for selecting jobs across 950 trades mainly for local youth who would need to
produce domicile certificates.
o There would be regular reviews of the jobs provided. There would be a study on the kind
of problems faced by employers as well as youth seeking employment.
 Developed by: Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
 Corresponding Initiative at the National Level: National Career Service Project,
implemented by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, works towards bridging the gap between
job seekers and employers.
Source: TH

U.S.A’s Position on CAATSA

Why in News
Recently, the USA has reiterated its position and asked all its allies and partners, including India,
to stop transactions with Russia.
It can risk triggering sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through
Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
 CAATSA is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and
Russia.
 It includes sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with Russia's
defense and intelligence sectors.
Key Points
 USA’s Stand: The USA has reiterated its position on CAATSA in the context of India’s planned
jet fighter deal with Russia at an estimated Rs. 18,148 crore.
o Recently, the Defence Acquisition Council had approved the procurement of 21 MiG-
29 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF), an upgrade for 59 of these Russian aircraft
and the acquisition of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft.
o India could also face USA sanctions for purchasing the S-400 Triumf missile defense
system from Russia under the CAATSA.
 The USA suspended Turkey from its F-35 aircraft programme and barred it
from purchasing the jet, following Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 from Russia.
  However, this was done without invoking CAATSA.
 Major Defence Partner: The USA recognised India as a Major Defence Partner in 2016.
The designation allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from
America at par with that of the USA’s closest allies and partners.
 Issues with Purchase from Adversary: The USA fears that acquisitions by countries like India
on significant systems would either expose or put at risk platforms and its technologies to
an adversary.
It has declared that the S-400 purchase by Turkey from Russia has put a risk to its F-35
aircraft system.
 Waiver Criteria under CAATSA: The USA President was given the authority in 2018 to waive
CAATSA sanctions on a case-by-case basis.
However, the USA has repeatedly stated that India should not assume it will get a waiver.

Equalisation Levy for Non-Resident E-Commerce Firms

Recently, the Central government has stated that it will not extend the deadline for payment of
equalisation levy by non-resident e-commerce players, even though a majority of them are yet
to deposit the first installment of the tax.
 The equalization levy is aimed at taxing foreign companies which have a significant local
client base in India but are billing them through their offshore units, effectively escaping the
country’s tax system.
 The step has come in the backdrop of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
investigations into taxes adopted or under consideration by 10 nations, including India,
on revenues of American digital service companies like Netflix, Airbnb etc.
Key Points
 Background for Equalization Levy:
o Equalisation levy at 6% has been in force since 2016 on payment exceeding Rs 1 lakh
a year to a non-resident service provider for online advertisements.
It is now applicable for e-commerce companies that are sourcing revenue from
Indian customers without having tangible presence here in the country.
o The amendments to the Finance Act, 2020 had expanded the ambit of the equalisation
levy for non-resident e-commerce operators involved in supply of services, including
online sale of goods and provision of services, with the levy at the rate of 2% effective
April 1, 2020.
The tax applies on e-commerce transactions on websites such as Amazon.com.
Google in particular as the tax applies on advertising revenue earned overseas if
those ads target customers in India.
 Changes in Challan ITNS 285:
 o The income tax department has modified challan ITNS 285 (relating to payment of
equalisation levy) to enable payment of the first installment by non-resident e-commerce
operators.
o The challan also seeks mandatory PAN and provides for ‘Outside India’ option while
seeking address.
 Penalties Involved:
o The non-payment could result in a penalty equal to the amount of equalisation levy,
along with interest.
o The late-payment would attract interest at the rate of 1% per month or part of the
month.

National Gene Bank

Why in News
Recently, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) under the Ministry of AYUSH and the
National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’
Welfare have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The purpose of this MoU is to conserve the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources
(MAPGRs) in the National Gene Bank (NGB).
Key Points
 Establishment: The National Gene Bank was notified in 1996-97.
 Hosted By: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi.
 Purpose: To conserve the Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future generations in the form of
seeds, genomic resources, pollen etc.
 Functioning:
o The NGB has four kinds of facilities, namely, Seed Genebank (- 18°C), Cryogenebank (-
170°C to -196°C), In vitro Genebank (25°C), and Field Genebank, to cater to long-term as
well as medium-term conservation.
o It stores different crop groups such as cereals, millets, medicinal and aromatic plants and
narcotics, etc.
 Other Facilities:
o The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway houses the world’s largest collection of
seeds.
o India’s seed vault is at Chang La (Ladakh) in the Himalayas. National Animal Gene
Bank, established at the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR -
Karnal, Haryana), has the objective of conserving the indigenous livestock biodiversity.
NBAGR is one of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund
Recently, the Union Cabinet has given approval to a pan India central sector scheme i.e.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, to inject formal credit into farm and farmprocessing based
activities.
 It is a part of the over Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced in response to the
Covid-19 crisis.
 The Union Cabinet has also approved amendment to the Essential Commodities Act (ESA),
1955.
Key Points
 Aim: To provide medium - long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for
post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets.
The funds will be provided for setting up of cold stores and chains, warehousing, silos,
assaying, grading and packaging units, e-marketing points linked to e-trading platforms
and ripening chambers, besides PPP projects for crop aggregation sponsored by
central/state/local bodies.
 Duration: Financial Year 2020 to 2029.
 Features:
o Financial Support: Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions
as loans to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Marketing Cooperative
Societies, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Group (SHG), Farmers,
Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs
and Central/State agencies or Local Bodies sponsored by Public Private Partnership
Projects.
 Loans will be disbursed in four years starting with sanction of Rs. 10,000 crore in
the current year and Rs. 30,000 crore each in next three financial years.
 Moratorium for repayment may vary subject to minimum of 6 months and maximum
of 2 years.
o Interest Subvention: Loans will have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a
limit of Rs. 2 crore. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven
years.
o CGTMSE Scheme: A credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers
from the scheme under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises
(CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to Rs. 2 crore.
o Farmer Producer Organizations: In case of FPOs the credit guarantee may be availed
from the facility created under FPO promotion scheme.
 Management: The fund will be managed and monitored through an online Management
Information System (MIS) platform. It will enable all the qualified entities to apply for loan under
the Fund.
The National, State and District level monitoring committees will be set up to ensure real-
time monitoring and effective feed-back.

Open Sky Agreement

Recently, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed interest to have an Open Sky Agreement
with India.
Key Points
 Significance of the Open Sky Agreement:
o Open Sky Agreements are bilateral agreements that the two countries negotiate to
provide rights for airlines to offer international passenger and cargo services. It
expands international passenger and cargo flights.
o India has Air Service Agreements (ASA) with 109 countries including UAE covering
aspects relating to the number of flights, seats, landing points and code-share. But does
not allow unlimited number of flights between two countries.
o Open skies between India and UAE will allow unlimited number of flights to the selected
cities of each other's countries.
 India’s Open Sky Policy:
o The National Civil Aviation Policy (2016) allows the government to enter into an 'open
sky' air services agreement on a reciprocal basis with South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations as well as countries beyond a 5,000 kilometre
radius from New Delhi.
o It implies that nations within 5,000 kilometer of distance need to enter into a bilateral
agreement and mutually determine the number of flights that their airlines can operate
between the two countries.
o India has open sky agreements with Greece, Jamaica, Guyana, Finland, USA, Japan, etc.
 Fifth and Sixth Freedom of Air:
o UAE also mentioned that it does not intend to implement fifth and six freedoms of air,
and where the interest of Indian airlines will be threatened by other air carriers.
o The Freedom of air was formulated as a result of disagreements over the extent of
aviation liberalisation in the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, known
as the Chicago Convention.
 The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a
country's airlines the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace.
  The fifth freedom of air includes the right to fly between two foreign countries on a
flight originating or ending in one's own country.
 The sixth freedom of air includes the right to fly from a foreign country to another
while stopping in one's own country for non-technical reasons.

Australia Suspends Extradition Treaty with Hong Kong

Recently, Australia has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to a new
national security law imposed by China.
The extradition treaty was in place since 1993.
Extradition
 Extradition is the formal process of one state surrendering an individual to another state for
prosecution or punishment for crimes committed in the requesting country's jurisdiction.
 It is generally enabled through a bilateral or multilateral treaty.
 The legal basis for extradition with countries with whom India does not have an Extradition treaty
is provided by Section 3 (4) of the Indian Extradition Act, 1962.
Background
 Hong Kong was formerly a British colony and was handed over to mainland China in 1997,
becoming one of its Special Administrative Regions (SAR).
 It is governed by a mini-constitution called the Basic Law, which affirms the principle of “one
country, two systems”.
 The constitutional document is a product of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under
which China promised to honour Hong Kong’s liberal policies, system of governance,
independent judiciary, and individual freedoms for a period of 50 years from 1997.

Rewa Solar Project

Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the 750 MW (Mega Watt) solar project set up in
Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
 It is in line with India's commitment to attain the target of 175 GW of installed renewable
energy capacity by 2022 including 100 GW of solar installed capacity.
 Features:
o It is Asia's largest solar power project.
o It comprises three solar generating units of 250 MW each located on a 500 hectare of
land situated inside a solar park (total area 1500 hectare).
o Solar Park:
  It was developed by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), a Joint
Venture Company of Madhya Pradesh UrjaVikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), and
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a
 Central Public Sector Undertaking. Central Financial Assistance of Rs. 138 crore
was provided to the RUMSL for development of the Park.
 Significance:
o Grid Parity Barrier: It is the first solar project in the country to break the grid parity
barrier.
 Grid parity occurs when an alternative energy source can generate power at a
cost of electricity that is less than or equal to the price of power from the electricity
grid.
 Further, compared to prevailing solar project tariffs of approx. Rs. 4.50/unit in early
2017, it achieved a first year tariff of Rs. 2.97/unit with a tariff escalation of Rs.
0.05/unit over 15 years.
o Risk Reduction: Its payment security mechanism for reducing risks to power
developers has been recommended as a model to other states by the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy.
o Renewable Energy Project: It is the first renewable energy project to supply an
institutional customer outside the state, i.e. Delhi Metro, which will get 24% of energy from
the project with the remaining 76% being supplied to the state DISCOMs of Madhya
Pradesh.
 It is also India’s first solar project to get funding from Clean Technology Fund
(CTF), which is available at a rate of 0.25% for a 40-year period from the World
Bank.
 The CTF promotes scaled-up financing for demonstration, deployment and transfer
of low carbon technologies with a significant potential for long-term greenhouse
gas emissions savings.
o Carbon Emission Reduction: It will help in reducing the carbon emission equivalent
to 15 lakh ton of CO per year.
o Global Appreciation: It has also received the World Bank Group President’s Award
for innovation and excellence and was included in the book ‘A Book of Innovation: New
Beginnings’.

Rabari, Bharvad and Charan of Gujarat

Recently, the Gujarat government has decided to form a five-member commission to identify
members of Rabari, Bharvad and Charan communities, who are eligible for benefits of Schedule
Tribe (ST) status.
 Issue:
o In October 1956, the central government conferred ST status on people of Rabari,
Bharvad and Charan communities, living in nesses (tiny, ovalshaped hutments made of
mud) of Gir, Barda and Alech areas of Gujarat.
o However, it has been alleged that a number of people not living in nesses have
managed to get ST certificates and are enjoying undue reservation benefits, mainly in
government jobs.
o Leaders of these three communities and other communities as well, have been
protesting for quite some time against this.
 Objective of the Commission:
o To resolve this issue and identify the legitimate beneficiaries of ST status among the
members of the three communities.
o To ensure that the eligible members of the tribes are not devoid of their right and the
others do not get an undue benefit in their names.
 Composition:
The five-member commission will comprise a retired judge of the high court as the head,
two district judges, one retired forest officer and one retired revenue officer..
Scheduled Tribes
 As per Census 1931, Schedule tribes are termed as ‘backward tribes’ living in the ‘Excluded’
and ‘Partially Excluded’ areas.
The Constitution does not define the criteria for recognition of Scheduled Tribes and
hence the definition contained in 1931 Census was used in initial years after
independence.
 The Government of India Act, 1935 called for the first time for representatives of ‘backward
tribes’ in provincial assemblies.
 Article 366 (25) of the Constitution only provides a process to define Scheduled Tribes:
o Scheduled Tribes means such tribes, tribal communities, parts of or groups within such
tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for
the purposes of the Constitution.
o Article 342 (1): The President may with respect to any State or Union Territory, and
where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor, by a public notification, specify
the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within tribes or tribal communities as
Scheduled Tribe in relation to that State or Union Territory.
 The category of 'tribe' entails a social and cultural dimension but the ‘schedule tribe’
category has political-administrative implications.
 A majority of the ST population is concentrated in the eastern, central and western belt
covering the nine states of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
About 12% inhabit the North-eastern region, about 5% in the Southern region and
about 3% in the Northern states.
 The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 will amend Part
VI of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 that specifies the tribal and tribal
communities which are deemed to be Scheduled Tribes.
 Other Constitutional Provisions:
o Article 15 (4): Special provisions for advancement of any socially and educationally
backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) or the STs.
o Article 16 (4): Enables the state to make any provision for reservation of appointments or
posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the state, is not
adequately represented in the services under the state.
o Article 46: Promotion of educational and economic interests of SCs, STs and other
weaker sections.
o Article 330 and 332: Provides for specific representation through reservation of seats for
SCs and STs in the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies respectively.
o Article 338 A: Gives powers to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
(NCST) to oversee the implementation of various safeguards provided to STs.

Extra-judicial Killings
Recently, Vikas Dubey, a gangster was killed by the Uttar Pradesh Police in an encounter (extra-
judicial killing). However, many experts raised questions on the encounter and demanded a judicial
enquiry into the matter.
Key Points
 Rights of Police:
The police force has the right to injure or kill the criminal, for the sole and only purpose
of self-defense or where it is imminently necessary for the maintenance of peace
and order.
 Under Section-96 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), every human being has the
right to private defense which is a natural and an inherent right.
 Section-46 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) authorises the police to use
force, extending up to the cause of death, as may be necessary to arrest the
person accused of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life.
 Reasons behind Increasing Extra-judicial Killing:
 o Public Support: It emerges out of a lack of faith in the judiciary because many believe
that the courts will not provide timely justice.
The fact of getting away with cold-blooded murders is the key reason behind police
getting bolder by the day and killing at will.
o Political Support: Many leaders project encounter numbers as their achievement in
maintaining law and order.
o Rewards: The police forces are very often rewarded and awarded for encounters.
The government provides promotion and cash incentives to the teams involved in
the encounters.
o Ineffective Institutions: The National Human Rights Commission and the state
human rights commissions have been redundant for many years.
Though the judiciary is fully empowered to take up such cases suo-moto, however,
this has now become a very rare practice.
o Hero-worshipping: The police become heroes in the society as many people see them
doing the job of cleaning up the Indian society by killing the criminals.
 Many times they are also projected as heroes on the silver screen with big budget
films made on them and their ‘heroic’ acts.
 Amidst all the hero-worshipping, the people, the media and even the judiciary seem
to cast aside the fact that all the killings are suspect unless they have been properly
investigated and the real story established.
 Constitutional Provision:
o The Constitution of India intended for India to be a country governed by the rule of law.
As per the rule of law, the Constitution is the supreme power in the land and the
legislative and the executive derive their authority from the constitution.
o There is a procedure prescribed by the law for criminal investigation which is embedded
in the Constitution under Article 21 as the Right to Life and Personal Liberty. It is
fundamental, non-derogable and is available to every person. Even the State cannot
violate that right.
Hence, it is the responsibility of the police to follow the Constitutional principles and
uphold the Right to Life of every individual whether an innocent one or a criminal.
 Supreme Court Guidelines:
o In the PUCL vs State of Maharashtra case (2014), the SC was dealing with writ
petitions questioning the genuineness of 99 encounter killings by the Mumbai Police
in which 135 alleged criminals were shot dead between 1995 and 1997.
 o The Supreme Court then laid down the following 16 point guidelines as the standard
procedure to be followed for thorough, effective, and independent investigation in the
cases of death during police encounters.
Some of which include:
 Record tip-off (intelligence) regarding criminal activities pertaining to the
commission of a grave criminal offence.
 Registering FIR: If in pursuance to a tip-off, the police uses firearms and this
results in the death of a person, then an FIR initiating proper criminal
investigation must be registered and be forwarded to the Court without any
delay.
 Independent Probe: Investigation into such death must be done by an
independent CID team or a police team of another police station under the
supervision of a senior officer. It has to fulfil eight minimum investigation
requirements like, identify the victim, recover and preserve evidentiary material,
identify scene witnesses, etc.
 Inform NHRC: The NHRC or State Human Rights Commission (as the case may
be) must be immediately informed of the encounter death.
 Prompt Action: Amounting to an offence under the IPC, disciplinary action must
be initiated against the police officer found guilty of wrongful encounter and for the
time being that officer must be suspended.
o The Court directed that these requirements/norms must be strictly observed in all cases
of death and grievous injury in police encounters by treating them as a law declared
under Article 141 of the Indian Constitution.
 NHRC Guidelines
o In March 1997, Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah (the then chairperson of the NHRC),
asked all states and Union Territories to ensure that police follows the following set of
guidelines in cases of encounter killings:
 Register FIR: When the in-charge of a Police Station receives information about
the deaths in an encounter, he shall record that information in the appropriate
register.
 Investigation: Received information shall be regarded as sufficient to suspect
and immediate steps must be undertaken to investigate the relevant facts and
circumstances leading to the death so as to ascertain, if any, offence was
committed and by whom.
 Compensation: It can be granted to the dependents of the deceased when the
police officers are prosecuted on the basis of the results of the investigation.
  Independent Agency: Whenever the police officers belonging to the same police
station are the members of the encounter party, it is appropriate that the cases for
investigation are referred to some other independent investigation agency, such
as State CID.
o In 2010, NHRC extended these guidelines by including: Magisterial Probe: A
magisterial enquiry must be held in all cases of death which occurs in the course of
police action, as expeditiously as possible (preferably within three months).
 Reporting to Commission: All cases of deaths in police action in the states shall
be preliminary reported to the Commission by the Senior Superintendent of
Police/Superintendent of Police of the District within 48 hours of such death.
A second report must be sent in all cases to the Commission within three
months providing information like a post mortem report, findings of the
magisterial enquiry/enquiry by senior officers, etc.

World Population Day

Every year, 11th July is celebrated as the World Population Day.
 Theme for 2020: How to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls amid the Covid-
19 pandemic.
o Various reports have shown that domestic violence has increased globally amid the
lockdown.
The National Commission for Women in India reported a huge rise in the
number of complaints related to domestic violence.
o A study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says, "47 million women in
low- and middle-income countries may not be able to access modern contraceptives"
if the lockdown-like disruptions continue for six months.
This could result in millions of unintended pregnancies and gender-based violence.
o Women are also hit harder economically due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Around 60% of women across the world earn their livelihood by working in the
informal sector, according to the report.
 Background:
o In 1989, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recommended that 11th
July be observed by the international community as World Population Day, a day to
focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues.
o UNDP was inspired by the public interest and awareness that was created by "Five
Billion Day" on 11th July 1987 when the world's population reached 5 billion.
o The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) seeks to create awareness about the
issues associated with the population.
 India’s Concerns:
o India has just 2% of the world’s landmass and 16% of the global population. It is the
second-most populous country in the world with an estimated population of around
1.37 billion by 2019.
It has been reported that India will soon surpass China’s population.
o Mismatch in birth and death rate resulted in faster growth of population in the past few
decades.
o Poverty and illiteracy contribute immensely to the population explosion.
 Children in rural areas are considered as assets, who will take care of parents at
old age, also more children mean more earnings.
 The level of female education has a direct impact on fertility, as it is evidenced that
the fertility rate of illiterate women tends to be higher than those who are literate.
 Lack of education prevents women from having full knowledge about the use of
contraceptives, of the consequences of frequent childbirth.
o Although the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is declining in India, poorer states like Bihar (3.2),
Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Rajasthan (2.6) and Jharkhand (2.5) still have TFRs above the
national average of 2.2.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children born to women during
their reproductive years. For the population to remain stable, an overall total
fertility rate of 2.1 is needed.
o High youth unemployment in India is turning demographic dividend into a
demographic disaster for India.
This youth potential is often referred to as the ‘demographic dividend’ which means
that if the youth available in the country are equipped with quality education and
skills training, then they will not only get suitable employment but can also
contribute effectively towards the economic development of the country.
United Nations Population Fund
 It is a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly and works as a sexual and
reproductive health agency.
 It was established as a trust fund in 1967 and began operations in 1969.
 In 1987, it was officially renamed the United Nations Population Fund but the original
abbreviation, ‘UNFPA’ for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities was retained.
 UNFPA works directly to tackle Sustainable Development Goals on health (SDG3),
education (SDG4) and gender equality (SDG5).
 Recently, the UNPFA released the State of the World Population 2020 report.

ASEEM Portal
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched
‘Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ portal to help skilled people
find sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The Portal is expected to improve the information flow and bridge the demandsupply gap in the
skilled workforce market.
Key Points
 Developed and Managed By: National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in
collaboration with Bengaluru-based company ‘Betterplace’.
 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Platform:
o It will provide real-time data analytics about the demand and supply patterns including -
industry requirements, skill gap analysis, demand per district/ state/cluster , key workforce
suppliers, key consumers , migration patterns and multiple potential career prospects for
candidates.
o It will enable policymakers to take a more objective view of various sectors in the
economy.
o Driven by Prime Minister’s assertion of ‘India as a talent powerhouse’ at the India Global
Week 2020 Summit, it will further re-engineer the vocational training landscape in the
country ensuring a skilling, upskilling and reskilling in a more organised set up.
 Functioning: Also available as an application (app), it consists of three IT based interfaces:
o Employer Portal: Employer onboarding, demand aggregation, candidate selection.
o Dashboard: Reports, trends, analytics, and highlight gaps.
o Candidate Application: Create & track candidate profile, share job suggestions.
 Benefits:
o To Skilled Workforce:
 It will have provision for registration and data upload for workers across job roles,
sectors and geographies.
 It will help in strengthening industry-relevant skills and explore emerging job
opportunities especially in the post Covid era.
 Candidate data coming to Skill India Portal from various state and central skilling
schemes will be integrated including that from Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana (PMKVY), Fee-based Programs, National Urban Livelihoods Mission,
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, etc.
o To Migrants:
Database of labour migrants in Indian states and overseas citizens, who returned
to India under the Vande Bharat Mission and filled SWADES Skill Card, has
been integrated with the ASEEM portal.
 To Employers: They will be able to assess the availability of a skilled workforce and formulate
their hiring plans.
National Skill Development Corporation
 NSDC is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated in 2008 under section 25 of
the Companies Act, 1956 (corresponding to section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013).
 It was set up by the Ministry of Finance as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Government of India through the Ministry of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship (MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the private
sector has the balance 51% of the share capital.
 It aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and forprofit
vocational institutions.
 Its mandate is also to enable a support system which focuses on quality assurance, information
systems and train the trainer academies either directly or through partnerships.
 Skill India Portal is an initiative by the NSDC.

Swabhiman Anchal
Recently, a passenger bus service was started for the first time after India’s Independence in
Swabhiman Anchal region (formerly known as the cut-off area) in Odisha’s Malkangiri district.
Key Points
 The bus service was able to start after the construction of the Gurupriya Bridge in 2018, which
connected Swabhiman Anchal with the rest of the State.
o Till now, motor launches and boats were used to be the only mode of communication to
reach ferry points and from there people were taking country boats to reach villages.
o People were even using horses to travel in the remote parts of Swabhiman Anchal.
 Swabhiman Anchal is situated along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, and had long been
a stronghold of left-wing extremists.
o The region is covered by water from three sides and another side by inhospitable terrain.
o Balimela reservoir is also situated in the region.
 Recently, a new police station also started functioning in Jodambo (a gram panchayat in
Swabhiman Anchal).
Powers of Election Commission to Delay Polls
Recently, various political parties have voiced their concerns over holding elections in Bihar amid
Covid-19 pandemic and asked to postpone the same.
 Election Commission Mandate:
 o The Election Commission (EC) of India is mandated under law to hold elections at any
time within six months before the five-year term of the Lok Sabha or Legislative
Assembly expires.
 The polls are timed in a way that the new Assembly or Lok Sabha is in place on the
day of the dissolution of the outgoing House.
 For instance, in the case of Bihar, the EC should normally conduct Legislative
Assembly elections before the end of its time on 29th November 2020.
o In the case of early dissolution, EC has to ensure a new Lok Sabha or Assembly is in
place within six months of the dissolution.
The six months is the constitutionally defined limit between two sessions of the
House/Assembly (Article 85(1) and Article 174(1) of the Constitution, respectively).
 Postponement of Election:
o An election once called usually proceeds as per schedule. However, in some exceptional
cases, the process can be postponed or even scrapped after its announcement under
extraordinary circumstances.
o Under Section 153 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, read with Article
324 of the Constitution of India, the EC can extend the time for completing an election,
but such extension:
 Should not go beyond the six months.
 Should not go beyond the date of the normal dissolution of the Lok Sabha or the
Assembly.
o In 1991, the EC postponed the ongoing parliamentary elections for three weeks after
Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination during his campaign in Tamil Nadu.
o Recently, in March 2020 elections to 18 Rajya Sabha seats were postponed by the EC
due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 Grounds for Election Postponement:
o Article 172(1) states that, in case of a state of Emergency, an election can be
postponed for one year at a time in addition to a period of six months after the
Emergency is lifted.
o There is no specific legal provision that specifies the circumstances under which
elections can be deferred in non-Emergency situations.
o However, law and order, natural calamities like earthquakes and floods, or any other
compelling circumstances which are beyond EC’s control can be the grounds for
extension.
 Legal Issues Involved:
 o Powers under Section 153 can be exercised only after an election schedule has been
notified.
o If the EC wants to postpone Bihar elections, it will have to be done through its
extraordinary powers under Article 324.
 Under Article 324 the EC will have to inform the government of its inability to hold
polls on time.
 The government can decide the future course — to impose President’s Rule or
allow the incumbent Chief Minister to continue for six more months.

Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise

The recently discovered comet C/2020 F3 will make its closest approach to the Earth at a distance
of 64 million miles or 103 million kilometres while crossing Earth’s outside orbit on 22nd July
2020.
 It is also known as NEOWISE after the National Aeronautics and Space
 Administration (NASA) telescope that discovered it.
 On 3rd July, it was closest to the sun at 43 million km due to which its outer layer was released,
creating an atmosphere (referred to as coma) of gas and dust from its icy surface.
 It will be visible through binoculars or a small telescope.
Key Points
 The word comet comes from the Latin word ‘Cometa’ which means ‘long-haired’.
 The earliest known record of a comet sighting was made by an astrologer in 1059 BC.
 Comets or ‘dirty snowballs’ are mostly made of dust, rocks and ice and can range in their
width from a few miles to tens of miles wide.
o When they orbit closer to the sun, like C/2020 F3, they heat up and release debris of
dust and gases.
o The solid portions of comets consisting mostly of water, ice and embedded dust
particles are inactive when far away from the sun.
o When near the sun, the icy cometary surfaces vaporize and throw off large quantities of
gas and dust thus forming the enormous atmosphere and tails.
o The released gases form a glowing head that can often be larger than a planet and the
debris forms a tail that can stretch out to millions of miles.
o Each time a comet passes the sun, it loses some of its material and it will eventually
disappear completely as a result.
o Comets may be occasionally pushed into orbits closer to the Sun and the Earth’s
neighbourhood due to forces of gravity.
 According to NASA, while there are millions of comets orbiting the sun, there are more than
3,650 known comets as of now.
 The predictable comets are the short-period comets which take less than 200 years to orbit
around the sun.
o These can be found in the Kuiper belt, where many comets orbit the sun in the realm of
Pluto.
o One of the most famous short-period comets is called Halley’s Comet that reappears
every 76 years. Halley’s will be sighted next in 2062.
 The less-predictable comets can be found in the Oort cloud that is about 100,000 AU
(Astronomical Unit which is the distance between the Earth and the Sun and is roughly 150
million km) from the sun or 100,000 times the distance between the Earth and the sun.
Comets in this cloud can take as long as 30 million years to complete one rotation
around the sun.
 Visibility:
 Comets do not have the light of their own and the visibility depends on its gas and dust
outbursts.
o Humans see the reflection of the sun’s light off the comet as well as the energy
released by the gas molecules after it is absorbed from the sun.
o To be visible, a comet must make a particularly close approach to the sun to produce
enormous quantities of gas and dust or it should make a relatively close approach to
the Earth so that it is easily viewed.
FASTag Details for New Vehicle Registration
Recently, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has decided to ensure
capturing of FASTag details while registering or issuing fitness certificates to vehicles all over
the country.
Besides facilitating smooth commutation/transit, use of electronic medium of FASTag
payment, would also help in checking Covid-19 spread as cash payment is avoided.
FASTag
 Introduced in 2017, it is an electronic toll collection system with reloadable tag feature which
allows automatic deduction of toll without having to stop for carrying out the cash transaction.
The reloadable tag allows addition of monetary values multiple times.
 It is operated by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under the supervision of
MoRTH.
 The tag uses Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology and is fixed on the
windscreen of the vehicle once active.
 RFID is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag
attached to an object. A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need
to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.
 It is linked to a prepaid account from which the applicable toll amount is deducted.
Consumers avoided using it following complaints of technical glitches, and money getting
deducted twice from their bank accounts or e-wallets.
India Dropped from Chabahar Rail Project
Recently, Iran has decided to proceed with the Chabahar rail line construction on its own, citing
delays from the Indian side in beginning and funding the project.
Chabahar Port
 Chabahar port is located on the Gulf of Oman and is only 72 km away from the Gwadar port in
Pakistan which has been developed by China.
 The port serves as the only oceanic port of Iran and consists of two separate ports named
Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari.
Key Points
 Iran has inaugurated the track-laying process for the 628 km Chabahar-Zahedan rail line,
which will be extended to Zaranj across the border in Afghanistan.
 The entire project would be completed by March 2022 and Iranian Railways will use
approximately USD 400 million from the Iranian National Development Fund.
 Background:
o In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed the trilateral agreement which entailed
the establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using
Chabahar port in Iran as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation.
o Construction of a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with
Afghanistan as an alternate trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, was also a part
of it.
The state-owned Indian Railways Construction Ltd. (IRCON) had signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Iranian Rail Ministry and
promised to provide all services, superstructure work and financing (around USD
1.6 billion).
o The Chabahar port is being considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by the
three countries with other Central Asian countries in the wake of Pakistan denying
transit access to India.
 Reasons:
o Despite several site visits by IRCON engineers and preparations by Iranian railways,
India never began the work, worrying that it could attract sanctions by the USA.
  India has already zeroed out its oil imports from Iran due to USA sanctions.
 The USA had provided a sanctions waiver for the Chabahar port and the rail line
but it was difficult to find equipment suppliers and partners due to worries of
being targeted by the USA.
o Another reason could be the ‘Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between Iran and
China’ which is a 25-year and USD 400 billion strategic partnership deal.
 Both nations are close to finalising the deal, which will include Chinese
involvement in Chabahar’s duty-free zone, an oil refinery nearby and possibly a
larger role in Chabahar port as well.
 The cooperation will extend from investments in infrastructure, manufacturing
and upgrading energy and transport facilities, to refurbishing ports, refineries
and other installations and will commit Iranian oil and gas supplies to China
during that period.
 Iran proposed a tie-up between the Chinese-run Pakistani port at Gwadar and
Chabahar in 2019 and offered interests to China in the Bandar-e-Jask port 350
km away from Chabahar, as well as in the Chabahar duty-free zone.
Tiger Census 2018: Guinness Book of World Records
India’s 2018 Tiger Census has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the
world’s largest camera trapping wildlife survey.
 India has also fulfilled its resolution to double the Tiger numbers made at St. Petersburg Tiger
Summit in 2010, before the target year of 2022.
 The tiger numbers in India have increased from around 1500 in 2010 to 2976 in 2020.
 Comprehensive: The fourth cycle of the Tiger Census 2018, conducted in 2018-19 is the
most comprehensive in terms of both resource and data recorded.
o It counted 2976 tigers which is 75% of the global tiger population.
o The census is done quadrennially (every four years) by the National Tiger Conservation
Authority (NTCA) with technical help from the Wildlife Institute of India.
It is done with cooperation from the state Forest Departments and partners.
 Methods:
o Camera traps were placed at multiple locations across different sites and surveyed an
effective area of 121,337 square kilometres.
Camera Traps are outdoor photographic devices fitted with motion sensors that
start recording when an animal passes by.
o It also conducted extensive foot surveys that sampled habitat plots for vegetation and
prey dung.
 Identification: From these photographs 83% of the total tiger population were identified using
stripe-pattern-recognition software.
The software helps to match a new image of a tiger already in the database, based on the
pattern of stripes.
Project Tiger
 It was launched in 1973 with 9 tiger reserves for conserving our national animal, the tiger.
 It is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and
Climate Change.
 Currently, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 Tiger reserves, spread out in 18 tiger
range states which amounts to around 2.21% of the geographical area of our country.
 The tiger reserves are constituted on a core/buffer strategy. The core areas have the legal
status of a national park or a sanctuary, whereas the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of
forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple use area.
 The NTCA was launched in 2005, following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. It is
a statutory body of the Ministry, with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing
functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
 M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) is an
app based monitoring system, launched across Indian tiger reserves by the NTCA in 2010.
The system would enable field managers to assist intensity and spatial coverage of
patrols in a geographic information system (GIS) domain.
Tiger
 Scientific Name: Panthera tigris
 Indian Sub Species: Panthera tigris tigris.
 Habitat: It stretches from Siberian temperate forests to subtropical and tropical forests on
the Indian subcontinent and Sumatra.
 It is the largest cat species and a member of the genus Panthera.
 Traditionally eight subspecies of tigers have been recognized, out of which three are extinct.
o Bengal Tigers: Indian Subcontinent
o Caspian tiger: Turkey through central and west Asia (extinct).
o Amur tiger: Amur Rivers region of Russia and China, and North Korea
o Javan tiger: Java, Indonesia (extinct).
o South China tiger: South central China.
o Bali tiger: Bali, Indonesia (extinct).
o Sumatran tiger: Sumatra, Indonesia.
o Indo-Chinese tiger: Continental south-east Asia.
 Designated as the National Animal of India, Bengal Tiger is most recognisable for its dark
vertical stripes on orange-brown fur with a lighter underside.
Protection Status:
o Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
o International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Endangered.
o Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES): Appendix I.
 Tiger Reserves in India
o Total Number: 50
o Largest: Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh
o Smallest: Orang National park, Assam
The Padmanabhaswamy Temple Case
Recently, the Supreme Court of India upheld the right of the Travancore royal family to
manage the property of deity at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram
(Kerala).
The Temple has been in the news since 2011 after the discovery of treasure worth over Rs. 1
lakh crore in its underground vaults.
 Judgement:
o The Supreme Court (SC) reversed the 2011 Kerala High Court decision, which had
directed the Kerala government to set up a trust to control the management and assets of
the temple.
o The High Court (HC) had ruled that the successor to the erstwhile royals could not
claim to be in control of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple after the amendment
of definition of ‘Ruler’ in Article 366 (22) of the Constitution of India.
 The definition of Ruler was amended by the Twenty Sixth (Constitutional)
Amendment Act, 1971, which abolished the privy purses.
 Article 366 (22) reads, “Ruler” means the Prince, Chief or other person who, at any
time before the commencement of the Twenty Sixth (Constitutional) Amendment
Act, 1971, was recognised as the Ruler of an Indian State or was recognised as the
successor of such Ruler.
o However, the SC rejected this and said that, as per customary law, the members of the
royal family have the shebait rights even after the death of the last ruler.
Shebait rights means right to manage the financial affairs of the deity.
o The SC held that, for the purpose of shebait rights the definition of Ruler would
apply and would transfer to the successor.
 Administrative Committees:
 o The SC accepted the submission of the royal family that the temple is a public temple,
and directed setting up of an administrative committee with the Thiruvananthapuram
District Judge as its chairperson, for its transparent administration in the future.
The other members of the Committee would be a nominee of the trustee (royal
family), the chief thanthri of the temple, a nominee of the State and a member
nominated by the Union Ministry of Culture.
o The SC also ordered a second committee to be constituted to advise the administrative
committee on policy matters.
This would be chaired by a retired High Court judge nominated by the Chief
Justice of the Kerala High Court.
o The primary duties of the two committees would be to preserve the treasures and
properties.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
 According to Historians, the temple dates back to the 8th century but the present structure was
built in the 18th century by the then Travancore Maharaja Marthanda Varma.
The temple was initially made of wood but later it was constructed with granite.
 The temple is built in the unique Chera style of architecture, and its main deity is Lord
Vishnu who is found in the Anantha Shayana posture (reclined posture of eternal yoga) on
Adishesha or king of all serpents.
 It is known to be one of the 108 holy temples associated with Vaishnavism in India.
PRAGYATA: Guidelines on Digital Education
Why in News
Recently, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has released guidelines on
digital education titled 'PRAGYATA'.
 The guidelines have been prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT).
 These are only advisory in nature and state governments can formulate their own rules,
based on local needs.
 The guidelines include eight steps of online/digital learning i.e. Plan- Review- Arrange-
Guide- Yak (talk)- Assign- Track- Appreciate.
World Youth Skills Day
15th July is marked as World Youth Skills Day. It was designated by the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) in 2014.
 Aim: To achieve better socio-economic conditions for today's youth in terms of challenges of
unemployment and under-employment.
 Theme for 2020: "Skills for a Resilient Youth".
 o According to UNGA, Covid-19 has led to the worldwide closure of training institutions,
threatening the continuity of skills development.
o Nearly 70% of the world’s youth are affected by school closures.
o According to the Global Trends for Youth 2020 report, since 2017, there has been an
upward trend in the number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Global Trends for Youth report is released by International Labour
Organisation (ILO).
o Thus it has become important to impart relevant skills to the youth which can help them in
the long run and successfully manage evolving challenges.
 2030 Agenda: Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.
o The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable
Development Goal-4, which aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education
and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
o Education 2030 devotes attention to technical and vocational skills development,
acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and
entrepreneurship.
It also focuses on the elimination of gender disparity.
 Skill India Mission: The day also marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of Skill India
Mission.
o Skill India is an initiative of the Government of India which has been launched to
empower the youth of the country with skill sets which make them more employable
and more productive in their work environment.
o Skill India offers courses across several sectors which are aligned to the standards
recognised by both, the industry and the government under the National Skill
Qualification Framework.
India Lifted 271 Million People Out of Poverty
According to India’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG) at least 271 million people were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2005-
06 and 2016-17.
The VNR of SDGs has been presented by the Niti Ayog at the High-Level Political Forum on
Sustainable Development.
 Related Data:
o The estimates presented were drawn from the 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty
Index (MPI) released in July 2019.
o Over 640 million people across India were in multidimensional poverty in 2005-2006.
 o The number of people living under poverty decreased to around 369.55 million by
2016-2017.
o However, 27.9% of India’s population was still poor in 2016-17
 Poverty Reduction: In rural areas poverty reduction has outpaced that in urban areas.
Multidimensional Poverty Index
 The Multidimensional Poverty Index was launched by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) in 2010.
 MPI is based on the idea that poverty is not unidimensional (not just depends on income and
one individual may lack several basic needs like education, health etc.), rather it is
multidimensional.
 The index shows the proportion of poor people and the average number of deprivations
each poor person experiences at the same time.
 MPI uses three dimensions and ten indicators which are:
o Education: Years of schooling and child enrollment (1/6 weightage each, total 2/6);
o Health: Child mortality and nutrition (1/6 weightage each, total 2/6);
o Standard of living: Electricity, flooring, drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel and assets
(1/18 weightage each, total 2/6)
o A person is multidimensionally poor if she/he is deprived in one third or more (means
33% or more) of the weighted indicators (out of the ten indicators). Those who are
deprived in one half or more of the weighted indicators are considered living in extreme
multidimensional poverty.
o MPI is significant as it recognizes poverty from different dimensions compared to the
conventional methodology that measures poverty only from the income or monetary
terms.
INDIA’S FIRST HUMAN SPACE MISSION
• July 1, 2020
“GAGANYAAN”
Recently, training of Indian astronauts is resumed for the launch of India’s first human
space mission gaganyaan. Launch is scheduled to take place before the the 75th
anniversary of India’s Independence in 2022.
Dr. Jitendra Singh Union Minister of States (MOS) for department of space said “The launch
of India’s first human space mission” gaganyaan” will not be affected by the ongoing
coronavirus pandemic and preparations are being carried on in the right direction.”
Where was the training of the astronauts held?
Astronauts were trained in Moscow, Russia. Briefing about the important achievements of
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the department of space over the last one
year Dr Jitendra Singh said “Even though because of the covid-19 pandemic the training of
four Indian astronauts in Russia had to be halted yet opinion of chairman ISRO and
scientific team is that there had she kept a question both in the training program and launch
deadline.”
About Gaganyaan Mission.
• Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft.
• The manufacturer of gaganyan are Defence Research and Development Organisation,
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Indian Space Research Organisation.
• The spacecraft is designed to carry 3 people and a planned ungraded version will be
equipped with renderzvous and docking capability.
• Dry mass of capsule is 3,735 kg (8, 234 lb) and the launch mass is 7,800 kg (17, 200 lb).
• In the announcement on 11th June, Maiden launch timetable has been revised due to
covid-19 and is now decided to launch on December 2021.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
• Indian national committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was establish6ed by
Jawaharlal Nehru under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1962.
• Indian Space Organisation (ISRO) was then formed on 15th August 1969 with the
urging of scientist Vikram Sarabhai’s recognization of need in space research.
• Before the formation of ISRO it was known as INCOSPAR which grew and become
ISRO.
• Its vision is to “harness space Technology for national development while pursuing
Space Science Research and planetary exploration.”

ZEALANDIA
Key points:
• Zealandia is a new continent found under New Zealand.
• 85 years ago Zealandia was sank below the ocean, where it stayed largely hidden for
centuries. It is almost 94% submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after
breaking away from Gondwanaland.
• On Monday New Zealand research Center published two new maps which cover the
shape of the ocean floor and Zealandia’s tectonic profile, which collectively help tell the
story of the continent’s origins.
• Nick Mortimer, the lead author of the maps, said that “These maps are a scientific
benchmark — but they’re also more than that. They’re a way of communicating our work to
our colleagues, stakeholders, educators and the public,”
• Zealandia fulfills all the requirements to be considered as a continent, rather than a
microcontinent or continental fragment.

