August 09, 2021

MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLES OF THE

DAY – 09/08/2021
Human rights at risk in police stations: CJI
Ramana flags routine custodial torture, Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Sunday said police stations
pose the “highest threat” to human rights and dignity, which are “sacrosanct”.

“The threat to human rights and bodily integrity is the highest in police stations... Going by recent
reports, even the privileged are not spared third-degree treatment,” the Chief Justice said. Custodial
torture and police atrocities still prevail despite constitutional guarantees, he said.

A word of advice

Lack of effective legal representation at police stations is a huge detriment to arrested or detained
persons. The first hours of arrest or detention often decide the fate of the case for the accused, the CJI
said. He was speaking at the release of the National Legal Services Authority’s legal services app and
vision statement at Vigyan Bhavan.

Chief Justice Ramana had a word of advice for his fellow judges. He noted that if the judiciary wants to
gain the trust of the poor and the vulnerable, it has to assure the marginalised that it exists for them. For
the longest time, he noted, the vulnerable sections have lived outside the system of justice.

Faith of citizens

“If judiciary wants to garner the faith of the citizens, we have to make everyone feel assured that we
exist for them,” the CJI said.

“For the longest time, the vulnerable population has lived outside the system of justice,” Chief Justice
Ramana said, showing the mirror to fellow judges on the pitfalls of the justice administrative system.

Lengthy, expensive formal processes followed by courts dissuade the poor and the vulnerable. The
judiciary’s toughest challenge today is to break these barriers, he said.

“If we want to remain as a society governed by the rule of law, it is imperative for us to bridge the gap of
accessibility to justice between the highly privileged and the most vulnerable. For all times to come, we
must remember that the realities of socio-economic diversity which prevail in our nation cannot ever be
a reason for denial of rights. Let our past not determine our future...”

Digital divide

Chief Justice Ramana said the digital divide has not helped the cause of easy access to justice. Rural and
remote areas suffer from lack of connectivity.

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“Accessing justice in India is not merely an aspirational goal. We need to work hand in hand with various
wings of the government to make it a practical reality.” The Chief Justice said he has already written to
the government about the urgent need to bridge the digital chasm “on a priority basis”.

‘Equality a reality’

“Let us dream of a future based on legal mobility, a future where equality is a reality. That is why the
project ‘Access to Justice’ is an unending mission,” CJI Ramana said.

Covishield-Covaxin mix gives better protection, says ICMR

18 persons from U.P., who inadvertently got the combination, were studied. A combination of
Covishield and Covaxin elicits better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine, the Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Sunday.

The council released its findings which suggest that immunisation with a combination of an adenovirus
vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine was not only safe but also
elicited better immunogenicity.

The immunisation programme against COVID-19 in India started with two vaccines — AstraZeneca’s
ChAdOx1-nCov-19 (named Covishield in India) and inactivated whole virion BBV152 (Covaxin). A
homologous prime-boost approach was followed.

Pre-print report

However, 18 individuals in Uttar Pradesh, under the national programme, inadvertently received
Covishield as the first jab and Covaxin as the second. In its study, the ICMR compared the safety and
immunogenicity profile of these persons against that of individuals receiving only one of the vaccines —
either Covishield or Covaxin.

The pre-print report titled “Serendipitous COVID-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and
Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime,” has not been certified by peer review and
should not be used to guide clinical practice, the council said.

It, however, maintained that the findings have an important implication for the COVID-19 vaccination
programme wherein heterologous immunisation will pave the way for induction of improved and better
protection against the variant strains of SARS-CoV-2.

“Such mixed regimens will also help to overcome the challenges of shortfall of particular vaccines and
remove hesitancy around vaccines in people’s mind that could have genesis in programmatic ‘errors’
especially in settings where multiple COVID-19 vaccines are being used. However, to conclusively prove
these findings a multicentre RCT needs to be carried out,” the ICMR said.

Previously the World Health Organisation had warned against mixing of vaccines, saying there was very
little information on the mix-and-match of vaccines.

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Delhi gets its first animal DNA lab set up in Rohini
In a first, the Capital on Sunday got an “Animal DNA Laboratory” set up at the Forensic Science
Laboratory in Rohini. Before this, samples used to be sent to other States that have animal DNA testing
facilities for the test results. Sometimes, the process delayed investigations.

It will be helpful for the Delhi Police for timely disposal of cases related to cow slaughter, illegal trade of
animals and other animal-related cases.

Director Deepa Verma said, “The types of evidence analysed by our forensics lab include any part of an
animal, including blood and tissue samples, carcasses, hair, teeth, bones contents.”

She added: “Our experts shall analyses DNA to provide information about the identity of a sample. Some
answers that DNA tests may provide identification, characterisation of the relationships between
animals, and evaluation of two different samples in order to determine if they originated from the same
individual.”