History of the Continent

• The name “Zealandia” was first coined by geophysicist Bruce Luyendyk in 1995.
• Scientists discovered the sprawling underwater mass in the 1990s, then gave it formal
continent status in 2017.
• Zealandia stretching about 5 million square kilometers (about 1.93 million square
miles), has been determined as a continental crust large and separate enough to be officially
declared a separate continent and not just a group of continental islands and fragments.
• Earlier, It was the part of Gonwanaland which used to hold many of the continents we
know today, like Africa and South America.
• According to the National Science Foundation, the Pacific Plate which is the world’s
largest tectonic plate — is believed to have sank below the continental crust of Zealandia.
This process, called subduction, caused the root of the continent to break off and sink as
well.
Formation of Different Continents
• Around 250 million years ago long after the Earth’s formation all the continents of the
time had joined together to form a super-continent called Pangaea.
• Then about 200 million years age this supercontinent broke up to form two giant
continents, Gondwana and Laurasia.
• Todays Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica and India were in the Gondwana
Continent.
• Other Indian sub continent were not the part of Gondwana.
• Later, the world’s greatest mountain ranges “Himalayas” were formed by the
movement of tectonic plates which has extended for more than 2,500 kilometres.
• Now today we have 7 continents namely Asia, Africa, North America, South America,
Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
• Scientists are still doing research on the 8th continent “Zealandia”.
ARTICLE 371 A(1) (b) OF THE CONSTITUTION IN LIGHT OF CRISIS IN NAGALAND
• July 2, 2020

“Law and Order has Collapsed”

In a letter to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Governor R.N Ravi of Nagaland, alleged that “law
and order has collapsed” in the state. In reply to which the Nagaland Pradesh Congress
Committee (NPCC) backs Governer R.N Ravi and said that Mr. Ravi has correctly assessed
the law and order situation in the state. Rio alleged that armed gangs “who question the
sovereignty and integrity of the nation” had challenged its authority by engaging in blatant
“extortion” and siphoning off funds meant for development work. Ravi said there have been
“unrestrained depredations” by over half a dozen “armed gangs” who are “brazenly running
their so-called governments” and challenging the legitimacy of the state.
Various reports says that twenty one (21) persons were arrested and one (1) killed in the last
8 days in connection with extortion in Dimapur and Kohima. Among which 10 persons were
arrested by the Dimapur Police in connection with extortion in different cases between June
20 – 27, 2020, 6 persons were arrested by Kohima police in different casses and killed 1 in a
scuffle with Kohima police. Assam Rifles in two joint Operati ons with Nagaland police has
arrested 6 persons from Dimapur on June 24 & 25, 2020.
Mr. Ravi blamed regional government for their unresponsive law and order situations in the
State. He stated that important law and order decisions pertaining to posting of officials
entrusted with the maintenance of law and order responsibilities of officials above the
district level will be after approval of the governor as mentioned under Article 371A (1) (b) of
the Indian Constitution.
Article 371A (1) (b)
Under Article 371A (1) (b) the Governor of Nagaland shall have special responsibility with
respect to law and order in the State of Nagaland for so long as in his opinion internal
disturbances occurring in the Naga Hills Tuensang Area immediately before the formation of
that State continue therein or in any part thereof and in the discharge of his functions in
relation thereto the Governor shall, after consulting the Council of Ministers, exercise his
individual judgment as to the action to be taken:
• If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the
Governor is under this sub clause required to act in the exercise of his individual judgment,
the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final, and the validity of anything done
by the Governor shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to
have acted in the exercise of his individual judgment,
• If the President on receipt of a report from the Governor or otherwise is satisfied that it
is no longer necessary for the Governor to have special responsibility with respect to law
and order in the State of Nagaland, he may by order direct that the Governor shall cease to
have such responsibility with effect from such date as may be specified in the order.
Nagaland
• Nagaland was formed on 1st December, 1963 and became the 16th state of India.
• Kohima is it’s capital, Dimapur is it’s largest city and it has 12 districts.
• It is bordered by the state of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west,
Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east.
• Agriculture is the most important economic activity, covering over 70% of the state’s
economy.
• It has an area of 16,579 square kilometres (6,401 sq mi) with a population of 1,980,602.
Other Issues around Nagaland
• Naga society is proud of classless and casteless society. But today, class system is
fast developing in Nagaland.
• Naga Christians believe in “God will do the best.” This faith has made many Naga
Christians lazy and action less.
• Majority of Naga educated youths do not want to go out for competitive exams but
only depend on State government for job. Many Naga leaders are not serious enough to
think for younger generation.
• Many Nagas are not aware that ‘yesterday’ is not ‘today’. They want to run our society
with traditional knowledge and practices (both in Church and society) without any
modification.

ISRAEL’S WEST BANK ANNEXATION PLAN

• July 3, 2020

ABOUT WEST BANK

The west bank is located on the west bank of the Jordan river, and is bounded by Israel on
the north, west and south. Both Israel and Palestinians asserts their rights to the territory of
the West Bank and its conflict has not been resolved till now. The Palestinians live in the
west bank under the Israeli military as well as limited self rule. The Israeli government and
the US insisted that these settlements are legal but a large international community does not
believe so and considers these settlements as illegal.
ABOUT THIS ANNEXATION
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will begin to annex one third of the
already illegally occupied West Bank, including parts of the Jordan Valley, in line with US
President Donald Trump’s controversial so-called “Middle East plan”. The plan proposes to
establish removal of arm forces from patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian
territories. This does not include occupied East Jerusalem, which the Palestinian Authority
(PA) claims as the capital of a state.
Trump’s Middle East plan has been largely met with doubt in heads and was rejected by
Palestinian leaders, but Israel has taken it as a show of support for its plans to seize and
extend its sovereignty over the occupied land. The Palestinians believe that the annexation
would prevent their access to essential water resources and key agricultural land.
Palestians have sought the entire territory of the West Bank for an independent Palestinian
state in the future to which they claim historical right, Israel on the other hand claims that
this has historical and regional rights over the West Bank because it believes that the
territory is the ancestral land of the Jewish people.
BACKGROUND
In 2020 the leading figures in the British Jewish establishment, signed a letter stating that
any such annexation would be an existential threat and would have grave consequences for
Palestinians and both to Israel and in Great Britain.
On 29 June, 2020 it was revealed that Netanyahu’s coalition partner Benny Gantz would not
accept the proposed July 1, 2020 deadline to start annexing the West Bank. Gantz also
announced that he would preferred that the Israeli government to deal with the COVID¬-19
pandemic first.
AFTER EFFECTS OF THIS ANNEXATION
In West Bank since Palestinians only subject to Israeli military rules and own Palestinian
laws, the annexation will largely impact the establishment of settlements and other Israeli
constructions in the area that has been a long standing bone of contention between the
Israelis. It would also effectively kill the two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that
was based on the idea of land for peace. But many Palestinians would argue that the
annexation is merely a formality for what has already been happening on the ground in the
West Bank for years.
TIMELINE FOR ISRAEL PALESTINE ISSUE
1917- The seeds of conflict were laid in when the British foreign secretary expressed official
support of Britain for a Jewish national home in Palestine under the Balfour Declaration.
1948 – Unable to contain Arab and Jewish violence, Britain withdrew its forces from
Palestine. UN presented a partition plan create independent Jewish and Arab states in
Palestine which was accepted by the Jews but not by the Arabs.
1964 – Founding the PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANISATION [PLO]
1967 – A six day Arab Israel war took place.
1975 – The UN grants the PLO observer status and recognizes Palestinians right to self
determination.
1978 – US set the stage for peace talks between Israel and its neighbors and a resolution to
Palestinian problem.
1981 – Israel effectively annexes the Golan.
1987 – Founding of Hamas, a violent offshoot of Egyptian Muslim brotherhood.
1988 – Jordan cedes to PLO all the country’s territorial claims in the West Bank.
1993 – PLO and Israel agrees to officially recognize each other and renounce the use of
violence.
2005 – Keeping tight control over the borders Israel begins a unilateral withdrawal of Jews
from settlements in Gaza.
2006 – Hamas scores a victory in Palestinian authority elections.
2007 – Palestinian movements Splits after few months of formation of a joint Fatah-Hamas
government.
2012 – UN upgrades Palestinian representation to that of non member observer state.
2014 – Israel responds to the crimes taking place in the West Bank by firing rockets from
Gaza.
2014 – Fatah and Hamas form a unity government, instead of several differences.

COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL LAW REFORM

• July 3, 2020

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a national level committee for reform in
criminal law. The consultation exercise would start on 4th July 2020 and go on for the next
three months. Committee is constituted under Ranbir Singh who is the founder Vice-
Chancellor of National Law University, Delhi established by the Delhi Government in 2008
and other members.
What was the need to form committee?
• For the unending rape cases which are raising questions about credibility of common
law system inherited from the British colonial rulers.
• To solve the 3.5 crore pending cases in judicial system as “Justice delayed is Justice
Denied. “
• To avoid huge undertrials as according to NCRB -Prison Statistics India (2015), 67.2%
of our total prison population comprises undertrial prisoners.
• To stop killing and burning of victims in case of failed attempt to destroy evidence,
which has become a common tendency to obviate conviction and delay trials.
• For a better social environment to get rid of deteriorating socio-economic conditions
and misuse of internet, which is the major cause leading up to crime against women and
children.
• Neither people nor Criminal Justice System Has Trust in Police because of corruption,
huge workload and accountability of police.
Criminal Justice System In India
• Criminal Justice System in India was established by British rule which is an age-old
system primarily based upon the Penal legal system.
• The aim of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is to protect the rights and personal
liberty of individuals and the society against its invasion by others.
• The Criminal law in India is contained in a number of sources – The Indian Penal Code
of 1860, the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
• CJS can impose penalties on those who violate the established laws.
• The criminal law and criminal procedure are in the concurrent list of the seventh
schedule of the constitution.
Recommendations for the Committee
• To solve 3.5 crore pending cases there is a need of more judges in the country.
• Court’s power to summon any person, whether or not listed as a witness if it felt
necessary.
• There is a need of separate criminal division in higher courts who have specialized in
criminal law.
Some Other Committees
1. Malimath Committee started its work in 2000. It was constituted by the Home Ministry.
It was headed by Justice V.S. Malimath, former Chief Justice of the Karnataka and Kerala
High Courts. The committee has submitted its report in 2003 on the Criminal Justice System
of India (CJSI) stating that the existing system “weighed in favour of the accused and did
not adequately focus on justice to the victims of crime.”
2. Mathava Menon Committee was headed by Professor NR Madhava Menon which has
submitted its report to the Supreme Court on 6 October 2014. The committee in its report
has framed guidelines to regulate expenditure and contents of advertisements paid out of
tax payers’ money.
About Lord Macaulay
Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, was a British historian and Whig
politician. He was born on 25th October, 1800 and died at the age of 59 on 28th December,
1859. He has played a major role in the introduction of English and western concepts to
education in India. He lived in India for four years from 1834-1838. He was appointed as the
first Law Member of the Governor-General’s Council. He has devoted his final years in the
creation of a Penal Code. The Indian Penal Code in 1860 was followed by the Criminal
Procedure Code in 1872 and the Civil Procedure Code in 1908. Lord Macaulay is the chief
architect of codifications of criminal laws in India.

ACCELERATE VIGYAN
• July 3, 2020
Union Government has started a new scheme “Accelerate Vigyan” to boost high-end
scientific research and prepare scientific manpower that can venture into research careers.
This scheme is launched by Union Government’s Science and Engineering Research Board
(SERB). The department is also planning to roll out an app within next two months.
Aim and Vision of the Scheme
Aim of the scheme is to initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research
potential, mentoring, training and giving hands-on workshops on a national scale.
Vision is to expand the research base with three broad goals:
1. Consolidation / aggregation of all scientific programmes;
2. Initiating high-end orientation workshops;
3. Creating opportunities for research internships for those who do not have access to
such resources.
Objective of the Scheme
• Providing a thrust to high-end scientific research;
• A platform for research internships;
• Build a plateform for capacity-building programs;
• Preparing scientific manpower.
Abhyaas
The Accelerate Vigyan has called for applications for the Winter Season under its
‘ABHYAAS’ section. This initiative is launched to focus on research and development in the
country by providing proper platforms to the students who are looking for their career
development in the field of research. It is launched with two components — High-End
Workshops KARYASHALA and VRITIKA Research Internships under which researchers are
invited for the winter season spanning from December this year to January next year.
Inter-Ministerial Oversight Committee (IMOC)
IMOC is set up by Union Government to help SERB in the proper implementation of the
project as well as achieve the objective it has been launched for.
About Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) is a statutory body established
through an Act of Parliament (SERB Act 2008). Supporting basic research in emerging areas
of Science & Engineering are the primary and distinctive mandate of the Board. The Board
structure, with both financial and administrative powers vested in the Board, would enable
quicker decisions on research issues, greatly improving thereby our responsiveness to the
genuine needs of the research scientists and the S&T system. Secretary of SERB is Prof.
Sandeep Verma. It’s headquarter is located in New Delhi.

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIA

3, 202
Senior advocate, KK Venugopal has been re-appointed as Attorney General (AG) of Indian
by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind. His tenure as Attorney General is extended for 1
year. KK Venugopal was 15th Attorney general of Indian. He was first appointed on July,
2017 and has started his new term from 1st July, 2020. He is now appointed for only 1 year at
his own request because of his advanced age of 89 years.
Appointment Committee of Cabinets (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, re-
appointed Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General (SG) for three years and existing five Additional
Solicitor Generals (ASGs). ACC has also appointed six senior advocates Balbir Singh,
Suryaprakash V. Raju, Rupinder Singh Suri, N. Venkataraman, Jayant K. Sud and Aishwarya
Bhati as ASGs to represent central government in front of the Supreme Court.
Five existing ASGs who are re-appointed are Vikramajit Banerjee, Aman Lekhi, Madhavi
Goradia Divan, K.M. Nataraj and Sanjay Jain.
For different High Courts besides re-appointing Anil C. Singh as the ASG for the Bombay
High Court and Satya Pal Jain for Punjab and High Court, ACC has appointed five new ASGs
as Krishna Nandan Singh for Patna HC, Yezdezard Jehangir Dastoor has been appointed for
Calcutta High Court, Chetan Sharma for Delhi HC, Sankaranarayanan for Madras HC, and
Devang Girish Vyas for the Gujarat HC.
Attorney General of India
Attorney General is the constitutional post and it is the Indian government’s chief legal
advisor, and is primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. They are appointed by
President of India. The Attorney General plays a very important role in giving advice to the
Government of India in legal matters referred to them. They are not allowed to accept the
directorship of a company without the permission of the Government. Attorney General’s
duties are laid under article 76 of the Indian Constitution as :
1. The President shall appoint a person who is qualified to be appointed a Judge of the
Supreme Court to be Attorney General for India
2. It shall be the duty of the Attorney General to give advice to the Government of India
upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character, as may from
time to time be referred or assigned to him by the President, and to discharge the functions
conferred on him by or under this Constitution or any other law for the time being in force
3. In the performance of his duties the Attorney General shall have right of audience in
all courts in the territory of India
4. The Attorney General shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, and shall
receive such remuneration as the President may determine Conduct of Government
Business
Solicitor General (SG)
Solicitor General of India is the second law officer of the country, and is subordinate to the
Attorney General for India. He assists Attorney General and is then assisted by Additional
Solicitor Generals (ASGs). They are appointed by Appointment Committee of Cabinets (ACC)
headed by Prime Minister. Their duties are to give advice to the Government of India upon
such legal matters. Solitary general’s duties are laid under Law Officers (Conditions of
Service) Rules, 1987.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG)
Additional Solicitor General of India is the third ranking lawyer of the Government of India.
ASG’s duties are laid under Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1987. They share
almost same duties as of Solicitor General as both SG and ASGs is the statutory post.
Facts About KK Venugopal
• He has served as President of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA –
International Association of Lawyers) from 1996 to 1997.
• Kk Venugopal has fought many leading cases in favour of the government as he
appeared for BJP leader L K Advani in the Demolition of the Babri Masjid case.
• He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2002 and Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

INDIA ALLOWS CLINICAL TRIAL OF ZYDUS CADILA’S COVID-19 VACCINE

• July 4, 2020

A potential COVID-19 vaccine indigenously developed by the Ahmedabad – based Zydus

Cadila Healthcare Ltd. has got the nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for
human clinical trials.
The approval process was fast-tracked following recommendation by the subject expert
committee on COVID-19, considering the emergency and unmet medical need during the
pandemic.
It is informed that DCGI Dr. V.G. Somani has given approval for the phase I and II clinical
trials (on humans) of the potential novel coronavirus vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila
Healthcare Ltd. on Thursday after its animal studies were found to be successful.
Hyderabad Report
The country’s ‘First’ indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, developed by
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical
Research and National Institute of Virology (NIV), had recently got the nod for human clinical
trials from the DCGI.
The assent for human trials was given after the company submitted data of clinical trial on
animals to the DCGI, in which the vaccine candidate was found to be successful with
respect to safety. The company is likely to start enrolment of subjects soon. The phase I and
II trials will take around three months to be completed.
Recent Updates of COVID Cases
India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 6,04,641 on Thursday with a single-day increase of 19,148
cases, just five days after it crossed the five-lakh mark, while the death toll rose to 17,834
with 434 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry.
About Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)
On 14 August 2019 government appointed VG Somani as Drug Controller General of India
(DCGI). It is a department of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of the
Government of India. DCGI is responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of
drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines, and sera in India.
Functions of DCGI
• It acts as appellate authority in case of any dispute regarding the quality of drugs.
• Preparation and maintenance of national reference standard.
• To bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
• Training of Drug Analysts deputed by State Drug Control Laboratories and other
Institutions
• Analysis of Cosmetics received as survey samples from CDSCO (central drug
standard control organization)

SPECIAL LIQUIDITY SCHEME FOR NBFC’s AND HFC’s

• July 4, 2020
The Reserve Bank of India said the government has approved a special liquidity scheme for
non banking finance companies [NBFC’s] and housing finance companies [HFC] to improve
their liquidity position in order to avoid any potential systemic risks to the financial sector
through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). RBI laid out eligibility criteria for such special
liquidity scheme and it includes registered NBFC’s , micro finance institutions [MFIs] and
HFCs under respective laws.
THE ESSENTIALS FOR THIS SCHEME ARE AS FOLLOWS:-
The net non-performing assets should not be more than 6% as on March 31, 2019
CRAR/CAR of NBFCs/HFCs should not be below the regulatory minimum, i.e., 15% and 12%
respectively as on March 31, 2019
The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFCs), including Microfinance Institutions that are
registered with the RBI, under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Housing Finance Companies that are registered under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987
They should have made net profit in at least one of the last two preceding financial years
(i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19)
They should not have been reported under SMA-1 or SMA-2 category by any bank for their
borrowings during last one year prior to August 01, 2018
They should be rated investment grade by a SEBI registered rating agency
They should comply with the requirement of the SPV for an appropriate level of collateral
from the entity, which, however, would be optional and to be decided by the SPV.
KEY POINTS
Nirmala Sitharaman said that since NBFCs and other small financing companies have been
finding it hard to raise money in the debt market, the government will launch the special
liquidity scheme. As per the Government decision, SBICAP which is a subsidiary of the
State Bank of India has set up a SPV to manage this operation. The SPV will purchase the
short-term papers from eligible NBFCs/HFCs, who shall utilise the proceeds under this
scheme solely for the purpose of extinguishing existing liabilities. The instruments will be
CPs and NCDs with a residual maturity of not more than three months and rated as
investment grade. The facility will not be available for any paper issued after September 30,
2020 and the SPV would cease to make fresh purchases after September 30, 2020 and would
recover all dues by December 31, 2020; or as may be modified subsequently under the
scheme. The scheme follows the Centre’s announcement of Rs 30,000-crore special liquidity
window for NBFCs/ HFCs. While the scheme is a good move to provide short-term liquidity
to NBFCs/ HFCs that may have difficulty in paying their obligations falling due (until
December), it also provides a breather to banks and mutual funds having exposures to such
NBFCs/ HFCs. This will mitigate the risk of defaults by such entities in the near-term.But this
scheme will offer respite to a small section of NBFCs.
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT [MNREGA]
• July 4, 2020

ABOUT
On September 5, 2005 a new policy came into existence which is motivated to work for the
betterment of the livelihood of the rural areas. It started with the name “NREGA” which
stood for National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and then an additional letter “M” was
prefixed making it “MNREGA” Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
MNREGA provides social security by guaranteeing a minimum of 100 days paid work per
year to all the families whose adult members opt for unskilled labor-intensive work and is
basically an employment scheme.
KEY OBJECTIVES OF MNREGA
1. Generation of paid rural employment of not less than 100 days for each worker who
volunteers for unskilled labor.
2. Reducing migration from rural areas to urban areas.
3. Creation of assets in rural areas such as wells, ponds, roads and canals
4. Employment is provided within a range of 5 km from residence of applicants.
5. If work is not provided within 15 days of application, applicants will be given
unemployment allowance.
ELIGIBILITY FOR MNREGA SCHEME
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is applicable to rural areas of all
states and is administered by the central government. The following are the eligibility criteria
for receiving the benefits under MNREGA scheme:
• Must be Citizen of India to seek MNREGA benefits
• Should have completed 18 years of age at the time of application
• MNREGA applicant must be part of a local household (i.e. application must be made with
local Gram Panchayat)
• They must volunteer for unskilled labor.
HIGHLIGHTS
1. This act covered all districts of India, by 1st April 2008
2. It focuses more on labor intensive technique
3. Women empowerment, environment protection, boosting social equality are the areas
covered under MNREGA act.
4. The act safeguards the effective and efficient management and implementation of its
policies.
5. The act also ensures a genuine, transparent regulation of its activities.
6. This act is executed by Gram Panchayats.
BENEFITS OF MNREGA
The key benefits of MGNREGA are as follows:-
1. Providing paid guaranteed employment in rural areas
2. Efficient utilization of land and water resources in rural areas
3. Greater social exposure and more opportunities for those residing in rural India
4. Enhancing the power of Gram Panchayats
5. Better utilization of underutilized labor resources
6. Creation of infrastructure in villages.

ITALIAN MARINES; ENRICA LEXIE CASE

• July 6, 2020
Why in News?
On this Thursday 2nd July, 2020 UN Court ruled that India is entitled for compensation in
connection with the 2012 killing of two crew members of Indian Fishing boat and physical
harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew
members of the ‘St. Antony’, which by its nature cannot be made good through restitution. It
also held (by 3:2 majority) that the Marines are entitled to immunity in relation to the acts
that they committed during the incident of 15 February 2012, and that India is precluded
from exercising its jurisdiction over the Marines.
The tribunal has also pronounced about that Italy has acted on a breach of the Article 87,
paragraph 1, subparagraph (a) which states “Freedom of Navigation”, and Article 90 of the
United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea defines freedom of navigation as ” Every
State, whether coastal or land-locked, has the right to sail ships flying its flag on the high
seas.” It also held that India has not breached Article 87 of the UNCLOS by asking Enrica
Lexie to change its course and by detaining it at Kochi port after the incident of firing.
Case Study of Enrica Lexie Case of 2012
This case occurred on 15th Feb 2012, when approximately 20.5 nautical miles off the coast
of India involving the “Enrica Lexie”, an oil tanker flying the Italian flag in which over two
Italian marines-Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Girone – mistook ‘St Antony’ for a pirate
boat, and opened fire at it. They are alleged for killing two Indian fishermen on board.
Later on 11 December 2015, Italy filed a Request for the Prescription of Provisional
Measures pursuant to Article 290, paragraph 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea which says that:
“If a dispute has been duly submitted to a court or tribunal which considers that prima facie
it has jurisdiction under this Part or Part XI, section 5, the court or tribunal may prescribe
any provisional measures which it considers appropriate under the circumstances to
preserve the respective rights of the parties to the dispute or to prevent serious harm to the
marine environment, pending the final decision.”
Then on the reply of the request filed by Italy, India on 26th December 2016 submitted the
Written Observations of the Republic of India on the Request of the Italian Republic for the
Prescription of Provisional Measures under Article 290, paragraph 1, of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Further then the Parties subsequently exchanged written pleadings on the Tribunal’s
jurisdiction and the merits of the case as follows:
• On 30 September 2016, Italy filed its Memorial.
• On 14 April 2017, India submitted its Counter-Memorial, in which it raised objections to
the jurisdiction of the Arbitral Tribunal .
• On 11 August 2017, Italy filed its “Reply on the Merits – Counter-Memorial on
Jurisdiction – Counter-Memorial on India’s Counter-Claims”.
• On 15 December 2017, India submitted its “Rejoinder on the Merits – Reply on
Jurisdiction – Reply to Italy’s Counter on India’s Counter-Claims”.
• On 9 March 2018, Italy filed its “Rejoinder on Jurisdiction and on India’s Counter-
Claims”.
The hearing was announced to be held on 20 July, 2019 instead of 8th July because of
illness of Judge Patibandla Chandrasekhara Rao, who had passed away on 11 October 2018,
on the Arbitral Tribunal.
Under Article 23, paragraph 3, of the Rules of Procedure, as amended by Procedural Order
No. 7 dated 16 May 2019, the parts of the hearing were confidential.
About Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ)
It was established on 1920 and was dissolved on 1946 after hearing 29 cases and delivered
27 separate advisory opinions. Permanent Court of International Justice was also known as
World Court. The first panel was elected on 14 September 1921, with the 4 deputies being
elected on the 16th. The Court’s mandatory jurisdiction came from three sources:
1. The Optional Clause of the League of Nations,
2. General international conventions,
3. Special bipartite international treaties.
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea was established by the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on December 10, 1982.
It is an intergovernmental organization created by the mandate of the Third United Nations
Conference on the Law of the Sea. It has Judges from 21 nations. There are currently 168
signatories, 167 states plus the European Union. President of ITLOS is Jin-Hyun Paik and
Vice President is David Joseph Attard.

DIANA AWARD
CONTEXT:
Neeraj Murmu [21 years old] a tribal youth from Duliakaram village of Tisri block in Giridih
district received the prestigious Diana Award 2020. Murmu received the award for the
changes he brings through his efforts to send child labourers to school – INDIA
KEY POINTS
The Diana, princess of Wales Memorial Award was established in 1999 by a board chaired by
Gordon Brown who felt that the award would reflect the personal interest of Diana, princess
of Wales in supporting the outstanding achievements of young people. The Award is to
acknowledge the youth generation between the age group of 9-25 years for their social
action or humanitarian work. Diana, Princess of Wales believe that young people have the
power to change the world.
PURPOSE OF DIANA AWARD
The purpose of the Diana Award is to appreciate the work which young people make to
society – especially those who are young ambassadors, young leaders, young
humanitarians, fund raisers, environmental campaigners, peer mentors, sports leaders, and
those who inspire others and to the young people from all sections of society who have
made a selfless contribution to society.
It mainly aims at the following three things
Flexibility – Focusing more on changing the youth by practical ways.
Acknowledgement – Rewarding positive change made by young people.
Motivation – Encouraging and supporting ongoing change in young people.
LATER EVENTS
The Diana Award is now a UK-based charity, operating across the United Kingdom and
beyond. To mark the 20th Anniversary of the late Princess’s death, The Diana Award
launched a series of events to commemorate her legacy. These included the creation of a
National Kindness Day on 31 March 2017 to commemorate the anniversary of Diana,
Princess of Wales’ death and to encourage other people to carry out an act of kindness. The
charity also held an inaugural Legacy Award Ceremony to recognize 20 exceptional young
people who’ve created positive social change. All Legacy Award Winners enter a unique
development programme where they are supported in growing skills to guide them through
their social action work.The Diana Award was headed by Maggie Turner OBE until July 2012.
The Chief Executive of The Diana Award is Tessy Ojo.
ABOUT
Diana Princess of Wales was [born Diana Frances Spencer 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997)
was a member of British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles Prince of Wales the
heir apparent to the British throne, and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Diana’s activism and glamour made her an international icon and earned her an enduring
popularity as well as an unprecedented public scrutiny. On 31 August 1997, Diana died in a
car crash in Paris while the driver was fleeing the photographer. The crash also resulted in
the deaths of her companion and the driver, Henri Paul, who was the acting security
manager, Diana’s bodyguard, survived. the crash.
Peter Andre appeals on behalf of the Diana Award, a charity founded in memory of Diana,
Princess of Whales which strives to bring about positive changes in lives of the young
people who need it most. Through a series of group sessions, young mentors gain career
skills training and together mentors and mentees develop a campaign around a social issue
that affects their community. This two-pronged approach prepares the young people for
their post-secondary future whilst also instilling a sense of active citizenship. So far they’ve
helped over 3,000 young people through mentoring.
INTERNATIONAL DIANA AWARD WINNERS OF 2019
Siddhant Sarang Aishwarya Sridhar and Jawwad Patel – India – 2019
Kanchan Amatya Nepal
Cory Alpert and Olivia Woodrich – USA
Pia Vashi – Dubai, UAE
Alina Azhar, Zainab Syed, Syed Talal Ali, Arhum Ishtiaq, Azima Dhanjee, Sadaf Amin and
Areej Al Medinah – Pakistan

DHARMA CHAKRA DAY

ABOUT
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the celebration of Dharma Chakra Day / Asaadh
Poornima on July 4. The day is also celebrated by Buddhists all over the world as the day of
Dharma Chakra Parvattana or “Turning of the Wheel of Dharma”. The International Buddhist
Confederation (IBC), under the aegis of Union Ministry of Culture, is celebrating Asadha
Poornima as Dharma Chakra Day.
KEY POINTS.
The day is also observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark
reverence to their gurus.
The rainy season for the monks and nuns also starts with this day lasting for three months
from July to October, during which they remain in a single place.
The auspicious day of Asadha Poornima falls on the first full moon day of the month of
asadha as per Indian sun calendar.
It is the second most sacred day for the Buddhists after the Buddha Poornima or Vesak.
The day marks Buddha’s first teaching after attaining Enlightenment to the first five ascetic
disciples on the full moon day of Asadha.
This teaching of Dharma chakra Pravartana Sutra (Sanskrit) is also known as the First
Turning of Wheels of Dharma and comprised of the four noble truths and noble eight fold
paths.
EVENTS
In keeping with the historical legacy of India being the land of Buddha’s enlightenment,
President Ram Nath Kovid will inaugurate the Dharma Chakra Day from the Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
The festivities would start off with chanting of prayers at Sarnath, Varanasi UP, which will be
live streamed , then the opening event will be shifted to the Rashtrapati Bhawan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would deliver a video address on the occasion to emphasize
the teachings of peace and justice of Lord Buddha and the Eightfold Path shown by him to
overcome sufferings of sentient beings.
The Minister of Culture, Prahlad Patel, and Minister of State for Minorities Affairs, Kiren
Rijiju, will also address the opening ceremony.
The President of India will receive a special address by the President of Mongolia, will also
be read out and a valuable Buddhist manuscript of Indian origin preserved in Mongolia for
centuries together.
Messages from top Buddhist religious leaders, Masters and Scholars from different parts of
the world will be streamed from Sarnath and Bodh Gaya.
BUDDHISM AND DIPLOMACY
Buddhism has become an important tool in contemporary geopolitics particularly in Asia,
and it has become increasingly evident that whoever controls the Buddhist discourse and
activities will sway influence in Asia.
The celebration of this day is being pushed as an event to show India’s strong Buddhist
heritage amid tensions with China. There will be virtual participation of leaders from major
Buddhist countries except China.
The timing of the event is important, because this is when both countries would like to
reconnect with each other , to show that like-minded countries are coming together.
CURRENT SCENARIO
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the whole programme is being conducted virtually, like a very
successful virtual Vaisakh (Buddha Poornima) on May 7 2020. The event on 4th July is
expected to be witnessed by around 30 lakh devotees worldwide via live webcast.

FIT HAI TO HIT HAI INDIA

OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this program is to motivate and to cheer up the students or the school
children about the need to stay fit and healthy during this pandemic. It is moreover
important for the children to leave their sedentary lifestyle and to start a healthy living and
maintain their fitness.
INITIATIVE TAKEN
For this, special Talk sessions named Fit India Talks will be organized digitally and will be
live streamed on the social media platforms such as Youtube, DD sports channel on
television and Facebook, and at MyGov and at Sports Authority of India (SAI) official
facebook page. Kiren Rijiju (Union Minister of State I/C for youth Affairs and Sports) while
inaugurating the release said, “This is a series where the champion athletes will speak to the
students and share their inspirational life stories. I invite all the school students, teachers,
and the parents to join in and interact with us directly.”
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
A total of six sessions will be organized till 14th July. The sports celebrities will come up
and share their life experiences and all the struggles that have come across their way to
fetch success from failure, also will be an inspiration to the school children and will share
fitness tips too.
The first session took place on 3rd July 2020 in which P.V Sindhu and Sunil Chhetri
participated and in their presence ,Fit Hai to Hit Hai India, program was launched by Ramesh
Pokhriyal ( Union Minister of Human Resource Development ), and Kiren Rijiju ( Union
Minister of State I/C for youth Affairs and Sports).
“The fit Hai to hit Hai India,” program will be organized as a part of the Fit India Campaign.
Under the Fit Indian Campaign, till date total of 13,868 CBSE affiliated schools from across
the country have participated out of which 11,682 have been awarded with the Fit India flag.
CONCLUSION
A special initiative taken up to inspire the children to leave their sedentary lifestyle and to do
some work to make their body and mind physically and mentally fit, also to build up their
health so as to fight against the prevailing COVID-19 disease.

PRIVATIZATION OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

July 6, ABOUT
India has opened up its door for the private sector and allowed private companies to operate
trains on certain routes so as to improve the situation of the economy shattered by the
virus. On Wednesday the railway ministry announced that it would permit the business to
run trains along 109 routes, inviting bids from the firms weeks after New Delhi opened up
coal mining to the private sector.
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this decision is to use the modern technologies rolling stock with less
maintenance level required for the betterment of the work, reduce transmit time, creation of
more job opportunities, provide world class travel experience to passengers and to enhance
the safety of passengers.
The ministry held that it is the first initiative of private investment for running passenger
trains over Indian Railways network.
DETAILS OF THE PROJECT
The new plan invite private firms to run 150 passenger trains on 100 routes. An investment
of $4 billion will be required and the private players will have to pay the government a
percentage of profits and a fixed haul charges determined during the binding process. The
167 years old railway network carries over 20 million passengers daily but is plagued by
accidents, lack of modern facilities and poor investment. According to 2012 government
report, the network is notorious for accidents with 15,000 passengers killed every year that
described the deaths as a massacre.
Also due to the downfall in economy and the worsening in its situation because of the
pandemic the government in fear for the economy allow many businesses to resume
operations. According to the recent document prepared by rail ministry and NITI Aayog, the
government is willing to look for a change in passenger train operations so as to deliver the
world class services to commuters. This change would further be beneficial to take care of
the mad rush for reserved tickets.
Private firms will have the freedom to decide stoppages and fares, and the services to offer
in these trains. They will be allowed for the period of 35 years to run these trains in return for
the share in the revenues they earn apart from the payments for using public infrastructure.
CONCLUSION
In the coming 2020, new private trains and private stations will be there for which the
passenger will be willing to pay more if there are visible improvement in services, according
to the report of government committee held on reconstructing the Indian railway submitted
in 2015. However, the details of this radical new plan to modernize the railways are still
fairly sketchy.

NAGARAHOLE NATIONAL PARK

CONTEXT
As decided by the Karnataka Forest Department, traffic monitoring mechanism is to be put
along the roads adjacent to Nagarahole National Park.
Time stamped card system will be introduced by the forest department for vehicles which
have high traffic density.
Time stamped card will hold all the required details such as speed limit and the exit time at
the next check post.
Still there are many issues involved regarding this, such as pollution, road kills, man-made
forest fires etc.
This initiative would be very supportive and helpful and through this less disturbance would
be caused to the wildlife.
ABOUT
The term Nagarahole is derived from the word naga which means snake and the term holes
refers to streams. This park is declared as thirty seventh tiger reserve in 1999 of India. It is
also considered as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This park is also known by Rajiv
Gandhi National Park located in Kodagu and Mysore District. The local language used
around the National park is Kannada. The three adjacent parks of Nagarahole are Bandipur,
Mudumalai and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
HISTORY
This park was exclusively hunting reserve during the time of the Kings of the Wodeyar
dynasty, the former rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore. It was upgraded into a national park in
1988 earlier it was a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1955, and then the park was finally
declared as a tiger reserve in 1999.
AIM OF NAGARAHOLE NATIONAL PARK
This park aims to bring the most wildering effect on wildlife lovers and hence loves
flourishing flora and fauna.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Highlighting the captivating flora and fauna and other species, this park has numerious
varieties of wildlife present in it. Sloth bears, leopards, tigers, wild dogs, sambar, four
headed antelopes, spotted deer, barking deer, elephants and wild boars are some of the
animals which can be easily spotted in this park. One can become a witness to a large
variety of amphibians and birds here, over 250 species of birds can also be located in the
vicinity of this park.
The vegetation in this park mainly consists of moist, tropical and deciduous forest, while
leaving some portion being the dry deciduous type. Sandalwood, rosewood, teakwood and
silver oak are some of the important and easily available trees in this area, including the dry
deciduous trees such as Indian Kino trees, crepe myrtle, Crocodile bark etc.
LOCATION
Creating an aqueous edge with the Bandipur National Park, the river Kabini revolves around
the park. This entire forest cover is abode to the largest herbivorous density in Asia and
largest Asiatic Elephant density in the entire world. The combined area of the Park forms the
largest conterminous forest covered in this part of the world.
CONCLUSION
Through the wildlife sustainability perspective this park ensures the balance of food chain
within its premises and the park has successfully maintained the healthy predator – prey
ratio. The forest has vast forest cover, valleys, waterfalls, small streams, and hills.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ELEPHANTS AT BOTSWANA

ABOUT
The mysterious deaths of hundreds of elephants could have a “devastating” impact on the
species. Botswana is home to a third of Africa’s declining elephant population, and is
investigating a growing number of unexplained elephant deaths, after fatalities grew from
154 to 275 in two weeks.
SIGNIFICANT FACTS
Similar deaths were first reported in May when authorities found 12 carcasses in just a week
in two villages in the northwest of the country.
As held by the department of Wildlife and National parks said to mobilize human personnel
and aircrafts to better understand this mysterious death case and for the same, samples
have been collected for analysis.
The samples are send to Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Canada. Results from these labs will
be compared to field evaluations made by veterinarians, according to the ministry
Elephants began dying in masses in the month of May itself and the government would
normally respond within days to an event of this scale.
The mysterious death here is one of the biggest disasters to impact elephants which too in
the middle of one of the Africa’s top tourism destinations as held by the director of
conservation group National Park Rescue, Mark Hiley.
Botswana has the world’s highest population of elephants with more than 156,000 counted
in the survey in the country’s north.
Action taken on this by the former wildlife minister Tshekedi Khama, brother of the
President Ian Khama blaming poaching in the Okavango Delta on President Mokgweetsi
Masisi’s decision to disarm the wildlife department’s anti poaching unit in 2008.
Conservation group elephants without Borders reported 87 elephants found stripped of their
tusks in the area, soon after the above decision.
Elephants Without Borders (EWB), a local conservation group, recently performed helicopter
surveys of the Okavango region.
According to EWB’s report several elephants appear to be weak, lethargic and emaciated,
also some elephants appeared disorientated and showed difficulty in walking and symptoms
of partial paralysis or limp.
One of the elephant was unable to change the direction and kept revolving in a circular
direction inspite of being called by the heard several times.
OKAVANGO DELTA AND BOTSWANA
This delta mainly comprises of marshlands and seasonally flooded plains and is one of the
major interior delta which do not flow into sea or ocean.
This delta covers the part of Kalahari Desert and owes its existence to the Okavango River.
Botswana is the Africa’s oldest continuous democracy and it is a landlocked country in
South Africa covering 70% territory by Kalahari Desert.
CONCLUSION
Death of these many number of elephants is not something that can be easily digested and if
this continues to happen then it is very clear that the species will fall under endangered
category. Investigation is taking place in its own ways but these are definitely strange
circumstances.

GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE (GATT)

INTRODUCTION
GATT covers international trade in goods and its working, the working of the GATT
agreement are the responsibility of the Goods Council which is made up of representatives
from all the WTO member countries. The GATT was established by a multilateral treaty of 23
countries in 1947 after World War II. GATT emerged from the “ashes of the Havana Charter”
which was formed in 1947 and lasted until 1994, when it was replaced by the World Trade
Organization in 1995.
OBJECTIVE OF GATT
The main objective of GATT was the reduction of barriers to international trade, which is
done through the reduction of tariff barriers, and subsidies on trade through agreements.
World Trade Organization took over the functions of the GATT which was established during
the final round of negotiations in early 1990s.
ROUNDS OF GLOBAL TRADE TALKS UNDER GATT
FIRST ROUND – Geneva April 1947
In this round 23 countries, exchanged tariff concessions worth 10 billion US dollars, on
45,000 products of trade per annum. This affected 10% of the total global trade.
SECOND ROUND –Annecy Round 1950
The main focus of the talks was more tariff reductions, around 5000 total. This round took
place in 1949 in Annecy, France.
THIRD ROUND- Torquay round 1951
The contemporaneous rejection by the US of Havana Charter signified the establishment of
the GATT as a governing body. This round took place in Torquay, England 1951.
FOURTH ROUND –Geneva round 1955-1956
26 countries took part in the round and 2.5 $ billion in tariffs were reduced. The fourth round
returned to Geneva in 1955 and continued till May1956.
FIFTH ROUND-Geneva ( Dillion ) round 1960-1962
The fifth round again took place in Geneva and lasted from 1960 to 1962. Douglas Dillon was
the first one who proposed the talks so the talk was named after him. Total 26 countries took
part in this round.
SIXTH ROUND –Kennedy round 1964-1967
The US had been put at a disadvantage with the formation of EEC, European Economic
Community. To this the US Congress reacted by passing the Trade Expansion Act in 1962
October which authorized the Kennedy administration to make half the reduction in the tariff
of all commodities. This round had the participation of 62 countries.
SEVETH ROUND -Tokyo round 1973-1979
102 countries took part in this round which aimed at controlling the non tariff barriers and
voluntary export restrictions. Seventh Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations (MTN) was
launched under the auspices of GATT in September 1973 with the aim laid down in Tokyo
declaration.
EIGHTH ROUND- Uruguay round 1986-1993
The Eighth Round of GATT negotiations which began at Punta Del Esta in Uruguay in
September 1986 ought to have been concluded by the end of 1990. Many meetings took
place then after several meetings on 15 April 1994, 123 Ministers of member countries
ratified the results of the Uruguay Round at Marrakesh (Morocco) and the GATT disappeared
and passed into history and it was absorbed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1
January 1995.
CONCLUSION
The GATT was a set of rules and procedures relating to multilateral agreements of selective
nature. There were separate agreements on separate issues, which were not binding on
members. Any member could stay out of the agreement. IT was a forum where the member
countries met once in a decade to discuss and solve world trade problems, its rules applied
to trade in goods. Trade in services was included in the Uruguay Round but no agreement
was arrived at.
HONG KONG SECURITY LAW
INTRODUCTION
The new Hong Kong security law has been passed by China creating controversy,
widespread concern and anger among the powers. The Government of Hong Kong proposed
a bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, in March 2019. The local people
moved to the streets in record breaking numbers to defend their freedom.
HISTORY
In 1997, Britishers returned Hong Kong to China, but under a unique agreement which says
that Hong Kong had to enact its own national security law, however this could not be
enacted due to the protest against the law in 2003.
This unique agreement is known as the “one country, two systems” principle, It is called the
Basic Law, and works as a sort of mini constitution.
Hong Kong has its own Judiciary and separate legal system from mainland China
Out of 7 million population of Hong Kong, 3-4 million people came out to protest the
extradition bill introduced in 2019 leading to cancellation of the bill.
EXTRADITION BILL AND ISSUES WITH THE LAW
It is the process in which an individual of one state is submitted to another state for
prosecution of crimes committed in the requesting country’s jurisdiction. This is enabled
through a multilateral or bilateral treaty.
Rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, of the people of Hong Kong
were curtailed through this law.
Beijing will control the national security office and have the control over how law should be
interpreted.
As it happens in China, this law could be seen as punishment for criticizing Beijing and
Chinese Communist Party.
One country two system, procedure which is the Basic law of Hong Kong is been violated by
this law.
Breaking the laws imposed due to COVID-19, people came out in thousands of numbers
defying the law.
FURTHER DETAILS
1. In a Nepal visit, the Present Jinping threatened a war against the one who support
separatism in China.
2. China denied to cut off the debts of least developed countries as held in G20 Virtual
summit.
3. UK, Canada, and Australia expressed their deep concern regarding their concern in
Beijing’s proposed law.
4. Taiwan’s President supports and stands with the people of Hong Kong.
5. Japan’s foreign ministry showing its concern about China’s decision towards Hong
Kong.
6. According to Germany Hong Kong’s autonomy must not be undermined.