Now, the laboratory can examine and identify the animal species of meat products, frozen meat
packing, slaughter cases and more.

Asst. PRO, Dr. Rajnish Singh said: “The main challenge witnessed by a forensic scientist is identifying a
particular species from crime scene evidence. It is very difficult for a scientist to distinguish if a piece of
flesh is found at the scene of crime is from a protected animal like an elephant or tiger, etc. or if it
comes from a non-protected animal. Now this new wing of Animal DNA shall address these
requirements.”

Putin to join Modi in UNSC debate today

India holds the Presidency of council for the month amid tensions in Afghanistan and Myanmar

Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the open debate on maritime security that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will preside over on Monday at the U.N. Security Council as India holds the Presidency
for the month. The Embassy of India in Russia has announced that President Putin will participate in the
event through video conference.

The participation of world leaders in the session is part of the broader global message about the
consensus over India providing leadership of the UNSC as the world deals with conflicts in Afghanistan,
Myanmar and Yemen among others. .

The current stint is the eighth time that India has held the Presidency of the top U.N. body. Yet out of all
the tenures, it is the first in 1950-51 that left lasting lessons about how difficult international affairs can
be at the level of the chair of the President.

It was in 1950-51 that the issue of Kashmir took a critical turn at the Security Council which took the
Indian delegation by surprise. India was still struggling with the initial phase of freedom and the Kashmir
issue had opened up almost immediately with the war of 1947-48. The issue arrived at the UN on

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January 1, 1948 as India urged the UNSC to discuss the battle that began with the invasion of tribal
irregulars from Pakistan.

The Indian submission marked the origin of the “Jammu and Kashmir Question”. The title of the dispute
was changed on January 22, 1948 to “The India-Pakistan Question”.

The period from 1948 to 1951 was heated as far as the Kashmir issue was concerned as there was little
flexibility on display by either India or Pakistan as the UN involvement through the first UN
Representative Owen Dixon failed to resolve the situation.

In this backdrop, on March 30, 1951, the UNSC took up an Anglo-American resolution on Kashmir and
laid out a process of continuation that would give the Kashmir issue a long shelf life at the UNSC where
it was formally taken up last time in 1971 before the August 2019 discussion on the issue by China in the
backdrop of India’s abrogation of Article 370 by the government of Prime Minister Modi.

What was particularly embarrassing about the 1951 resolution was that the Kashmir issue concerned
the President of the UNSC — India — and yet neither the U.S. nor the U.K. hesitated from going ahead
with it. The Resolution 91 decided to replace the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan
(UNCIP) with UNMOGIP (UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan). It also decided to appoint a
UN Representative for India and Pakistan in continuation of the role of Sir Owen Dixon. The second
decision almost institutionalised the Kashmir issue in the U.N.

ITBP inducts first women officers on combat service

53 officers pass out from the ITBP officers’ training academy located in Mussoorie, The Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) force, which guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the India-China border,
on Sunday commissioned its first two women officers in combat after they completed their training
here.

A total of 53 officers passed out from the ITBP officers’ training academy located in Mussoorie after a
parade was held, with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami officiating as the chief guest.
The first-ever History of ITBP, a 680-page book containing unknown facts and photographs of the border
guarding force, was also released by Mr. Dhami and ITBP Director-General S.S. Deswal.

Mr. Dhami and Mr. Deswal put the rank of Assistant Commandant, an entry-level officer rank in the
paramilitary, on the shoulders of two women officers — Prakriti and Deeksha — after the passing out
parade and an attestation ceremony where they took their oaths to serve the country.

While Ms. Prakriti’s father has retired from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Ms. Deeksha’s father, Kamlesh
Kumar, is an ITBP inspector. “My father is my role model. He never considered me lesser than anyone,”
Ms. Deeksha said.Ms. Prakriti, who holds a degree in electrical engineering, said life in the force was
“very tough, but it is also challenging and exciting”.

The ITBP started recruiting women combat officers in its cadre from 2016 through an all-India
examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Before this, it had combat

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women only in the constabulary ranks. Out of the 53 officers, 42 officers are in the general duty combat
cadre, while 11 are in the engineering cadre of the force. These officers will now be posted across ITBP
formations in the country, including along the LAC with China and the anti-Naxal operations theatre in
Chhattisgarh.

Addressing the officers, Mr. Dhami said the commanders should “give their best” while performing their
duties.