KUSHOK BAKULA RINPOCHE

ABOUT
Kushok Bakula Rinpoche is a legendary personality about which his followers Claim he is
the incarnation of Lord Buddha and is the head of the Pethup Gomba in Spituk Ladakh,
INDIA. He used to lead and simply spend his life and use only organic methods for his
livelihood. There are many mythological tales on him.
WHY IN NEWS?
• The honorable prime minister has paid tribute to the 19thkushok Bakula Rinpoche in
his Ladakh visit had praised a lot for his devotional work and also mentioned that the people
there are so ethnic that they prevent all attempts of separatism.
• He was a close acquaintance of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He handpicked
kushok Bakula Rinpoche for his simplest and godly nature.
MORE ABOUT KUSHOK BAKULA RINPOCHE
• He was always a person who never wanted separation in the name of religion and he
believed that Ladakh would be free from any biased religious issues.
• Gradually he was found that he was the 19threincarnation of BAKULA, who was one of
the 16 disciples of lord Buddha wherein then he was not into any politics his ideology was
very varied when talking about cosmicity as he always preferred simple over luxury which
Made him different from others,
• he was born in a simple but royal family in a city of Ladakh and lately pt. Jawaharlal
Nehru recognized him and knew that he could surely be a leader and bring some changes
.so, after many requests he shook hands with Nehru and set out to serve the people of the
nation but his thoughts were reserved if talking about politics but soon after strong desire
and pursuance of Nehru he joined Congress and joined the national conference.
• In his lifetime he has earned much respect because his priority always to ensure that
education is being accessed by all children and wanted that Ladakh should hold its
independent identity.
• His efforts brought colors when Ladakh was signified as a separate union territory
with autonomous hill development.
• He had the foresight to which he informed Nehru Ji but he then didn’t believe him to
which he regretted that the things could have been better. He managed the affairs of Ladakh
for 10 years in Jammu and Kashmir a later become the 1stmember of parliament from
Ladakh.
• When Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister he became a member of the Minorities
Commission of India and soon appointed as the Ambassador of Mongolia.
• His journey ended with his untimely death at the age of 83 in the year 2006.
• An airport is also named after him – kushak Bakula Rinpoche Airport in Leh which is
considered as 23rdlargest commercial airport.
SHIVALIK FORESTS
INTRODUCTION
These forests are mainly situated near the Himalayas and also denoted as Churia Hills. They
are formed by sandstones and conglomerate. The narrow lines are known as DUNS,
therefore the pebbles and gravels are found near the foothills and it contributes towards the
growth of high marshy lands and thick forests. Its age is recorded as 5.2 million of years old.
The Shivalik ranges connects four major states Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Uttrakhand, and Haryana.
SHIVALIK FORESTS TO TURN INTO TIGER RESERVES
The need to turn the forests into reserves is to ensure the protection of the tiger community
as their population is increasing day by day which is also giving birth to more and more
clashes as their numbers are increasing but lack of or no minimal area for their living is a
serious question. With growing concern and understanding the need for the situation THE
DIVISIONAL COMMISSIONER OF SHAHRANPUR appealed to the state government and
expressed the need to convert the Shivalik forests into the tiger reserves. consequently, the
state government is also moving forward to implement this.
WHY SHIVALIK FORESTS ARE CHOSEN
• The Shivalik was chosen due to the soil sediments which was very rich in its content.
Interestingly, they have found mandibular ramus stegodon which is the molar of the lower
jaw of the extinct elephant species which dated back approx. 5-6 million years ago.
• The forests had a very fine system of rivers and other biotic components which is
making it more suitable for tigers.
• The most important was the movement of tigers safely from Corbett to Motichur range
of Rajaji National park and it was the most suitable place not only this but also it has led to
the attraction of more eco-tourism.
• Tigers are getting into a very vulnerable situation despite some leopards are spotted.
• Tigers can lead their life without any fear or human interference since earlier lack of
place and conversion of more forests into residential buildings they often enter the city area
and it causes panic often they are targeted for poaching.
Global e-waste monitor 2020
Global E-waste Monitor 2020 is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics
Partnership (GESP), formed by UN University (UNU), the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste (ISWA), in close collaboration with the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the German
Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) also substantially contributed to
this year’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020.
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

ABOUT
The WTO or the World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization which
officially commenced on 1 January 1995, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994. WTO
replaced the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) which commenced in 1948.
WTO is the largest international economic organization in the World, and is concerned with
the regulation of international trade between nations. The WTO has 164 members (including
European Union) and 23 observer governments (like Iran, Iraq, Libya etc).
HISTORY
The WTO’s predecessor, the GATT was established by a multilateral treaty of 23 countries in
1947 after World War II in the wake of new institutions such as World Bank and Indian
Monetary fund, dedicated to international economic cooperation.
The Britten Wood conference also delegates the establishment of complementary institution
to be known as the International Trade Organization (ITO), which is considered as the third
leg of the system.
A draft charter for the ITO known as Havana Charter was introduced in Havana in 1948,
which would carry the code of conduct regarding trade, investment, services, and business
and employment practices. Earlier since the US Senate failed to ratify it the Havana Charter
never entered into force.
To phase out the use of import quotas and to reduce tariffs on merchandise trade an
agreement as GATT is signed by 23 countries in Geneva in 1947 which further came into
force on Jan 1, 1948.
The Uruguay Round conducted from 1987 to 1994, reached a highest point of development
in the Marrakesh Agreement which established the World Trade Organization which
incorporates the principles of the GATT and provides an efficient framework to implement
them.
AIMS OF WTO
1. The WTO can reduce the cost of doing business internationally and can stimulate
growth and development also it helps to encourage good governance.
2. The WTO’s global system lowers trade barriers through negotiation and operates
under the principle of non-discrimination.
3. To help other countries develop and to provide the weaker countries a sort of bold
voice being a part of it.
4. When the world economy is in turmoil, the multilateral trading system can contribute
to balance the economy.
GOVERNANCE
Ministerial conference is the topmost decision making body of the WTO which can take
decision on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements.
The General Council is the WTO’s highest-level decision-making body located in Geneva,
which meets regularly to carry out the functions of WTO.
The WTO General Council meets as the TPRB to undertake trade policy reviews of the
members under the TPRM and to consider the Director-General’s regular reports on trade
policy development.
Appellate Body is a standing body of seven persons that hears appeals from reports issued
by panels in disputes brought by WTO Members.
The General Council convenes as the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) to sort out the
conflicts between WTO members.
WTO AND INDIA
India is a founder member of WTO and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
1947.
Since the Uruguay Round, India has autonomously liberalized its Services trade regime
across the board.
India is persistently demanding for a permanent solution on public stockholding subsidies
at WHO.
CONCLUSION
Studies show that the WTO boosted trade. Research shows that in the absence of the WTO,
the average country would face an increase in tariffs on their exports by 32 percentage
points. The dispute settlement mechanism in the WTO is one way in which trade is
increased.

CONSTITUTIONAL LIMIT ON TOTAL NUMBER OF MINISTERS CONSTITUTING COUNCIL OF

MINISTERS

WHY?
There was an expansion in the ministry of Madhya Pradesh in the council of ministers
strength to 34, which is more than 15% of the strength of the legislators at 206.
In 2020 the assembly strength of 228 dropped to 206 because 22 congress MLAs resigned.
Two seats were vacant due to earlier deaths.
INTRODUCTION
The minimum strength of council of ministers in a state as per the Indian Constitution is 12
and maximum in15% of legislative assembly. It has been recently witness that the strength
of the Council of Ministers (CoM) in Madhya Pradesh exceeds the prescribed Constitutional
limit.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS IN STATE
Council of ministers in the states functions in the same way as the council of ministers in
the Centre.
ARTICLE 163(1) There should be a Council of Ministers as the head to advice the governor
to perform his functions.
ARTICLE 164(1) The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other
Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, and the
Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor. However in the States of
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare who
may in addition be in charge of the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and backward classes
or any other work.
ARTICLE 164(1A) This provision was introduced through the 91th Constitution (Amendment)
act, 2003 which says that the total number of ministers, including the CM, in the council of
ministers in a state shall not exceed 15% of the members of legislative assembly of that
State and should not be less than 12%.
ARTICLE 164(1B) member of either House of state legislature who is disqualified on the
ground of defection shall also be disqualified to be appointed as a Minister.
ARTICLE 164(2) council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the State Legislative
Assembly.
ARTICLE 164(4) A person can remain as minister without being a member of the state
legislative for a period of 6 consecutive months.

WORLD BANK AND GOVERNMENT OF INDIA SIGNED AN AGREEMENT FOR EMERGENCY

RESPONSE PROGRAM FOR MSMEs
INTRODUCTION
The world bank and the government of India signed the $750 million agreement for the
MSME Emergency Response Program to support increased flow of finance into the hands of
micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
KEY POINTS
This agreement was signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, additional secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Junaid
Ahmad, Country Director, India on behalf of the World Bank.
This program of the World Bank’s MSME Emergency Response program will address the
immediate credit and liquidity needs of some 1.5 million viable MSMEs to help them and
protect the millions of job. It is the first step among a broader set of reforms that are needed
to propel the MSME sector over time.
The World Bank including the private sector will support the government’s initiatives to
protect the MSME sector through the following ways by
UNLOCKING LIQUIDITY- by RBI and government of India to infuse liquidity into the market,
India’s financial system benefited from decisive measures. This program will support
government’s efforts to channel that liquidity to the MSME sector by de-risking lending from
banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to MSMEs through a range of
instruments, including credit guarantees.
STRENGTHENING NBFCs and SFBs – Improving the funding capacity of key market-oriented
channels of credit, such as the NBFCs and Small Finance Bank (SFBs), will help them
respond to the urgent and varied needs of the MSMEs.
ENABLING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS – this program will provide incentives and
mainstream the use of digital financial services and the use of fintech in MSME lending and
payments. In today’s scenario only about 8% of MSMEs are served by formal credit
channels.
CONCLUSION
Out of the $2.75 billion to support India’s emergency COVID-19 response and MSME project,
the first $1 billion was announced in April this year for immediate support to India’s health
sector and another $1 billion project to increase cash transfers and food benefits to the poor
and vulnerable- accessible to both rural and urban populations across state and boundaries.
The $750 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) has a maturity of 19 years including a 5-year grace period.

PLASMA THERAPY
What is plasma therapy?
The whole world is fighting against this pandemic and India is also contributing its best to
control and save reckless deaths in time. Contributing to experiment every possible manner
and to this, some doctors are testing convalescent plasma therapy to treat serious patients.
Plasma is always considered the best thing to treat diseases effectively.
NEED OF PLASMA THERAPY
Many people have not being responded to any of the drugs or any symptoms etc. These
people are at a higher risk of getting infected. Convalescent plasma therapy thus helps in
cure to them since they need high medical assistance. Convalescent plasma therapy has the
risk of :
• Allergic reaction
• Lung damage and difficulty breathing
• Transmission of infections, including HIV and hepatitis B and C
It has a completely separate procedure for the therapy. If the doctor finds the patient
suitable only then the test can be conducted. The workers and their family members are at
higher risk of getting COVID 19.this initiative has been taken given the above to prevent
them from being infected.
WHY IN NEWS
India has its first plasma bank and has been created mainly for those who are suffering from
the COVID-19.
• Only 7 hospitals have permission to conduct the trials in Delhi. These are AIIMS,
MAULANA AZAD MEDICAL COLLEGE, and Liver and Biliary Sciences, Indraprastha Apollo
Hospital, Batra hospital medical college, Ram Mohan Lohia hospital, Max hospital Saket.
• Chennai (TAMIL NADU) has completed its first-ever plasma therapy on 18 COVID 19
patients in the Rajiv Gandhi government general hospital here.
• In Jaipur, the SMS hospital has merged as a new center of plasma therapy tests.
• Though the government has allowed the plasma therapy due to lack of donors the
tests are not conducted at a moderate rate.
WHO CAN DONATE- Pregnant ladies couldn’t donate as during the pregnancy the antibodies
produced can hamper the lung functions. Age limit 18-60 and weight >50 are eligible. the
patients who have been recovered from the disease before the donation or 3 weeks and so
are considered. Patients who have cancer, diabetes, and comorbidities are strictly excluded.
WHAT TESTS ARE CONDUCTED BEFORE APPROVAL – some essential tests such as
hepatitis B virus, HIV, malaria, and syphilis are first tested and further for blood grouping
and antibody screening. Serum COVID19 which is a specific antibody; serum protein and
CBC.
HOW CAN A DONOR CONTACT THE DOCTOR
A person who is eligible and willing to donate can contact their helpline number 1031 or
WhatsApp. Soon a team of few doctors will connect.

SAKTENG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

INTRODUCTION
Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary located mostly in Trashigang district and crossing the border in
to Samdrup Jongkhar District, Bhutan. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan’s Tentative
List for UNESCO inclusion. Recently, China has made new territorial claims in the eastern
sector of Bhutan’s Trashigang district.
FLORA AND FAUNA
This sanctuary shows the easternmost temperate ecosystem and landscapes in Bhutan, it
protects several endemic species such as black rumped magpie and the eastern blue pine. It
is a part of the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests eco region. This sanctuary was
created in the part to protect the migoi a mythological creature whose existence has not
been scientifically confirmed, but in which the local population strongly believes.
IMPORTANT POINTS
According to China, the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the China Bhutan conflicted
area and has its disputes over the eastern, central and western sectors of Bhutan. China
claims that the boundary between China and Bhutan has never been delimited.
GEF (Global Environment Facility) is a US-based global body to finance projects in the
environment sector set up in 1992. China claims in the online meeting of the GEF council,
objecting to the funding request to develop the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary project in eastern
Bhutan. However, GEF cleared the funding to the project after Bhutan protested against the
Chinese claims.
According to Bhutan the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign territory of
Bhutan and has conveyed its position to China through embassy in New Delhi, also in the
past this sanctuary has received some grants for projects on prevailing soil erosion, without
any objection from China.
In the previous 24 rounds of boundary negotiations held between the two countries between
1984 and 2016, there has been no sign of eastern Bhutan or Trashigang district, where
Sakteng is situated. China and Bhutan mainly have issue in only north and west sectors of
the border.
Sakteng is situated along the borders of Arunachal Pradesh, some part of which is claimed
by China. Claiming the territory is a tactics of Chinese to put pressure on India’s small
neighbors to punish them for any closeness with India. In 1949 in the Indian Bhutan
Friendship Treaty, Bhutan allowed India to guide its defence affairs and foreign policy.
The 1949 treaty was amended in 2007 even after which Indian military is virtually responsible
for protecting Bhutan from the kind of external threat that the Chinese military poses,
therefore both sides need to work together on this issue.

Compulsory Licences for Remdesivir

Why in the News?

• The Polit Bureau of the CPI {Marxist} asked government to issue compulsory licences
for the manufacture of a generic version of Remdesivir. The drug is used as an anti-viral to
treat COVID-19 patients.
• ‘Gilead Sciences’ anti-viral drug Remdesivir has shown efficiency in treating COVID-
19patients.
• The Licences has to be compulsorily issued under the Clause 92 of the Patent Act for
production of more affordable generic version.
• Generic medicines and vaccinations are copies of originally researched drugs but at
lower prices.
• Compulsory licenses are authorizations given to a third-party by the Controller
General to make, use or sell a particular product or use a particular process which has been
patented, without the need of the permission of the patent owner.
• This concept is recognised at both national as well as international levels, with
express mention in both (Indian) Patent Act, 1970 and TRIPS Agreement.
• There are certain pre-requisite conditions, given under sections 84-92, which need to
be fulfilled if a compulsory license is to be granted in favour of someone.
Cause of Issue of the Licences
• The party suggested the government invoking Clause 92 of the Patent Act, 1970 that
allows compulsory license.
• The clause states that the Central Government in circumstances of national
emergency or in circumstances of extreme urgency can issue the compulsory license for
any patent in force.
• It will allow Indian manufacturers to produce a more affordable generic version.
• It is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine.
• The license can be applied after three years of date of sealing of patent provided there
is need and requirement
• Remdesivir is developed to treat Ebola and same nature of viruses.
• According to WHO, the drug helps to prevent COVID-19 viral replication.
• It was also mentioned that USA has brought the entire stock of Remdesivir for the next
three months. Hence, it will be difficult to avail such drug.
• The manufacturing firm of the drug Remdesivir has a patent monopoly.
Key Points
• India’s first ever compulsory license was granted by the Patent Office on March 9,
2012, to Natco Pharma for the generic production of Bayer Corporation’s Nexavar, a life –
saving medicine used for treating Liver and Kidney Cancer.
• Compulsory licenses can also be issued suo-motu by the Controller under section 92,
pursuant to a notification issued by the Central Government if there is either a “national
emergency” or “extreme urgency” or in cases of “public non-commercial use”.
• All the 3 conditions of section 84 were fulfilled and the decision was taken for the
benefit of general public. The conditions are:
• Reasonable requirements of public have not been satisfied
• Patent invention is not available to public at a reasonably affordable price
• Patented inventions are not carried out in India.
• Pharma major Gilead signed non-exclusive licensing agreements with five companies
based out of India and Pakistan for drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients.
Issues related to Compulsory License
• The US has consistently criticized countries that do not have compulsory licensing
standards that Big Pharma likes, that threaten to issue compulsory licenses, or that have
actually had the temerity to issue a compulsory license.
• All the infamous cases are here – the threat against South Africa because of a
misreading of its 1998 Amendments to its Medicines and Related Substances Act that it
would allow compulsory licenses.
• 2001 WTO (World Trade Organization) action against Brazil over one of its compulsory
licensing provisions, the 2007 threat against Thailand after it issued government use
licenses on HIV, cancer, and cardiovascular disease medicines.
• The strident 2012-2017 threats against India after it issued just one compulsory
license on an overpriced cancer medicine.
The 2008 and continuing threats against Ecuador for multiple compulsory licenses, and the
2013 and continuing threats against Indonesia after it issued seven licenses on HIV and
hepatitis medicines and later amended its patent law to make it easier to issue compulsory
licenses.

Raman Spectroscopy
Why in the news?
Researchers have turned to Raman Spectroscopy to detect RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) virus.
It’s been found that the noval coronavirus is found in sufficient amount in human saliva.
Recently, WHO (World Health Organization) acknowledged that the airborne transmission of
COVID-19 is possible.
The Raman Spectroscopy
Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive Chemical analysis technique which provides
detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and
molecular interactions. It is based on the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within
a material.
Raman Scattering
• When light encounters molecules in the air and incident photons interact with
molecules in such a way that energy is either gained or lost so that scattered photons are
shifted in frequency. Such inelastic scattering is called Raman Scattering.
• Raman Scattering depends upon the polarizability of the molecules.
• It is defined as the scattering of photos by the excited molecules that are at higher
energy levels. It is also known as Raman effect.
• The kinetic energy of particles lead to inelastic scatter, that means it is either lost or
increased and are composed of Stokes and anti-Stokes portions.
• The three main types of scattering that impact incoming solar radiation:
• Rayleigh Scatter
• Mie Scatter
• Non- Selective Scatter
The significance of the Study
• The detection of RNA viruses in saliva could form the basis for field application of
Raman Spectroscopy in managing viral outbreaks of COVID-19.
• The researchers spiked saliva samples with non-infectious RNA Virus and analysed it
with Raman Spectroscopy.
• Analysing the new Raman Spectroscopy data, comparison of both viral positive and
negative samples.
• The process is beneficial as the whole process of data acquisition and analysis can be
formed easily with no additional reagent and recurring cost.
Interesting Facts
• February 28 is celebrated as National Science Day in India to mark the discovery of
Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman.
• The effect was discovered by the professor on February 28, 1928.
• Sir C.V. Raman was awarded Nobel Prize for discovering the effect in 1930.
• The Effect:It states about scattering of light. When a beam of light comes out of a
liquid, the light wave scattered in a direction is different from that of the incoming light
wave.
• The theme of this year, the National Science Day was, Women in Science.
• The RNA virus causes diseases like Hepatitis C Virus. Ebola, SARS, Influenza, Polio,
Measles etc.
• A Northern Arizona University NAU research team, led by professor Miguel Jose
Yacaman, is developing a new test technology for SARS-CoV-2 using single-molecule
surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SM-SERS).
Difference between RNA and DNA
Basis RNA DNA
Name Ribonucleic Acid Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Structure Single – stranded molecule. Double – stranded molecule
Function Genetic information and transmission to make new organisms and cells.
Transfer genetic codes from the nucleus to the ribosomes to make proteins. It is used
to store genetic blueprints in primitive organisms.

COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL (CAG)

INTRODUCTION
Vinod Rai appointed as the former Comptroller Auditor General by the Supreme Court as the
head of four-member Committee of Administrators to run Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI). Ramaachandra Guha, former India’s women’s cricket team captain Diana Edulji
and managing director of IDFC Limited Vikram Limaye, the other three members of the
committee. They will function as the interim bosses of the BCCI and run the day-to-day
administration till Lodha committee reforms are fully implemented.
ABOUT CAG
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, mentioned in the
Constitution of India under Article 148 – 151.
The CAG is ranked 9th and enjoys the same status as a judge of Supreme Court of India in
Indian order of precedence.
The CAG of India is appointed by the President of India, following a recommendation by the
Prime Minister. On appointment, he/she has to make an oath or affirmation before the
President of India.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF CAG
CAG audits the receipts and expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India and of the
State and Union Territory having legislative assembly.
He audits the government companies as per the provisions of the Companies Act, 2003
CAG audits the grants and loans given by Government bodies and authorities for specific
purposes.
Audits authorities and bodies substantially financed from the Consolidated Funds of the
Union and State Governments. Anybody or authority even though not substantially financed
from the Consolidated Fund, the audit of which may be entrusted to the C&AG.
FURTHER POINTS
Since the BCCI President Anurag Thakur and BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke failed to implement
the reforms recommended by the Justice Lodha Committee, the Supreme Court held that
they are unfit for their obstructionist attitude and incapacity to make affiliated state
associations fall in line with the committee.
SC set the stage for a revamp of the country’s top cricketing body by ordering them to
forthwith cease and desist from associating themselves with Indian cricket’s most powerful
sporting body.
To run the BCCI an experienced committee of administrators will be appointed, till the time
the senior most vice-president of the BCCI to take over as BCCI president and the joint
secretary to replace him.
The Lodha committee’s recommendations will be confined to overall policy making once the
committee of administrators is formed. The court found Mr. Thakur guilty of contempt of
Supreme Court.
CONCLUSION
Senior India Audit and Accounts Service Officer Alka Rehani Bhardwaj will join the BCCI
apex council as a representative of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). This
is as per the Supreme Court-approved constitution of the BCCI, which manadates that a
member of the CAG must be part of the apex council.

LODHA COMMITTEE
INTRODUCTION
The Lodha Committee was appointed by the Supreme Court of India on 22 January 2015 with
the objective to analyse and implement the required changes for improving the BCCI.
HISTORY
The establishment of Lodha Committee was the result of the report submitted by the Justice
Mukul Mudgal Committee after an investigation into the 2013 IPL betting scandal. The report
suggested various changes within the BCCI such as the appointment conditions of the CFO
and CEO, age of office bearers, advertisements during the IPL matches, and appointment of
the (CAG) Comptroller and Auditor General Official. On January 2, 2017 the Supreme Court
had removed Anurag Thakur as BCCI president, Ajay Shirke as BCCI secretary and
disqualified all the board and its State Association office bearers after they failed to
implement new norms set by the Justice Lodha Committee.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The retirement age to be fixed at 70 years.
Any administrator who has criminal charge, is of unsound mind, is insolvent, and holds a
position in any other athletic association needs to be removed.
“one vote per state” policy to make BCCI more transparent in its dealings.
BCCI President cannot have a tenure of more than two years.
An independent and sovereign governing body for the IPL.
To ensure that BCCI officials are not involved in any betting, they need to disclose their
assets to the governing board,
These were the recommendations of the past years; the current recommendation include
some of these and
The politicians, officials, may not hold posts in BCCI
Each state can have only one official cricket association
Appointment of an ombudsman to oversee the activities of BCCI
JUSTICE LODHA
Justice R. M. Lodha was born 28 September 1949 and was a former Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of India. On 14 July 2015, the Supreme Court committee headed by RM
Lodha suspended the owners of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from the IPL
tournament for a period of two years for alleged involvement in betting. Lodha was
appointed as the Chief Justice of India succeeding Sathasivam on 11 April and assumed
charge on 27 April 2014.
CONCLUSION
The recommendations of the Lodha Committee shook the BCCI hierarchy and its related
associations. The BCCI raised the objections regarding it and approached the Supreme
Court which upheld the Lodha Committee recommendations paving the way to major
changes with the BCCI, by a two judge bench consisting of Justice Ibrahim Kalifulla and TS
Thakur and the final judgment was held on 18 July 2016.

(BCCI) BOARD OF CONTROL FOR CRICKET IN INDIA

• July 9, 2020

• Posted by Content Manager (THE IQ HUB)

• On July 9, 2020

• 0
INTRODUCTION
The BCCI is the national governing body for cricket in India. It is a consortium of state
cricket associations and the state associations select their representatives who in turn elect
the BCCI Chief. In December 1928, the BCCI was registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies
Registration Act with six associations affiliated to it. R R Grant Govan was elected as its first
president and Anthony de Mello as secretary.
BCCI headquarter is in Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
2017-COMMITTEE OF ADMINISTRATORS
BCCI has become rather notorious for its monopoly and has suffered from corruption
allegations. The Supreme Court on 30 January 2017 nominated a four-member panel
Committee of Administrators to look after the administration of the BCCI in order to
implement Lodha Committee reforms.
SUPREME COURT AND LODHA COMMITTEE
Vinod Rai (CAG) appointed by Supreme Court as head of four-member Committee of
Administrators to run Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The first task of the committee will be to find out how much the BCCI has complied with the
recommendations made by the Justice RM Lodha committee. There were some
recommendations made by the Lodha committee to be applied in BCCI such as:-
Each State can have only one cricket association
Appointment of an ombudsman to oversee the activities of the BCCI
Politicians, officials may not hold posts in the BCCI; retirement age to be fix at 70 years
BCCI President cannot have a tenure of more than two years
An independent and sovereign governing body for the IPL
SUPREME COURT HELD
Since the BCCI President Anurag Thakur and BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke failed to implement
the reforms recommended by the Justice Lodha Committee, the Supreme Court held that
they are unfit for their obstructionist attitude and incapacity to make affiliated state
associations fall in line with the committee.
To run the BCCI an experienced committee of administrators will be appointed, till the time
the senior most vice-president of the BCCI to take over as BCCI president and the joint
secretary to replace him.
The Lodha committee’s recommendations will be confined to overall policy making once the
committee of administrators is formed. The court found Mr. Thakur guilty of contempt of
Supreme Court.
The Lodha Committee had further decided that it had to understand the functioning of the
BCCI in order to make it a transparent body. To achieve this task, the committee framed
various questionnaires on exhaustive set of topics such as the role of BCCI’s stakeholders
in the board’s election processes, the basis and formation of its various committees, player
welfare, conflict of interest and transparency in the IPL’s functioning.
BCCI CONTROVERSIES
The most controversial incident pitting the BCCI against ICC was the November 2001 Port
Elizabeth Test, involving former England player and match referee Mike Denness, who found
six Indian players, including Sachin Tendulkar, guilty of various offences.
The BCCI did not recognize the Indian Cricket League (ICL) backed by businessman
Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Ltd. The BCCI declared the ICL a rebel league and
imposed lifetime bans on players joining it IN 2008.
The BCCI and ICC had major disagreements over the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA)
‘whereabouts’ clause in 2009.
In 2011, the BCCI disagrees with the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) proposed by
the ICC.
Income tax authorities have reopened old cases involving the BCCI and slapped taxes
totaling about ₹ 2,300 crore for seven years after terming all its activities as “commercial” in
2013.
FUNCTIONS OF BCCI
BCCI decides the sponsor, controls IPL, decides with whom and where India will play and
also how much of what format will team play.
It has its own constitution which has specified the rules and regulations for players.
It has its administrators for its smooth functioning.
BCCI organizes the following domestic cricket competitions:
• Ranji Trophy
• Duleep Trophy
• Deodhar Trophy
• BCCI Corporate Trophy
• Vijay Hazare Trophy
• Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
• Irani Cup
• NKP Salve Challenger Trophy
• Senior Women’s One Day League
• Senior Women’s T20 League
• Indian Premier League

NATIONAL GENE BANK

INTRODUCTIONS
The National Gene Bank was established in 1996-97 and hosted by the National Bureau of
Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi.
OBJECTIVE
The main aim of this is to conserve the Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future
generations in the form of seeds, genomic resources, pollen etc.
FUNCTIONS
The NGB has four types of facilities, like Seed Genebank, Cryogene bank, In vitro Gene Bank
and field Genebank, to carter long as well as medium-term conservation.
Crops such as cereals, milleys, medicinal etc. are stored under this.
FACILITIES
India’s seed vault is at Ladakh in the Himalayas and the World’s largest collection of seeds
is in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.
NBAGAR (National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources) is one of the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, which serves the main objective of conserving the
indigenous livestock biodiversity.
National Animal Gene Bank, is established at the National Bureau of Animal Genetic
Resources (NBAGAR) in Karnal, Haryana.
NATIONAL MEDICINAL PLANT BOARD
The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) was set up by government of India on 24th
November 2000, with the objective to promote the medicinal plant sector and to develop an
appropriate mechanism for coordination between various ministries/ departments/
organizations and implementation of support policies for overall growth of medicinal plants
sector both at the Central and International level.
The National Medicinal Plant Board is currently working under the ministry of AYUSH
(Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).
NATIONAL BUREAU OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES
It is headquartered in New Delhi and has 10 regional stations.
The ‘National Bureau of Plant Introduction’ was renamed as ‘National Bureau of Plant
Genetic Resources’ (NBPGR) in January 1977 making it one of the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes which is an autonomous organization under the
ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare.
The NBPGR has linkage with National Active Germplasm Sites (NAGS) for the management
of active germplasm of field and horticultural crops, germplasm is a live source of
information for all the genes present in the respective plant, which can be conserved for
long periods and regenerated whenever it is required in the future.
It has played an important role in the improvement of various crop plants and diversification
of agriculture in India through germplasm introduction from various organizations located in
foreign countries and conservation thereof.
WHY IN NEWS?
Under the Ministry of AYUSH the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) and under the
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
(NBPGR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim to conserve the
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources (MAPGRs) in the National Gene Bank
(NGB).

Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

Why in the News?

• The Home Ministry has formed an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate
investigations into alleged violation of income tax and foreign donation rules by Rajiv
Gandhi Foundation.
• The investigations will focus on the alleged violation of laws like the Prevention of
Money Laundering Act {PMLA}, Income Tax Act, Contribution {Regulation} Act by the
Gandhi family-run trusts.
• The foundation linked with three NGOs namely, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, Rajiv
Gandhi Foundation, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
• The BJP alleged that while Congress was in power, Manmohan Singh government
donated money from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the Rajiv Gandhi
Foundation. Also, in his budget speech in 1991 as Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh had
allocated Rs 100 crore to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
• It was mentioned that the foundation received funds from the Chinese Embassy in
2005.
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation {RGF} was set up on June 21, 1991. The vision of the former
Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi for the foundation: Modern India, Secular and Progressive. The
democratic principle of equality and blends progress with rich culture and traditions. The
foundation works on a range of issues including literacy, health, disability, empowerment of
the underprivileged, livelihoods and natural resources management.
The foundation is headed by Sonia Gandhi, who is the leader of the Indian National
Congress Party. The other trustees include Dr Manmohan Singh, Shri p. Chidambaram, Dr
Ashok Ganguly and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Money Laundering
Money laundering is the process of making large amounts of money generated by criminal
activity, such as drug trafficking or terrorist funding, appear to have come from a legitimate
source. Criminal activities like illegal arms sales, smuggling drug trafficking and bribery etc.
Money laundering is the process of conversion of dirty money to make it appear as
legitimate money.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 {PMLA}
• PMLA 2002 forms the core of the legal framework put in place by India to combat
money laundering.
• Came into force in effect from July 1, 2005.
• The PMLA rules impose obligation on banking companies, financial institutions and
intermediaries to verify of clients.
• PMLA defines money laundering offence and provides for the freezing, seizure and
confiscation of the proceeds of crime.
• The recent amendment treats money laundering as a stand-alone crime.
• Another important amendment makes concealment of proceeds of crime, possession,
acquisition, use, projection as untainted money, or claiming untainted property as
independent and complete offences under the Act.
• All PMLA offences are cognisable and non-bailable under Section 45 of the act.
• Section 72 will now give power to the Centre to set up an Inter-Ministerial Coordination
Committee for inter-departmental and inter-agency coordination for operational and policy
level cooperation, for consultation on anti-money laundering and counter-terror funding
initiatives.
• The objective of PMLA; to prevent and control of money laundering, to confiscate and
seize the property obtained from the money laundering, to deal with any other issues
connected with money laundering in India.
• Apart from the provisions of PMLA, there are other specialised provisions such as
RBI/SEBI/IRDA anti-money laundering regulations
• Directorate of Enforcement is specialized financial investigation agency under the
Department of Revenue Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• Enforcement Unit was formed in 1956, for handling Exchange Control Laws Violations
under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947.
• It was formed in Department of Economic Affairs.
The Enforcement Directorate enforces: Foreign Exchange Management Act, 199 and
Prevention of Money Laundering, 2020.

UN REPORT ON ZOONOTIC DISEASE

ABOUT ZOONOTIC DISEASE
Zoonotic disease is a disease that is passed into humans through animals directly or from
an intermediary species, zoonotic infections can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature.
Example- HIV-AIDS, Ebola, Malaria and the current COVID-19 disease.
ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS
Humans come in contact with wildlife for hunting, harvesting of wild animals for meat and
research or medical purposes etc. which tends to increase the risk of zoonotic disease.
Increase in demand for animal protein encourages the intensification of animal products,
wherein a large number of genetically similar animals are bred for higher productivity.
The increase in consumption of food products with animal sources is driving a major
change in the food supply chain.
Antimicrobial resistance is acquired by the microorganisms against antimicrobial drugs that
are used to treat infections, but the high use of antimicrobials in farm settings is
contributing to the burden of AntiMicrobial Resistance (AMR), which in turn results in
ineffective treatments, infections persist and may spread to others as well.
WHY IN HEADLINES?
According to the report of 6th July, about 60% infectious diseases in humans and 75% of
emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic published by the report of United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
It focuses on the context and nature of potential future zoonotic disease outbreaks, during
the Covid-19 pandemic by identifying the changes in environment due to human activity.
SUGGESTIONS
By recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared
environment, one health is a multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach with the goal of
achieving optimal health outcomes.
Strengthening Monitoring would help in regulating practices associated with zoonotic
diseases.
Expanding Scientific Enquiry is a crucial element of AMR containment efforts since waste
from intensive farms using antimicrobials paves way for AMR determinants in the
environment.
Development of food security and livelihood which do not tend to destruct the biodiversity
can be done by sustainable land management practices, it would also enhance the
sustainable co-existence of agriculture and wildlife.
To encourage management and control measures for emerging zoonotic diseases in animal
husbandry it is essential to identify key drivers.
CONCLUSION
There is an immediate need to invest a depth understanding of an essential link with
environment and zoonotic disease. Also, an immediate need of monitor such diseases in
human-dominated environments.
Sustainable methods of food production should be adopted to reduce dependence on
intensive systems in order to preserve health and eco systems.

Encounter: Rights of the Police and the Accused

Why in the News?

Vikas Dubey was shot dead during an encounter while he allegedly tried to escape from the
custody. He was accused in the killing of eight police personnel in Kanpur last week. Dubey
was arrested in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
Encounters and Police Rights
• The police have the power to register a FIR under section 154 of Criminal Procedure
Code {CrPC} and commence investigation.
• Section 46 of CrpC stipulates as to how an arrest has to be made. The arrest is based
on the cognizable and non-cognizable offence.
• Cognizable Offence: Police can arrest without a warrant.
• Non-Cognizable Offence: Police can arrest the accused after the issue of the warrant.
• Warrant: A document issued by a legal or government authority to make an arrest or
carry out action.
• The police force has the right to injure or kill the criminal provided it was a self-
defense or where it is imminently necessary for maintenance of peace and order.
• Nothing must be done to settle personal feuds or malice motives.
• There is no provision in the Indian law that directly authorizes the encounters of
criminals.
• Section 100 of IPC {Indian Penal Code}, exception 3 of Section 300 of IPC, Section 46
of the code of Criminal Procedure lay down similar provisions with regard to investigations
in extra judicial killing and cases of culpable homicide.
• If the Police is found guilty of such an act, the personnel will be charged under Section
299 of the Indian Penal Code for Culpable Homicide. The compensation must be granted to
kin of the deceased.
Rights of the Accused/ Arrested Person
• The presumption that an accused is innocent until proven guilty reflects that everyone
is same in the eyes of law. Article 14 – Equality before law.
• The legal burden of proof rests on the prosecution to prove that the accused is guilty
of the offence.
• Article 21 of the Constitution of India stipulates that no person shall be deprived of his
life or personal liberty except in accordance with the procedure established by law.
• Right to know the grounds of arrest. According to Section 50{1} Cr.P.C. “every police
officer or other person arresting any person without warrant shall forthwith communicate to
him full particulars of the offence for which he is arrested or other grounds for such arrest.
• Information regarding the Right to be released on bail. Section 50{2} Cr.P.C.
• Right to be taken before the magistrate without delay when an arrest is made without a
warrant.
• Right of not being detained for more than 24 hours without judicial sructiny as per
Section 57.
• Right to consult a legal practitioner as per Article 22{1} of the Constitution.
• Right to be examined by a medical practitioner as per Section 54
• Right to produce an evidence under Section 138 of Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
National Human Rights Commission of India
• The National Human Rights Commission {NHRC}of India is a statutory public body
constituted on 12 October 1993.
• It was constituted under Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993 and is
situated in New Delhi.
• National Human Rights Commission have laid down proper guidelines and procedures
on extrajudicial killings in order to prevent any abuse of power by the law enforcement
agencies. The guidelines are:
• The information about the death in an encounter shall be recorded in appropriate
register.
• Investigation of the received information.
• The case is taken by an independent agency.
• A magisterial enquiry must be held in all cases of death which occurs in course of
police action.
• Objectives of NHRC:
• Inquire into violations of Human Rights by government of India or negligence of such
violation by a public servant.
• The protection of human rights and recommend measures for their effective
implication.
• To visit jails and study condition of inmates
• Requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office.
Guidelines by the Supreme Court
• The Supreme Court laid down 16 guidelines as the standard procedure to be followed
for through, effective and independent investigation.
• The record tip-off in written on electronic form regarding criminal activities or
accused.
• Register FIR pertaining to criminal investigation
• Independent CID or a police team investigation.
• Magisterial inquiry of the case.
• Inform NHRC regarding the encounter
• Medical aid provided to injured victim/criminal.
• Report to the court.
• The relatives of the victim/criminal to be informed.
• Granting compensation to the aggrieved party.
• Surrendering of weapons for forensic and ballistic analysis.
• The family of the victim has the right to complain to the session judge if the proper
procedure is not followed.

Similar Encounters in the Past

The Hyderabad Encounter: The four accused of rape were killed in an encounter on
Bangalore Hyderabad National Highway. The accused were taken to the location for
reconstruction of the crime scene, where two of them snatched guns and attacked the
police. In the heat, all four suspects were shot dead. The police alleged that one of four
accused had gestured to the other three to flee after attacking the police.

Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for Urban Migrants

Why in the News?
Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved a scheme for providing affordable rental housing
Complexes AHRCs for poor and migrants.
It is a part of government’s economic package to address the Covid-19 crises. The scheme
is in line with the vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
Affordable Rental Housing Complexes
• It is a sub-scheme under PM Awas Yojana – Urban.
• Under the scheme, existing vacant government-funded housing complexes will be
converted in ARHCs through Concession Agreements for 25 years.
• The concessionaire will make the complexes liveable by repair/retrofit and
maintenance of rooms and filling up infrastructure gaps like water, sewer/ septage,
sanitation, road etc.
• States/UTs will select concessionaire through transparent bidding.
• Complexes will revert to ULB after 25 years to restart next cycle like earlier or run on
their own.
• A large part of the workforce in manufacturing industries, service providers in
hospitality, health, domestic/commercial establishments, and construction or other sectors,
labourers, students etc. who come from rural areas or small towns seeking better
opportunities will be the target beneficiary under ARHCs.
• Usually, these migrants live in slums, informal/ unauthorized colonies or peri-urban
areas to save rental charges.
• They spend a lot of time on roads by walking/ cycling to workplaces, risking their lives
to cut on the expenses.
• ARHCs will create a new ecosystem in urban areas making housing available at
affordable rent close to the place of work.
• Investment under ARHCs is expected to create new job opportunities.
• ARHCs will cut down unnecessary travel, congestion and pollution
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana {PMAY}
• Urban
The PMAY- Urban Programme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation (MoHUPA), in Mission mode envisions provision of Housing for All by 2022. The
Mission seeks to address the housing requirement of urban poor including slum dwellers
through following programme verticals:
• Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using
land as a resource
• Promotion of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy
• Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sectors
• Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction /enhancement.
• Rural
• In pursuance to the goal – Housing for all by 2022, the rural housing scheme Indira
Awas Yojana has been revamped to Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin and approved
during March 2016.
• Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided for construction of a pucca house
to all houseless and households living in dilapidated houses.
• It is proposed that one crore households would be provided assistance for
construction of pucca house under the project during the period from 2016-17 to 2018-19.
• The scheme would be implemented in rural areas throughout India except for Delhi
and Chandigarh. The cost of houses would be shared between the Centre and States.

UP GOVERNMENT START-UP POLICY 2020

WHY IS IN THE NEWS?
To nurture fresh business ideas, the UP cabinet cleared the UP Startup policy on 8 July
2020. It aims to break into the top three in domestic rankings by next year.
KEY POINTS
• Under this policy, all the 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh will have a nodal officer to
promote start-ups and forge working alliances with the educational and technical
institutions to promote new business ventures.
• Uttar Pradesh CM, Yogi Adityanath chaired the state cabinet meeting and put the seal
of approval to the policy. The CM instructed the departmental heads to simply the rules
regarding start-ups and to prepare an action plan to nurture such units in every sector.
• It aims at setting up 100 incubators in all the 75 districts of the state. The policy is also
expected to generate 1,50,000 employment and self-employment opportunities, including
50,000 direct jobs.
• From the date of the notification the policy will be applicable for 5 years and will also
foster an enabling ecosystem and set up a state-of-art centre of excellence.
• This policy would render equal importance to the startups in varied fields of medical
and health, agriculture, khadi, energy, education etc.
• It will institute the country’s largest incubation hub in Lucknow.
• Any change in the policy can be done with the approval of the CM, as decided by the
cabinet.
• On 20th May 2020, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath had launched the
Uttar Pradesh ‘Startup Fund’. This Startup Fund will be managed by SIDBI (Small Industries
Development Bank of India).
UP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND STARTUP POLICY 2017
So far, the startups in Uttar Pradesh were being governed under the UP Information
Technology and Startup Policy 2017, the topmost aim of which was focused on the IT
Sector. More than 1800 startup ventures were registered with the different central
government departments. The government was already in the process of creating a policy to
look into the issue because the existing Startup framework did not cater other sectors. The
officials involved in drafting the new policy studied similar policies of other states and took
suggestions from them and come up with a composite policy framework for UP.
CONCLUSION
Due to COVID-19 lockdown, more than 3.5 million migrant workers from other states arrived,
therefore the UP government to look up to them to harness their skills which aims at
providing them the jobs which suits their profile and promote self employment opportunities
in different sectors and areas.
750 MW SOLAR PROJECT IN MP’s REWA

WHY IS IN THE NEWS?

On 10 July 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 750 MW solar project at Rewa
in Madhya Pradesh. This project comprises of three solar generating units of 250 MW each
located on a 500-hectare plot of land situated inside a solar park.
KEY POINTS
• This project has been acknowledged in India and abroad for its robust project
structuring and innovations.
• The project is also the first renewable energy project to supply to an institutional
customer outside the State, i.e. Delhi Metro.
• The park was developed by Rewa Ultra Mega Solar limited (RUMSL), a joint venture
company of Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), and Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI), a Central Public Sector Undertaking.
• Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) was last held
on 28 September 2019,
• MPUVN is a Private incorporated on 25 August 1982 and Manu Srivastava, Ajay
Choubey, Vishesh Garhpale, Rajeev Ranjan Meena, are the Directors of Madhya Pradesh
Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd.
• For development of the park Central financial assistance of Rs 138 crore has been
provided to RUMSL (Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited).
• RUMSL was set up in July 2015 with Manu Srivastava, Principal Secretary, New &
Renewable Energy, Government of Madhya Pradesh as its Chairperson, and he continued as
its Chairperson till the completion of the project.
• This project compromises of three solar generating units of 250 MW each inside a
solar park.
• RUMSL is expected to reduce carbon emission equivalent to around 15 lakh tons of
CO2 per year.
• This project was the first solar project in the country to break the grid parity barrier.
This project will reduce carbon emission equivalent to approximately 15 lakh ton of CO2 per
year.
WAY FORWARD
• Its payment security mechanism for reducing risks to power developers has been
recommended as a model to other States by MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy).
• It has also received World Bank Group President’s Award for innovation and
excellence and was included in the Prime Minister’s “A Book of Innovation: New
Beginnings”.
• The Rewa Project also exemplifies India’s commitment to attaining the target of 175
GW of installed renewable energy capacity by the year 2022, including 100 GW of solar
installed capacity.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
• MNRE is mainly responsible for research and development, intellectual property
protection, and international cooperation, promotion, and coordination in renewable energy
sources such as wind power, small hydro, bio gas and solar power.
• The aim of the ministry is to develop and deploy new and renewable energy for
supplementing the energy requirements of India.
• It’s vision is to develop new and renewable energy technologies, processes, materials,
components, sub-systems, products & services at par with international specifications,
standards and performance parameters in order to make the country a net foreign exchange
earner in the sector and deploy such indigenously developed and/or manufactured products
and services in furtherance of the national goal of energy security.
• The Mission of the Ministry is to ensure
1. Energy Security
2. Increase in the share of clean power
3. Energy Availability and Access
4. Energy Affordability
5. Energy Equity

World Population Day 2020

INTRODUCTION
Every year on 11th July World Population Day is observed which aims to increase people’s
awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, gender
equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights. It is being celebrated for over three
decades. This day means to raise awareness about solutions related to the issues of a
growing population. This day was established in 1989 by United Nations Development
Program and was suggested by Dr. K.C.Zachariah in which population reaches Five Billion
when he worked as Sr Demographer at World Bank.
World Population Day 2020 – Theme
• The theme for this year is “How to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls
now” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• This year World Population Day seeks to raise awareness about issues related to
demographics globally.
• About 47 million women in low and middle-income countries might not have access to
modern contraceptive if the lockdown extends to 6 months which may lead to 7 million
unintended pregnancies.
• It focuses to raise awareness about safeguarding sexual and reproductive health
needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Major Concerns Of India
• Birth rate and Death rate – On 2020 India has registered birth rate at 18.2 per 1000
population and death rate at7.3 per 1000 population.
• Poverty and Illiteracy – Illiteracy is a major factor of population growth as India has the
highest number of illiterate women and lack of education prevents women from having full
knowledge about the use of contraceptives, of the consequences of frequent childbirth as
well as of their reproductive rights.
• Fertility Rate – Total fertility rate (TRF) across poorer states like Bihar (3.2), Uttar
Pradesh (3.1), Jharkhand (2.7) and Rajasthan (2.7) still have TFRs above 2.5. The poorest
household has a TFR of 3.2 children per woman compared to 1.5 children per woman from
the affluentfamilies. While the total TRF needed for stability in population is 2.1.
Interesting Facts about World Population
• Every second 1.8 people dies and 4.2 people are born.
• The global population is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030.
• It is expected that about 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050.
• From 1960 to 2000 only in 40 years World population doubles to 6 billion.
Way Forward
• For better future of all on a healthy planet, attainment of the SDGs is critical.
• The government at all levels- Union, State and Local, citizens, civil societies as well as
the businesses should promote awareness and advocate the sexual and reproductive rights
of women and encourage the use of contraception.
• Education and training to the large young population is very important to ensure them
to be productive, effective and component which would help them to prove themselves as
key contributors to economic growth.

GSK’s MULTIPLE MYELOMA DRUG

WHY IN THE NEWS?
• A side effect which affects the eyes (deposits gather at the cornea) caused due to the
GlaxoSmithKline’s experimental treatment for multiple myeloma (a common form of blood
cancer) will be reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• For GSK’s growing oncology portfolio, the approval for belantamab mafodotin is seen
as important and it is currently being assessed by the U.S. drug regulator.
ABOUT GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
• It is a British multinational pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Brentford,
England. It is established in 2000 and the World’s sixth largest pharmaceutical company
according to Forbes as of 2019.
• It has also been recognized by Nobel Committee for their contributions to basic
medical science and/or therapeutics development.
• GSK manufactures products for major disease areas such as asthma, cancer,
infections, diabetes and mental health.
• It has also applied for regulatory approval for the first malaria vaccine in 2014.
• GSK was the world’s sixth largest pharmaceutical company according to Forbes as of
2019.
US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)
• The USFDA is a federal agency of the US department of health and human services.
The agency has 223 field offices and 13 labs located over 50 states.
• It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through control and
supervision of food production, tobacco products etc.
• The primary focus for the agency is to enforce the Federal Food, drug etc. FDA was
empowered by the US Congress and it’s is headquarter is located in White Oak, Maryland.
KEY POINTS
• Around 100 patients were given the belantamab mafodotin, in the mid-stage study
DREAMM-2, at the dosage for which GSK has submitted the approval. The trial was testing
the drug, in patients who had received four to seven prior other treatments.
• Out of 27% experienced medically severe keratopathy, one patient discontinued
treatment because of the side effect, but no patient experienced life threatening symptoms.
• GSK has other trials planned aimed at showing its benefits in earlier stages of
treatment. If belantamab mafodotin drug is approved it could be a rival to Johnson &
Johnson and Genmab’s Darzalex treatment.
BELANTAMAB MAFODOTIN
Belantamab Mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) consisting of belantamab, an
afucosylated, (humanized monoclonal antibody), directed against the B-cell maturation
antigen (BCMA), conjugated to mafodotin, an auristatin analogue and microtubule inhibitor
monomethyl auristatin phenylalanine (MMAF), with potential antineoplastic activity.
KERATOPATHY DISEASE
• Keratopathy is a corneal disease, derived from the appearance of calcium on the
central cornea. This is an example of metastatic calcification, which by definition, occurs in
the presence of hypercalcemia.
• The FDA published submissions of a meeting of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory
Committee (ODAC) where they will evaluate how belantamab mafodotin can cause
keratopathy.
• Eye pain and decreased visual acuity are the symptoms of this disease.
• It causes uveitis, interstitial keratitis, superficial keratitis, phthisis, sarcoidosis,
trauma, intraocular silicone oil, systemic diseases.

GLOBAL AIR TRAVEL

WHY IS IN THE NEWS?

According to the travel data analytics provider cirium, air travel is slowly coming back
globally, credits to the domestic flights, with countries in the Asia-Pacific region accounting
for half of the top 20 markets.
KEY POINTS
• After US and China, India has the third biggest domestic market, which is showing
signs of a recovery with scheduled domestic flights down just 4%.
• Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea too show growth in domestic air travel.
• Due to COVID-19, almost two-thirds of the World’s 26,300 passenger jets were in
storage.
• To meet the rapidly growing demand, aircrafts are being brought out of storage with
the increase in 59% of the global fleet back in services, the demand is rising.
• 46% less than the previous years, in the US- for the month 413,538 domestic flights
are scheduled.
• As held by the Cirium’s director of market development Alistair Rivers, the figures
“reveal a fragile but cautiously resurgent market, as the air travel attempts to recover from
the worst collapse in its history”.
COVID-19 IMPACT ON AVIATION
• Due to travel restrictions and a slump in demand among travelers, the pandemic had a
significant impact on the aviation industry.
• According to some commentators, the ensuing crisis is the worst ever encountered in
the history of the aviation industry.
• Most of the commercial, network, and operations teams are still scrambling to
repatriate passengers and decide which flights to keep.
• Reductions in passenger numbers have resulted in flights being cancelled or planes
flying empty between airports, which in turn massively reduced revenues for airlines and
forced many airlines to lay off employees or declare bankruptcy.
Corona virus impact on airlines has a 9/11 feel
• 9/11 attacks or September 11 attacks, series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks
committed in 2001, associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in
the United States.
• It took almost three years for the airline industry to fully recover from the demand
shock created by 9/11.
• 9/11 had created a “large temporary impact” that reduced travel demand by more than
31% in the five months following the attacks.
• Similar to the 9/11’s effect on the industry the corona virus crisis is having same
impact on airlines.
• The way the outbreak was weighing on airlines had a 9/11 feel because the demand-
induced shock is not really something new and related to economics.
THE POST COVID-19 FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE AIRLINES
Flight plan for the new normal takes into account various air travel demand scenarios (which
are in part a function of the duration of the COVID-19 Crisis) and airline market structure
scenarios.
Way Forward
The airlines should take the following measures:-
• Should start by determining the optimal size and dimensions of their networks and
fleet.
• Should resize and restructure the operating model and organization using a zero-
based approach, which can be done in a matter of weeks.
• Finance teams will need to be closely involved to protect cash levels, capture
revenues as soon as possible, and delay cash-outs as much as possible.
• Should establish a project management office to manage cash until the environment
stabilizes and regular financial processes and routines can be implemented once again.

National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD)

Why in the news?

As owing to COVID-19 outbreak, the farmer’s access to banks has been virtually cut off.
Banks are refusing to give credit to around 11 lakh farmers, whose loan waivers are pending
due to COVID-19 outbreak despite the CM’s directives and the state’s guarantee.
Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM), Kishor Tiwari, who is aligned with the
Shiv Sena, said that a majority of public sector banks are yet to start the disbursal of fresh
crop loans or restructure pending crop loans as per the orders of Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
NABARD
• National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development NABARD is an apex
development financial institution in India established in July 12, 1982.
• It is entrusted with “matters concerning Policy Planning and operations in the field of
credit for Agriculture and other Economic activities in Rural areas in India’.
• The headquarter of NABARD is in Mumbai, India.
• It was established on the recommendations of B.Sivaramman Committee.
• It is implemented under National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act,
1981.
• It replaced Agricultural Credit Department {ACD} and Rural Planning and Credit Cell
{RPCC} of RBI and Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation {ARDC}
• It has a portfolio of Natural Resource Management Programmes involving diverse
fields like Watershed Development, Tribal Development and Farm Innovation through
dedicated funds set up for the purpose.
Role of NABARD
• It is an apex institution which has power to deal with matters concerning policy,
planning as well as operations in agriculture.
• It prepares rural credit plans.
• It also promotes research in rural banking
• It is absorbing capacity of the credit delivery system in India.
• It coordinates the rural credit financing activities of all sorts.
• It regulates and supervise the cooperative banks and the RRB’s, through out entire
India.
Schemes of NABARD
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)
• Under the RIDF scheme Rs. 51,283 crore have been sanctioned for 2,44,651 projects
covering irrigation, rural roads and bridges, health and education, soil conservation, water
schemes etc.
• Purpose of RIDF is to promote innovation in rural & agricultural sector through viable
means.
• It has member base of 25 crore, 600000 cooperatives are working in India at grass root
level in almost every sector of economy.
Umbrella Programme for Natural Resource Management’ (UPNRM)
• It has recently started by NABARD in 2007–08.
• Under UPNRM, facility financial support for natural resource management activities
can be provided as a loan at reasonable rate of interest.
• It has sanctioned about 35 projects like- honey collection by tribals in Maharashtra,
tussar value chain by a women producer company (‘MASUTA’), eco-tourism in Karnataka,
etc involving loan amount of about Rs 1000 crore.

India: Second Largest Source of FDI for UK

Why in the news?

India invested in 120 projects and created 5,429 new jobs in UK to become the second
largest source of foreign direct investment FDI after the US in 2019.
The Department for International Trade {DIT} inward investment statistics for 2019-20 found
India moving up representing an over-all 4% FDI increase for the UK on 2018-2019 with 1,852
new inward investment projects in the 2019-20 financial year. The US remains in the first
position for UK followed by India, Germany, France and China.
Foreign Direct Investment
• Foreign direct investment {FDI} is an investment made by a company or an individual
in one country into business interests located in another country. Foreign Direct Investment
is an important aspect for economic growth.
• FDI controls stake in the shares of company in one country, or establishes business
there.
• The foreign entity has a say in day-to-day operations of the company.
• It also includes the inflow of money, technology, knowledge, skills and expertise.
• FDI has developed radically as a major form of international capital transfer since the
last many years.
• The FDI works according to the country’s system and infrastructure.
• The FDI takes into consideration the following aspects in host country:
• Policy Framework
• Rules with respect to operation and functioning
• Economic, Political and Social Stability.
• Trade Policy
• International Agreements.
FDI in India
The foreign direct investment in India has shown tremendous improvement since 1991.
Many sectors have opened up for foreign investment partially or wholly since the economic
liberalization of the country. India ranks in top 100 countries in ease of doing business.
New FDI Policy
• The Government made Foreign Direct Investment mandatory for neighboring
countries.
• Any country that shares land border with India can invest only under the government
route.
• There are two ways of investing in FDI
• Automatic Route {Doesn’t need government approval}
• Government Route {Needs government approval}
• The new policies aim to takeover opportunities for Indian companies due to the
current COVID-19 pandemic.

AIDS TO NAVIGATION BILL 2020

WHY IS IN THE NEWS?
For suggestions from the stakeholders and general public, the Ministry of Shipping has
issued the draft of the Aids to Navigation Bill 2020.
Objective
It aims to regulate state-of-the-art technologies of marine navigation which was earlier used
to tangle in statutory provisions of Lighthouse Act, 1927.
KEY POINTS
• To incorporate the global best practices, technological developments, it is proposed
to replace the nine decades old colonial Lighthouse Act, 1927 and India’s International
obligations in the field of aids to marine navigation.
• A navigational aid is a kind of marker which helps the traveler in navigation. Common
types of such aids include lighthouses, fog signals, and day beacons etc.
• Along with the commensurate penalties it includes a new schedule of offences, for
damaging the aids to navigation and for not following the code of conduct issued by the
Central Government and other bodies.
DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF LIGHTHOUSES AND LIGHTSHIPS and LIGHTHOUSE ACT 1927
• The lighthouse act is an act relating to the provisions, maintenance and control of
lighthouses, which was enacted by Britishers in 1927.
• As per the provisions of the Lighthouse Act, the Central Government, levies light dues
(charges levied on ships for the maintenance of lighthouses and other aids to navigation )
on all the foreign going ships arriving at or departing from any port in India.
• DGLL (Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships) is empowered with more
powers and functions under the International Conventions, India being the signatory.
• It is headquartered in Noida, UP. With the mission to help the mariners and local
fisherman to navigate safely in the Indian waters.
IMPORTANCE
• To meet the modern contemporary needs of the maritime industry, as adopted the
draft bill which is a part of the Proactive approach, by the Ministry of Shipping by repealing
archaic colonial laws and replacing it.
• Along with the the advent improved aids to maritime navigation of authorities
regulating and operating maritime navigation has changed.
• The public and stakeholders advices will strengthen the provisions, with the vision for
more participation and governance transparency.

Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM) Portal

Why in the News?

Central Government has launched a new Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping
ASEEM portal to help skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities. National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) invites ASEEM Portal 2020 Registration for Skilled
Employees / Employers at smis.nsdcindia.org.
ASEEM Portal
• The portal is developed and managed by National Skill Development Corporation
{NSDC} in collaboration with better place, a Bengaluru based company.
• It is an Artificial Intelligence {AI} based Platform.
• The portal is expected to provide real-time data analytics about the demand and
supply patterns including industry requirements, skill gap analysis., demand per
district/state/cluster, key workforce suppliers, key consumers, migrants’ patters and
multiple potential career prospectus for candidates.
• It is driven by Prime Minister’s assertion of ‘India as powerhouse’ at the India Global
Week 2020 Summit.
Functions
• It is an employer portal that will select the candidates, will record employer on board.
• It will maintain reports, trends, analytics and will highlight gaps
• It will create and track candidate profile and provide them job suggestions.
Beneficiary
Skilled Workforce:
• It will have provision for registration and data upload for workers across job roles.
• It will help in strengthening industry-relevant skills
Migrants:
• The migrants who returned to India under Vande Bharat Mission and filled SWADES
Skill Card.
Human Resources:
• It will enable the hiring process in a more organized manner.
National Skill Development Corporation
• It is a non-profit public limited company incorporated in 2008 under Section 25 of the
Companies Act, 1956.
• It was set up by the Ministry of Finance as Public Private Partnership {PPP}
• It aims to promote skill development and enables support system which focuses on
quality assurance.
• Skill India Portals is an initiative by the NSDC.

India’s First State Level E-Lok Adalat

Why in the News?
• The first State Level ‘E-Lok Adalat’ of India was conducted successfully on 11th July
2020 in Chhattisgarh. It is nation’s first state level E-Lok Adalat and disposing nearly 2270
cases through mutual agreement through video conferencing.
• The Chief Justice of Chattisgarh High Court P.R. Ramachandra Menon inaugurated the
first State Level E-LokAdalat of India from Conference Hall of Chhatisgarh State’s High Court
in Bilaspur District.
• The E-Lok Adalat was conducted in 195 benches across the state of Chhattisgarh.
• Chhattisgarh State Legal Service Authority {CGSLSA} confirmed that over 5,067 cases
were heard in the e-Lok Adalat and a settlement amount of about Rs 43.72 crore was made.
Lok Adalat
Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanism, it is a forum where
disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/compromised
amicably.
• Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities
Act, 1987.
• It is stated in the act that the decision made by Lok Adalats is final and binding by all
parties. No appeal against such decision lies before any court of law.
• No court fee payable when a matter is filed in Lok Adalat.
• The authority deciding the cases in the Lok Adalats are called the Member of Lok
Adalats.
Nature of Cases
• Any case pending in the court.
• Any dispute that has not been brought before any court
Importance of Lok Adalat
• Speedy disposal of cases.
• Non- Appealable leading to no delay in settlement of disputes.
• Economical
• Maintenance of cordial relations.
Levels and Composition of Lok Adalats
• At State Level: The member secretary of the State Legal Services Authority organizing
the Lok Adalat would constitute benches of the Lok Adalat.
• At High Court Level: The secretary of the High Court Legal Services Committee would
constitute benches of the Lok Adalats.
• At District Level: The secretary of the District Legal Services Committee would
constitute benches of the Lok Adalats.
• At Taluk Level: The secretary of the Taluk Legal Services Committee would constitute
benches of the Lok Adalats.
• National Lok Adalats: National Level Lok Adalats are held for regular intervals where
on single day Lok Adalats are held throughout the countryin all courts right from the
Supreme Court till Taluk Level.
• Permanent Lok Adalats: These Lok Adalat are organized under Section 22-B of the
Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Permanent Lok Adalts have been set up as permanent
bodies with a chairman and two members.
• Mobile Lok Adalats: This Lok Adalat travels from one location to another to resolve
disputes.
Origin of Lok Adalat
• The first Lok Adalat was held on March 14, 1982 at Junagarh in Gujarat.
• It is also known as people’s court.
• The advent of Legal Services Authorities act, 2987 gave a statutory status to Lok
Adalats pursuant to the constitutional mandate in Article 39-A of the constitution of India.
• Lok Adalat have Jurisdiction to determine cases that are pending before the court, any
matter which is failing within the jurisdiction.
• The Lok Adalats have competence to deal with a number of cases like; civil, revenue
and criminal cases. Partition claims, damages cases, matrimonial disputes, land disputes.
Legal Service Authorities of India Act, 1987
• Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 is an act of the Indian Parliament.
• It deals with pay and qualification of staff.
• It was enacted from November 9, 1987. It is celebrated as National Legal Services Day
in India.
• The main objective of the act is to provide free and competent legal services to weaker
sections of the society and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied
to any citizen.

INFANT MORTILITY RATE

WHY IS IN THE NEWS?

• Infant Mortality Rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per
1000 live births. The IMR in Madhya Pradesh has burst by a single point from the last year to
48 in 2018, according to the Office of the Registrar General India.
• The Sample Registration System bulletin, helps to estimates the birth rate, death rate
and infant mortality rate for states, issued by it, the office is under the Ministry of Home
Affairs.
INFANT MORTALITY RATE
• It is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the
infant mortality rate, which is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per
1000 live births.
• Throughout the world, infant mortality rate (IMR) fluctuates drastically, and according
to Biotechnology and Health Sciences, education and life expectancy in the country is the
leading indicator of IMR.
CAUSES OF INFANT MORTILITY
• Premature birth is the biggest contributor to the IMR.
• Also the contributors of IMR are birth asphyxia, pneumonia, congenital malformations,
term birth complications such as abnormal presentation of the foetus umbilical cord
prolapse, or prolonged labor, neonatal infection diarrhoea, malaria, measles and
malnutrition.
• The most common preventable causes of infant mortality is smoking during
pregnancy.
KEY POINTS
• MP has the highest IMR (48) in the country, it is 52 children in rural areas and 36 in
urban areas. The IMR is 51 and 46 for boys and girls respectively.
• Within the first seven days more than half infants, 26 of 1,000 live births in Mp died.
The country’s average IMR stands at 32 per 1,000 live births.
• Kerala of 7, has the lowest among the States and UP has the next highest rate of 43.
GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE
• The National Health Mission (NHM) envisages achievement of universal access to
equitable and health quality care services that are responsive of people’s needs.
• National Rural Health Mission of 2005 and National Urban Health Mission of 2013 are
the sub-missions of National Health Mission.
• To make concerted efforts towards attainment of the “Single Digit Neonatal Mortality
Rate” and “Single Digit Still-birth Rate” the India Newborn Action Plan was launched in 2014.
• Other schemes such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha
Karyakaram (JSSK), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) etc. were
started to promote institutional deliveries so as to reduce the prevalence of IMR.
MEASURES
• There is a need for commitment from the States in relation to availability of human and
financial resources as health is a State subject.
• To bring down infant mortalities, there is a need for sufficient health checkups,
institutional deliveries and medication in Antenatal and Postnatal Care.
• ICU’s should be set up to take care of inborn children.
• There is need to improve the primary health system in terms of facilities, trained
medical professionals and medical equipment.

Vaccine Development

Why in news?
Russian University ” Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University” has been
successfully completed the clinical trials of the world’s first coronavirus vaccine. The
director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Vadim Tarasov, said
that the first group of volunteers would be discharged on Wednesday, 15th July and the
second on 20th July.
Russia COVID-19 Vaccine – Actual Report
• Russia is the fourth-worst Covid affected country in the world after the USA, Brazil and
India. So far, 11,439 people have lost their lives in Russia due to coronavirus.
• Russian news agency “Tass” said “the research has been completed and it proved
that the vaccine is safe” but actually its website clearly said in a news report dated July 10
that “after the first phase of testing, the vaccine developer will prepare a report. In the next
stages of the study, more volunteers will be conducted” as each vaccine has to go through
three phases of trials on humans before it is approved for the masses.
When Was Vaccine Trial Started?
Vaccine trials started in the month of June. The first group of volunteers received the jab of
the vaccine. The first group had 18 volunteers, while the second one involved 23 volunteers,
who were dosed with a liquid and powder form of the vaccine and isolated at the facility in a
careful manner during the process which was held at the Gamaleya Institute, an
epidemiology research center in Moscow.
Safety and Use of Vaccine
Alexander Lukashev, the director of the Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and
Vector-Borne Diseases at Sechenov University told “The safety of the vaccine is confirmed.
It corresponds to the safety of those vaccines that are currently on the market,”.
Although Russia had claimed to be the first to develop coronavirus vaccine many have also
raised doubts over the stage of completion of the trials but it might be possible that further
research may be needed before the vaccine is cleared for use considering the small scale of
volunteers involved in the study.
Vaccine Development
There are various stages for the development of new vaccine:
• Exploratory stage
Scientists first identify the proteins and sugars on the surface of the viruses or infected
cells, then study whether these proteins can be used to produce an immune response.
• Vaccine Candidates
Under this stage it may involve isolating the live virus before inactivating or weakening it
and then determining whether this modified virus, which is known as a vaccine candidate,
might produce immunity in people.
• Pre-clinical stage
For safety the first testing of vaccine is carried out in animals to give an idea of responses in
humans.
• Clinical development
Under this stage testing of vaccine is carried out in humans in 3 phases:
1. Phase I – Testing on a few dozen healthy volunteers, looking at how safe the vaccine
is, and if it has any adverse effects;
2. Phase II – Testing on several hundred people for efficacy (a “target population” who
are ideally those most at risk of the disease);
3. Phase III – Testing on several thousand people for efficacy and safety.
• Phase IV
This phase is important to detect some rare side effects which may not have been detected
in the Phase III trials, vaccine safety is continually monitored by the CDC. These studies take
at least four forms – First, the CDC will have certain health departments monitor every
person who receives the vaccine and report back regularly. Second, the CDC monitors if
there are any abnormal occurrences of disease after the vaccine is introduced and consider
whether the two events may be related. Thirdly, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS) takes care if any person who receives a vaccine had a significant negative side
effect, he or she can file a report in this system, which is continuously monitored for trends
in the data. Fourth, the Vaccine Safety DataLink (VSD) includes about 6 million people in six
large HMOs on the West Coast to look at who did and did not receive the vaccine and
answer safety questions.

REUSABLE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) KIT

WHY IN NEWS?
To maintain safety from novel corona virus pandemic, the National Safai Karamcharis
Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) issued advisory to municipalities,
panchayats, to ensure that all sanitation workers are provided Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE).
NATIONAL SAFAI KARAMCHARIS FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
(NSKFDC)
• It is an apex corporation which helps all over India through various loan and non-loan
based schemes for the socio-economic upliftment of the Safai Karamcharis, Scavengers and
their dependents.
• As a (NPO) non-profit organization, it was set up in 1997 under section 25 of
Companies act 1956 (now section 8 of Companies act 2013).
• Under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment NSKFDC is owned by
Government of India.
• The worst surviving symbol of untouchability- manual scavenging is also eliminated
through NSKFDC.
• Under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, NSKFDC has been
designated as the Nodal Agency for implementation of the Central Sector Self Employment
Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS).
Companies act, 1956
• It provides an alternative to those who want to promote charity without creating a trust
or a society for the purpose.
• Separate from the person promoting it, it allows the formation of existing company as
a legal entity within its rights.
Benefits under this section
• It helps to increase the number of directors.
• It helps the people to donate money to join or leave or transfer shares to others.
• Exempt from statutory requirements of minimum paid up capital, etc.
KEY POINTS
• For the safety of sanitation staff, all the local bodies were asked to put in place a
standard operating procedure.
• For sanitation workers on COVID-19, there should be mandatory orientation, social
distancing norms and precautionary measures.
• To maintain hygiene, the local bodies were asked to provide equipment, including
masks, gloves, gumboots and jackets, as well as soaps and hand sanitizers.
INDIA’s SCENE
• India was a PPE reporter and had no local manufacturing capability when the full
extent of covid-19 threat began to emerge, according to the report.
• As a result, a joint effort by various ministries such as ministry of textiles ensued
which includes roping in country’s private manufacturers.
• India is now the second largest manufacturer of PPE suits which included developing
of world’s first reusable PPE suits.

INDIA’s LARGEST TIGER CENSUS SETS GUINNESS RECORD

• July 14, 2020

• Posted by Content Manager (THE IQ HUB)

• On July 14, 2020

• 2
ABOUT
India’s tiger estimation for the year 2018 has entered the record books as it was awarded the
Guinness World Record for being the largest camera-trap wildlife survey. As many as 80
such records have made it to the list of Guinness World Records 2020.
KEY POINTS
• India has achieved the target of doubling the tiger count four years ahead of the
deadline of 2022. In terms of both numbers and percentage, this is by far the biggest
increasein Tiger count.
• Madhya Pradesh followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand saw the highest number of
tigers.
• Chhattisgarhand Mizoram showing the worst performance.
• As large part of the state is hit by moist insurgency, decline in Tiger numbers in
Chhattisgarh can be attributed to the law and order
TIGER SANCTUARIES
• The best tiger reserves in the country are Pench Sanctuary in MP and Periyar
Sanctuary in Kerala.
• The maximum improvement place is Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.
• The Dampa reserve in Mizoram and Rajaji reserve in Uttarakhand are at the bottom of
the lists in terms of tiger count.
• In Buxa, Palamau and Dampa no tiger has been found.
TIGER CONSERVATION NEEDS
• More than 80% of the world’s wild tigers are in India.
• Tigers are sometimes referred to as umbrella species and they are at the top of the
food chain.
• Their conservation also conserves many species in the same area.
• The Tiger estimation exercise that includes habitat assessment and prey estimation
reflects the success or failure of Tiger conservation efforts.
GLOBAL TIGER DAY
• This day was observed for the first time in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in
Russia.
• In this day all 13 tiger range countries came together for the first time with the aim of
doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022.
• This day is annually celebrated on 29 July.
TIGERS IN INDIA
• Shivalik hills and Gangetic Plains, Central Indian Landscape and Eastern Ghats,
Western Ghats, North-East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains and the Sunderbans are the India’s
tiger landscapes.
• India accounts for majority of the 3,500-odd tigers that are scattered among
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal,
Russian Federation, Thailand and Vietnam.

POWERS OF ELECTION COMMISSION TO DELAY POLLS

INTRODUCTION
According to the Indian constitution there is a limit between the two sessions mainly
House /Assembly that regards to Article 85(1) and Article 174(1) of the constitution,
respectively. Therefore the polls are timed in a way that the new Assembly or also called the
Lok Sabha is in the place on the day of the dissolution of the outgoing house. For example,
the Bihar case which is now being conducted normally by EC in the legislative assembly
elections before the end of its time on 29th November 2020.
Wherein, the case of early dissolution the Election Commission has to ensure a new Lok
Sabhah or Assembly within the period of 6 months of dissolution . Therefore the ELECTION
COMMISSION OF INDIA has mandated under the law to conduct and hold elections only
within the six months of before the five – year term of the Lok Sabha or legislative Assembly
when expires.
WHY IN NEWS?
Demand grows high in view of the Bihar elections where the various political parties are
showing their concern and requesting to postpone the upcoming elections due to COVID-19
pandemic. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan echoed Rashtriya Janta Dal
leader Tejashwi Yadav’s demand to postpone state polls till the COVID-19 outbreak is
contained.
NORMS FOR ELECTION POSTPONEMENT ( A QUICK OUTLOOK )
An election commission can extend the time period for holding an election through keeping
in mind the certain facts –
• It should in no circumstances go beyond the date of the normal dissolution of the Lok
Sabha or the Assembly.
• No extension beyond the six months.
• Whereas, dating back to 1991, the EC had postponed the parliamentary elections for
three weeks after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination during his campaign in Tamil Nadu
• An election normally proceeds as per the set schedule until, under some exceptional
and inevitable cases, the process can be cancelled or even postponed and scrapped after its
very announcement. It has been also mentioned in the Representation of The People Act
1951, which gives certain facts under which the elections are adjusted.
• Recently, the march 2020 elections which called 18 Rajya Sabha seats also stands
postponed by the EC due to the COVID19 pandemic.
• Article 172(1) says that in time of emergency, an election can be postponed for one
year at a time in addition to the existed period of 6 months after the emergency has been
aired.
• There is no as such provision that legally specifies the circumstances as to when the
elections can be deferred in non – Emergency situations. However, law and order, natural
calamities like earthquakes and floods, or any other compelling circumstances which are
beyond EC’s control can be the grounds for extension.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
There are certain legal issues involved in this which are-
• Under article 324 of Indian Constitution the EC will have to inform the government of
its inability to hold poll on time.
• The government therefore can decide the future course – to impose PRESIDENT’S
Rule or allow the incumbent chief minister for more than six months.
• If the EC wants to postpone Bihar elections, it will have to be done through its extra
ordinary powers under Article 324.
• Powers under section 153 of Representation of The People Act 1951, can be exercised
only after an election schedule has been notified.
MORE ABOUT THE ELECTION
Amid the COVID 19 outbreak the positive voters are allowed to vote through ballots, while
self – quarantined voters were allowed to vote after 6 pm. Voters will be checked on their
temperature when arrives at the booths. Those who had a temperature above 99.9 degrees
were sent to booths in scheduled areas. Also, according to the experts and various sources
the covid19 outbreak would last for at least 2 more years and it is against the spirit of the
country to postpone the elections for such a long time. Therefore, the elections would be
conducted with proper care hand sanitizers, gloves and masks.

GOOGLE BETS ON INDIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE

INTRODUCTION
This all started with the PM Modi’s Digital India and now it has taken a toll where the major
initiatives of the government included , inter alia , some major project , such as railway
computerization, land record computerization etc. Which focused mainly on the
development of the information systems . Later on, many states started ambitious individual
e- governance projects aimed at providing electronic services to citizens.
WHY IN NEWS?
Google bets on India’s digital future to invest in 75000 crore, in 5-7 years. He stated that the
investment would be made in mixed form of equity investments , partnerships, and
operational , infrastructure and ecosystem investments . This will be a reflection of the
confidence in the future of India and its digital.
SIGNIFICANT AREAS TO BE COVERED IN THE INVESTMENT
There are certain areas which are kept in mind towards INDIA’s digitization.
• New products will be built along with the best ever services that are deeply relevant to
India as the unique needs suggests .
• Leveraging technology and use of Artificial Intelligence for the social benefits, in areas
health, education and agriculture .
• Enables affordable access and information to every Indian in their own language ,
whether its Hindi , Punjabi , or any other .
• Lastly , empowering the businesses as they continue or embark on their digital
transformation.
The main motive is to make these investments a good and a pure shared vision for a digital
India and platform that PM Narendra Modi has initiated to Indian businessman of all sizes to
realize their stability.
GOOGLE FOR EDUCATION
Google said it will work with CBSE Skill Education and training by the end of 2020 to allow
about one million teachers in 22,000 schools in India to “deliver blended learning that
combines the classroom approach with online learning and also will provide with its
different software like goggle docs , sheets , you tube and it would be easy for the teachers
to teach the students through google forms. Also it has taken the initiative “empowers”
700,000 teachers over the next year to deliver virtual education and learning from home.
It will partner public broadcasting agency, Prasar Bharti, for an edutainment series meant for
small and medium-sized businesses in the country. It’s worth noting that Google sells
chrome book laptops worldwide.
WAY FORWARD
The COVID 19 pandemic has raised the demand for online platforms where as many as
people are working from home which is adding to the more of the internet slow down.
Apparently , Indians have already adopted the online and digital platforms which includes
digital payment GOOGLE PAY to which Google already has a space, its digital wallet
platform and mechanism has helped many small businesses to grow and enabled users to
conduct any transaction through their phones.
Eventually, India’s digital potential has attracted big-name investors. In April, Facebook
announced a massive US$5.7 billion investment into Jio Platforms, the digital services
subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). Jio has since brought
on other foreign investors such as KKR, General Atlantic, Intel, and Qualcomm, among
others. And four years ago , the only 1/3 of all businesses in india had an online presence
and today 26 million smbs are now discoverable on Google search and maps , driving
connections with more than 150 million users every month.
MEDICAL DEVICE PARKS IN INDIA
7
MEDICAL DEVICES SECTOR IN INDIA
• India in a current scenario imports 80-90% of medical devices of the one $15 billion
market.
• India is one of the top twenty markets for medical devices in the world and is the
fourth largest market in Asia after Japan, China and South Korea.
• As compared to the rest of the manufacturing industry, medical devices sector in India
is very small in size.
KEY POINTS
• Medical devices include Surgical Equipment, Diagnostic equipment like Cardiac
imaging, CT scans, X-ray, Molecular Imaging, MRI and Ultrasound-imaging including hand –
held devices; Life Support equipment like ventilator, etc.
• Medical device industry involves the creation of machines used to support life within
human body, thus a mixture of both engineering and medicine.
• Dependent upon the technologies such as engineering, electronics, material science
and information technology.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• To grow awareness among the middle class to focus on early detection and disease
prevention.
• To create customized products to meet the needs of all income segments, changing
disease prevalence pattern.
• Initiative to improve healthcare access through insurance schemes such as Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Aarogyasri, etc.
• Development of infrastructure, favorable regulations, FDI inflow, outsourcing of
manufacturing and R&D activities to India.• The device and the country regarding the
manufacturing of it, with spreading sufficient information among the masses, is not fully
developed.
• In the absence of norms, domestic manufacturing suffers as a surgeon is unsure of
trying an unregulated device from a startup on a patient.
• Investors shy away from an unpredictable, incomplete and incorrect regulatory
environment, which results in lack of investments.
• The lack of regulatory systems, harmonized standards, accreditation, legal
requirements, proper guidance on quality and best practices etc. are affecting the medical
devices industry adversely.

INITIATIVE BY THE GOVERNMENT

• Four medical device parks will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu
and Kerala, as approved by the Government.
• The aim of this is to support the Make in India initiative and to provide proper
treatment at affordable prices.
• Uttarakhand and Gujarat have also approached the Centre for such parks.
• These parks will provide the necessary infrastructure, where companies can easily
plug and play. This will not only cut import bills but will also help in easy access to standard
testing facilities and reduce the cost of production.
• Determination of compensation for those patients who had received (prior to August
2010) faulty Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip implants manufactured manufactured
by M/s. DePuy International Limited, U.K (M/S Johnson & Johnson Pvt. Ltd),for
determination of formula Government of India approved it in November 2018.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF TASK FORCE ON THE MEDICAL DEVICES SECTOR IN INDIA 2015
• Separate price control order for medical devices.
• Separate chapter for medical devices should be made in the existing Drugs and
Cosmetics Act and it should be treated distinctly from drugs.
• Medical device testing centers should be set up preferably in the PPP model. And
designate “Centers of Excellence” (CoE) for supporting product development and validation.
• Settlement of necessary bodies in order to run the policies, with representatives from
all related government departments as well as Industry.
• Medical devices manufactured under the MSME sector should be given preferences
also to those that are being manufactured in India.
• Set up a Skill development committee with representatives from the Medical devices
industry, academia (NIPERs) and Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) under the National
Skill Development Council (NSDC).
ISSUES REGARDING MEDICAL DEVICES
• The main reason being lack of regulatory systems, harmonized standards,
accreditation, legal requirements, proper guidance on quality and best practices etc. are
affecting the medical devices industry adversely.
• Medical devices continue to be under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and industry
representatives are pushing for a comprehensive regulation that views medical devices
separately.
• The Johnson and Johnson’s faulty hip implant device case is symptomatic of the
failure of regulatory mechanisms and the lack of consumer/patient awareness and many
other facts lacking in it.
• Presently, India does not have any legal provisions to compensate patients facing
health problems due to implants.
• Under the law, companies are liable to pay compensation only when something goes
wrong during a clinical trial.

DISABLED ARE ENTITLED SAME BENEFITS AS SC/ST

WHY IN NEWS?
In a three judge bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman upheld a 2012 Delhi High Court
judgment, in a significant decision held by the Supreme Court pronounced on 8 July 2020,
confirmed that person suffering from disabilities are also socially backward and entitled to
the same benefits of relaxation as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates in public
employment and education.
BACKGROUND
• In theAnmol Bhandari v. Delhi Technological University case (2012), the Delhi High
Court held that people suffering from disabilities are also socially backward.
• Therefore, three judge-bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman in a significant decision
is entitled to the same benefits as given to SC/ST candidates.
• Justice Nariman’s bench also highlighted that to specially cater the needs of
intellectually disabled persons, new academic courses should be crafted.
• As observed by the court, the intellectual/mental disturbed persons have certain
limitations, which are not there in physically challenged persons.
KEY POINTS
• Aryan Raj, a special needs person filed a petition, against Punjab and Haryana High
Court order, which leads to this significant decision.
• He was denied relaxation in minimum qualifying marks in the Painting and Applied Art
course in the Government College of Arts, Chandigarh.
• As held by the college, the disabled persons too are supposed to meet the general
qualifying standard of 40% in the aptitude test, whereas SC/ST candidates were given a
relaxation to 35%.
• Observing the things further, the Supreme Court held that the same qualifying
percentages are to be applied as SC/ST in concern of the disabled in future.
• Supreme Court allowed Mr. Raj to apply for the current year, for which the test pass
marks are further 35% to be considered.
BENEFITS TO SC/ST
• Article 15 (4) – it empowers the State to make special provision for the advancement of
the SCs and the STs.
• Article 15 (5) – empowers the State to reserve seats for SCs and the STs in admission
to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or
unaided by the State.
• Article 30 (1)- excluding the minority educational institutions.
• Article 16(4) – empowers the State to make provisions for the reservation of
appointments or posts in favour of SC/STs.
INITIATIVES IN INDIA
• National Fellowship for Students with Disabilities (RGMF).
• Accessible India Campaign.
• DeenDayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme.
• Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP).
• According to the rights of person with disabilities Act, 2016 such persons are provided
reservation of seats in government higher educational institutions (not less than 5%) and
(not less than 4%) under government jobs.
• National Trust schemes for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental
Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.

ROYALS’ RIGHTS ON SHRI PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE

• July 15, 2020

OVERVIEW OF THE PAST EVENTS

There are many controversies related to the temple from many years. The
Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state
capital of Kerala, India. The name of the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Malayalam translates
to “The City of Lord Ananta” referring to the deity of the Padmanabhaswamy temple. The
temple is built in an intricate fusion of the Chera style and the Dravidian style of
architecture, featuring high walls, and a 16th-century gopura. Principally, it is the tutelary
deity of the Travancore Royal Family. The Kerala High Court ruled in 2011 that the state
government should take over the control of the temple and its assets, but the Travancore
royal family appealed to the Supreme Court. An independent report was commissioned, and
was completed in November 2012.
WHY IN NEWS?
• The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Travancore royal family has rights to
maintain and manage the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala, allowing the appeal filed
by the Maharajah of the royal family challenging a 2011 Kerala high court judgment that had
given these rights to the Kerala government.
• It held that the erstwhile Travancore family is the “human ministrant” or the shebaits
(manager) of the properties belonging to Sri Padmanabha, chief deity of the famed and
fabulously rich Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.
KEY POINTS
• A bench of justices came which included U.U Lalit and Indu Malhotra in 218 – page
judgement brought quietus to a dispute That started a decade ago on whether the temple
and its considerable assets should devolve to the Kerala government following the death of
Travancore ruler Sree Chithira Balarama Varma in july 1991.
• Article VII of the agreement provided that administration of the Padmanabha Swamy
temple shall be conducted, subject to the control and supervision of the ruler of Travancore,
by an executive officer appointed by the ruler.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday means that the 1949 agreement between the ruler of
the princely state and the Government of India on the Shebait rights of the temple would be
enforceable, though payments and other privileges accorded by the Government of India to
royal families of erstwhile princely states for joining the Indian union at the time of
Independence were abolished in 1971.
• Justice Lalit, who wrote the judgment, categorically held that the death of a ruler does
not affect the royal family’s shebaitship of the temple. “Shebaitship was always in the royal
family and the Ruler represented the unbroken line of shebaits.
• The court traced how the Shebaitship descended from King Marthanda Varma, who
rebuilt the temple and installed a new idol after a fire destroyed the temple in 1686. It
referred to how the King surrendered his kingdom in January 1750 and assumed the role of
‘Padmanabhadasa’ after realising “the futility of battles as a means to an end and the
conscious feeling that the Travancore was built on a foundation of sacrifice of the liver and
limbs of countless numbers .
• Accepting the royals’ submission that the temple is a “public temple”, the court issued
a slew of directions for its transparent administration in the future.
• It directed the setting up of an administrative committee with the Thiruvananthapuram
District Judge as its chairperson. The other members would be a nominee of the trustee
(royal family), the chief thanthri of the temple, a nominee of the State and a member
nominated by the Union Ministry of Culture. This committee would take care of the daily
administration of the temple.
WAY FORWARD
The court said that the income accruing to the temple, as well as the offerings made by the
worshippers, should be expended to improve the facilities for the worshippers and or such
religious and charitable purposes as the advisory committee may consider appropriate. It
also asked for an audit of the temple for the last 25 years. The family, however, cannot claim
the property of the temple as it made an “unequivocal stand” before the apex court that “the
temple is a public temple and no claim can probably be made by the petitioner or anyone to
owning the temple or its treasures”.
Accepting the suggestion of the family for setting up of an administrative committee, the
court said its composition would not be loaded either in favour or against the trustee. The
committee will be headed by the district judge of Thiruvananthapuram and also consist of
chief ‘Thantri’ of the temple and three others nominated by the trustee, the Kerala
government and the culture ministry.

RETAIL INFLATION GROWTH

WHY IN NEWS?
The retail inflation growth that affects the prices of certain commodities when compared to
the base price . Therefore increase in the price of inelastic goods is known to be as retail
inflation. And , in the month of June the statistical data had overcome a growth of 6.09%
released by the National Statistical Office .
The consumer price index is responsible for measuring the retail inflation.
KEY FEATURES
• Pulses and products has led to the significant rise in the retail inflation and recorded
the prices at a immense rate of 16.68% in this year at the month of June . Not only this , but
the growth is also due to the fish and meat segments also which saw a heap of rise 16.22%,
and that of oils and fats and the spices are 12.27% and 11.74% respectively.
• Urijit Patel and his committee has mandated the inflation range as 4% within a range of
+/-2% and THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA was asked by the government to keep inflation
more or equal to 2% and less than 4% . The inflation has also went up beyond the RBI upper
margin which is 6%.
• Due to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and the nation wide lockdown to save the
lives the price collection of consumer price index through personal visits of price collectors
has been suspended. Also the government has not released the retail inflation data for the
month of April and may .
• In the month of June the CFPI stood at 7.87% and in may it was again revised to
9.20%. Because of lockdown the supply become easier due to which the CFPI has
decreased. The NSO has released the Consumer Food price Index data which measures the
inflation in the food basket .

What Is Inflation ?
Inflation is basically measured through two main indices – WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and
CPI ( Consumer Price Index) that primarily measures wholesale and retail – level prices
changes , respectively.
o It measure the average of the prices of commodities and services over time .
o Whereas , a fixed moderate level of inflation is required in the economy to ensure that
the production is promoted .
o Generally it includes the daily or common use products such as food, clothing,
housing, recreation , transport , consumer staples and so on. In other words it refers to
increase in the prices of most goods and services used in a daily basis.
o Inflation primarily indicates the decrease in the purchasing power of a unit of a
country’s basic currency, which can ultimately lead to a deceleration in economic growth.
o The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation measures inflation above the
NSO in India.
A QUICK TOUR ON THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
The consumer price index has been used in many areas and it calculates the difference
between he certain commodities and services for instance medical care , food , clothing ,
education , electronics etc. it has a wide range of sub–groups that basically consists of
beverages fuel and light, housing, footwear, bedding. Thus it measures the preliminary
changes in the buyer retailed perspective.
That is why, the CPI data has been widely preferred and used by the Ministry Policy
Committee. And so, 2012 has been set as the base year for CPI .
There are 4 major types of CPI-
• CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).
• CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL).
• CPI for Rural Labourer (RL).
• CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined).
Of these, the first three are associated by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and
Employment. While the fourth is related by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

PRAGYATA GUIDELINES FOR DIGITAL LEARNING

WHY IN NEWS?
PRAGYATA, is none other but a significant name given to the guidelines released by the
Ministry of Human Resource Development over digital education as concerned.
• These special guidelines were prepared keeping in mind the current scenario of the
education system that is slackened due to the pandemic by the National Council of
educational Research and Training i.e. NCERT.
• They include a series of eight respectively steps towards online or digital learning.
They are PLAN, REVIEW, ARRANGE, TALK, ASSIGN, TRACK, APPRECIATE.
• They are being prepared so flexible that can be formulated as per the needs of the
state governments and can allow their own rules over the working.
ROLE OF NCERT – it is an autonomous organisation of the Indian government which was
incorporated in the year 1961 to serve as a literary, scientific and charitable society under
the society registration Act, 1860. That aims at providing elementary education to students
through research, training, curriculum developments. It headquarters is in Delhi.
KEY POINTS
The digital learning process is consisting of all categories covering 25 crore students across
the country. some of the guidelines are –
1. Those who have no or limited internet access
2. Those who have an active 4g internet access in devices such as smartphones or
laptops.
3. Those with a radio or a basic mobile phone with FM radio.
4. No television or with cable or DTH.
5. Lastly, who doesn’t possess any communication devices at all.
ROLE OF SCHOOLS
• The schools would conduct a survey as to know the infrastructure available with the
students as well as the teachers and the levels of parental control and involvement before
reaching to a decision about the mode of teaching. Therefore, the schools would have to
also make arrangements to make sure everyone has the access to the digital infrastructure.
It emphasises more on to create a face-to-face classroom over the internet.
• The duration for the conduct of the classrooms are specifies where kindergarten ,
nursery , pre-nursery will be given only 30 minutes of screen time per day for interacting
with parents is recommended and the higher classes from 1-8 are 1.5 hours per day and the
classes 9 and above 3 hours per day.
DIGITAL LEARNING – A WAY FORWARD
Along with the learning it also requires the synchronous learning and as well as the
asynchronous learning too, which is a real time learning that happens with the collaboration
of group and individuals with teachers who assign the task and waits for the instant
feedback also called the real time teaching. This includes video and audio conferencing,
satellite or telecommunication facilities.
On the other hand the apart from the live classes it also offered a number of
recommendations for asynchronous learning that allow students with lessons , radio and TV
programme , or usage of whatsapp, or other platforms and undergo some creative projects.
All this while, they should take care that children should be taken care of their health as well
as prone to gadgets for such a longer time can affect them so, they should design some age
appropriate schedules.
CYBER SAFETY AND CONVERGENCE
The cyber safety should be well maintained and controlled as far as the education is
concerned by taking certain basic precautions and also collaboration with the government
initiatives over the same by SWAYAM PRABHA, SWAYAM DIKSHA and Radio Vahini, Siksha
vaani.
CHABAHAR RAIL PROJECT

INTRODUCTION
The Chabahar port is considered as a gateway to golden opportunities for international trade
growths with alliance with Asian nations by the three countries. It is developed by the trio –
India, Afghanistan, Iran and situated at the bay of Indian ocean in the Sistan and Baluchistan
province of Iran . India, Iran and Afghanistan have signed an agreement to give Indian
goods, heading for Central Asia and Afghanistan, preferential treatment and tariff reductions
at Chabahar. India shook hands with the IRAN AFGHANISTAN so that he can overcome the
Chinese warfare look, as china also is heading to develop Gwador port, on the either side of
Pakistan Baluchistan province.
WHY IN NEWS?
• Congress brutally spanked the Modi Government expressing the loss over the INDIA –
IRAN alliance for the Chabahar project. According to them it is ‘a big loss’ and china tend to
provide a way better deal than IRAN.
• China did his duty silently and now the China and Iran has partnership deal under the
25year strategic deal along with the massive funding of $400 billion, which can be a
Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between IRAN and China.
• The cooperation is hold to be extended from investments in infrastructure,
manufacturing and upgrading energy and transport facilities, to refurbishing ports,
refineries and other so called installation.
• The track – laying process was inaugurated by the Iranian transport minister
Mohammad Eslami for the 628 km Chabahar – Zahedan line, which is expected to be finished
by 22 of march and extended to Zaranj across the border in Afghanistan, last week and the
government will tap into a $400 million corpus from the Iranian National Development Fund.
REASONS WHY IRAN HAS DROPPED INDIA FROM THE PROJECT –
News surfaced that due to inevitable delays in funding by India has unexpectedly refuted by
the Iran and Afghanistan Chabahar deal and this is the questioning of the diplomatic statics
of the centre
Earlier the duo -India and Iran had signed an agreement to construct the rail line four years
ago. Chabahar, which is located 72 kilometre west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port, holds
immense strategic and economic significance for India. In May 2016, when Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visited to Tehran to sign the Chabahar agreement with Iranian President
Rouhani and Afghanistan President Ghani, IRCON had signed an MoU with the Iranian Rail
Ministry.
• The MoU was being specially constructed towards the Chabahar-Zahedan railway as
“part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral agreement between India, Iran and
Afghanistan”. Not only this, but IRCON had promised to provide all services, superstructure
work and financing for the project which is around $1.6 billion. A sanctions waiver by US
was provided for the Chabahar port and the rail line to Zahedan port
• India never began the work despite several visits by the IRCON engineers and
preparations by the Iranian railways. It feared that this could attract the foreign sanctions by
USA. It was very difficult to find equipment supplies and partners due to USA.
• Iran proposed a tie up between the Chinese –Pakistani port and offered interests to
china in the Bnadar-e-Jask port which is about 350 km far from Chabahar and its duty free
zone. Also, India has revoked its oil imports from Iran due to USA targets.

AUGMENTATION OF FIREFIGHTING FACILITIES BY MINISTRY OF SHIPPING

WHY IN NEWS?
Union Minister of State for Shipping, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya has approved Rs. 107 Crore
for augmentation of fire fighting facilities on five jetties of Haldia Dock Complex, Kolkata
Port.
KEY POINTS
• This facility, of modern firefighting facility will enable the Haldia Dock Complex in safe
handling of the movement of petrochemical products.
• As per the guideline of Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) of the ministry of
petroleum and Natural Gas, the existing fire fighting facility does not support the handling
the LPG and other petroleum products.
• It is a step taken towards compliance of global standards for fire safety with the
priority of safety and security of cargo operation on all major ports.
• LPG and LNG cargo on Haldia dock is projected to increase in the near future.
• The state-of-the-art firefighting infrastructure will help to manage the petrochemical
goods in a safe and secure manner at Kolkata Port by complying OISD guidelines.
ABOUT MINISTRY OF SHIPPING
It is a branch of the Government of India and an apex body for the formulation and
administration of rules and regulations relating to shipping, headed by Shri Mansukh L.
Mandaviva.
• The ministry has been entrusted with the responsibility to formulate policies and
programs on these subjects and their implementation.
• It represents the pace, structure and pattern of development of water transport in the
country.
• This ministry encompasses the shipping and port sectors which include shipbuilding
and repair, major ports, national waterways and inland water transport.
Fire Fighting Appliances and Preventive Measures Onboard Ships
• Fire doors are fitted in fire retardant bulkhead to provide access from the same. They
are self closing type doors with no hold back arrangement.
• The Fire Main piping which is connected to the main and emergency fire pump must
be of approve type and capacity.
• Fire detection and alarm systems are installed in Cargo area, accommodation, deck
areas, and machinery spaces along with alarm system to notify any outbreak of fire or
smoke at the earliest.
• CO2, Foam and water are used in this type of system, which is installed at different
locations on the ship and is remotely controlled from outside the space to be protected.
EEBD (Emergency Escape Breathing Device) AND ISC (International Shore Connection)
EEBD is used to escape from a room on fire or filled with smoke. The location and spares of
the same must be as per the requirements given in FSS code. ISC on the other hand is used
to connect shore water to the ship system to fight fire when the ship fire pump system is not
operational and is on port, lay off or dry dock. The size and dimensions are standard for all
the ship and at least one coupling with gasket must be present onboard.
ROLE OF FIRE SERVICES IN INDIA
• Some changes were influenced by external forces, while the impetus for others was
the organization itself.
• It is necessary that districts and States should have their own arrangements for
carrying out search and rescue operations immediately after a disaster. Enhancement of
search and rescue capabilities of the State and districts for quick response will save lives.
• This can be achieved with the minimum of additional cost by developing the Fire
Services as multi hazard response units.

LUNAR PROPERTY

ABOUT
India has signed an international treaty which makes it possible for anyone to legally lay
claim on a piece of land in space.
Extraterrestrial real estate
• It refers to claims of land ownership on other planets or natural satellites or parts of
space by certain organizations, individuals, and scam artists.
• The topic of real estate on celestial objects has been present since the 1890s.
• Such claims are not recognized by any authority, and have no legal standing.
• Dean Lindsay made claims for all extraterrestrial objects on June 15, 1936.
Selling land on the Moon is illegal?
• As held by Jolly “Government is not bothered because such deeds have absolutely no
legal sanctity. If people are acting foolishly government is not obliged to take action”.
• “Whoever has sold lunar land to Sushant Singh Rajput, they were never the owners. If
I don’t have a title to a property, how can I sell it to you?” Jolly asks.
The Outer Space Treaty
• “The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use
of Outer Space, including the moon and Other Celestial Bodies” more commonly known as
the “The Outer Space Treaty”.
• It mainly came into effect in October 10, 1967.
• Signed by 104 countries, the treaty became the basis of international space law
• It states that “outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies”,( is not
subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or
by any other means) are the ‘common Heritage of mankind’ and cannot be owned by any
nation.
Common heritage of mankind
Common heritage means that it cannot be used for private purposes, it is for everyone.
Private ownership does not apply, like air or outer space,” said Dr Stellina Jolly, assistant
professor of Faculty of Legal Studies at South Asian University in New Delhi.
Essentials to be fulfill without treaty
According to International law, if there is no treaty, for any nation to claim ownership of an
unclaimed land, they must fulfill two requirements
1. You need to have physical possession of the land, at least for sometime.
2. You must have effective control.
MOON- As a token of gift
• Buying an acre of land on the Moon costs about Rs 2,300, people mostly buy it as a
token of gifting something different, on average there are 30 such purchases on a daily
basis.
• The demand increases around occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Rajput, who shot to fame after playing former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
purchased three acres of lunar land.
• Sushant Singh Rajput owns a part of the moon. The deed is “officially registered and
recorded by The Lunar Registry at New York City and legally certified on 25 June 2018.” It is
signed by “Jean Sebastian Belanger, Registrar on behalf of the Lunar Republic Socielty.”

RELIANCE INDUSTRIES

WHY IN NEWS?
1. The investors were not so impressed by the reliance industries annual general
meeting despite its spree, also a delay in USD 15 million has damped the share prices in
Wednesday
2. Google will invest Rs 33,737 crore for a 7.7 per cent stake in Jio Platforms, becoming
the latest A-list investor in the digital unit of the company.
3. In its 43rd Annual general meeting it announced JIO – GLASS for the students and
schools to attain the scheduled classes etc.
4. Reliance will buy the big bazaar and the entire future group to become the first ever
retail company. Reliance Retail is India’s largest and most profitable retail business, with
revenues of Rs 1,62,936 crore and EBITDA of Rs 9,654 crore. It is also the fastest-growing
retailer in the world. In fact, it is the only Indian company in the Top 100 global retailers.
THE 43rd AGM OF RELIANCE
JIO GLASS AND ITS FEATURES
• Reliance launched it first ever Jio glass that comes with a personalized audio system
and the company also claims that it supports all standard audio formats. Also, it offers HD
quality video and at the moment it supports more than 25 apps.
• The best part is users can make holographic video calls with colleagues who can join
in in their 3D avatar and in regular video calling format. Once users join in a call, they can
share and view presentations on a large virtual screen. An interesting aspect of this use
case is that Jio Glass users can use voice commands for calling individuals.
• It enables users to perform multiple tasks at the same moment like hosting conference
calls and etc.
GOOGLE AND JIO PARTNERSHIP
They will be partnering to build an Operating System that can build a 4G or entry-level 5G
phone. It is basically focusing of which will be to help 350 million Indians, who still use a 2G
phone switch to 4G phones.
JIO MART EXPANSION
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)has developed a platform for customers and kirana stores,
along with WhatsApp where they will work together to commence more growth
opportunities for kirana stores in India. JioMart has now enabled a multipurpose Point of
Service (POS) services to enable smooth transactions between stores and their customers.
OIL TO SEPARATE BUSINESS ENTITY
Reliance has approached NCLT with its proposal to spin off Oil-to-Chemical business into a
separate subsidiary to facilitate multiple partnership opportunities. It is expected to
complete this process by early 2021. Further it announced that not only this, but Reliance is
also approached by global companies for strategic partnerships in its petchem business.
WAY FORWARD
In its 43rd annual general meeting the reliance industries has conducted by keeping in mind
the global pandemic. it is looking forward to invest in made in India products, it also
launched jio TV plus, in near future it is becoming the world’s largest 60 companies for
leading in the new energy and material company.
HIGH-PROFILE TWITTER ACCOUNTS HACKED

WHY IN NEWS?
According to the report of Tech Crunch, a number of high-profile Twitter accounts have
been simultaneously hacked by attackers to spread a cryptocurrency scam.
KEY POINTS
• Accounts posted the message promoting the address of a bitcoin wallet, claiming that
the amount made to the address will be doubled and sent back which is a known
cryptocurrency scam technique.
• The accounts being hacked included Apple, ride-hailing company – Uber, Democratic
presidential candidate – Joe Biden, Former president – Barack Obama, Amazon co-founder –
Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX founder – Elon Musk, Microsoft founder – Bill Gates, and
legendary investor Warren Buffett.
• It has been found out by the security researchers that the attackers had fully taken
over the victim’s accounts, and also changed the email address associated with the account
to make it difficult for the real user to regain access, according to the report by Tech Crunch.
How Hackers Took Control Over High Profile Twitter Accounts?
• Even after two-step authentication is available for twitter users, Intelligent Cyber
Criminals gained direct entry from Twitter’s servers as Two-step authentication only prevent
hackers from breaching the former’s account via email or phone. Then after taking control
over high profile Twitter users’ accounts they managed to post the malicious message.
• Afterward when the matter got out in media, Twitter locked all the verified accounts
and disabled the Twitter activity for several hours.
• Then after screening the network of servers and weeding out loopholes, it has
activated the Twitter handles and handed over the control back to most of the users.
WHAT IS BITCOIN?
• It is described as a cryptocurrency, virtual currency or digital currency. They are
mainly generated by mining process, under which the individuals are rewarded by the
network for services.
• It was created in January 2009 following the housing market crash.
• Bitcoin is a collection of computers, or nodes, that all run Bitcoin’s code and store its
blockchain.
TWITTER’S RESPONSE
• “We are aware of a security incident impacting accounts on Twitter. We are
investigating and taking steps to fix it. We will update everyone shortly,” as responded by
twitter on Wednesday.
• Twitter Support said in a tweet, adding that users may be unable to tweet or reset
passwords while they review and address the incident, Xinhua reported.
• The scammer’s website was quickly pulled offline.
• Some accounts were quickly returned to the owner’s control and the tweet posted by
them, when the accounts were compromised, were deleted, according to the reporter.
• The domain registrar used by the scammers, Kristaps Ronka, chief executive of
Namesilo, informed Tech Crunch that the company suspended the domain on the first report
it received.
ABOUT TWITTER
• Twitter was created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williamsin in
March 2006 and launched in July 2006. As of 2019. Twitter had more than 321 million
monthly active users.
• It is an American social networking service used to post and interact with messages
known as “tweets”. Twitter, Inc. is based in San Francisco, California, and has more than 25
offices around the world.
CONCLUSION
Tech Crunch said in the report that these kinds of scams are common. Scammers take over
high-profile Twitter accounts using leaked passwords and then post messages that
encourage users to post their crypto currency funds to a particular address so as to double
their investment.

UAE MARS MISSION

WHY IN NEWS?
• The United Arab Emirates which was scheduled to launch on Wednesday is now
postponed due to bad weather conditions and is delayed to some unspecified date.
• Basically, it is one of the three missions of UAE launching to mars this month.
• Whereas, earlier USA and CHINA has succeeded to surface rovers in the late stages of
preparation.
• Unfortunately, the hope orbiter which was scheduled to launch on Wednesday is now
stands postponed due to bad weather conditions and is delayed to some unspecified date.
HOPE – A QUICK OUTLOOK ON THE ADVANTAGES AND SIGNIFICANCE
• The hope mission would be the first ever interplanetary mission for the Arab world.
Since, UAE doesn’t possess it’s own rocket industry , so once the ‘Hope Orbiter’ will be
lifted on an H-IIA rocket from Mitsubushi heavy industries , a machinery maker in japan ,
expected to arrive in orbit around Mars in February 2021 also marking the 50th anniversary
of UAE’s founding . It will be launched from the Tanegashima island in Japan.
• The main goal is to inspire the school children and spur its science and technology
industries, which in turn, will enable the emirates to tackle the emergency issues like food,
water, energy or a pot- petroleum economy.
• It would be the world’s first ever mission which will display the scientists of the planet
the very first global view of Martin weather at all times of the day.
• Its total cost is $200 million and will carry three basic instruments: an infrared
spectrometer, an ultraviolet spectrometer and a camera to capture the images.
• It has been built and launched three earth –observing satellites in collaboration with a
south –Korean manufacturer. In 2019, the UAE bought a seat on a RUSSIAN Soyuz rocket
and sent its first astronaut for an eight stay at the International Space Station.
WHY MARS?
In the past few years the mars mission have been able to discover the possible presence of
liquid water on the planet, either in the subsurface or at some point in its past. Despite,
being starkly different in many ways, the Red planet has several Earth –like features – such
as clouds, volcanoes, and seasonal weather patterns.
• The timing of mars is basically dictated by the opening of a one – month window in
which mars and earth are in ideal arrangement with perfect alignment on the same side of
the sun. Due to which the fuel use and the travel time decreases. This window opens up for
only once every 26 months.
• TWO MORE MISSIONS ON MARS –
Tianwen -1 is also to be launched by china to mission Mars, on 30th July 2020. NASA’s Mars
rover, Perseverance which have instruments that can help search for the chemical signs of
past life is to be launched.
• EXISTING MISSIONS –
There are six space crafts that are exploring Mars from orbit include three from the USA, two
European and one from India (Mars orbiter mission); only the USA has so far successfully
established spacecraft on Mars. Two NASA landers are operating on the mars i.e. Insight
and curiosity.
• ADVANTAGES FOR SCIENCE-
There’s a suspicion that the atoms play a significant role in the on-going erosion of Mars’
atmosphere. Which is why it is a suspicion about how these energetic particles stream away
from the Sun. Also, it will help track features such as lofted dust on Mars that hugely
influences the temperature of the atmosphere through neutral atoms of hydrogen and
oxygen, this will help in discovering about the planets water availability. The objective in
future is to be able to hover over Olympus Mons (the largest volcano in the Solar System) .
Olympus Mons moves about altered times in a day.

INDIA’S FIRST TRANSHIPMENT HUB

WHY IN NEWS?
Minister of state for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya reviews the first ever transhipment hub in
India in the VALLARPADAM terminal , Cochin .
WHAT IS A TRANSSHIPMENT HUB?
Trans-shipment Hub is the terminal at the port which handles containers, stores them
temporarily and transfers them to other ships for the onward destination. The Kochi
International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT), locally known as the Vallarpadam
Terminal is located strategically on the Indian coastline.
MORE ABOUT THE FORMER
The Kochi International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) successfully fulfils all the
criteria which are needed to develop it as trans-shipment hub which include:
• The Vallarpadam Terminal cochin port is proposed to be developed as most preferred
gateway for South India and leading trans-shipment hub of South Asia.
• From Mundra to Kolkata, it entails a connectivity which has multiple weekly feeder
connections to all ports on West & East Coast of India.
• The hinterland markets of India has its proximity key
• It can manage with the infrastructure the large ships and has the capacity as to the
requirement.
• It can easily located from all Indian feeder ports because it’s in the average distance .
• The international sea routes cover the Indian port making it a best positioned port.
It fulfils all the criteria to fulfil it as a transhipment hub wherein it has been proximate to
international sea routes. Also, it can be easily accessed by all the Indian ports . It is also
considered as a most preferred gateway for southern India and a leading transhipment hub
of South Asia , the first phase of the rupees Rs 6250 ICTT at the Valarpadam island was
dedicated to the nation February 2011 stating it as a most awaited milestone , in the
development of the country’s logistic infrastructure.
ICTT also benefits from a relaxation in cabotage rules given by the government that allows
foreign-flagged ships to transport export-import (EXIM) laden containers meant for
transhipment and empty containers meant for re-positioning between Indian ports. A
transhipment terminal requires a deep draft to facilitate the bigger container ships to dock.
The ICTT does not have a minimum volume (minimum guaranteed throughput) written into
the contract, nor is it required to handle a specific level of container transhipment volumes
to conform to its status. In short, it is an open-ended contract compared to other private
cargo handling contracts at major ports that have an MGT clause which the operator has to
comply with. But all these do not translate the big chunks of Indian containers getting
shipped at overseas hubs.
Lastly, the Colombo ports dominates the market catering, to 2.5 million TEUs or 60 per cent
of the 4.1 million TEUs of Indian originating and destined container traffic transhipped in
international hubs. Other hubs are Singapore, port Kelang etc accounts for the balance of
1.6 million TEUs.

WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY 2020

ABOUT
World Youth Skills Day 2020 will take place in a challenging context due to the COVID-19
pandemic and lockdown. The measures have led to the worldwide closure of (TVET)
technical and vocational education and training institutions, threatening the continuity of
skills development.
KEY POINTS
• The United Nations, at its General Assembly in November 2014, declared 15 July as
World Youth Skills Day (WYSD).
• In post-COVID-19 crisis, as young people are called upon to contribute to the recovery
effort, they will be equipped with the skills and the resilience to successfully manage
evolving challenges to adapt to future disruptions.
• Before this crisis, young people15-24 years of age were three times more likely than
adults to be unemployed.
• They often faced a prolonged school-to-work transition period. Currently, more than 1
in 6 young people are out of work due to COVID-19.
AIM OF WORLD YOUTH SKILL DAY
The aim of WYSD is to advocate for skills as an important factor to highlight the crucial role
of skilled youth in addressing today’s most challenging global issues and to improve young
people’s transitions to decent work.
TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET)
TVET is expected to address the multiple demands of an economic, social and
environmental nature by helping youth and adults develop the skills they need for
employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, promoting equitable, inclusive and
sustainable economic growth, and supporting transitions to green economies and
environmental sustainability. TVET can equip youth with the skills required to access the
world of work, including skills for self-employment.
HISTORICAL POINT OF THE WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2014 adopted a resolution and
declared 15th July as World Youth Skills Day. The day was established to achieve better
socio-economic conditions for the youth as a means of addressing the challenges of
unemployment and underemployment.
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
It declared the observation of the World Youth Skills Day as an opportunity for young
people, (TVET) Technical & Vocational Education and Training institutions, and public and
private sector stakeholders to acknowledge the importance of young people with skills for
employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.
WAY FORWARD
• World Youth Skills Day 2020 will highlight the importance of developing skilled youth
in the world.
• A Virtual Conference is organized on Skills for a Resilient Youth for a week, which
took place from 6-14 July 2020.
• Several virtual events focusing on the theme of “Skills for a Resilient Youth” is
organized to mark the occasion.

India Announces “Air Bubble” With US, France

Why in News?
On Thursday Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that India has signed bilateral
agreements with France and the US that it will allow airlines of each country to operate
international flights stating from Friday 17th July. He further said that adding that similar
arrangements with Germany and the UK are being worked out too.
Key Points
• American carrier United Airlines will be flying 18 flights between India and the US from
July 17 to July 31
• Air France will be operating 28 flights between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Paris
from July 18 to August 1
• Air India will be operating flights to France and US under these bubbles.
• Soon India is planning to establish such agreements with the UK under which there
would be two flights per day between Delhi and London.
• The India-UAE air bubble was permitted on July 9 under specific conditions.
When was this announced?
This announcement was made a week after US threatened India for its exclusive paid flights
accusing India of “unfair and discriminatory practices” to bring back Indians from other
countries under it’s “Vande Bharat Mission”.
What is “Air Bubble”?
It is a bilateral arrangement with a set of regulations and restrictions in which the carriers of
the two countries can operate international flights.
In a tweet Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that under this arrangement
airlines from the concerned countries will be able to operate flights from & to India along
with Indian carriers. I have no doubt these will be beneficial for our citizens who are stressed
& distressed abroad or those who want to fly out.
Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic
Due to COVID-19 since 23rd March scheduled International Passenger flights were
suspended in India and on 25th May after two month of suspension the government
resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights.
Ministry of Civil Aviation of Government of India
• It is a nodal Ministry responsible for the formulation of national policies and
programmes for development and regulation of Civil Aviation and for devising and
implementing schemes for the orderly growth and expansion of civil air transport. Its
functions also extend to overseeing airport facilities, air traffic services and carriage of
passengers and goods by air.
• Current minister of state for civil aviation is Hardeep Singh Puri.
• It’s headquarter is located in Rajeev Gandhi Bhawan, New Delhi.

Full Electrification of Indian Railways

Why in News?
On this Tuesday 16th July Union minister Piyush Goyal hailed the strides India has made in
the renewable energy field and said that the government is working towards transitioning
into international solar grid.
Goyal also said that “PM has promoted ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’. India is taking lead
role in International Renewable Community. Transitioning into international solar grid is
something we are all working on. With PM-KUSUM Yojana we are bringing farmers too in
renewable energy fold”.
Key Points
• Railways will move to 100% electrification in next 3.5 years & 100% ‘Net Zero’ operator
in next 9-10 yrs.
• Indian Railways has fixed a target of electrification of 7,000 RKM for the year 2020-21.
• Indian Railways has completed electrification of more than 40,000 Route kilometre
(RKM) in which 18,605 km electrification work has been done during 2014-20.
• Piyush Goyal announced this at an event that was held with the theme- “Towards a
self-reliant India: renewable energy manufacturing.”
Strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emission
• Improving the energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations,
• Green certification for installations/stations,
• Fitting bio-toilets in coaches,
• Switching to renewable sources of energy.
Renewable Energy
• Railway minister held that renewable energy is the way forward and along with
environmental benefits, it is good for the nation economically and stated that India is leading
the international renewable community.
• Goyal also mentioned about the PM-KUSUM scheme which was launched by the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to support installation of off-grid solar
pumps in rural areas and reduce dependence on grid, in grid-connected areas.
• Last week PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Asia’s largest solar plant in Madhya
Pradesh’s Rewa.
Step Towards “Green India”
Some other initiative taken by government for green India are:
• Namami Ganga Program–
On June 2014, recognizing the cultural and environmental importance of the river Ganga, the
‘Namami Ganga Programme’ was approved by the union government.
• Green Skill Development Program–
The Green Skill Development Programme was launched in June 2017 by the Ministry of
Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The programme focuses on developing skills
among the youth in the environment and forest sector.
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan–
It is perhaps the most popular campaign relating to environment that the Modi government
pulled off. It was launched on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, 2014.
• Toilets Before Temple–
As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the government claims to have built over nine crore
household toilets and 32 states or Union Territories have been declared open defecation-
free since October 2, 2014.
• Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act (CAMPA)–
Under this act, any individual or organisation intending to use forest lands for non-forest
purposes will be charged. According to provisions in the act, payments include present net
value of the forest, compensatory afforestation, and other specific projects relating to
environment.

AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES

WHY IN NEWS?
• Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik has inaugurated the conference on
aerospace and defence manufacturing technologies.
• He also expressed that Indian Defence and Aerospace industry is on the threshold of
transformation, under the several initiatives of Government to promote ‘Make in India’ and
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ Abhiyaan.
Key Points
• During his inaugural address at the the Fifth Edition of the Conference on Aerospace
and Defence Manufacturing Technologies in New Delhi yesterday. The theme of the
conference was empowering India with ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Mission’.
• The compound annual growth rate had increased by 9.7% from 2008-2016, that
reached the current levels of 42.83 billion US dollars in the year 2017-18
• It is estimated that The Aerospace and Defence industry in India to reach around 70
billion dollars by 2030. Tamil Nadu Technology Development and Promotion Centre, Society
of Indian Defence Manufacturers and the Confederation of Indian Industry organised the
webinar.
• The Indian Aerospace and Defence Industry has to rise to the occasion to shoulder
greater responsibility in making the nation self-reliant in Defence Production moreover, it is
looking forward to achieve 26 billion US Dollar domestic production by 2025. The target is
the stated objective of the Defence Production Policy.
WHAT ARE THE EMERGING AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES?
• Zero-Fuel Aircraft
The idea of a zero-fuel aircraft has gained a lot of attraction recently in both civil and
commercial sectors. The concept can be used in agriculture, aerial photography, 3D
mapping, wildlife protection, and the provision of internet access in remote places. Zero-fuel
aircraft use the photovoltaic panels are being utilized from solar energy to provide
necessary thrust to the engines in Zero –fuel aircraft use. The Solar Impulse 2, a solar-
powered prototype had Nano carbon fiber reinforced structural components to reduce the
overall weight of the body.
• Structural Health Monitoring
Advanced health management systems such as monitoring, prognostics and self-healing
are being developed to enhance our ability to analyse and determine the status of an
aircraft.
• Advanced Mater
The aircraft manufacturers have hinted toward huge benefits with material science
advances. Grapheme and carbon nanotubes are nowadays helping to make airplane wings
more efficient by reducing weight and fuel consumption. Using these new materials,
scientists at MIT and NASA have developed a “morphing” wing.
• Advanced Space Propulsion Technologies
NASA developed the new, plasma-based rocket propulsion technology known as the
VASIMR rocket (Variable Specific Impulse Magneto plasma Rocket) , along with the
Department of Energy and also the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for several years now.
This new technology is expected to reduce fuel consumption and enable long-term space
missions in the future.
• Smart Automation and Blockchain
The specialized and complicated process is Manufacturing aircraft parts. However, new
technologies and processes are making it faster and simpler. A tablet or smart glass is used
by the technicians to scan the surface of the metal and determine what the correct sized bolt
that needs to be used is and how much torque is required, a robotic arm will perform the
work. Aerospace and defence companies are also starting to explore the digital realm, as
well. Technologies such as blockchain are helping to improve transparency and automate
transactions among supply chain partners.
• 3D Printing
The 3D printing is a solution for those companies who wants to keep up with their deadlines
in recent years. The company Airbus has started using 3D printing to manufacture over
1,000 different parts for its A350. Spare parts that need to be replaced on a regular basis,
such as door handles, will be the first targets. Next, the tools that are used to create aircraft
parts will also be printed. This will cut back on time, cost and weight.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

WHY IN NEWS?
• Ashok Lavasa has been appointed as vice-president of ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
for Private Sector Operations and Public–Private Partnerships. He will be succeeding and
managing after Diwakar Gupta, whose term will end on 31 August.
• Lavasa has two year left for his terms to be haulted in the election commission. He will
retire on October 22. CEC, will conduct Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, among other states.
• The concurrence of the Union government has finalised his appointment. The
appointments are merit based and done with consideration of the ADB’s president.
INTRODUCTION
ADB is an international and regional development financial institution whose mission is to
help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their
people. Headquartered in Manila, and established in 1966, ADB is owned and financed by its
67 members, of which 48 are from the region and 19 are from other parts of the globe. The
governments, the private sector, non-government organizations, development agencies,
community-based organizations, and foundation are some of its main partners.
Functions of ADB
• The bank divulges the members of the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly the Economic Commission for
Asia and the Far East or ECAFE) and non-regional developed countries.
• There are some series of investments which are in the form of loans, grants and
information sharing whereas, in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public
administration systems. This basically helps nations prepare for the impact of climate
change and also proper management of their natural resources, as well as other areas.
• It helps in the growth that effects environmentally sustainable growth, and regional
integration.
MORE ABOUT ASHOK LAVASA
• Ashok Lavasa has an extensive experience in public–private partnerships and
infrastructure development at the state and federal levels, with deep knowledge on public
policy and the role of private sector .earlier this year, Lavasa had been in the news during
the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, because he opposed the clean chit given to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and former BJP president Amit Shah on charges of violating the Model Code
of Conduct during the Lok Sabha elections.
• Lavasa’s wife, had come under the scanner of the Income Tax Department for alleged
non-declaration of income and disproportionate assets. The income tax served his son too,
Abir Lavasa’s company (Nourish Organic) and Ashok Lavasa’s sister Shakuntala Lavasa, a
paediatrician, were also served income tax notices. Whereas, the family members have
strongly denied allegations made by the IT department.
• He had a long career outlook and has served in many forms.
• He was appointed as an Election Commissioner on January 23, 2018. He is also a
retired IAS officer of the Haryana cadre (1980 batch). Not only this but,he retired as Finance
Secretary and has also served as environment and civil aviation secretary, he had also
looked after matters pertaining to ADB as the joint secretary in the department of economic
affairs .
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK RESPONSE OVER COVID-19
• In this global pandemic the bank is trying to assist and fulfilling its objective by
announcing the package of $20 billion has been deployed to help our developing members
counter the severe impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and address the urgent
needs of the sick, the poor, and the vulnerable.
• They are also supporting their developing members in responding to the COVID-19
outbreak through finance, knowledge, and partnerships.
• Conducting the supply chains for critical products in the global response to the novel
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which will help clearing the way for the
identification and removal of blockages in their production and distribution.

INDIA-BHUTAN NEW TRADE ROUTE

WHY IN NEWS?
• The two neighbouring countries deepened their ways by launching a connectivity
close on the heels of the Sino-Indian stand-off along the Line of Actual Control.
• The new route will operate between Jaigaon in West Bengal and Ahllay in Bhutan,
which will enable smooth trades and entails the better connectivity and sub- regional
cooperation .
INTRODUCTION
Trade intercourse in between the local people of both Bhutan and Tawang & West Kameng
have been carried on in traditional way since time immemorial. However, in order to facilitate
the traders of both side and to boost the Trade & Commerce activities, an agreement was
signed in between the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of Republic of India on
28th February, 1995 which identified 12 more trade route as Free Trade Routes. During
‘TORGYA’ and ‘Gorsam’ festivals, thousands of Bhutanese pay visit to Tawang Monastery
every year and similarly, thousands of our local people also pay visit to Bhutan during
‘CHURTEM KORA’ and ‘GOMBEY KORA’ as Buddhism is followed in both sides
MORE ABOUT THE DUO RELATIONS
• Following are the main items of export from India to Bhutan- Rice, salt, chokey, carpet,
ropes, mustard oil, wooden containers, rapeseed oil, ropes, wooden mask, bamboo mate,
mustard oil, wooden oil, animal fast, red chillies etc.
• Delighted that a new trade route has been opened between Bhutan & India. This link
between Jaigaon and Ahlay, Pasakha will facilitate connectivities between the two countries
in these COVID 19 times, further strengthening its special relationship.
• Ambassador of India to Bhutan, Ruchira Kamboj delightfully named it as “A step
forward!”
the Consulate General of India, Phuentsholing, also expressed “Celebrations Galore! Maiden
movement of vehicles carrying goods and commodities through temporary alternate. Indian
Embassy in Thimphu in a press release said an additional Land Customs station has been
opened at Ahllay, Pasakha by the Government of India on July 15.
Indo-Bhutan Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1949
• Treaty of peace and friendship was signed on 8th August calling for peace between
the two nations and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
• The treaty also established free trade and extradition protocols.
• The Treaty provides for, among other things, perpetual peace and friendship, free
trade and commerce and equal justice to each other’s citizens.
• In 2007 the treaty was re-negotiated, and provisions were included to encourage
Bhutan’s sovereignty, abolishing the need to take India’s guidance on foreign policy.
• Main feature of the treaty was that King of Bhutan, for the first time, had signed a
treaty as a sovereign monarch and both countries expressed the desire to maintain cordial
relations with each other.

GRANT IN AID FOR RURAL LOCAL BODIES

WHY IN NEWS?
The Ministry of Finance has released A part of grants-in-aid of Rs. 15187.50 crore for around
2.63 lakh has been released by the Ministry of Finance for Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) of 28
States.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation,
Ministry of Jal Shakti has been in the syndication of these oth organisations.
• This formed the part of the Tied Grant as recommended by the 15th Finance
Commission (FC) for the Financial Year (FY) 2020-2021.
KEY FEATURES
There are two types of grants –
• Basic Grants are untied and can be used by RLBs for location specific needs, except
for salary or other establishment expenditure.
Untied funds are utilized for the works of rising nature which are normally uncovered under
the schemes decentralized at the district level.
• Tied Grants are used for the basic services of: Sanitation and open defecation, The
RLBs shall, as far as possible, earmark one half of these grants each to these two critical
services, supply of drinking water, harvesting and water recycling, and utilizes the fund for
the RLBs fully saturated for the other category. Etc.
DISTRIBUTION, ASSISTANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE
• Distribution: On the accepted recommendations of the latest State Finance
Commission (SFC) and in conformity with the recommendations of the 15th FC , The State
Governments will be distributing the grants to all the tiers of of the Panchayati Raj -village,
block and district including the traditional bodies of 5th and 6th Schedule
• Assistance: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj would support the states in effective
utilization of the grants by providing Web/IT enabled platforms for planning, monitoring,
accounting / auditing of the works and funds flow at the level of each of the RLBs.
• Significance:
o Fighting Covid 19: In this pandemic where lack of employment is causing havoc it
would help RLBs in providing employment. e.g. migrant laborers who have returned to their
native places owing to Covid-19 pandemic situation.
o Delivery of Basic Services: The delivery of basic services to the rural citizens will be
easier with the availability of fund and also increase the efficiency of RLBs
o Rural Infrastructure: It will help in the construction of roads, supply of water etc which
will in other way intensify he rural infrastructure.
o Finance Commission: It recommended the grant in aid of Rs. 60,750 crore for (FY
2020-21) the RLBs which is the highest ever allocation made by the Finance Commission in
any single year
WAY FORWARD TO FINANCE COMMISSION
• It determines the method and formula for distributing the tax proceeds between the
Centre and states and among the states as per the constitutional arrangement and present
requirements such that he is considered a constitutional body.
• According to Article 280 of the Constitution, the President of India is required to
constitute a Finance Commission at an interval of five years or earlier.
• There have been fifteen so far, and the 1st FC was set up in 1951.
• The 15th FC headed by N.K. Singh was constituted by the President of India on 27th
November 2017, against the backdrop of the abolition of the Planning Commission and the
introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
• The Union Cabinet approved the 15th FC to submit its first report for the first fiscal
year 2020-21 and to extend its tenure to provide for the presentation of the final report in
November 2019 covering Financial Years 2021-22 to 2025-26 by 30th October, 2020.

NATIONAL THERMAL POWER CORPORATION

WHY IN NEWS?
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), and the National Thermal Power
Corporation Limited (NTPC Ltd.) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding MoU
which is acting through the National Investment and Infrastructure (NTPC Ltd.) Fund Limited
(NIIFL). It will invest in the renewable energy and power distribution among others.
INTRODUCTION
NTPC Ltd is a central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power. It is
India’s largest energy conglomerate which incorporated way back in 1975 to accelerate
power development in India. Its main aim is to provide reliable power and related solutions
in an economical, efficient and environment-friendly manner, driven by innovation and
agility. It became a Maharatna Company in May 2010. It is located in New Delhi.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited
• The Government of India has anchored is a collaborative investment platform for
international and Indian investors
• It was set up in December 2015 to catalyst funding into the country’s core sector.
• With the objective to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors, IT
usually invests across in infrastructure, private equity and other diversified sectors in India
• It has a targeted corpus of Rs. 40,000 crores to be raised over the years. It has been
cordially divided into two stages where 49% of which will be funded by the government and
remaining 51% is to be raised from domestic and global investors, including international
pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and multilateral/bilateral investors.
• On 28th December 2015, Securities and Exchange Board Of India has recognized it as
a category 2 of investment fund.
• The three funds which are Master Fund, Fund of Funds and Strategic Opportunities
Fund are managed by NIIF for over $4.3 billion of equity capital commitments each with its
distinct investment strategy. The NIIF Master Fund is the largest infrastructure fund in the
country and invests in core infrastructure sectors such as transportation and energy.
• The chairperson of Governing Council is the Finance Minister which has been set up
to act as an advisory council to the NIIF.
WAY FORWARD
• The 3 wheelers have been commissioned for charging and swapping off stations
which is created by the public charging infrastructure.
• Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are to be run in DELHI and LEH, which come under
their new project.
• E- bus solutions or Andaman And Nicobar administration which are currently under
the implementation this way it provides electric buses to state / city transport undertakings.

Scientific Cooperation Between India and EU

Why in News?
On 15th July, during the virtual 15th India and EU summit, India and the European Union
(EU) have agreed to renew the agreement on science and technology cooperation for five
years (2020-2025).
Key Points
• Based on the principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity both the nations have agreed
to renew the agreement on science and technology for next five years which has expired on
17thMay 2020.
• During the summit PM Narendra Modi said that it is important for India and EU both to
work together to fully use the benefits of technology.
• Both parties are also committed to launch the renewal procedure for the above
agreement.
• They will also acknowledge 20 years of cooperation on research and innovation.
• They will exchange researchers, students, startups and attract co-investment of
resources for co-generation of knowledge to strengthen the institutional linkages.
• They will also enhance research and innovation cooperation in different fields like
Water, Energy, Healthcare, Agritech & Bioeconomy, Integrated Cyber-Physical Systems,
Information and Communication Technologies, Nanotechnology, and clean technologies,
etc.
• They have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement on the eve of the virtual
summit under which India and the EU will cooperate in nuclear research activities,
particularly in areas such as medicine, water and environment, officials said.
About European Union
• It is an international organization comprising 27 European countries and governing
common economic, social, and security policies which was created by the Maastricht Treaty,
which entered into force on November 1,
• The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 27 EU
countries that together cover much of the continent.
• The Maastricht Treaty was designed to enhance European political and economic
integration by creating a single currency (the euro),a unified foreign and security policy, and
common citizenship rights and by advancing cooperation in the areas of immigration,
asylum, and judicial affairs.
Relations Between India and EU
• First India-EU Summit took place in Lisbon in June 2000 and marked a watershed in
the evolution of the relationship.
• EU is the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)into India.
• India is the sixth largest destination for service exports from the EU and fourth largest
server exporter to EU.
• India and the EU are in the process of negotiating a bilateral Broad-based Trade and
Investment Agreement since 2007 which will significantly enhance the commercial
relationship once implemented.
• The framework of India-EU cooperation in the fields of education and culture is
provided by three Joint Declarations signed in recent years covering cooperation in the
fields of Education and Training, Multilingualism and Culture.
Bilateral Agreements
Over the years, India and the EU have signed a number of bilateral agreements and MoUs,
notably a Science & Technology Agreement (2001, renewed in 2007), Joint Vision Statement
for promoting Cooperation in the field of Information and Communications Technology
(2001), Customs Cooperation Agreement (2004), Memorandum of Understanding on
Cooperation in Employment and Social Affairs (2006), Horizontal Civil Aviation Agreement
(2008), Joint Declaration in the field of Education & Training (2008), Joint Declaration on
Multilingualism (2009), Agreement in the field of Nuclear Fusion Energy Research (2009),
Joint Declaration on Culture (2010), MoU on Statistics (2012), Joint Declaration on Research
and Innovation Cooperation (2012) and Joint Declaration on Enhanced Cooperation in
Energy (2012).

Paris Agreement on Climate Change

On Friday, India and the United States have announced new areas of research on
transformational power generation based on supercritical CO2 power cycles and advanced
clean coal technology. Both the countries agreed to collaborate on “advanced high
efficiency coal technology with low to zero emission” through carbon capture, utilization
and storage (CCUS).
Key Points
• The focus of the collaboration is on the US department of energy’s (DoE) Coal FIRST
(Flexible, Innovation, resilient, small, transformative).
• DoE Coal FIRST is an initiative to develop 21st century coal energy system.
• India has been working for increasing US’s renewable energy as per its commitment
under Paris Agreement of Climate Change.
• The Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) meeting was held virtually and was co-chaired
by the US secretary of energy, Dan Brouillett and India’s minister of petroleum and natural
gas Dharmendra Pradhan.
• According to the Indian officials, coal-fire electricity generation can be cleaner that
ever if coal plants adopt pollution control measures.
• US DoE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) said that a new coal with
pollution control measures can reduce nitrogen oxides by 83% and particulate matter by
99.8% compared to plants without control
Emission Standards for Coal-Based Power Plant
• Earlier the emission standards for coal-based power plant was introduced in India in
2015, which was required to comply its norms by December 2017.
• Later, it was extended till 2022 because of some practical problems in implementing
those norms within that period.
• Currently, APP argued that the ban on Chinese products may delay the plants’
operator to comply with emission regulation and has demanded a new extension for
implementation of emission standards.
“Criminal violation of an order”
“The COVID-19 will used as an excuse to further justify delay in 2022. The NTPC approached
the supreme court four days ago to challenge the NGT order to cover coal carrying trucks
with tarpaulin. If a basic pollution control measure like tarpaulin can’t be followed through,
there is clearly no intention of complying.”
About Paris Agreement on Climate Change
• The Paris Agreement is a landmark environmental accord that was adopted by nearly
every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
• The agreement includes commitments from all major emitting countries to cut their
climate-altering pollution and to strengthen those commitments over time.
• The deal aims to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to
limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial
levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.
• At present, 197 countries—every nation on earth.
UN ECOSOC on 75th anniversary of UN
Why in News?
The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of United Nations, in 1945. The
theme of this year’s high-level segment is ‘Multilateralism after covid: What kind of UN do
we need on the 75th anniversary’. PM Modi addressed the UN for the first time after India
overwhelmingly elected as a non- permanent member of the UN Security Council on 17th
June 2020 for the term 2021-22. PM joined by his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg as
well as UN secretary- general Antonio Guterres. The High-Level Segment is held annually by
ECOSOC for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating policy
recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system.
Major Points said by PM Modi in the UN meet:
• India has extended assistance to 150 countries, and helped to set up SAARC (South
Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) covid-19 emergency fund in South Asian
neighborhoods.
• The United Nations was born from the furies of the second world war and today the
fury of the pandemic has provided new opportunities for reform and rebirth of the United
Nations. Let us not lose this chance.
• We believe in the principle, leaving no behind and in the field of nutrition, health,
education, electricity and housing we are making tremendous progress through our
inclusive programs.
• Our massive general awareness programs are empowering our women. We have
achieved gender parity in elementary and secondary education. Nearly 70 million women in
rural areas are part of self-help groups under our livelihood mission.
• In 6 years 400 million bank accounts were opened out of which 220 million are owned
by women.
• Last year we celebrated the 150th anniversary of our father of the nation Mahatma
Gandhi on achieving full sanitation coverage in our 6,00,000 villages.
• Our ‘Housing for All’ program will ensure that every Indian will have a safe and secure
roof over his head by 2022, when India completes its 75th year as an independent nation.
• In the fight against covid-19 our grass root health system is helping India ensure one
of the best recovery rates in the world.
About the United Nations:
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World
War by 51 countries and India was also in the founding member country. These countries
are committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations
among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.
Now there are 193 member countries, the 193rd country joined the UN in 2011 was South
Sudan.
UN ECOSOC
• The Economic and Social Council is a system to advance the three dimensions of
sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.
• The UN Charter established ECOSOC in 1945 as one of the six main organs of the
United Nations.
• It is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging
consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed
goals.
• Each year, ECOSOC structures its work around an annual theme of global importance
to sustainable development.

Same-Sex Marriage Ban in Russia

Why in News?
On 14th July, 2020 the Russian lawmakers submitted a draft legislation that seeks to ban
same-sex marriage and has begun the process of legalizing a ban on same-sex marriage.
LGBT Rights in Russia
In 1993, same-sex intercourse was decriminalized but still the LGBT community faces
different legal and social challenges unlike the non-LGBT community. Same-sex marriage
has been banned in July 2020 after Russian voters approved of the constitutional
amendment banning same-sex marriage. There happen to be no laws prohibiting the
discrimination of the LGBT community. In surveys from 2002-2013, upwards of 60%
Russians have said that homosexuality should be criminalized as it is against the law of
nature. Despite removal of homosexuality from the nomenclature of mental disorders,
Russian psychiatrists have labelled it as an illness and demanded that they should be
prohibited from entering any public institutions. Gays are allowed to openly serve in the
military but there is a unique “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Public Opinion
Russia has always been against same-sex marriage and has also opposed supporting and
giving legal rights to the LGBT community. Though in a 2019 survey, 47% have voted to
provide equal legal rights to the LGBT community. It is a record high in comparison the past
14 years. The most support has been from the age group of 18-30. Big names like Dima
Bilan, Philipp Kirkorov and Nikolay Baskov have showed their support to oppose anti-
homophobic laws. In February 2012, the feminist protest band Pussy Riot put on a
controversial performance within Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior to protest the
Orthodox Church’s political support of President Vladimir Putin, which included his stance
on LGBT rights in Russia. Weeks after the performance, three members of the band were
arrested and charged with “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”, which then sparked
a global protest movement against the trio’s arrest.
Reflecting it in India
Though same sex marriage is not legal in India there has been one case where the Haryana
High Court allowed the marriage of 2 women. In April 2014, Medha Patkar of Aam Aadmi
Party has said that their party supports same-sex marriage. Traditionally, India recognizes
same-sex marriages as social disorders or culture bound syndromes. The state of Goa is the
only state which has a unified marriage law. There have been a couple of high profile same-
sex marriages in Goa for eg:- Wendall Rodricks and his French partner Jerome Marrel under
the French Law. In December 2017, a dual Indian-Vietnamese same-sex couple held a
wedding ceremony in Yavatmal in the state of Maharashtra, alongside family, friends and
well-wishers. In April 2018, a lesbian couple got married at a mass wedding ceremony in
Agra, after one of them posed as the groom. However, some family members discovered,
and urged them to separate.
Public Opinion
Indians, just like the Russians have also believed that same-sex marriage is against the
rules of nature and should not be legalized. In a survey in 2015, only 29% of Indians
supported same-sex marriage, 18% were in support of other forms of recognition. Out of the
23 countries which were surveyed India ranked 5th lowest in support of same-sex marriage.
But, according to a survey in 2016, the percentage of people in support of legalizing same-
sex marriage went up to 35%. In 2019, in a survey conducted by OkCupid a popular dating
app, 69% said “It was time to legalize same-sex marriage”

Consumer Protection Act 2019

Why in News?
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 came into force from this Monday, 20th July.
Key Points
• The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 was passed by the Indian Parliament on Aug 06,
2019, and later on signed by the President of India.
• The act will include establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority and
rules for prevention of unfair trade practice by e-commerce platforms.
• Act provides for simplifying the consumer dispute adjudication process in the
consumer commissions, which include, among others, empowerment of the State and
District Commissions to review their own orders, enabling a consumer to file complaints
electronically and file complaints in consumer Commissions that have jurisdiction over the
place of his residence, videoconferencing for hearing and deemed admissibility of
complaints if the question of admissibility is not decided within the specified period of 21
days.
• CCPA will be empowered to conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights
and institute complaints / prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order
discontinuance of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, impose penalties
on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements.
• Under this act every e-commerce entity is required to provide information relating to
return, refund, exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, modes of
payment, grievance redressal mechanism, payment methods, security of payment methods,
charge-back options, etc. including country of origin which are necessary for enabling the
consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage on its platform.
• E-commerce platforms have to acknowledge the receipt of any consumer complaint
within forty-eight hours and redress the complaint within one month from the date of receipt
under this Act. He further added that the New Act introduces the concept of product liability
and brings within its scope, the product manufacturer, product service provider and product
seller, for any claim for compensation.
This Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its
various notified rules and provisions:
• Consumer Protection Councils,
• Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions,
• Mediation, Product Liability and punishment for manufacture or sale of products
containing adulterant / spurious goods.
Salient Features of Consumer Protection Act,2019
• Consumer protection Council
• Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
• Simplified dispute resolution process
• Mediation
• Rules on e-commerce and direct selling
• Penalty for adulteration of products/spurious goods
Prohibition and penalty for a misleading advertisement:
• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will have the power to impose
fines on the endorser or manufacturer up to 2-year imprisonment for misleading or false
advertisement. Repeated offence may attract a fine of Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of up to
5 years.
About Consumer Protection Act 1986
• Consumer Protection Act 1986 is made for the establishment of consumer councils
and other authorities for the settlement of consumer grievances and matters connected
there with it.
• This Act is regarded as the ‘Magna Carta’ in the field of consumer protection for
checking unfair trade practices, ‘defects in goods’ and ‘deficiencies in services.’
• Consumer guidance society of India (CGSI) was the first consumer organization
established in India in 1966

CANDIDATURE BUDGET REDUCED BY AROUND 80% FOR 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS

Why in News?
Holding the Olympic games offers multiple benefits to the candidate city as well as the host
country and region. With the involvement of all the relevant institutes, authorities and
organizations it takes years of careful and precise planning to host the Olympic games
successfully.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday reshaped the candidature process for
the Winter Olympics 2026 as per the Olympic Agenda 2020. The earlier budget which was
around USD 35 millions in the Olympic Winter Games 2022 is now reduced to USD 5
millions, which marks a reduction of around 80%.
“This was a direct result of the IOC implementing recommendation 3 of Olympic Agenda
2020, which calls for reducing the cost of candidatures by further assisting interested
parties” IOC said in a statement.
KEY POINTS
• The budget was reshaped taking into consideration recommendation 3 of the 40
proposals that were put forward. The 2026 process was wholly reformed to increase
partnership and sharing of knowledge. During the one year non-committal process IOC
worked along with seven interested cities and Olympic committees.
• “With the Olympic Agenda 2020, we have a more flexible and collaborative approach
to help interested parties align the Games with their long-term ambitions. This has made
creating Olympic Games projects much more affordable and accessible, which was proven
by the Candidature Process 2026 and the many expressions of interest we have received for
future Olympic Games” said IOC president Thomas Bach.
• “Additional support was offered to help them develop Games projects that could best
fit their local context as well as their needs and long-term development plans,” the
statement further read.
• In addition to the reduced number of presentations, the additional investment from the
IOC has helped in reducing costs and creating projects that are beneficial for the hosts.
• It also allows the IOC to target a potential host if deemed beneficial to the Olympic
Movement.
About Olympic Agenda 2020:
• It is said to be a strategic roadmap for the future of Olympic movement. It consists of
40 recommendations which are athlete oriented. These act like the building blocks of a
puzzle that, when put together help safeguarding the uniqueness of the Olympic Games.
• The philosophy behind the change in the candidature process is to invite potential
candidate cities to present a plan that fits their sporting, social, economic and
environmental long-term planning needs.
• The agenda shifts the focus of organizing the Olympic Games from a sport-based to
an event-based program.

G20 finance ministers & central bank governors meet

Why in News?
The third G20 Finance Ministers Meet was held at Riyadh [Saudi Arabia] through video
conferencing. Indian delegation was held by “Nirmala sitharaman”.
Key Points
• In the former session of the meeting, Sitaraman discussed about the plan in response
to COVID-19.
• G20 Action Plan lays out a list of collective commitments under the pillars of Health
Response, Economic Response, Strong and Sustainable Recovery and International
Financial Coordination, aimed at coordinating G20 efforts to fight the pandemic.
• Sitharaman emphasized that it is crucial to ensure that this action plan remains
relevant and effective.
• Stressing more in reflecting how the economies are balancing their demand & supply
& she also shared how India is doing the same
• In the later session of the meeting the central bank governors & G20 finance minister
discussed the development on G20 finance track deliverables [end product]. In her
intervention, Sitharaman discussed two such deliverables. First, enhancing access to
opportunities for Women, Youth and SMSEs is a priority agenda under Saudi Presidency
and a Menu of Policy Options on Access to Opportunities has been developed by G20 under
this agenda. The Menu presents country experiences of G20 members related to policies
aimed at: Youth, Women, Informal Economy, Technology & Adult Skills, and Financial
Inclusion. The Finance Minister noted that this agenda has assumed even greater
importance now as the pandemic has most impacted the vulnerable sections.
• Second, referring to the International Taxation agenda and the intended deliverable of
formulating a solution for addressing challenges related to digital taxation, Sitharaman
noted the progress on the agenda and said that it is imperative that this consensus-based
solution should be simple, inclusive and based on a robust economic impact assessment.
About G20
• G20 is made up of 19 countries & the European union.
• The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France,
India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Russian federation Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
South Korea, Turkey, US, UK.
• G20 was formed in 1999
Purpose
Bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss
key issues in the global economy.
History of the G20
Originated in 1999 at the level of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, the G20
gathered for high-level discussions on macro-financial issues. In the wake of the 2008 global
financial crisis, the G20 was elevated to include the leaders of member countries. The first
G20 Leaders’ Summit took place in Washington D.C. in November 2008. Consequently, the
G20 agenda expanded beyond macro-financial issues, to include socio-economic and
development issues.

US India Strategic Energy Partnership

Introduction
US India strategic energy partnership is to review progress, highlight major
accomplishments and prioritize new areas for co-operations.
• SEP was established in April 2018
• Next ministerial meeting will be held in 2021
Strategic Energy Partnership
• 4 pillars of strategic energy partnership
1. Power and Energy Efficiency.
2. Oil & Gas.
3. Renewable energy.
4. Sustainable growth
• These pillars are helping both the countries by the following points-
1.To strengthen and modernize the power grid
1. Distribution utilities.
2. To promote inclusive and sustainable economic
3. Growth
4. To improve efficiency performance in the power Sector.
2. To enhance energy securities.
1.
1. To advance the development & integration.
2. Renewable energy.
3. To enhance energy efficiency and conservation
1. To promoting energy trade and investment
2. To empower women in the energy sector
Initiatives
1.
1. [PACE-R] Partnership to advance clean energy Research– The United States and India
launched the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), which is working to accelerate
inclusive, low carbon growth by supporting research and deployment of clean energy
technologies.
2. South Asia Women in Energy (SAWIE)– USAID launched this to focus on the power
sector and both the countries have been working to incorporate gender-focused activities
across the technical pillars.
3. Public-Private Hydrogen Task Force– Both sides launched this to help scale up
technologies to produce hydrogen from renewable energy and fossil fuel sources and to
bring down the cost of deployment for enhanced energy security and resiliency.
4. Retrofit of Air Conditioning to Improve Air Quality for Safety and Efficiency (RAISE)-
Initiative for healthy and energy efficient buildings.
5. South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE)– Join collaboration for joint research on
development of advanced clean technologies.
6. U.S.-India Natural Gas Task Force-To promote greater hydrocarbon trade between the
two countries.
7. India Energy Modeling Forum – USAID and NITI Aayog jointly launched to build a
network of modeling communities and its linkage with Government for analytical work and
policy making exercise.
Overview of India energy modelling forum
The India energy modelling forum was launched on 2th July 2020 in the joint working group
meeting of the sustainable growth pillar.
The aim of India energy forum
1.
1. Provide a platform to examine important energy & environmental related issue.
2. Improve cooperation between modelling teams, GOVT.& Knowledge partners
founders.
3. Facilitate exchange of ideas, ensure production of high-qualities studies.
4. Identify knowledge gaps at different levels across different areas.
5. Build capacity of Indian Institution.

ICC on T20 World Cup 2020

Why in News?
Recently on Monday 20th July a statement held that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in
Australia 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Key points
• It was held after almost 50 days after the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) board of
directors first met to take a call on this year’s T20 World Cup.
• ICC CEO Manu Sawhney said “The decision to postpone the T20 World Cup was taken
after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible
opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups,”.
• The BCCI has shortlisted two windows (September 26 to November 7 and September
26 to November 14) and will approach the Central government for clearance once the IPL
governing council, set to meet on Friday, formally proposes the United Arab Emirates as the
venue.
• Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be held October-November with the final on November
13.
• Men’s (50-over) World Cup will be held in India in October-November 2023 with the
final on November 26.
• ICC has rescheduled the 2023 50-over World Cup in India by six months to allow a
longer qualification period.
• The 2021 T20 World Cup will be held in India as scheduled and Australia will host the
tournament in 2022.
• the IBC Board (ICC’s commercial arm) will continue to evaluate the situation in relation
to being able to stage the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand in February next
year and planning for the event will continue.
• ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “Our Members now have the clarity they
need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic
cricket. Moving the Men’s Cricket World Cup to a later window is a critical element of this
and gives us a better chance of maintaining the integrity of the qualification process. This
additional time will be used to reschedule games that might be lost because of the pandemic
ensuring qualification can be decided on the field of play.”
About International Cricket Council
• ICC was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909
• It was found by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa.
• Currently ICC has 104 member nations- 12 Full Members that play Test matches, and
92 Associate Members.
• It is responsible for the organization and governance of cricket’s major international
tournaments, most notably the Cricket World Cup and ICC T20 World Cup.
• The ICC does not have copyright to the Laws of Cricket but only the MCC may change
the Laws, though this is usually done in consultation with the game’s global governing
body.

INDIA AMONG 10 WORST COUNTRIES FOR THE WORKING PEOPLE

According to the seventh edition of the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC)
Global Rights Index that ranks 144 countries on the basis of respect for worker’s rights,
India is ranked among the 10 worst countries for the working people.
The ITUC report says that 85 percent of the countries violated the right to strike and around
80 percent violated the right to collectively bargain.
The number of countries that have hindered the registration of unions have increased and
three countries have entered the list of worst places for workers that is – India, Egypt and
Honduras.
The other countries include – Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines,
Turkey and Zimbabwe.
On the contrary the workers experience arbitrary arrests and custody in 61 countries.
• “These threats to workers, our economies and democracy were endemic in
workplaces and countries before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives and livelihoods,”
said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.
The Global Rights Index exposes the relations between the working people and their
employers or the government.
• “If the findings of the Rights Index are not shocking enough, we are already seeing
some countries take things further. Under the cover of measures to tackle the coronavirus
pandemic, they are advancing their anti-workers’-rights agenda. This has got to stop and be
reversed,” said Burrow.
Key points of the report
• 74% of countries excluded workers from the right to establish or join a trade union
• In 72% countries, workers had no or restricted access to justice
• Workers were arrested and detained in 61 countries
• Countries where freedom of speech and assembly was denied or constrained
increased from 54 in 2019 to 56 in 2020
• Workers experienced violence in 51 countries
• Workers were murdered, in protests, in nine countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Iraq, Honduras, The Philippines and South Africa
About the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Formed on 1 November 2006, out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), the ITUC is the world’s
largest trade union federation.
Head quartered in Brussels, Belgium, the ITUC represents 207 million workers through its
331 affiliated organizations within 163 countries and territories latest until 2018.
The ITUC has three main regional organizations – the Asia-Pacific Regional Organization,
the American Regional Organization, and the African Regional Organization. Sharan Burrow
is the current General Secretary.

QATAR BACKED BY UN’s TOP COURT ON AIR BLOCKADE

Why in News?
Recently the INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (ICJ), the UN’s top court, has backed in a
dispute with four of its powerful neighbours that imposed air blockade against Doha more
than three years ago.
The four countries, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates (UAE),
challenged the authority of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to adjudicate
on the legality of Qatar blockade. The ICJ refused the appeal made by the neighbors.
Earlier in 2017, Qatar’s neighboring countries shut off the shipping routes and air space with
Qatar for its alleged support for terrorism and its intimate relations with Iran. A 13 point list
of demands was issued by the neighbors for Doha (capital of Qatar) to restore the relations.
Qatar, however, has denied supporting Islamic extremism and has openly criticized its
isolation as an attack on its sovereignty.
The ICAO, in 2018, said it had the authority to handle the dispute in which Qatar accused its
neighbor of violating the free passage of its passenger planes over foreign air space. The
four allies however disagreed saying ICAO is not the right body to give a judgment as the
dispute is more than just the air space blockade and its decision to do so was “manifestly
flawed and in violation of fundamental principles of due process and the right to be heard.”
What changes will be seen?
This should mean that the Qatar airways can resume using the airspace of Bahrain, Egypt,
Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. While the airlines won’t necessarily be allowed to fly
to these countries it can at least use the air space.
This is a big victory for the Qatar airways as the International Court of Justice has ruled that
the ICAO has the jurisdiction to prevent the countries from blocking airspace.
However, what remains to be seen is that whether these countries will honor the decision, or
how will they act next in their process to corner their neighbor. They haven’t given up until
now and it won’t be surprising to see that they continue to do so.
About the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which regulates and monitors the
principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and
development of international air transport. Its headquarters is located in the Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.
United Nations Economic and Social Council is the parent organization of the ICAO.
The main concerns of the organization are air navigation, its infrastructure, flight inspection,
prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for
international civil aviation.

Manodarpan Initiative
Why in News?
Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Union Human Resource Development Minister
Ramesh Pokhriyal launched the Manodarpan initiative with the aim of providing psycho-
social support to students for their mental health and well-being on July 21,2020. It is
launched as a part of Technology Driven Education with Equity.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her press conference on May 17 had first spoke
about the Manodarpan initiative to help students.
Objective –
Facilitation of sustainable psychological support system for the students, their families and
teachers.
Components –
• A national toll-free helpline, for tele-counselling.
• A special web page, named MANODARPAN of it on the portal of HRD Ministry, and a
handbook on it,
• Advisories for teachers to follow during the lockdown, and also how to make best use
of virtual classes,
• A Working Group, having experts from the fields of education, mental health and
psychosocial issues as its members, has been set up.
• Contains practical tips, posters, videos, do’s and don’ts for psychological support,
FAQs and online query system.
• Covering wide range of activities to provide support during the COVID outbreak and
beyond.
• Working on adolescent stress, unlocking family togetherness by virtual meet ups peer
to peer support and providing fitness session.
• In that sphere around 33 crore students in the country can access to be get benefitted.
• National level database and directory of counselors at school and university level.
• Sustainable psychological support system.
SIGNIFICANCE-
• Pandemic is not only a serious medial concern, but also brings psycho-social stress
for all.
• It is important to focus on continuing education on the academic front, for that, these
issues need to be dealt with.
Expected provisions-
• Interactive application for online chat and counseling as well.
• MHRD is also planning to hold webinars, audio-visual resources and podcasts.
Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan-
• Aim – Make India Self-reliant.
• Government has allocated Rs.20 lakh crore.
• Investment in agriculture, MSME, fisheries, defense and aviation etc
It includes-
• For government – increase in borrowing limits, privatization of PSEs.
• For businesses (including MSMEs)- collateral free loans, corpus for MSMEs,
subordinate debt for MSMEs, schemes for NBFCs, EPF, Statutory PF contribution.
• For farmers and migrant workers- free supply of food grains for months for migrants,
affordable rental housing complex, Working Capital Funding for farmers through NABARD
• Special Credit Facility for vendors
Other initiatives by government for mental health issues-
• The Mental Health Care Act 2017,
• National Mental Health Programme,
• District Mental Health Programme,
• Mental Health Act (MHA), enacted in 1987,
• The sustainable Development Goals target 3.4 and 3.5 talks about reducing mental
illness within the population.
Also, Supreme Court has held healthcare to be a fundamental right under Article 21 of the
constitution.

Privatization of State-Owned Banks

Why in News?
The government is looking to ‘privatize’ more than half of the state owned banks to reduce
the number of the state-owned lenders to just 5 as part of an overhaul of the banking
industry, and also to raise money by selling assets in non-core companies.
• At present, India has 12 state-owned banks, 7 large public sector banks, and five
smaller ones, which were brought down from 27, as per the “consolidation” plan of the
government.
• Last year, the government had merged 10 state-owned banks into 4, creating a handful
of larger banks in the process.
• Though, presently 4 public sector banks are already under the RBI’s Prompt
Corrective Action (PCA) framework, which puts several restrictions on them, including
lending, management compensation and directors’ fees.
• Neither the PCA nor any other framework can cure the banking sector, for the problem
is structural rather than functional: it is the government ownership that is at the heart of the
rot.
Whom?
The plan is to sell majority stakes in :
• Bank of India,
• Central Bank of India
• Indian Overseas bank
• UCO Bank
• Bank of Maharashtra and
• Punjab and Sind Bank.
The government is planning to retain the top banks and privatize the “unheard” ones.
Why?
• The main purpose behind this plain is to put a hold on future bailouts by using
taxpayers’ money.
• India expects bad loans at its banks could double after the crisis brought the economy
to a standstill. Bad debts of Indian banks is expected to double after the COVID-19 crisis
with the increase in non-performing assets (NPAs ) and capital erosion of banks.
• In the March quarter, 12 state-owned lenders recorded gross NPAs worth Rs. 5.47 lakh
crore, more than twice the size of the bad-loan pile of 19 private banks.
• Indian banks already had 9.35 trillion rupees ($124.38 billion) of soured loans,
equivalent to about 9.1% of their total assets at the end of September 2019.
• Over the 5 years, these banks had to set aside Rs. 4 lakh crore in provision towards
the bad loans, while the private ones had Rs. 88 crore.
• As per the IMF’s report, more than 1/3rd of Indian banking system, provisioning needs
for the bad debt would amount to the 3 years of net income. Among emerging economies,
asset quality in India is the worst, after Russia.
• Pros and Cons-

Pros. Cons.
• Reducing government burden of bad debts.
• Better financial performance
• Government can otherwise invest in welfare schemes.
• Banks will be free from external vigilance by the central vigilance commission, the RTI
Act.
• Minimum government and maximum governance.
• Defeat the idea of inclusive banking.
• Past history of private bank tells the failure; before 1969, all banks except SBI were in
the private sector, 559 of them failed.
• Difficulty in providing low cost financial services to rural and poor sections.
• Private profiteering and drain of national wealth through revenues accruing from FDI.

US LARGEST WARSHIP TO CONDUCT NAVAL EXERCISE WITH INDIA

•
Why in News?
Amid the growing aggression between The United States and China, the USS Nimitz, the
world’s largest warship is to conduct naval exercises with India off the coast of Andaman
and Nicobar Island.
Nimitz is already present at Indian Ocean via Malacca Strait. The strait, a narrow stretch
between Malaysia and Indonesia is a crucial global choke point from which considerable
global oil flows to rest of Asia including China.
The exercise is named Passex i.e. passing exercise.
Highlights
• The US-India passing exercise off the Andaman and Nicobar coast in Malacca Strait is
going to send out a strong message to China.
• The Indian Navy had recently conducted similar passing exercises with the Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force and French Navy.
• The USS Nimitz is also the world’s largest warship armed with F/A-18F and F/A-18E
Super Hornets
• The US and Indian naval forces carried out the high-end exercises designed to
maximize training and interoperability, including air defense.
• A similar passing exercise was recently conducted between India-Japan Maritime Self-
Defense Force and India and the French Navy.
International Relations with China
China is known for its involvement in illegally expanding its borders over the South China
Sea against the objection of its neighboring countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan,
Brunei and Malaysia. The Chinese are also infamous for encroaching the land of their
neighbors at the cost of peace and tranquility of the region.
After the Gulwan valley face-off between India and China in which 20 Indian soldiers and
over 50 Chinese soldiers were killed in action, there has been various international
criticisms against the Chinese government.
Also, Australia is likely to join the Malabar exercise, which involves India, the US, and Japan
as the permanent partners in a trilateral naval exercise. The Malabar exercise is expected to
take place later this year.
Thus, there will be continued pressure on China in the sea as well.
About the USS Nimitz
• USS Nimitz is a super carrier of the US navy and the lead ship of her class
• One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched, and
commissioned as CVAN-68, “aircraft carrier, attack, nuclear powered”
• The Nimitz-class carriers have a lifespan of approximately 50 years
• Nimitz herself is projected to be replaced around 2022 by the Gerald R. Ford-class
aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)

RATION TO BE DELIVERED FROM DOOR-TO-DOOR IN DELHI

WHY IN NEWS?
The Delhi government has taken an important decision in Delhi. The Kejriwal cabinet has
approved the door step delivery programme of ration. Kejriwal government of Delhi has
named this scheme as ‘Mukhyamantri Ghar-Ghar Ration Yojana’.
With the number of active corona virus cases increasing rapidly everyday throughout the
country, the capital Delhi is battling the virus with full force. Steps are being taken every day
to control the spread of the virus.
This information was shared by the Delhi Chief Minister MR. Arvind Kejriwal through a
digital press conference on Tuesday. Under the new scheme ration will be provided door-to-
door to the people and they will not have to go to the shops. However, this will be optional to
whether they want to get it delivered or wish to collect it from the shops.
Kejriwal said it was his government’s dream that the poor get ration with respect.
Main Objectives
The Chief Minister says that to a large extent control over the infection of Corona can be
achieved. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also given information about this on social
media. He wrote in tweeting, ‘Today the cabinet passed the “Chief Minister Ghar Ghar Ration
Yojana”. On implementation of this, ration will be sent to the house of the people, they will
not have to come to the ration shop. For years our dream was that the poor should get ration
with respect, today that dream is fulfilled.
“Under the scheme, wheat, flour, rice and sugar-packed hygienically in bags will be
delivered to the doorstep of people. Taking ration from a PDS shop will be optional,” he said
in a virtual press briefing.
Laying key emphasis on the Centre’s ‘One Nation One Card’ scheme Mr. Kejriwal said that
the new scheme will be launched along with the ‘One Nation One Card’ scheme.
The scheme is expected to benefit lakhs of people in the national capital through 2016 PDS
shops. At present subsidized ration is provided under the National Food Security Act 2013
and this new programme would add to the benefits of the Act.
It is expected that the scheme will be launched in about a period of 6-7 months.
About ‘One Nation One Card’
‘One Nation One Ration Card’ is the central governments scheme, which will allow
distribution of food security benefits. It was made available across the country from July 1,
2020. This means poor migrant workers will be able to buy subsidized rice and wheat from
any ration shop in the country, so long as their ration cards are linked to Aadhaar.
The ration card also now known as National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), is an inter-
operable transport card conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the
Government of India. It was launched on 4 March 2019.

INDIA IDEAS SUMMIT 2020

Why in News?
The India Ideas Summit was held virtually by the US Chamber of Commerce on July 22, 2020
at 9 pm. The summit is being hosted by the US-India Business Council; the year marks the
45th anniversary of the formation of the Council.
Theme for 2020
Building a Better Future by reflecting the growing importance of economic transformation in
a rapidly changing political and commercial environment.
Speakers
Summit 2020 speakers includes-
• S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
• Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar
• Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu
• US Ambassador to India Ken Juster
• Senator Mark Warner
• Representative Ami Bera
• US Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas J. Donohue
• Lockhead Martin Corporation CEO James Taiclet
• TATA Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran
• ATC CEO Tom Bartlett
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
• PM Modi highlighted the importance of Attmnirbhar Bharat.
• He told US that it can trust India with trade, and also mentioned the role of pandemic
in reminding the importance of resilience.
• Invited US firms to make best use of opportunity for ‘mutual growth’, and emphasized
on the ease of doing business ratings of India by IMF.
• PM Modi expressed gratitude to the US-India Business Council (USIBC) for the
invitation to address the summit, and congratulated USIBC on its 45th
• He made invitation for investment in trade opportunities, FDIs, finance and insurance,
defense and space sector, civil aviation, infrastructure development, clean energy sector.
• He also mentioned India’s growth in healthcare, and reforms in Agri sector.
• Union Ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, and Nitin Gadkari has
already their views.
• Sitharaman said green shots were visible in the Indian economy, and the
government’s economic stimulus package had helped organizations in coping with the
COVID-19 effects.
• Goyal proposed ‘preferential trade agreement’ with the US.
• Gadkari said the government needed FDI, especially in MSMEs, NBFCs, banks and
infrastructure to create job opportunities.
About USIBC
It was formed in 1975, to enlighten and encourage private sectors of both the countries and
serve as a direct link between government and business leaders.
ORGANIZATION-
Current Chairman – Nisha Desai Biswal, former US Department of State, assisted by a board
of directors.
USIBC currently has 12 Executive Committees, covering every major business sector,
namely:
• Aerospace & Defense
• Digital Economy/IT
• Energy, Environment & Enterprise
• Financial Services
• Food & Agriculture
• Infrastructure
• Legal/Professional Services
• Media & Entertainment
• Life Sciences
• Real Estate
• Retail Trade
• tax
AIM– To make business between the United States and India easier, more efficient and more
profitable.

FOCUS – Growth for members, by connecting the two largest democracies in the world and
inspire sustainable solutions to business challenges- both local and global.
PARTNERSHIPS – It has partnered with major trade associations in India, including
• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
• The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
• The American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham India)
• National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)
• The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE)
• Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC)

G20 Digital Economy Ministers Meeting

Why in News?
Earlier on Friday, a virtual G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting was held to discuss the
challenges being faced due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to form a globally
coordinated response controlling digital technologies.
Key highlights of the meeting:
• According to some officials, the summit also wanted measures to strengthen
communication infrastructure and network connectivity. Non-personal data exchange in a
secured manner. Use of digital solutions for healthcare, cyber secured world and measures
to strengthen. The resilience of the business.
• Emphasis was laid on reviving the economy of the countries while continuing the fight
against COVID-19
• Importance of inclusive and sustainable societies was discussed
• Ravi Shankar Prasad the Union minister for Law and Justice communications and
electronics and IT was representing India in the meeting. Which was attended by the
ministers of 19 other G20 nations, invited countries and some other international
organizations.
• The main aim of the meeting was to discuss the capability of the digital medium to
contain the rising spread of the virus. Protection of the people on which all the ministers
agreed to pay focus.
• In an official statement, Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “G20 nations have a responsibility
that everything we do during and after this crisis must be with a strong focus on building
more equal. Inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the
face of the ongoing pandemic.”
• While addressing the members Mr. Prasad highlighted the steps taken by the
Government of India to contain the spread of the virus and offered the roadmap for the world
to emulate. He said the next phase of digitalization is about applications that will impact
livelihoods, accelerate various sectors, strengthen the supply chain and build a cyber safe
world.
• He highlighted the crucial role of the IT Industries in maintaining the Global Business
Continuity at the same time offering India as an important destination for displaced global
supply chains.
Way Forward
Data must belong to the sovereign nation concerned to protect the privacy and digital
concerns of its people. Data is extremely important for the growth of the digital economy.
There is a need to balance different aspects of this including innovation, enterprise and
safety.
Prasad stated that “A trustworthy AI can never emerge unless there is a trustworthy digital
ecosystem in place”. Hence, he pointed out that data safety and security and ensuring a safe
cyber environment are key issues.
Thus, this could be considered as an extraordinary step towards the reorganization of the
economies around the world and a great help in fighting

SOUTH KOREA’S FIRST MILITARY SATELLITE

Why in News?
South-Korea’s first ever military communication satellite has been successfully launched on
July 20, 2020 From Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida by private operator SpaceX
Falcon 9, building up its defense capabilities. The ANASIS-2 was formerly called as
KMiSatCom.
Aim – To enhance the nation’s ability to defend against the nuclear-armed North, which
invaded in 1950.
This one is notable for 2 reasons:
• Fastest turnaround for rocket reuse and,
• Both Fairing halves were captured for the 1st
SIGNIFICANCE –It made South Korea the 10th country in the world to own a military
communication satellite, and is expected to provide permanent and secure military
communications.
Previously, South Korea’s military relied on both international as well as civilian satellites
for its communications.
The launch coincides with the agencies’ 50th anniversary.
Effect – Major boost to South Korean military operational capabilities.
Key Highlights –
• The satellite is expected to reach its orbit of 36,ooo km in 2 weeks and military will
take over the system in October after testing.
• The ANASIS-2 telecommunications satellite will operate in geostationary Earth Orbit.
• The satellite was manufactured in France Airbus Defense and Space as part of an
offset obligation related to a $7 billion sale of US.
• The ANASIS-2 satellite was successfully deployed about 32 minutes after the lift-off,
confirmed SpaceX.
• The name ANASIS-2 is for Army/Navy/Air Force Satellite Information System.
• South Korea’s DAPA contacted with DAPA contracted with Lockheed Martin in 2014
for a military comsat, which was as part of an offset package into the purchase f 40-F 35
combat aircraft.
• Space X’s customer for this launch was Lockheed Martin on behalf of the government
of South Korea.
• The mission was originally slated to launch on July 14, but was postponed by SpaceX
to allow time for additional preflight rocket checks.
• First dedicated South Korean military communications satellite.
• The Anasis-2 launch marks SpaceX’s 12th launch this year.
• SpaceX broke its own record for rocket reusability.
About SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is an American aerospace manufacturer and space
transportation services company, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
GOAL – reducing the space transportation cost to enable the colonization of Mars.
Major achievements –
First private company to –
1. liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit.
2. Successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft.
3. Send a spacecraft to International Space Station.
4. Launch an object into orbit around the sun
5. Send astronauts to the International Space Station.
• First propulsive landing for an orbital rocket.

Defense Logistics sharing treaty to be signed between India and Russia

Why in News?
A Defense Logistics Sharing Agreement is expected to be signed between India and Russia
at the annual summit to be held by the end of 2020.
The agreement will help the two countries to have easy access to each other’s military bases
and support facilities.
The formal agreement would ease the gap and be able to support military platforms such as
aircraft and warships.
The pact between the two countries will prove to be important as Russia is still the biggest
arms supplier to India. Joint exercises are also increasing in the past few years.
About Defense Logistics Treaty:
The Defense Logistics Treaty between Russia and India is still under negotiation and could
be signed at the next edition of the annual summit during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
visit to India later this year.
Russia assured a stable supply of weapons following a request from India for various
equipment under the Emergency Procurement Clause. This includes missiles, major
ammunition, and assault rifles.
This is quite significant as the pact is being planned to be signed very soon following the
worst Sino-India stand-off along LAC in decades.
Under the agreement signed, warships would have access to Special Economic Zones and
mutual ports to refuel and take supplies. The two countries also plan to restart the Chennai-
Vladivostok shipping route as part of an emerging partnership in the Indo-Pacific region. It
can also feed into defence logistics treaties.
Some key points of the agreement:
• Once the treaty is signed, the Indian Navy with the strength of warships of Russian
descent will be able to transit easily through practice to use the agreement.
• A certain number of troops may also be a component of deployment to each other’s
country as the agreement is signed.
• The Russians, in turn, will be able to use ports like Visakhapatnam and Mumbai for
refuelling and India can also do so to visit Russian airports and bases.
• These would include access to northern routes and ports in the Russian part of the
Arctic.
• India is also looking at an Arctic station shortly and Russia may be a partner. Russia
has also assured India access to energy resources in the vast Arctic region.
Similar agreements with other countries like India:
• India has a similar defence logistics sharing agreement with its largest trading partner
– the United States.
• A similar agreement was signed with France in 2018, which is another major ally of
joint practice.
• India-Australia signed a similar agreement in June 2020 in a virtual meeting with the
Prime Ministers of the two countries.
India-Russia Relations
• Development of India-Russia relations has been a key pillar of India’s foreign policy.
• Indo-Russian relations are the bilateral relations between India and Russia.
• Traditionally, the Indo-Russian strategic partnership has been built on five major
components: politics, defence, civil nuclear energy, anti-terrorism co-operation and
• The powerful IRIGC (India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission) is the main body
that conducts affairs at the governmental level between both countries.
• India is the second-largest market for the Russia defence system.
• The Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) is the main body that
conducts affairs at the governmental level between both countries.

Manipur Water Supply Project

Why in News?
PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Rs.3050 crore Manipur Water Supply Project
on July 23rd, 2020.
Imphal to provide clean and adequate water to more than 1,500 villages in Manipur.
Fund for the project, it is funded by the Central Government under its “Jal Jeevan Mission –
Har Ghar Jal Scheme”.
Aim– Providing FHTCs (Freshwater Household Tap Connection) to the remaining
households in the Greater Imphal Planning area – 25 towns, and for 1,731 rural habitations
covering 2,80,756 households in 16 districts of Manipur.
Key Points:
• PM Modi started the project to a Raksha Bandhan Gift to the women of Manipur from
his side
• He added that the project is a great example of ‘decentralization’ as it has been
designed with the help of local panchayats and people in the region.
• Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla, Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his cabinet
colleagues, MPs, and MLAs joined the programme from Imphal.
• Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat and Dr Jitendra Singh also took part in the
programme.
• Also, PM expressed his sympathies to all families affected by the flood and heavy
rainfall.
• The state government is trying to cover the remaining households through additional
sources of funding.
• Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh declared the project, to be the largest single
compact project ever sanctioned by the Government of India for the Manipur.
Project Utility –
• Clean water to Greater Imphal and 1,700 villages in Manipur.
• Job opportunities for thousands of people.
• It will help the Government of India to achieve its ‘HAR GHAR JAL’ mission by 2024.
• The programme also implements source sustainability measures as mandatory
elements, such as recharge and reuse through greywater management, water conservation,
rainwater harvesting
JAL JEEVAN MISSION –
The Government of India initiated the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide safe and adequate
quantity drinking water to every household by 2024 with the motto ‘Har Ghar Jal’.
As per DDWS, only 18.33% of rural households i.e., 3.27 crores out of the total 17.87 crore
rural households in the country, have piped water connection.
Introduction –
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her maiden 2019 speech in the parliament
introduced ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’. It tackled the problems faced by rural India for accessing
clean and adequate drinking water. She also promised supply unhindered water supply to
rural India by the year 2024.
• She named the “Jal Jeevan Mission” initiative as ‘Har Ghar Jal’.
• Around Rs, 3.50 lakh crores will be allocated for the scheme, as per Prime Minister
and Defense Minister of India.
Schemes proposed –
• In-village water supply (PWS) infrastructure for tap water connection to every
household;
• Reliable drinking water source development;
• Transfer of water;
• Technological Intervention for treatment to make water portable
• Retrofitting of completed and ongoing piped water supply schemes to provide HFTC
and raise the service level;
• Greywater management;
• Capacity building of various stakeholders and support activities to facilitate the
implementation.

Sahil Seth Appointed as Advisory for BRICS CCI

Why in News?
Sahil Seth, the Deputy Commissioner of Mumbai Customs and a 2011 batch Indian Revenue
Service Officer.
he has been appointed as an honorary advisor to the steering committee and Industry (CCI)
young leaders on July 22, 2020, and he is appointed for a period of 2020-2023.
The main purpose of the committee is to organize themselves in BRICS countries chapters
for 3 years with a chair leading the committee.
BRICS group consists of:
• 5 major marketplaces of the world namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa,
• Represents 42% of world population,
• And 23% of world GDP,
• And 18 % of world trade.
Key Points-
• The role is on ‘voluntary’ basis and no financials are involved i.e. no/zero
remuneration appointment.
• Deepangna Singhi, the assistant director of BRICS Chamber of Commerce and
Industry in a letter to Seth, he praised his achievements and considered him a role model for
the youth.
• Seth conveyed his best wishes to BRICS Chamber of commerce and industry.
• Also, Dabi, topper of 2015 UPSC Civil services examinations, will hold the post for
three years (up to 2023).
ABOUT :
BRICS Association –
• Combination of world’s 5 major economies, In which three Asian, one Latin American
and one African, deemed to be developing countries at a similar stage of newly advanced
economic development, on their way to becoming developed countries.
• Originally, the first four were grouped as ‘BRICs’, before the introduction of South
Africa in 2010.
• These all are members of G20 and have a significant influence on regional affairs
• BRICS have received both praise and criticism of various commentators.
BRICS CCI –
• The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a parent organization which
promotes commerce and industry in the BRICS nations.
• The Chamber was founded in 2012, with the efforts of eminent professionals and
entrepreneur, is a non-profit and non-governmental organization.
• BIRCS CCI is a registry body under Societies Registration Act, 1860, Government of
India, NITI Ayog (highest policy-making body of government of India), and recognized by
United Nations.
OBJECTIVE –
• To create an enabling support system especially for the MSME segment of
businesses, young entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, and Startups from across all
geographies.
• It proposes to be the ‘voice’ of entrepreneurs.
Functions to:–
• Produce a credible repository of data and information,
• Build a database of credible business partners across different geographies,
• Administer topical research that could be used by members,
• Conduct a successful business,
• Build social and cultural exchange between interested nations,
• Provide advisory services free of cost to members on legal as well as other business-
critical services.

India’s First Debris Monitoring Unit Launched

Why in News?
Digantara, a space surveillance company, has developed India’s first In-orbit Space Debris
Monitoring and tracking system.
It is based on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology.
Key Points:
• The system developed by the start-up will provide global real-time earth surveillance.
• This is to be achieved by deploying a constellation of cost-efficient nanosatellites in
the Low Earth Orbit. A Low Earth Orbit lies at an altitude of less than 1000 km.
• The system will help international space agencies to track and map space debris.
• This will aid to minimize the major threats of future space exploration.
About Digantara:
Digantara Research and Technology (DRT), a space tech startup founded by Lovely
Professional University alumni, Anirudh Sharma and Rahul Rawat. Started in 2018 from their
dormitory at their university, Digantara is India’s first air and space surveillance company.
It has been selected for the SID (Society for Innovation and Development) incubation
program at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore.
• The startup has received a grant of Rs 25 lakhs which will be used to develop space
debris monitoring systems and the company’s expansion.
• According to Anirudh Sharma and Rahul Rawat, the co-founders, “With a
comprehensive approach to long term space flight safety
• Digantara will help international space agencies to track and map the space debris
and minimize the major threat to the future of space exploration.”
• The startup is planning to establish a small satellite assembly line and production unit
to develop small satellites. This is being done to build a satellite constellation which in turn
will help India achieve indigenous space surveillance system.
Recently, the Government of India allowed private firms, startups to utilize facilities of ISRO
to build satellites and rockets.
Partnerships of Digantara Research and Technology (DRT):
• They have signed an MoU with EXA, which is a South American company, for 5 years
for joint technology development for a space mission in the field of communication, laser
technology, orbital platforms and space robotics
• Signed an MoU with a Taiwanese Space Startup – Tensor Tech Ltd to develop
satellites with highly accurate ADCS capabilities during the Satellite 2020 at Washington DC
• Another MoU was signed with a Germany based company – OKAPI Orbits GmbH
(during the 70th IAC 2019 in Washington) to collaborate on a sustainable space environment
Permanent Commission for Women in the Army
Why in News?
The Supreme Court, India’s top court, has approved the Delhi High Court’s decision to give
permanent commission to women officers in the army. The court said that the central
government is obliged to give the permanent command to women officers in all the areas
except the war zone. It said that denying women the opportunity by giving social and mental
reasons is not only discriminatory but also unacceptable.
Scenario before the grant:
• Women officers working in the army were earlier given permanent commissions only
in Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps. After this, their number was
increased from time to time
• Women officers in the Indian Military Service are recruited through the Short Service
Commission (SSC). After which she can work in the army for 14 years and then they are
retired.
• Also, they are not given a pension even after retirement due to not being able to work
for 20 years
• Women officers working in the army were earlier given permanent commissions only
in Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps
What will change with this decision?
• With the grant of permanent commission women, military officers can now work in the
army till the age of retirement
• The women officers working presently in the army under the Short Service
Commission will now be given the option to choose a permanent commission
• After permanent commission, women officers will also be entitled to pension
• Female officers will be given permanent commissions in Judge Advocate General,
Army Education Corps, Signal, Engineer, Army Aviation, Army Air Defense, Electronics and
Mechanical Engineer, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps and Intelligence Corps.
Some facts and figures:
It was noted that Indian Army sanctions 50,266 posts for officers, while the posts currently
occupied are 40,825 including 1,653 by women officers.
Thus, there is clearly a shortage of 9,441 officers in the Indian Army.
A total of 1,653 women officers are there , In which is just 4 % of the total strength of
commissioned officers in the Army which includes- 77 having above 20 years of service, 255
having service tenure between 14 and 20 years and the fate of 322 women officers was to be
decided by the verdict of the apex court.
About the Short Service Commission (SSC):
In a short service commission, a candidate whether male or female is commissioned for the
job for a time period of 14 years. The rules of the Short Service Commission in the Army
changed from time to time.
Previously, women admitted under it were able to work for only 10 years. Later, in the
Seventh Pay Commission, the term of the job was increased to 14 years.
Women officers have the biggest difficulty in getting employment after working for 14 years
by the Short Service Commission in the army. They also do not get a pension due to which
they face livelihood crisis. Apart from this, there are many such facilities which are not
available to them.
The purpose of starting the Short Service Commission was to help the army struggling with
a shortage of officers. Under this, officers are appointed at the middle level in the army.
Thus, with the permission for permanent commission in the army, the problems of women
will be eliminated and the army will get to see a new future and new heights of success.

SEBI BARS FIVE CORE ELECTRONICS, PROMOTERS FROM SECURITIES MARKET

Why in News?
On Thursday, July 23 2020, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) restrained Five
Core Electronics Ltd and its promoters from the securities market till further orders for
alleged violation of market norms and misutilization of the IPO proceeds.
• Five Core Electronics Limited (NSE:FIVECORE) is a Delhi based Indian company listed
in National Stock Exchange of India. Five Core was founded in 1988. It manufactures public
address systems, woofers, amplifiers, tweeters, home theatre, car audio and personal
speaker system.
• The promoters are Amarjit Singh Kalra, Surinder Kaur Kalra, Jagjit Kaur Kalra, Amarjit
Singh Kalra HUF, Surinder Singh Kalra and Surinder Singh Kalra.
• Recently, SEBI noted that the company and its promoters have misutilization the
funds of the shareholders and failed to comply with provisions of the Listing Obligations
and Disclosure Requirements (LODR) regulations.
KEY POINTS
• It appears that the company and its promoters have misutilization the funds
amounting to Rs 46.66 crore raised through the initial public offering (IPO).
• According to SEBI, the firm had failed to comply with provisions of the Listing
Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR) regulations.
ACTIONS TAKEN BY SEBI
• SEBI in an interim order asked the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to appoint an
independent auditor or audit firm within 30 days for conducting a detailed forensic audit of
the company’s books of accounts to confirm misutilization of the IPO proceeds.
• Till further orders, the entities have also been restrained from being associated with
any SEBI-registered intermediary or any listed entity.
• They have also been asked not to dispose of, sell or alienate their assets or divert
funds.
Therefore, the markets regulator has barred the entities from the securities market till further
orders and the auditor is required to submit its report to the regulator through the NSE
within 3 months from the date of its appointment.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India:
SEBI is the regulator of the securities and commodity market in India owned by the
Government of India. It was established in 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on
January 30, 1992, through the SEBI Act, 1992.
The basic functions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India are to :-
1.
1. Protect the interests of investors in securities
2. Promote the development of the securities market and
3. Regulate the securities market and for matters connected therewith or incidental
thereto.
Initial Public Offering (IPO):
An Initial Public Offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private
corporation to the public in a new stock issuance.
Public share issuance allows a company to raise capital from public investors. The
transition from a private to a public company can be an important time for private investors
to fully realize gains from their investment.

APPOINTMENT OF GOVERNMENT SERVANTS AS GRAM PANCHAYAT

Why in News?
The Bombay high court on Wednesday, as an interim arrangement, directed the state to
appoint a government servant or officer from local authority as an administrator to a gram
panchayat, in Maharashtra and if none is available then the appointment of a private person.
• It is concerned with appointing administrators from the local population to almost
14,000-gram panchayats across Maharashtra, for which fresh elections could not be held
due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
KEY POINTS
• The order came after the state government requested the Chief Justice of the High
Court to assign a specific bench to hear together several petitions (dated July 13 and 14)
which were filed, challenging Government Resolutions (GR), which empowered the state to
appoint private persons as administrators of Gram Panchayats.
• A group of petitions also challenged the ordinance (dated June 25), which amended
Section 151 of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act by allowing the appointment of
administrators in case the State Election Commission (SEC) could not hold elections due to
a natural calamity, pandemic emergency, financial emergency or administrative emergency.
Background
• The court was hearing petitions filed by Vilas Kunjir and Pradeep Hulawale
challenging the government resolutions (GRs) about the appointment of administrators to
the Gram Panchayats.
• The GRs said that “A private person, who is resident of the same village and whose
name is in the voter’s list, can be appointed as administrator.”
• The state government should give detailed reasons if private individuals are
appointed.
• The GR was issued since the March elections were suspended due to COVID-19
pandemic.
State Government’s View
• Milind Sathe, who challenged the appointment of private individuals as an
administrator, said that every village has three government officials talathi, gram Sevak and
circle officer and any of them could be made administrator.
• Advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni said that with nearly 40% vacancy in the
revenue department and “overburdened government officials” on Covid-19 duty, the state
had issued the GR to appoint private individuals as administrators.
• The main reasons being:
Urgent Need: It stated that there is an urgent need for administrators to run the panchayats
as pandemic has halted the election process.
Overburdened Officers: There are a large number of gram panchayats in the State and the
government servants are already overburdened. So, it is difficult to appoint them as
administrators.
High Court’s Argument
The court ordered that government servants or local official should be the first choice as an
administrator, and if they are not available, the appointment of a private individual is to be
made. Such individuals need to be residents of the village and their names should be on the
voter’s list.
• The high court noted that Gram Panchayat elections cannot be held because of the
coronavirus pandemic, and if an administrator is not appointed, it will affect the local village
body’s operations.
• The bench posted the petitions for further hearing on July 27 and directed the
government to file its affidavit.
The interim order shall be subject to final orders in the petitions.

Plea Bargaining as a Tool to Drop Charges

Why in News?
Citizens from various countries have obtained release from court cases in recent days
utilizing plea bargaining. Citizens were accused of violating visa conditions and government
guidelines following the Covid-19 pandemic.
About Plea Bargaining
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case between the prosecutor and defendant
whereby the defendant agrees to plead guilty or to a particular charge in return for some
concession from the prosecutor. A plea bargain allows both parties to avoid a lengthy
criminal trial and may allow criminal defendants to avoid the risk of conviction at trial on a
more serious charge.
Types of Plea Bargaining:
There are three main types of Plea Bargaining namely,
1) Charge Bargain
2) Sentence Bargain
3) Fact Bargain
The object of Plea Bargaining:
By introducing the concept of Plea Bargaining in the Criminal Procedure the object of the
legislature is,
1) To reduce the pending litigation
2) To decrees the number of under-trial prisoners.
3) To make provision of compensation to the victim of crimes by the accused.
4) To cut delay the disposal of criminal cases.
The concept of Plea Bargaining attracted enormous public debate. Critics said it is not
recognized and against public policy under our criminal justice system. The Supreme Court
also time and again blasted the concept of Plea Bargaining saying that negotiable in criminal
cases is not permissible.
Silent Features of Plea Bargaining:
Following are the silent features of Plea Bargaining;
1. It is applicable in respect of those offences for which punishment is up to 7 years.
2. It does not apply to cases where the offence is committed against a woman or a child
below the age of 14 years
3.When a court passes an order in the case of plea bargaining no appeal shall lie to any
court against that order.
4. It reduces the charge.
5. It drops multiple counts and presses only one charge.
6. It makes a recommendation to the courts about punishment or sentence.
The scenario in different countries:
• India-
Plea bargaining was introduced in India by The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2005, which
amended the Code of Criminal Procedure and introduced a new chapter, XXI(A), in the code,
enforceable from July 5, 2006. It allows plea bargaining for cases in which the maximum
punishment is imprisonment for seven years; however, offences affecting the socio-
economic condition of the country and offences committed against a woman or a child
below 14 are excluded.
• Brazil-
In 2013 Brazil passed a law allowing plea bargains, which have been used in the political
corruption trials taking place since then.
• China-
In China, a plea bargaining pilot scheme was introduced by the Standing Committee of the
National People’s Congress in 2016. For defendants that face jail terms of three years or
fewer, agrees to plead guilty voluntarily and agree with prosecutors’ crime and sentencing
proposals are given mitigated punishments.
• France-
The introduction of a limited form of plea bargaining (CRPC, often summarized as plaider
coupable) in 2004 was highly controversial in France.
• Germany-
Plea agreements have made a limited appearance in Germany. However, there is no exact
equivalent of a guilty plea in German criminal procedure.
• Italy-
Italy has a form of bargaining, popularly known as patteggiamento but that has a technical
name of penalty application under the request of the parts. The bargaining is not about the
charges, but about the penalty applied in a sentence, reduced up to one third.
• Japan-
In Japan, plea bargaining was previously forbidden by law, although sources reported that
prosecutors illegally offered defendants plea bargains in exchange for their confessions.
Conclusion:
Plea Bargaining is undoubted, a disputed concept few people have welcomed it while others
have abandoned it. But perhaps we have no other choice but to adopt this technique. The
criminal courts are too overburdened to allow each case to go on trial.

Tree Plantation Campaign 2020

Why in News?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 23 July, launched ‘Plantation Campaign-2020’ by
planting trees at his residence in Delhi. Union Coal and Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi was
also present on the occasion. Shah also inaugurated and laid the foundation of 6 Eco Parks
and tourist spots.
Key Points:
• The event will take place through video conferencing at more than 130 locations
spread across 38 districts in 10 states with coal lignite reserves.
• According to the Coal Ministry, a tree plantation drive is being conducted across the
country on Thursday.
• During this period, large scale plantations will be done in coal, lignite PSU mines,
colonies and other suitable areas and plants will be distributed in the surrounding areas to
promote tree plantation by the society.
• Significantly, eco-parks and tourist spots are being developed to generate revenue for
self-sufficiency and generate employment opportunities. Also, efforts are being made to
provide entertainment, adventure, water sports option to the people living in the areas
around the PSU mines.
Significantly, going green will be the thrust area for the coal sector, including the ecological
redevelopment of mined areas and mining piles, maximizing the green cover through the
plantation in and around mines.
Official Statements:
In the official statement, the following points were made by the Home Minister Mr Amit Shah,
“I congratulate the Coal Ministry for planting 6 Lakh trees at more than 130 locations spread
in 38 districts of 10 states”
“Climate change has impacted the world and greenery is the only solution to this crisis,”
Shah said. Our culture has emphasized that one must not exploit nature but instead must
support nature,”
“The focal mantra of Indian heritage has been that we should harness natural resources and
not exploit them. We ignored this principle at our peril, leading to depletion of the Ozone
layer and forming Ozone Hole, which in turn resulted in global warming and climate
change,” Shah further added.
“There is only one solution to this problem and one that has been mentioned in the Puranas
by sages that trees are friends of mankind and the only greenery can get us out of this
crisis. Trees give us the life-saving Oxygen, help reduce Carbon footprint and preserve the
Ozone layer.”
Referring to many initiatives which have been undertaken by the Ministry of Coal towards
‘Ease of Doing Business’ and Aatmanirbhar Bharat under the leadership of the Prime
Minister, Mr. Shah said: “In pursuit of PM’s Aatmanirbhar campaign, India is moving towards
reducing coal imports to zero whereas the Government has set an ambitious target of one
billion tones (annual) production of coal by 2023-24”.

Ministry of Sports Partners with UNICEF

Why in News?
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has signed a statement of Intent with YuWaah,
which is a multi-stakeholder platform formed by UNICEF, to work in a partnership in order to
promote volunteerism among youth.
MYAS has partnered with UNICEF to strengthen the resolve to mobilize 1 crore youth
volunteers to achieve goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Launched by:
• Usha Sharma, Secretary, Youth Affairs
• Yasmin Al Haque, UNICEF Representative in India
• Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Health was also present.
Features of the Partnership:
• Providing support to the youth in the transition from education and learning to
productive work and skills.
• The partnership is aimed to work with the youth of India to create and implement
solutions to deal with education, skilling and challenges of unemployment.
• Providing career guidance to the youths supporting direct dialogue and feedback
mechanism.
• Building the capacity of the NSS (National Service Scheme) and NYKS (Nehru Yuva
Kendra Sangthan) cadre and volunteers on sustainable development goals.
• Collaboration on supporting youth with:
1. Entrepreneurship,
2. Upskilling young people,
• Creating linkages with socio-economic opportunities,
1. Promoting change-making and
2. Civic participation of youths.
About Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports –
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports – Kiren Rijiju
Origin – Set up as the Department of Sports at the time of organization of 1982 Asian Games.
Programmes –
• National Service Scheme (NSS)
• National Youth Festival
• Rashtriya Yuva Sashakitikaran Karyakram
• National Programme for Youth and Adolescent Development (NPYAD)
• National Youth Corps
Awards –
• Arjuna Award (Department of sports)
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards (Department of sports)
• Dronacharya Award (Department of sports)
• Dhyan Chandra Award (Department of sports)
• National Young Leaders Awards (NYLA)
• National Youth Awards
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (Department of sports)

Restrictions on Public Procurement

In a move that will mainly affect the entities from China, the government has amended the
General Financial Rules, 2017, imposing restrictions on public procurement from bidders of
countries that share a land border with India, citing grounds of defence and national
security, on July 23rd, 2020.
Neighbours –
• India shares its borders with China, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Myanmar.
• Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, They have exempted them from the new order.
• Countries to which government extends the line of credit or provides development
assistance are exempted.
Competent Authority-
• Bidders from these countries will be eligible only if they are registered with the
Registration Committee constituted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• The competent authority shall not be required to give reasons for cancellation.
• The state can constitute its competent authority, but political and security clearance
will remain necessary.
Key Features –
• They are required to take mandatory political and security clearance from the
ministers of External Affairs and home.
• State governments are directed to implement this order for all public procurement.
• The centre has written to the Chief Secretaries of all states invoking the provisions of
Article 257 (1) of the Constitution of India to implement this order.
• Though, the order provides relaxation in certain cases such as for the procurement of
medical supplies for containment of COVID-9 pandemic till December 31, 2020.
• Does not apply to procurement by the private sector.
• On June 23, the government made it mandatory for sellers on the Government e-
Marketplace (GeM) portal to clarify the country of origin of goods when registering new
products.
Order includes:
• Public Sector banks,
• Financial institutions,
• Autonomous bodies,
• Central Public Sector Enterprises
• Public-Private Partnerships projects receiving financial support from the government/
its undertakings.
About the tenders already invited-
• If the 1st stage of evaluation of qualifications has not been completed, bidders who
are not registered under the new order will be not qualified.
• If this stage has been crossed, ordinarily the tenders will be cancelled and the process
started de novo.
China Factor into the play:
• The move comes after China’s central bank, PBoC raised its shareholding in HDFC to
over 1 %.
• The decision came in the backdrop of the government’s push for Atmanirbhar Bharat
and following the clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galway Valley.
• That prompted several government departments to launch an offensive against
imports from China.
• The restrictions would put more filters for entities from China.
• Prevention of influx of Chinese products and investments into India.
Article 257 (1)-
The executive power of every state shall be so exercised as not to impede or prejudice the
exercise of the executive power of the Union, and the executive power of the union shall
extend to the giving of such directions as state as may appear to the Government of India to
be necessary for that purpose.

ASTHROS MISSION
Why in News?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to send a telescope into
the stratosphere, abroad stadium-sized (150 meters wide) balloon, to study cosmos. The
ASTHROS is scheduled to be launched in December of 2023 from Antarctica.
The mission is to spend 3 weeks observing air currents above the continent.
AIM
To create a 3D map of density, motion, and speed of gas. It is managed by NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
ASTHROS
• Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at
Submillimeter-wavelengths.
• Cutting edge 8.4-foot (2.5 meters) telescope.
Background
• The scientific Balloon Programme has been operating for 30 years.
• Around 10-15 such missions have been launched so far from different locations on
earth.
• The balloon has – a telescope, subsystems, science instruments, electronic systems
and cooling systems.
Significance
• Balloon missions are of lower cost than space missions.
• Time of planning and deployment is comparatively shorter.
• Accept the higher risks associated with using new technologies.
ABOUT
• Would be stationed at a height of 1,30,000 ft (4 times higher than where commercial
planes fly) to study the far-infrared light.
• Would be placed in outer atmosphere to observe light wavelengths that are “blocked”
by earth’s atmosphere.
• The mission will measure the motion and speed of gas around the newly formed stars
and will have 4 targets-
i). 2 regions in the milky way where stars are born.
ii). Map the presence of 2 types of nitrogen ions that reveal the
Places where “winds” from supernova explosions have
“Reshaped” the gas clouds.
• A balloon is to inflate with Helium.
• A cry cooler is to be attached with the balloon to keep the superconducting detectors
at 268.5 degree Celsius.
• Engineers at JPL will begin the integration and testing of those subsystems in August.

400 Million USD Agreement Between India and Sri Lanka

Why in News?
A joint agreement between India and Sri Lanka was signed earlier on Friday to set up a
currency swap facility of around 400 million USD. The agreement signed by Reserve Bank of
India extends the swap facility for Sri Lanka till November 2022.
The agreement was made to ensure the stability of the country, which is badly hit by the
coronavirus pandemic and to boost the foreign reserves.
Background:
Sri Lanka in April said it was set to enter into an agreement with the RBI for a currency swap
worth $400 million under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
framework.
An additional request was made to India by the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
for a special $1.1 billion currency swap facility in May.
The constructive discussion between both sides took place in a cordial and positive
atmosphere, the High Commission reported. During the courtesy call on President Gotabaya
by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on May 29, it was agreed to accelerate India’s
participation in Sri Lanka’s post-COVID economic recovery.
“Reserve Bank of India signs a document for $400 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka
till Nov 2022,” the Indian Mission tweeted. “After debt repayment rescheduling discussions
yesterday, this development is another example of India’s strong commitment to work with
lka in post COVID19SL economic recovery,” it said.
While Sri Lanka’s forex reserves were at $ 6.7 billion in June 2020, India’s forex reserves
were at a record high of $ 517.63 billion as on July 17.
About the agreement:
• A currency swap is a transaction in which two parties exchange principal and interest
in different currencies. Companies doing business abroad often use currency swaps to get
more favourable loan rates in the local currency than if they borrowed money from a local
bank.
• The parties agree to swap back these quantities of their two currencies at a specified
date in the future, which could be the next day or even two years later, using the same
exchange rate as in the first transaction. In Sri Lanka’s case, it’s more than two years.
• A release from the Indian mission in Sri Lanka said, “The next round of technical
discussions between the two sides on the rescheduling of debt repayment is expected to be
held soon.
These swap operations carry no exchange rate or other market risks, as transaction terms
are set in advance. The absence of an exchange rate risk is the major benefit of such a
facility.
This facility provides the country, which is getting the dollars, with the flexibility to use
these reserves at any time to maintain an appropriate level of balance of payments or short-
term liquidity.
The Indian High Commission said it will continue to work towards coordinating and
facilitating such engagement as a part of India’s overall commitment to work with Sri Lanka
to counter and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
India already has a $75 billion bilateral currency swap line with Japan, which has the
second-highest dollar reserves after China.

Panel Set-up for Higher Studies of Students in India

Why in News?
A committee has been set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development to ensure,
More and more students stay in India for their higher studies. Its aim is also to ensure the
proper transition for the students returning from abroad due to the increasing COVID-19
crisis, announced by the HRD Minister Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
The panel, with the involvement of all the major institutions, is focusing on the ‘Stay in India,
Study in India’ program.
The committee is being headed by the chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC)
is also to recommend a process to increase the in-take in the major universities of the
country.
Points of Focus:
• Mechanisms will be explored for starting multi-disciplinary and innovative programs
• Twinning and joint degree programs
• Cross-country designing of centres
• Facilitating online lectures by eminent faculty abroad
• The linkage between academia and industry
• Facilitate joint degree ventures
• Lateral entry to Indian higher education institutions
Within 15 days the committee will present its report.
Mr Pokhriyal took to twitter to give details about his advice to the HRD Ministry. His stated
that he advised the ministry to pay focus on:
1. address the needs of the students aspiring to go abroad and take some initiatives to
retain them by providing appropriate opportunities for education in premier institutions in
India
2. addressing the concerns of students returning from abroad by supporting them to
complete their programme here in India
Official statements by the minister:
Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal wrote on Twitter, “I, along with MoS for HRD Shri Sanjay Dhotre MP Ji,
had a brainstorming session on “Stay in India and Study in India” with the senior officers
from HRD Ministry, UGC, AICTE, ACC, and AIU. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, many
students who wanted to pursue studies abroad have decided to stay back and pursue the
studies in India, and students who are already pursuing studies abroad wish to come back
to India.”
“We should make all efforts to look into the needs of both these categories of students.
Initiatives need to be taken to retain them by providing appropriate opportunities of
education in premier institutions in India as well as concerns of students returning from
abroad need to be addressed by supporting them to complete their programme here in
India,” he added.
The minister stated that last year around 7.5 lakh students went abroad to pursue their
higher education. Due to this, a valuable foreign exchange moved out of India and many
bright students also moved abroad.
“We should make all efforts to help bright students to pursue their education in India. Also,
as per this government’s manifesto, we have to increase seat capacity by 50 per cent in all
premier institutions by the year 2024 and also Institutes of Eminence should be increased to
50 by 2024,” he added.
The virtual event was attended by Sanjay Dhotre, MoS, HRD, and was also attended by Shri
Amit Khare, Secretary, Board of Higher Education, UGC Chairperson, D.P. Singh, AICTE
Chairman, Shri Anil Sahasrabudhe, Joint-Secretary (ICC), Neeta Prasad and Secretary-
General, AIU, Pankaj Mittal.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

Why in News?
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Delhi has collaborated with TRIFED and Vijnana Bharti for
the program. IIT Delhi has been designated to function as the National Coordinating Institute
for the programme. With the collaboration, 2600 institutions will join hands with TRIFED for
livelihoods by introducing tribal to –
• Newer Processing Technologies,
• Product Innovation,
• Mentorship and
• Transformational Digital Systems.
Key highlights:
• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi, and
Vijnana Bharti at IIT Delhi on Monday.
• Along with IIT Delhi, the National Coordinating Institute (NCI) for UBA, TRIFED
envisages promoting Tribal Livelihoods.
• Introduce tribal forest dwellers engaged in minor forest products to newer processing
technologies, product innovation.
• Tribal entrepreneurs under TRIFED’s Van Dhan programme will be able to access
expertise 2600+ academic and research institutions. `
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a flagship national program of the MHRD. It connects educational
institutions with villages, uses their – design and technological interventions.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0
• The 2nd edition was launched on April 25, 2018, is a higher version of the previous
edition.
• In phase-II, 605 institutions were selected. Out of these 313 are technical institutions
and 292 are non-technical. 143 institutions had taken part in phase-I.
• However, under the 2.0, participating institutions are selected based on the fulfilment
of certain criteria.
• Scope for providing Subject Expert Groups and Regional Coordinating Institutions has
been strengthened.
• Each selected institute would adopt a cluster of villages and expand the outreach over
a while.
Vision
Inspired by the vision of transformational change in rural development processes by
leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an Inclusive India.
AIM
It aims to link the higher education institutions with a set of at least (5) village so that these
institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these village
communities using their knowledge.
Objective
• Build an understanding of the development agenda within institutes of Higher
Education.
• Re-emphasize the need for fieldwork, stake-holder interactions and design for societal
objectives as the basis of higher education.
• Stress on rigorous reporting and regional agencies with access to the professional
resources of the institutes of higher education.
• Improve development outcomes.
• Foster a new dialogue within the larger community.
Performance so far
• 13072 villages have been adopted by 2474 institutes.
• The scheme has been extended to 750 reputed Higher Educational Institutions (both
public and private) of the country.

India-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization

Why in News?
The Indo-Russia Joint Technology Assessment and Accelerated Commercialization
Programme are the bilateral initiatives of India and Russia focused on strengthening the
relationship based on Science, Technology and Innovation.
About the programme
The programme has been launched by DST in partnership with the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Foundation for Assistance to Small
Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) of the Russian Federation.
On behalf of DST, FICCI will implement the program in India.
• Technology Transfer/Adaptation.
• Joint Development through R&D Collaboration.
• Promote joint research and development (R&D) between India and Russia.
• Promote innovation and entrepreneurship development through financial, capacity
building, mentorship and business development support to create successful joint
enterprises.
• Development of a robust S&T and R&D ecosystem to scale mutually beneficial
innovations of both the countries.
• Promote validated technology transfer between India and Russia.
• Provide financial support to five technology projects per cycle between India and
Russia.
Objective
The objective of the Commercialization programme is to connect startups and Small and
medium-sized enterprises of India and Russia to develop technologies that will provide
solutions for the future.
Benefits
• Access to Funds.
• Mentorship and hand-holding support.
• Capacity building.
• Matchmaking support.
• Technology transfer.
• Technology showcase and networking opportunity.
Conclusion
The programme is accepting applications under two broad categories, i.e. Joint Partnership
Projects and Technology Transfer, adaptation.
Over a period of two years, the Department of Science and Technology will fund up to INR 15
Crores to ten Indian SMEs/Start-ups and FASIE will provide similar funding to the Russian
projects. The programme will provide access to partial public funding for jointly selected
projects with the participation of at least one start-up/SME from India and one SME from
Russia.
Other bilateral relations between the nations:
Both India and Russia have been making concerted efforts to strengthen, expand and
deepen cooperation in this important area. An Indo-Russian Working Group on Science and
Technology (S&TWG) was set up for steering the S&T cooperation between the two
countries.
Presently cooperation is being implemented through following institutionalized bilateral
level programmes and mechanisms:
1. Working Group on Science & Technology
2. Integrated Long Term Programme (ILTP) of Cooperation in Science and Technology
3. Indo-Russian S&T Centre
4. Basic Science Cooperation programme
5. Inter-Academy Exchange Programme
6. Inter-Ministerial Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation

Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR

Why in News?
Prime Minister Modi is set to launch the ‘high-throughout’ coronavirus testing facilities at
the 3 major cities – Noida, Kolkata, and Mumbai, at the Indian Centre of Medical Research
(ICMR) event on July 27, 2020.
Its goal is to majorly boost the nation’s COVID-19 testing capacities.
Places of set up –
• 1. ICMR- National Institute of Cancer Prevention & Research, Noida,
• 2. ICMR – National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai
• 3. ICMR- National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata
And will be able to test over 10,000 samples in a day.
Joined by –
• Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan,
• Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath,
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee,
• Maharashtra CM, Uddhav Thackrey.
Also, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be a part of the ‘review meeting’ on the
current scenario.
What is ‘High-throughout’ method of research?
High-throughout method of research relates to the mass-availability with the help of –
i). Automation
ii). Miniaturized assays
iii). Large-scale data analysis.
As a result, these new COVID-19 facilities are expected to help in – strengthening early
detection and treatment of the deadly infection.
Highlights –
• Union government has adopted the test-track-treat strategy for early detection and
containment of the pandemic.
• Government has asked the state government and union territories to ramp up their
testing capacities as well.
• The inauguration is expected to be followed by a ‘review meeting’ on the current
situation of the pandemic.
• Besides, ICMR has ramped up its testing capacities as well.
• The labs will reduce the exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials.
• Bengal aims to touch 25,000 testings a day, mark in August.
• In the meeting, PM Modi and CMs are likely to discuss the road ahead.
• Labs have been enabled to test diseases other than COVID as well
• Post-COVID-pandemic, the labs will test for Dengue, Hepatitis B and C, HIV and TB.
The Laboratories –
• NIRRH Mumbai has installed a COBAS 6800 machine.
• These imported machines can test 1200 samples a day.
• Each COBAS 6800 machine costs around Rs.3.7 crore.
• NICED Kolkata is equipped with a COBAS 8800.
• It can test 3,000 samples a day.
• Each COBAS 8800 machine costs around Rs.5.7 crore
About Indian Council of Medical Research –
It is one of the oldest medical research bodies across the world.
Objective – Helps in coordinating and promoting biomedical research in the country.
• 1. Until 23rd July, ICMR has tested 1.54 crore samples for COVID-19, with 3.52 lakh
tested alone on Friday.
• 2. The ICMR along with the Bharat Biotech has also developed a COVID-19 vaccine
candidate
• 3.COVAXIN is undergoing its 1st phase of human trials.

India-UK Affirms Shared Commitment Towards Free Trade Agreement

Why in News?
India and UK affirmed their commitment to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to
strengthen economic ties at 14thJoint Economic and Trade Committee (JERCO) July 24th.
Aim
Eliminate/ significantly reduce import duties on the maximum number of goods traded
between them.
Also, bilateral trade between the UK and India stood at USD 15.5 billion in 2019-20 as against
USD 16.87 billion in 2018-19.
Besides, the UK is 3rd largest FDI investor in India and is among India’s main trade partners.
Chaired by –
1. Commerce & Industry Minister – Piyush Goyal
2. UK Secretary of State for International Trade – Elizabeth Truss
Assisted by–
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry (India) – Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of
State for Commerce and Industry (UK)- Ranil Jayawardena.
Highlights –
• Puri and Jayawardena will have monthly meetings to intensify the dialogue.
• Meetings led by Goyal and Truss will be held in autumn 2020, to C/F the dialogue.
• Co-chairs of business-led Joint Working Groups on life science and health, ICT and
food and drink set up during the last JETCO made their recommendations to the ministers.
• Agreed to engage in an early harvest, in a staged manner.
• Ministers interacted with several leading business leaders including Chandrajit
Banerjee and Alay Piramal, Co-Chair of the India UK’s CEO’s Forum.
• Resolved to cooperate in the health sector especially in COVID-19.
• Included formal talks by-
1. Gerry Grimstone (UK Minister of State for Investment),
2. MoS Hardeep Singh Puri,
3. MoS (UK) Ranil Jayawardena.
About Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO)–
• Provides a forum to UK companies to-
i). Enhance their links
ii). Develop new partnerships with Indian business & decision-makers.
• Government to government negotiations addresses issues of the market.
• UK India Business Council plays a key role in feeding the views of the UK business
community into JETCO process.
• Its objective is to unveil opportunities for London’s most institutional investors to
invest in India.

KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES 2021

WHY IN NEWS?
On Saturday, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju, and Haryana’s Chief
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the fourth edition of Khelo India Youth Games
(KIYG), will be held in Panchkula, soon after the Tokyo Olympics.
• Haryana will host the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games in 2021 in
Panchkula.
• The announcement was made via video conference.
• Star Sports is the Official Broadcast Partner of the Khelo India Youth Games.
• Usually, the Khelo India Youth Games takes place in January of every year. However,
this time owing to the pandemic, it has been decided to postpone it.
Sports minister Rijiju said, “I am very happy to announce Haryana as the host state for the
fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games. Khelo India Games, envisioned by our
Honourable Prime Minister, has been instrumental in identifying grassroots level talent from
across the country, who have represented India in international sporting events. It is the
Mahakumbh of sport. Haryana already has a very strong sporting culture and has given the
country some of its best athletes. However, I am sure by the time we host the Games the
pandemic will abate and we will be able to host the Games at the same scale, with the
participation of all states and over 10,000 participants.”
ALL ABOUT KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES
Khelo India was launched by PM Modi in January 2018, to boost sports culture in India. The
scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• Aim: (a) to make India a great sporting nation and (b)to make India a great sporting
nation.
• Under the Scheme, the ministry of sports conducts school level, college level and
university level programmes.
• Every year national level multidisciplinary grass-root level games are conducted under
Khelo India Youth Games event. The games include two categories
The Khelo India Youth Game was held between February 10 and February 22, this year in
Guwahati, Assam. The Games are conducted annually.
Rijiju: ‘We have asked every state to adopt one sport’
Kiran Rijiju on Wednesday said that the government has asked every state to adopt one
sport each and focus on its development in a bid to achieve more medals at the Olympics.
A country as big as India has the potential to focus on multiple disciplines if all states
embrace a sport each.
“We have 36 states and if we work as 36 countries focussing on certain sporting discipline
that will give the result,” he said.
REASON BEHIND HARYANA AS KHELO INDIA HOST
Haryana has done very well in the last few editions of the Khelo India Youth Games and
many of our Indian athletes are already training under the Khelo India Scheme.
“Panchkula is equipped with the best sporting infrastructure to host a multi-sport event like
Khelo India Youth Games and there are enough lodging facilities for the large number of
participants who are expected to attend” -Manohar Lal Khattar.
Like in the previous editions, this time too, Haryana has produced many elite athletes, –
Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and many others, who have represented and
won medals for India at international platforms.

INDIA RANKS THIRD IN RAISE IN FOREST COVER

WHY IN NEWS?
India Ranks 3rd among top 10 countries gaining forest area in the world: FAO
• India has been ranked third among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest
areas in the last decade (2010-2020) as per the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment
(FRA) released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• FRA is a comprehensive assessment brought out by FAO after every five years since
1990 to assess, the state of forests,
• Their conditions and management for all member countries. Key points to the report of
FRA 2020
Top 10 countries which recorded the maximum average annual net gains in a forest area
during 2010-2020 are China, Australia, India, Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States,
France, Italy and Romania respectively.
STATISTICS
• India accounts for two per cent of total global forest area.
• India reported 0.38 per cent annual gain in a forest (266,000 ha) during the same
period.
• The forest area managed by local, tribal and indigenous communities in India
increased from zero in 1990 to about 25 million ha in 2015.
• India’s employment in the forestry sector is maximum in the world.
• The report assessed the employment in the forestry sector with data from 136
countries (that represent 91 per cent of the world’s forests). India reported maximum
employment in the forestry sector in the world.
• Globally, 12.5 million people were employed in the forestry sector. Out of this, India
accounted for 6.23 million, or nearly 50 per cent of the world forestry employment.
GLOBAL STATISTICS
Asia has reported the highest net gain in the forest area in 2010-2020, with 1.17 million
hectares per year, a net increase in forests.
However, the South Asia sub-region reported net forest losses during 1990-2020. But, this
decline would have been much higher without the net gain in India’s forest during this
period, according to FRA 2020.
REASON OF THIS GAIN
India has been taking up massive afforestation and plantation schemes. The FRA 2020 has
credited the government’s Joint Forest Management programme for the significant increase
in community-managed forest areas in the Asian continent.
Although, the naturally regenerating forest rate in India was disappointing.
Key Points:
• The world has lost 178 million hectares of forest since 1990, which is an area about
the size of Libya. Africa had the largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010–2020, at 3.9
million hectares.
• The South Asia sub-region reported net forest losses during 1990-2020. The Asian
continent reported the highest net gain in the forest area in 2010-2020 as it recorded 17
million hectares (ha) per year net increase in forests.
Recent Related News:
Under the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, released in March 2020,
Peatlands are facing degradation and need to be urgently monitored.
*Peatlands are wetlands with a thick layer of organic soil and cover only 3% of the global
land area, but they store 30% of the world’s soil carbon. In India, Peatlands occupy 320–
1,000 square kilometres area.

IPL 2020 Scheduled in the UAE

Why in News?
The much-awaited Indian Premier League 2020 will start in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
on 19 September and its finals will be played on 8 November. IPL chairman Brajesh Patel
gave this information to PTI on Friday.
The IPL Governing Council will meet next week to finalize the program and approve it. It is
learned that the Cricket Board of India (BCCI) has conveyed its plan to the franchisees.
PTI had reported the dates on Thursday, after which Patel confirmed it. Patel said, ‘The
Governing Council will meet soon, but we have decided the schedule. IPL 2020 will start
from 19 September till 8 November. We hope to get the government’s approval. It will be a
full 51-day IPL. The IPL has become possible after the International Cricket Council’s (ICC)
decision to postpone the T20 World Cup to be held in October-November.
Patel said that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is being prepared to avoid the threat
of coronavirus epidemic and the BCCI will officially write to the Emirates Cricket Board.
Patel said, ‘We are making SOP and it will be ready in a few days. Whether or not to allow
viewers will depend on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government. We left the decision to
his government. Nevertheless, social distance has to be followed. We will also officially write
to the UAE Board.
About organizing the league:
• There are 3 grounds available in UAE which are Dubai International Stadium, Sheikh
Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi) and Sharjah Ground. It has been learned that the BCCI will hire
the grounds of the ICC Academy to train the teams.
• The ICC Academy has 2 full-size cricket grounds, as well as 38 turf pitches, six indoor
pitches, 5700 square feet of outdoor conditioning area with physiotherapy and medical
centres.
• According to the current health protocol in Dubai, if people are bringing their COVID-
19 test report negative, then they do not have to live in quarantine, but if it is not so, they will
have to go through the investigation.
• There was speculation that the IPL would start from 26 September but the BCCI has
decided to start it a week earlier so that the Indian team’s Australian tour is not affected.
The official said on condition of anonymity, ‘Indian team will have to remain on segregation
for 14 days upon arrival there as per the Australian Government rules. It can cause trouble
with delay.
He said, ‘The good thing about this 51-day program will be that it will reduce the conduct of
two matches in one day. With the tournament running for 7 weeks, we can stay on the
original schedule of organizing two matches for five days.
About the team’s practice sessions:
• Each team will need a month to practice and in such a situation the franchisees will
reach the venue by 20 August. This will give them four weeks for preparation.
• The Indian team has to play a 4-Test series in Australia, whose first match will be
played in Brisbane from 3 December.
The IPL was to be held from late March but it was postponed indefinitely due to Coronavirus
epidemic and travel restrictions. However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly earlier said that
this year there will be no IPL.

First Batch of Rafale Fighter Jets Took off From France

Why in News?
On 27 July, the first batch of 5 Rafale fighter jets took off from France. These 5 are from the
inter-government agreement of India with France for the procurement of 36 aircraft of Sept
2016. On a special request, France has increased the deliveries, 5 jets are coming instead of
4 that were originally planned.
It was built by French aviation firm Dassault and was significance Boost IAF’s combat
capability. Also, The IAF’s has been on high alert for the last 2 weeks because of the
increase in tensions with China following the Galwan Valley clashes.
Key Points
• IAF pilots flew the jets, stopping at French airbase in the UAE
• They will arrive on Wednesday, 29th July, covering 7000 km.
• Indian ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf met the IAF pilots before they flew out.
• They will join the IAF fleet in Haryana’s Ambala.
• On June 02, Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, had a telephonic conversation with
France’s Defense Minister, Florence Parly – who assured the scheduled delivery of the first
batch of the plane.
• In October 2019, Singh went to a 3-day tour to France to take part in handover event at
a facility of Dassault Aviation.
• He took a 20-minute sortie in the aircraft after performing a pooja.
• The 2nd squadron will be sheltered at Hasimara base in West Bengal.
• The IAF had spent Rs.400 crore to develop infrastructure.
• Jets are likely to be deployed in Ladakh sector, to enhance its operational capabilities
along the LAC.
• The IAF and ground crew have undergone comprehensive training.
About the Rafale Fighter Jets-
• Jets can carry a range of highly effective weapons, including – the Meteor air-to-air
missile and Scalp cruise missile.
• Out of 36 jets – 3o will be fighter jets and 6 will be trainers.
• Powered by – A unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives the engine more power, than
any other missile.
• They will come with India specific modifications-
i). Israeli helmet-mounted displays,
ii). Radar warning receivers,
iii). Low-band jammers,
iv). 10-hour flight data recording
v). Infrared search
vi). Tracking systems.
Further, the Indian Embassy Informed
• Ten, aircraft’s delivery has been completed.
• Five will stay in France for the training mission.
• Delivery of all 36 will be completed on schedule by 2021.
About the ‘2016’ Deal
India had signed an inter-government agreement with France in Sep 2016, for the purchase
of 36 Rafale Jets at a cost of Rs.59, 000 crores in 2016.
• As per the deal, 12 aircraft are supposed to be delivered every year.
• Besides, first 18 were to be delivered to IAF by Feb 2021,
• And, rests are expected in April-May.
World Wildlife Crime Report 2020
Why in News?
Recently the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime published a report on the World
Wildlife Crime Report 2020. The report was based on highlighted trafficking in protected
species. According to the data on the report, India and Thailand are the two main countries
which are the suppliers of the illegal tiger products in the world.
The report says that India and Thailand source 82 per cent of illegal shipment of tiger body
parts. While identifying the nationality of the trafficker, 8 per cent belonged to India, 145 to
Vietnamese and 8 per cent were from Indonesia.
Background:
• China has the highest number of tigers in the world followed by the United States of
America, India, and Thailand
• the UN World Wildlife Crime Report published every four years. The global illegal
wildlife trade predominantly revolves around rosewood, ivory and pangolins. Apart from
these, elephant tusks and rhinos are also traded significantly
• apart from India is on top in the supplies of the illegal tiger products, the report also
highlighted that out of the 155 cases where the nationality of the trafficker could be
identified, 18 per cent belonged to India, followed by 14 per cent Vietnamese and 8 per cent
Indonesian traffickers
• the highest number of traffickers belonged to China at 29 per cent, according to the
World Wise data of the same period
Findings of the report:
• All the parts of tiger are traded in the international illegal wildlife products market and
they are used mostly for medicinal purposes across the world
• The biggest destination of the tiger parts was China, followed by Thailand and
Vietnam. The most valuable body part of the tigers is their bones which are the most sought
after parts of their body
• Combining the captive and wildlife population of the big cat, the report said that China
hosts the highest number of tigers in the world followed by the United States, India and
Thailand
The report drew attention to the fact that according to some researches conducted on the
issue of tiger trade, consumers of the tiger products preferred the body parts and products
of the Wild tigers more than the captive tigers. The reason behind this is that the parts
belonging to the wild tigers are thought to be more powerful and more effective in its
medicinal properties.
However, the report also said that though the consumers preferred the body parts of the
wildlife tigers over the captive tigers, it is nearly impossible for them to differentiate between
the two.
Uses of Tiger body parts:
• Tiger body parts have great medicinal values
• The medicines made of the bones of the tiger are used to heal bone, joint and ligament
injuries
• The tiger parts are also being traded for exotic products

Government amends Indian Accounting Standards amid COVID-19

Why in News?
The government has amended certain Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS), including the
standard relating to leases amid pandemic.
Corporate Affairs Ministry has amended Ind-AS 103, 116 and some other standards. A
notification was issued on July 24th, to amend the Companies Rule 2015, and amended
rules were finalized by the Ministry in consultation with the National Financial Reporting
Authority (NFRA).
Key Points
• Aim of Ind-AS 103 is to help entities to determine whether a transaction needs to be
accounted for as a business combination or as an asset acquisition and pertains to
business combinations.
• Ind–AS relates to principles for the recognition, presentation and disclosure of lease
• Due to pandemic, many lessors have extended rent concessions to lessees.
• However, applying Ind-AS 116 requirements for changes to lease payments could have
posted difficulty in current time, because
• Lease modification requires re-computation of lease liability using the discount rate
on the date of modification.
• Ind-AS are converged with International Financial Reporting Standards.
• Sandip khetan, Leading Consultancy EY India’s Partner and National Leader (Financial
Accounting Advisory Services) welcomed the decision.
Implications
• Would allow companies to show the COVID rental concessions in their P & L
accounts.
• Entities would get relief from lease modification accounting due to COVID-19 related
rent concessions.
• Besides, amendments can be followed by lessees for annual reporting periods
beginning on or after April 01, 2020.
• Jigar Parikh, said “While, lessees that choose to apply practical expedient do not need
to assess whether a concession needs a modification,”
• Still, need to evaluate the appropriate accounting for each concession as the terms
may vary.
• For example, there are interpretational issues concerning whether the benefit of rent
concession should be accounted for in P & L a/c or adjusted against the right to use assets.
Madhu Sudhan Kankani, (Partner at Consultancy Deloitte India), said some of these
amendments may have significant implications on –
i). Business decision making,
ii). Contract re-negotiations,
iii). Consequential impact of financial results of companies.
Significance
• Huge relief for airlines or retail chains (that may have assets on hire).
• Also, previous guidance on the definition of business created some diversity in
practice.
• Fair value concentration test is likely to simplify the assessment of business
considerably.

India to Set-up Cotton Warehouse in Vietnam

Why in News?
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), is holding surplus amounts of cotton. With the next
harvest season around the corner, the CCI is trying to boost its exports.
Plans to boost export:
To export the current stock in the country, the CCI is about to sign a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh export around 1.5 to 2 million bales of cotton. One
bale weight around 170 kilograms.
Further, the CCI is about to set up its cotton warehouse in Vietnam to boost sales and
exports.
According to officials:
“We are in the process of signing a government-to-government memorandum of
understanding with Bangladesh to export about 15-20 lakh bales of cotton to that country,”
said PK Agarwal, chairman, CCI.
The corporation had procured nearly a third of India’s 2019-20 cotton output.
Of the 12.1 million bales it had procured, along with its agent Maharashtra State Cooperative
Marketing Federation
It has been able to sell 900,000 bales in the present cotton season, which ends on
September 30.
“To increase exports to Vietnam, we are looking for a warehouse to facilitate transport and
easy availability of our cotton to buyers in Vietnam,” said Agarwal.
Why Bangladesh and Vietnam?
Countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Sri Lanka have duty-free access to the markets
of Europe, US and China, which give them an edge over Indian yarn and garment exporters,
who have to bear the burden of various duties.
The CCI has now started offering discounts on bulk purchases to domestic buyers.
As the country is looking at yet another bumper production, thanks to good progress of
monsoon rainfall.
It sold 700,000 bales of cotton last week.
Textile policy in India:
Last month, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani said in the Rajya Sabha that ” the Centre is
considering formulation of the National Textiles Policy after consultations with states”.
The formulation of the new policy has been under consideration for some time now. In 2016,
then textiles minister Santosh Gangwar had said the new policy will envisage the creation of
an additional 35 million jobs.
The existing National Textile Policy 2000 was framed about 13 years ago. Since then, the
industry has undergone various changes in the domestic and international front.
Cotton Corporation of India:
It is a Government of India agency that is engaged in diverse activities related to export,
trade, and procurement of cotton. It is also responsible for the distribution of cotton and
aids in the import of cotton. The CCI is governed by the Textile Policy 1985 that was issued
by the Ministry of Textiles.
India-Vietnam relations:
• Cultural and economic links between India and Vietnam date back to the 2nd century.
• In 1992, India and Vietnam established extensive economic ties, including oil
exploration, agriculture and manufacturing.
• The relations between the two countries, especially defence ties, benefited extensively
from India’s Look East policy.
• Bilateral military cooperation includes the sale of military equipment, sharing of
intelligence, joint naval exercises, training in counterinsurgency and jungle warfare
• India also regularly deploys its warships for goodwill visits to Vietnamese seas.
ALIBABA- JACK MA SUMMONED BY GURUGRAM COURT
Why in News?
A district court in Gurugram has summoned Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba and its
founder Jack Ma in a case in which a former employee in India alleged that he was
wrongfully fired for objecting censorship and fake news on company’s applications.
1. Pushpendra Singh Parmar, a former employee of Alibaba in India was fired after
objecting to what he saw as censorship and fake news on company apps
2. The case has been registered in a district court in Gurugram, a summons has been
sent to several people including Jack Ma and Alibaba Group.
3. Parmar, in his petition, seeks compensation of Rs 2 crores from the company.
BACKGROUND OF THE CASE
• In court filings dated July 20, the former employee of Alibaba’s UC Web, Pushpendra
Singh Parmar, alleged he was thrown out unceremoniously for objecting to censorship of
content and its apps UC Browser and UC News showcased false news “to cause social and
political turmoil”.
• Parmar worked as an associate director at the UC Web office in Gurugram until
October 2017.
• Civil Judge Sonia Sheokand of a district court in Gurugram has issued a summons for
Alibaba, Jack Ma and about a dozen individuals or company units, asking them to appear in
court or through a lawyer on July 29. The judge has also sought written responses from the
company and its executives within 30 days, according to the summons.
ALLEGATIONS IN COURT
• In more than 200 pages of court filings, former employee Parmar included clippings of
some posts showcased on the UC News app that he alleged were false.
• One post from 2017 was headlined in Hindi:
“2,000-rupee notes to be banned from midnight today”. Another headline of a 2018 post
said: “Just now: War broke out between India and Pakistan” and contained a description of
firing across the disputed border between the countries.
• The lawsuit also contains a ‘sensitive words list’ with keywords in Hindi and English
like “India-China border” and “Sino-India war” that the court filing alleges were used by UC
Web to censor content on its platforms in India.
• These measures have been undertaken since there is credible information that these
apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India
security of the state and public order.
Indian Government’s Argument
IT minister said the decision was taken to safeguard citizens’ data and public order.
The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi and China’s foreign ministry in Beijing, as well as India’s
IT ministry in New Delhi, did not respond to requests for comment.
UC India’s Argument
UC India said in a statement that it had been “unwavering in its commitment to the Indian
market and the welfare of its local employees, and its policies are in compliance with local
laws. We are unable to comment on ongoing litigation”.
Alibaba representatives did not respond to requests for comment from the Chinese
company or on behalf of Jack Ma.
Before the apps were banned, the UC Browser had been downloaded at least 689 million
times in India, while UC News had 79.8 million downloads, most during 2017 and 2018, data
from analytics firm Sensor Tower showed.
*Alibaba Group (Alibaba.com)
It is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in e-commerce, retail,
Internet, and technology.
Founded on 4 April 1999 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the company provides consumer-to-
consumer (C2C), business-to-consumer (B2C), and business-to-business (B2B) sales
services via web portals, as well as shopping search engines and cloud computing services.
As of 2020, Alibaba has the 6th highest global brand valuation.

NEIGHBORHOOD FIRST POLICY

Why in News?
India handed over 10 railway locomotives to Bangladesh on Monday, reflecting a renewed
focus on the “Neighborhood First” policy to boost economic ties and connectivity within the
region amid the border standoff with China
The handing over of the 10 locomotives fulfilled a commitment made by India during
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi last October.
• The locomotives were flagged off virtually by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and were received by Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A
K Abdul Momen and Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan.
• Out of the 7 rail links that existed then, 4 are functional now. To further strengthen rail
connectivity, one new rail link, between Agartala in India and Akhaura in Bangladesh is
being constructed & finance under Grant Assistance of India.
• It also followed close on the heels of the launch of parcel and container train services
by India and Bangladesh.
• The trans-shipment of goods from Kolkata to Agartala via Chattogram port.
The move was part of a sharpened focus on India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy, with New
Delhi unveiling several moves in recent days to boost economic activity and help countries
in the region cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
SPECIFICATIONS
• All ten locomotives have a residual life of 28 years or more.
• These are WDM-3D type, a class of diesel-electric locomotive. The model name stands
for broad gauge, diesel, a mixed-traffic engine with 3,300 horsepower with a speed of 120
kmph.
• Suitable for hauling freight as well as passenger trains and is a microprocessor-based
control system.
• The ergonomic layout of the driver’s cab is for stress-free driving and improved
visibility for safer running.
The Indian Railways has also modified the locomotives to suit the maximum height
restrictions in Bangladesh Railways.
HISTORY OF INDIA BANGLADESH RAILWAY COOPERATION
The railways of the two countries began cooperating in 1996 with the export of 10
locomotives from India.
Since then, 40 more locomotives and 120 coaches were exported till 2016-17.
Importance
Despite hiccups in bilateral ties caused by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Jaishankar and
Momen spoke of the two sides scripting a ‘shonali adhyay’ (golden chapter) in relations.
• Bangladesh is India’s largest trading partner in South Asia and connectivity via
Bangladesh is important for the development of India’s northeastern states.
• Bangladesh is also a crucial partner for India’s Act East policy and sub-regional
cooperation under the rubric of BBIN [Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal].”
“Our partnership today stands out as a role model in the region for good neighbourly
relations,” Jaishankar said, adding the implementation of the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy
was most evident in Bangladesh.
Speaking on the occasion, Goyal said, “It gives me immense pleasure to hand over 10 broad
gauge locomotives for the use of Bangladesh Railways.
Our neighbourhood policy follows PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas,
Sabka Vishwas.
The leadership of both, India & Bangladesh, are committed to reviving the pre-1965 railway
connection between the two countries.”
Neighborhood First Policy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made both intra- and inter-regional connectivity a policy
priority in 2014.
Within South Asia, Modi government framed a ‘Neighborhood First policy’ to signal India’s
commitment to regional connectivity.
From a policy of strategic insulation and neglect during much of the Cold War.
A reluctant embrace of regionalism thereafter, India’s regional policy has now shifted
irreversibly towards strengthening cross-border relations.

India Meteorological Department Launched “Mausam” app

Synopsis
Centre launched ‘Mausam’- a mobile app for weather forecasts.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences launched a mobile app for the India Meteorological
Department (IMD) on Monday, July 27, 2020. Earth Minister Harsh Vardhan launched the app
provides – city-wise weather forecasts, nowcasts, and other warnings.
Designed and Developed Jointly by –
• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT),
• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and
• The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Key Features of the app-
• Has a system which issues colour coded alerts (red, yellow, orange) twice a day for up
to 5 days to warn people of all districts.
• The information would be updated 8 times a day.
• Available on both – Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
• Weather forecast for the next 7 days and of 450 cities in India.
• Also includes information of the past 24 hours.
Highlights-
• Vardhan said huge financial investments are needed at least twice the present budget
for observational networks, replacement and purchase of new resources.
• The app was launched on ‘IMD’s Foundation Day Celebrations’.
• The previous app ‘meghdoot’ was for farmers only, this is for everyone.
As per the official release, “app is dedicated to the general public and designed to
communicate the weather information and forecasts lucidly without technical jargons.”
Information provided
It would provide information about:
• Current weather information – information on sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset
will also be provided.
• Temperature,
• Humidity,
• Wind speed and direction, of 200 cities.
• Issue ‘nowcasts’ – 3-hourly warnings, local weather phenomena, their intensity for
‘800’ stations.
• Warnings include impacts of severe weather also, twice a day for all districts
• Radar Products – Latest Station wise radar products updated every 10 minutes.
About the Ministry of Earth Sciences
Formed in 2006 from a merger of the –
• India Meteorological Department (IMD),
• National Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF),
• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune,
• Earth Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC) and
• Ministry of Ocean Development.
Minister – Dr Harsh Vardhan (12 Nov 2014 – present)
Function – to look after Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean Science & Technology and
Seismology in an integrated manner.
Institutions under the Earth System Science Organization
• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) New Delhi
• National Centre for Seismology (NCS) New Delhi
• Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) Hyderabad, Telangana
• National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) Goa
• National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE)
• National Centre for Earth System Science (NCESS), Kerala

Lockdown Improves the Air Quality in the National Capital

Why in News?
The United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday that the level of nitrogen dioxide in India’s capital
Delhi has dropped by more than 70 per cent during the lockdown. It was warned that if the
city reopens without any policies to control the amount of pollution this gain would be
temporary.
Some studies have suggested that the growth rate of the COVID-19 pandemic is correlated
to the air quality of the area. Thus, the number of cases in the urban area is 90 per cent of
the total cases that are being recorded.
More about the report:
• According to the United Nations, the ban on vehicular traffic during lockdown proved
to be effective in reducing air pollution, but if cities were reopened without any policy, the
achievement may prove to be short-lived
• To sustain the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and pollution due to lockdown,
cities should implement a pollution reduction policy before reopening and promote reducing
carbon emissions
• Several studies have shown that poor air quality is correlated with death due to corona
infection. The increase in nitrogen oxide levels has led to an eight per cent increase in
mortality in the US and 21.4 per cent in the Netherlands. The spread of virus infection is
spread across urban population densities and traffic routes
• “Levels of nitrogen dioxide fell by more than 70 per cent during the lockdown in New
Delhi (India), 40 per cent in urban areas in China, 20 per cent in Belgium and Germany, and
19-40 per cent in different areas of the US,” the brief said.
• Nitrogen dioxide levels in Delhi decreased by more than 70 per cent while in various
cities of the US it decreased by 18 to 40 per cent, in Germany and Belgium by 20 per cent
and in urban areas of China by 40 per cent.
On the occasion of the launch of the report, the UN chief Antonio Guterres in the recorded
message said, “Cities are bearing the brunt of the crisis – many with strained health
systems, inadequate water and sanitation services, and other challenges. This is especially
the case in poorer areas, where the pandemic has exposed deeply rooted inequalities.”
“We must act with the same urgency and resolve to transform cities and address the climate
and pollution crises. Now is the time to rethink and reshape the urban world,” he said.
How is Nitrogen Dioxide harmful?
• The Nitrogen Oxides reduce the air quality
• The main effect of breathing in raised levels of nitrogen dioxide is the increased
likelihood of respiratory problems
• Nitrogen dioxide inflames the lining of the lungs, and it can reduce immunity to lung
infections
• It can cause problems such as wheezing, coughing, colds, flu and bronchitis
• The nitrogen oxides can get converted into nitric acid and causes acid rain
Need of the hour:
Antonio Guterres said that the time has come for us to understand this reality and make
cities more inclusive, sustainable and full of resistance. He said the inadequate state of
public services in many cities requires urgent attention, particularly in informal settlements.
There is a need also to strengthen the capacities of local governments and this requires
decisive action – and deeper cooperation between local and national authorities, he said.
Its high time that the nations pursue a green and resilient economic recovery.

ISIS Terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka

Why in News?
A UN report on terrorism has warned that is there are a significant number of ISIS Terrorists
in Kerala and Karnataka.
They also noted that the terror group is planning attacks in the region.
The group wants to avenge the death of its former leader, Asim Umar alias Sana-ul-Haq, who
was from Uttar Pradesh.
Also, 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS,
al-Qaeda and associated individuals and entities said that ‘Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent
operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar (Afghanistan).’
What does the report say?
• As per the report, the one-member state reported that the Indian affiliate (Hind
Wilayah), which was announced on May 10, 2020, has 180-200 members
• The groups are using pandemic as an opportunity to spread their ideologies and
asking innocent Muslims to be the carrier of the coronavirus and spread it.
ISIS in India-
• Al-Qaeda has between 150-200 militants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Myanmar.
• Their Current leader is Osama Mahmood, who succeeded late Asim Umar.
• Last year, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed to have established a new ‘province’ in
India. The announcement came after the clashes in Kashmir between Militants and security
forces.
• The Arabic name of the new branch is “Wilayah of Hind”.
• Previously, ISIS attacks in India were linked to its Khorasan (so-called) branch, set up
in 2015 to cover ‘Afghanistan, Pakistan & nearby lands.’
• Recently, on July 14th NIA filed a charge sheet against 17 alleged ISIS suspects who
are allegedly part of a Karnataka terror module.
• According to NIA, the suspects had formed a group initiated by 2 suspected IS-trained
terrorists – Mehboob Pasha of Bangalore & Khaj Moideen of Cuddalore, of Tamil Nadu.
• This group was created to carry out terror activities.
Reactions-
• Senior Officers in Karnataka and Kerala said UN report is based on police reports, but
they would analyze it.
• They emphasized that their departments have done their detailed investigations.
• They are also closely monitoring suspected modules.
• Kerala, DGP, Loknath Behera said “It’s nothing new, we have information about those
who left to join the IS. Some have been intercepted, others are under close watch.”
• A senior Jammu & Kashmir police officer had rejected the claim of a new province of
terrorism there.
About IS –
The Islamic State also known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is a militant group that
follows that fundamentalist, the jihadist doctrine of Sunni Islam.
It has captured large parts of Syria since 2014.
In some countries local groups have pledged allegiance with IS in Niger, Algeria, Cameron,
Chad, Nigeria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Attacks in India-
• 26/11 Mumbai attack (2008)
• Parliament Attack in 2001
• Bombay blasts in 1993
• Pulwama Attack
• Uri Attack in 2016’
• Mumbai Train Bombing

Bureau of Indian Standards BIS-CARE MOBILE APP

WHY IN NEWS?
Recently, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has
launched the Bureau of Indian Standard’s Mobile App ‘BIS-Care’ and three portals namely
the Standardization, Conformity Assessment and Training Portals of e-BIS for consumers.
and Training Portals of e-BIS for consumers.

BIS-Care App e-BIS

• The app can be operated on any Android phone and is operational in Hindi and
English language.
• Consumers can check the genuineness of the ISI-marked and hallmarked products
and lodge grievances using this app.
• It is important to ensure that consumers are aware of the standards and quality
products and help in eliminating the supply of sub-standard products • e-BIS is an
integrated portal covering all functions of BIS, enlisting the services of outside agencies for
factory and market surveillance and development of mobile app-based and Artificial
Intelligence (AI) enabled surveillance methods.
• Certification and surveillance to enforce the implementation of standards by the
enactment of e-BIS.

KEY POINTS
• Consumers can check the authenticity of the ISI-marked and hallmarked products and
lodge complaints using the BIS-Care app.
• BIS is developing a portal on Consumer Engagement, which will facilitate the online
registration of Consumer Groups, submission of proposals and approval thereof, and
complaint management.
• e-BIS is an integrated portal covering all of BIS’s functions, enlisting the services of
outside agencies for factory and market surveillance and development of mobile app-based.
• BIS has formulated a scheme for the recognition of other Standard Development
Organizations in the country to implement One Nation, One Standard rule.
• BIS had developed COVID standards for cover-all and ventilators and issued norms to
grant licenses for N95 Masks, surgical masks, and eye protectors. This has increased the
production of ISI-marked PPE items.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the nation-wide Standards Body of India working
under the protection of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
Government of India, for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization,
marking and quality certification of goods.
• It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 – Hence it is Statutory
Body.
• The organisation was originally the Indian Standards Institution (ISI).
• The headquarter of the BIS is in New Delhi.
• BIS also works as WTO-TBT (World Trade Organisation Agreement on Technical
Barriers to Trade) enquiry point for India.
• BIS has expanded and modernised its labs and has been creating testing facilities for
drinking water and assaying of gold jewellery
Advantages of BIS
1. Providing safe reliable quality goods.
2. Minimizing health hazards to consumers.
3. Encouraging exports and imports substitute.
4. Control over goods through standardization, certification and testing.
WAY FORWARD
To achieve the intentions of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and protect the interests of
consumers, BIS had to further strengthen its efforts to formulate standards in the areas
important for boosting India’s exports and regulating the import of cheap and sub-standard
products.

Dare to Dream 2.0 Launched by DRDO

Why in News?
The Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) launched a contest named “Dare
to Dream 2.0”. The program was launched to promote innovators in the fields of defence and
emerging technologies in India.
It was launched on the fifth death anniversary the former President of India APJ Abdul
Kalam.
Highlights:
The contest was launched by the Defence Minister Mr Raj Nath Singh. The Defence Ministry
in a statement said that the winner of Dare to Dream 2.0 contest will be declared after the
evaluation of all the entries by the expert committee.
All you need to know about “Dare to Dream”:
• the ‘Dare to Dream 2.0’ is an open challenge to promote the innovators and startups of
the country
• the scheme is being launched for emerging technologies to promote the individuals &
startups for innovation in defence and aerospace technologies in the country after the call of
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ given by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
• the winners will be decided after due evaluation by an expert committee
• award money which is up to ₹10 lakh for startup and ₹5 lakh to an individual category,
will be given to the winners
• further information will be available on the DRDO website soon
About Mr APJ Abdul Kalam:
Mr Kalam was a politician, who served as the 11th president of India from 2002 to 2007. He
was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace
engineering. He spent four decades as a scientist and science administrator in the Defence
Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO).
He was an integral part of India’s civilian space programme and military missile
development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on
the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology.
Widely referred to as the “People’s President”, he was a recipient of several prestigious
awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.
About DRDO:
• The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is an agency under the
Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the
Government of India,
• It is charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in Delhi,
India.
• It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and
the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Indian Ordnance Factories
with the Defence Science Organization.
• The organisation includes around 5,000 scientists belonging to the Defence Research
& Development Service (DRDS) and about 25,000 other scientific, technical and supporting
personnel.
• DRDO started its first major project in surface-to-air missiles (SAM) known as Project
Indigo in the 1960s.

Centre’s Inability to Pay GST Dues

Why in News?
Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Finance that
The government is in no position to pay the GST share of States as per the current revenue
sharing formula on July 28.
The inability to pay has been associated with a fall in collections due to COVID-19. Even the
GST collections for March 2020 saw a fall.
Key Points
Centre has released Rs.13,806 crore to the states for March 2020, wrapped up the full payout
for FY20 at Rs.1.65 lakh crore, compensation payments for this year is still pending.
• It came as a relief for states seeking to finance efforts amid COVID-19.
• However, concerns started coming in October’19, when payments to state got delayed
as revenues collected were less than expected.
• Delayed compensation payments were raised in the previous GST Council meeting.
• Wherein it was decided to held a council meeting solely focused on the compensation
issue. The meeting is yet to be convened.
• For such times, the GST Act has provisions to rework the formula for paying
‘compensation’ to the State.
• If the revenue drops below a certain threshold.
Reactions
• Punjab has responded by highlighting the need for ‘timely payment’, stating that 4
months of pending dues are equivalent to 2 months of bills of state.
• Kerala has described it as “brazen betrayal of federal trust.”
• West Bengal CM wrote to PM Modi, urging the centre to release GST compensation
worth Rs.4,135 crore for April and May.
• As the amount to be paid started rising with 14% compound rate (even though
collections were same), the rate was viewed as delinked from reality.
Besides, the centre has cleared the compensation dues for FY20 of Rs. 1.65 lakh crore.
Though the collection under the compensation fund was only Rs.95,444 crore, implies that
payments were over 70% higher than collection.
What does the act say?
As per GST (Compensation to States) Act, states are to be compensated for any revenue
loss less than the annualized compounded growth rate of 14% for a period of 5 years, with
the base year of 2015-16.
This promise convinced a large number of states who were hesitant to approve for the
indirect tax regime.
GST became applicable from July 1st, 2017 after enacting the 101st Constitution
Amendment Act, 2016. As a result, a large number of indirect taxes merged into a single tax.
Also, Compensation Cess is utilized for GST compensation every 2 months by the centre to
state-
• Compensation cess is collected on the supply of select goods and/or services or both
till 1st July 2022.
• All the taxpayers (excluding – who export specific notified goods & who have opted
for GST composition scheme) have to collect and give the GST compensation cess to
centre.
• Then, the centre distributes it to the states.
About GST-
• Goods and Services Tax, is a comprehensive (subsumed almost all the indirect taxes
except few) indirect taxes.
• It is multi-staged, as it is imposed at every step in the production process, but is
refunded to every party involved in the production process other than the final consumer.
• Thus, it is collected from the point of view of consumption.
• The tax came into effect from July 1st, 2017, from the implementation of 101
Amendment of Constitution.
• It replaced the existing multiple taxes levied by the state and central government.
• It has subsumed several taxes and levies, such as central excise duty, services tax,
additional customs duty, sub charges, state-level VAT and Octroi.
• India has adopted a dual GST model, meaning that taxation is administered by both
the Union and state governments.

SMART INDIA HACKATHON 2020

Why in News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the grand finale of the largest ever online
hackathon, in the world on August 1, through video-conference, as said by the HRD ministry
on Monday.
Announcing this, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the Grand Finale of Smart India
Hackathon 2020 (Software) will be held from August 1 to 3.
WHAT IS SIH?
• Smart India Hackathon (SIH) is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a
platform to solve some of the pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus
inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving. It is a national
level 26 hours long competition.
• The first three editions SIH2017, SIH2018 and SIH2019 proved to be extremely
successful in promoting innovation out-of-the-box thinking in young minds, especially
engineering students from across India.
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) organizes Smart India
Hackathon once a year for students to come up with solutions to problems posed by
ministries, public sector units, non-governmental organizations and industries.
OBJECTIVE:
The main motive of the hackathon in India is to motivate students, increase the importance
of technology, and to build a digital India.
Why should you join Smart India Hackathon 2020?
• It is one of the biggest Open Innovation Model in India!
• National recognition
• Great experience
• Excellent mentoring and networking opportunity!
• Great food, energy drinks, entertainment, and many other exciting activities
ABOUT SIH 2020
• The hackathon is being organized by the HRD ministry’s All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE), Persistent Systems and i4c.
• The fourth AICTE Smart India Hackathon’s software edition in 2020 will provide
students with a platform to solve problems posed by various departments online.
• The Hackathon’s 2020 edition will have problem statements linked to a range of
themes. These include smart communication, smart vehicles, agriculture and rural
development, food processing, robotics and drones, clean water, waste management,
renewable energy, security and surveillance, healthcare and biomedical devices and others.
• The finale of Smart India Hackathon is scheduled for August 1-3, 2020.
The process involves the submission of problem statements by central and state ministries,
departments, PSUs, industries and NGOs; review of submitted problem statements and
finalization by concerned committee and publishing finalized problem statements. Next,
AICTE approved colleges and institutions register themselves for the hackathon. They block
the problems stated and solve them.

Anil Ambani loses Mumbai headquarters to YES Bank

Why in News?
Two office premises of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) are to be taken over by the
YES Bank stated in a notice issued by the bank earlier on Wednesday.
Highlights:
• The private sector lender YES Bank has taken possession of Reliance Centre that was
the headquarters of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) in Mumbai, reports said on
July 29 citing a newspaper advertisement by the bank
• Possession notice was issued regarding the 21000 sq. ft. building in Santacruz,
Mumbai and also two floors in Nagin Mahal in South Mumbai
• This move was made after the Anil Ambani group failed to repay dues worth ₹2,892
crore that it owes to the bank
• The possession took place on July 22 under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of
Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act (SARFESI)
• As per reports, the Anil Ambani group has a total loan exposure of Rs 12,000 crore to
Yes Bank
In March, the Anil Ambani group told that its entire exposure to Yes Bank was fully secured.
He told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that all the transactions between ADAG and YES
Bank comply with the law and financial regulations.
Ambani has further stated that the group’s commitment to honour the repayment obligations
of all its borrowings from Yes Bank through asset monetisation programmes, adding that
the ADAG will continue to extend full support and cooperation to all authorities.
About YES Bank:
• Earlier this year in march YES Bank was about to collapse and was bailed out by the
bank consortium
• Thus the bank is under pressure to reduce its bad loans
• In the April-June quarter, the bank reported a 60.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) fall in
standalone net profit at Rs 45.44 crore against Rs 113.76 crore in the corresponding quarter
of the previous financial year
• Net interest income (NII) declined 16.3 per cent YoY to Rs 1,908.2 crore
• Gross non-performing assets (NPA) now stand at 17.3 per cent against 16.8 per cent
QoQ while net NPA came in at 4.96 per cent against 5.03 per cent
About ADAG:
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group also popularly known as Reliance Group is an Indian
conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The company was formed after Dhirubhai
Ambani’s business was divided up, is headed by his younger son Anil Ambani.
Reliance Group has six listed companies. Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance
Capital, Reliance Entertainment, Reliance Home Finance and Reliance Health and it provides
financial services, construction, entertainment, power, health care, manufacturing, defence,
aviation, and transportation services.

PM Modi Inaugurates the Supreme Court of Mauritius

Why in News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth are going to
jointly inaugurate the new Supreme Court building in Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius,
on Thursday.
It is going to be the first India assisted project in the capital city of Port Louis which will
reflect New Delhi’s focus on its “Neighborhood First” policy.
Key points:
• The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that this building has been constructed
with the cooperation of India
• The supreme court building will become an important landmark in the capital
symbolizing the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries
• It is one of the five projects implemented under the $353 million special economic
package extended by India in 2016
• The project is completed in a stipulated time and at a lower cost than anticipated
• The building is spread over an area of 4700 square meters
• It will house all divisions and offices of the Supreme Court
• The inauguration of the new Supreme Court building in Port Louis will be done via
video conference in the presence of senior members of the judiciary of Mauritius and others
In 2019, Modi and Jugnauth inaugurated the first phase of the Metro Express project and a
new 100-bed ENT hospital in Mauritius that were also built under the special economic
package. The 12 km of the metro line was completed last September and work on the 14km
line is underway.
Importance of this partnership:
• India has begun to see the strategic significance of Mauritius to the renewed great
power contestation in the Indian Ocean
• Mauritius is part of India’s security grid including Coastal Surveillance Radar (CSR)
station of Indian Navy
• An agreement has been signed between the two countries that allows India to develop
infrastructure in terms of establishing military bases on the Mauritian islands
• As a “central geographic point” Mauritius holds importance for commerce and
connectivity in the Indian Ocean
• India could also help Mauritius evolve as a regional centre for technological
innovation
• India is Mauritius’s largest trading partner and has been the largest exporter of goods
and services to the Indian Ocean island nation since 2007
• A key turning point in the relationship came in 1983, when India came to the point of
military intervention in Mauritius in Operation Lal Dorato ensure that it stayed in India’s
strategic orbit
• In 2015 an agreement was signed to set up eight Indian-controlled coastal surveillance
radar stations
• FDI in India has reached 2% of GDP, compared to 0.1% in 1990 and India has become
Mauritius’ largest source of imports since 2007
According to the official statement, “The successful and timely completion of India-assisted
high-quality infrastructure projects in Mauritius shall also create greater opportunities for
Indian companies in Mauritius and in the region.”
Companies registered in Mauritius are the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI)
into India, thus it makes this crucial for India to upgrade its bilateral tax treaty and to adapt
to the latest international practices that prevent multinational companies from artificially
shifting profits to low tax countries.
Thus, it is important for India to pay attention to its neighbourhood first policy.

100% FDI in Air India for NRIs

Why in News?
The Finance Ministry has notified changes in foreign direct investment (FDI) rules which
permit non-resident Indians (NRIs) to acquire up to 100% in Air India on July 29, 2020.
The disinvestment process for national carrier started on January 27. The government has
extended the deadline thrice to bid as the COVID-19 has interrupted economic activities, till
August 31.
Amendments are made in the ‘Foreign Exchange Management Rules (Non-debt
Instruments), 2019’.
Objective – To make the disinvestment process more ‘attractive’ as previous attempts to
attract buyers were unsuccessful.
Implications
• Will allow foreign investment in Air India Ltd at par with other Scheduled Airline
Operations.
• Foreign Investment in Air India, including that of foreign airlines, shall not exceed 49%
except for NRIs.
• Government has put its entire stake in Air India for sale.
• India allows up to 49% FDI under the automatic route, government route beyond that,
• And, 100% for NRIs in scheduled air transport service/domestic passenger airline, &
regional air transport service.
• Foreign airlines are allowed to invest up to 49% of their paid-up capital, subject to
certain conditions- made under the approval route and 49% limit will subsume FDI, FII/FPI
investment.
• Investments would not violate substantial ownership and effective control (SOEC)
norms as investments would be treated as domestic investments.
Category of Citizens-
Amendment has removed the exception which allowed Overseas Citizen of India 100% FDI in
air transport, but not in Air India. This category is replaced by NRIs, now allowed to have
100% FDI in air transport, which includes Air India (via automatic route).
Highlights –
• Department of Economic Affairs said, “substantial ownership & effective control of
M/s Air India Limited shall continue to be vested in Indian Nationals as stipulated in Aircraft
Rules, 1937”.
• The Union Cabinet, in March, had approved changes in FDI norms that allowed NRIs to
bid for 100% shares.
• Bidding is for National Carrier Air India.
• Previously, NRIs could own up to 49% in the carrier.
• Air transport services include non-scheduled services, helicopter and seaplane
services.
Role of RBI –
The Reserve Bank of India is vested with the “sole power to issue/interpret the rules
regarding 100% FDI of NRIs.”
Previously, it was required to do so in consultation with the government.
Foreign Direct Investment-
An investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an
entity based in another country.
It is different from Foreign Portfolio Investment where the foreign entity merely buys equity
shares of a company. FPI does not provide the investor with the control over the business.
Routes-
i). Automatic Route – Through this, the foreign entity doesn’t require the prior approval of
the government or RBI.
ii). Government Route – Through this, the foreign entity has to take the approval of the
government.
The Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP) facilitates the single window clearance of
applications which are through approval route and is administered by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), ministry of commerce and Industry.

National Education Policy 2020

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday 29th July 2020 approved India’s new National Education
Policy 2020, which provides for
• Major reforms in higher education
• Increased focus on non-academic skills
• Increased inclusion through language diversity and course fluidity
HIGHLIGHTS
• First new education policy in 34 years.
• A panel headed by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan submitted a draft in December
2018, which was made public and opened for feedback after the Lok Sabha election in May
2019.
• Ministry of Human Resources is renamed as Ministry of Education.
• NEP replaces the rules framed in 1986 and restructures school and higher education
to make more flexible and with an integrated approach.
PM Modi said the NEP was “long due” and a much-awaited reform in the education sector,
which would transform millions of lives in the times to come. He said, “In the era of
knowledge where learning, research and innovation are important, the new policy would
transform India into a vibrant knowledge hub.”
NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2020 MAJOR REFORMS
School-level reforms
• New System of Education: Break-down of the existing 10+2 structure and introduction
of the 5+3+3+4 format.
• Bagless days: School students to have 10 bagless days in a year during which they
are exposed to a vocation of choice (i.e. informal internship)
• Sanskrit will be mainstreamed with a strong offering in schools and three language
formula will be adopted in higher education.
• Vocational Skills to be taught: Every student will be taught a vocational skill of his/ her
choice by the time they complete their schooling. Students will also be taught coding from
Class VI.
• Internships Will be Included from Class VI: From 6th grade, candidates will have to do
internships of 10 days with local trades or crafts
• No Rigid Separation between Arts and Science Curriculum: There will not be a huge
difference between the curriculum of these two streams and all subjects like Music will be
taught.
• Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) to be established which will digitally store the
academic credits earned.
• New school assessment scheme: The new school assessment scheme will come in
place from 2022-2023 were school exams in grade 3, 5 and 8 will test the child’s basic
learning with a 360-degree progress report card.
College-level reforms
• Single Common Entrance Exam for all Colleges for admission to all higher education
institutes. The entrance exam will be optional and not mandatory.
• 4-year bachelors programme to be preferred.
• Phil to be discontinued.
• Multiple Entry and Exit System: With the help of the academic bank of credits, multiple
entries and exit system will be introduced in the higher education sector. This will allow
students to take a sabbatical and then join back their studies after a while, without losing
any credits.
• India to be promoted as a Foreign Study Destination: Every institution will have an
International Students Office to host foreign students. Colleges will be promoted to provide
premium education at affordable costs.
• Foreign Colleges Can Set Up Colleges in India: Top 100 Foreign Colleges will be
allowed to set up their campuses in India as per NEP. They will be given special
dispensation and regulations to set up the campuses.
• College affiliation system being phased out over the next 15 years, so that every
college develops into either an autonomous degree-granting institution or a constituent
college of a university.
General Reforms
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development renamed as the Ministry of Education.
• The new policy aims to achieve 100 per cent youth and adult literacy in India.
• The expenditure on education will be changed to 6 per cent of the total GDP, as
opposed to earlier, which was 4 per cent of the GDP. Both State, as well as Central
Government, will be working together on the expenditure.
• Equitable and Inclusive Education: NEP 2020 provides for setting up of Gender
Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.
INSTITUTIONS BEING SET UP UNDER NEW EDUCATION POLICY
• National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) would be created and e-courses in 8
regional languages will be uploaded on the same to ramp up digital learning.
• Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI), National Institute would be set
up for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, strengthening of Sanskrit.
• Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching
umbrella body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education, and will
have powers to penalize higher education institutions. It will function through faceless
intervention through technology.
• A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and
Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be set up as a standard-setting body.
ADVANTAGES OF NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2020
• Board exams to be made easier
• Easier exams, no cramming
• More holistic Undergraduate education
• Importance to students’ practical knowledge instead of just pushing them towards
rote learning.
• Help students to develop scientific temper from a young age.
• The new quality of higher educational institutes which will be at par with the global
standards.
NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION (NPE)
It is a policy formulated by the Government of India to promote education amidst the people
of India. The policy covers elementary education to colleges in both rural and urban India.
Amendments in NEP over the years:
1. The government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced the first National Policy
on Education in 1968.
2. In 1986, the government led by Rajiv Gandhi introduced a new National Policy on
Education
3. The 1986 National Policy on Education was modified in 1992 by the V. Narasimha Rao
government.
4. 29th July 2020, the Modi cabinet approved a new National Education Policy.
The NEP 2020 is a progressive shift towards a more scientific approach to education. If
implemented in its true vision, the new structure would bring India at par with the leading
countries of the world.