An unblemished show amidst intense scrutiny and raging pandemic

After successfully organising the delayed sporting extravaganza, the Japanese capital officially hands
over the baton to Paris, the 2024 host

...and scene! The Tokyo Olympics, held during a raging pandemic, drew the curtains down on Sunday.
The host nation finished third with 27 golds and a total of 58 medals, a vast improvement from its 12
golds and 41 medals in 2016. But it will take greater pride that its bio-bubble largely were intact.

The Games were held under intense scrutiny and amid constant pressure from locals, but the organisers
managed to pull off a clean show.

Scores of people gathered around the Tokyo Olympic Stadium hours before the closing ceremony to
witness the spectacle from the perimeters.

Among the horde of people gathered in the narrow by-lane outside the stadium was Santosh from Pune,
who has lived in Tokyo for three years.

He brought his wife, and his child on a stroller, to watch the fireworks. But they were not able to catch a
glimpse of Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia who carried the Indian flag for the closing ceremony.

It was a carnival on the streets. People turned up in cosplay suits, one came in a Wonderwoman
costume and was accompanied by an elderly citizen donning a Superman T-shirt.

They were ready for a party but were confined to a morose evening on the sidewalks. The entry to the
stadium was restricted to athletes, officials, VIP guests and members of the media. The policemen
circling the stadium were watchful to sniff out any untoward incident. A group of stray cyclists took a
wrong turn, and they were onto them in a split-second to redirect them. A few hundred protesters
turned up with placards that read “Abolish Olympics” and “#GetOutBach”, but it ended peacefully. On
the other side of the road, under the magnificent wooden roof of the stadium, International Olympic
Committee president Thomas Bach thanked the Japanese authorities for their support.

“These were unprecedented Olympic Games. It took us, the IOC and our Japanese partners and friends,
an equally unprecedented effort to make them happen. This is why I would like to thank the Japanese
authorities at all levels, in particular Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Governor Koike Yuriko, for their
steadfast commitment. Thank you for staying with us on the side of the athletes, who were longing so
much for these Olympic Games,” he said.

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Appreciation

“Our deep gratitude and appreciation go to the organising committee. Nobody has ever organised a
postponed Olympic Games before.”

Tokyo, which will now host the Paralympic Games from August 24, officially handed the baton to Paris.
And now we wait for three more years, in the hope that India, which won an unprecedented seven
medals here, can script history yet again.

Explained: What the commission for air quality management in NCR aims to
achieve and why are some opposing it?
The Bill seeks to create an overarching body to consolidate all pollution-monitoring bodies, and bring
them on one platform so that air-quality management can be carried out in a more comprehensive,
efficient, and time-bound manner.

The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill,
2021, was recently introduced by the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate, Bhupender
Yadav, in Parliament and passed by both Houses amid ongoing protests. While the Bill received
overwhelming support, many members had raised concerns on the provision that allowed the
commission to collect environmental compensation from farmers over pollution.

What is the Bill all about?

The monitoring and management of air quality in the Delhi-NCR region has been done in pieces by
multiple bodies, including the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the state pollution control boards,
the state governments in the region, including Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and the
Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) of the National Capital Region.

They, in turn, are monitored by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change
(MoEF), and the Supreme Court which monitors air pollution as per the judgment in ‘M C Mehta vs
Union of India’ case in 1988.

The Bill, however, seeks to create an overarching body to consolidate all monitoring bodies, and to bring
them on one platform so that air quality management can be carried out in a more comprehensive,
efficient, and time-bound manner.

The Centre also seeks to relieve the Supreme Court from having to constantly monitor pollution levels
through various cases.

Both the central, as well as state governments, stand on the receiving end every winter as air pollution
levels start rising in the National Capital region. While the commission will concentrate on improving air
quality during winter in particular, it has also been asked to suggest measures to mitigate pollution
throughout the year.

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An ordinance was introduced by the environment ministry and signed by the President in October last
year, within days of the hearing of the ‘Aditya Dubey vs Union of India’ case where Solicitor General
Tushar Mehta had indicated the setting up of such a commission.

What will the new commission replace?

Apart from consolidating all agencies that monitored, investigated and planned mitigation of air
pollution in the region, the commission has replaced the Supreme Court-appointed Environment
Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) which had been running for 22 years. Over the
years, the EPCA’s powers had been waning. While dissolving the body, the Centre felt that the EPCA had
become redundant and had been ineffective in addressing issues related to air pollution. The EPCA also
did not have penal provisions that the commission will now have.

The ordinance that had been introduced by the Ministry in October 2020 lapsed in March this year, as it
was unable to introduce the Bill during the Budget session in the absence of the Union Cabinet’s
approval. A second ordinance was introduced by the Ministry in April.

The Bill, now that it has been passed by both Houses of Parliament, will replace both ordinances.

What is the issue that Parliamentarians have raised?

The protests against a section of the Bill that proposes penalization for stubble burning had started
during the farmers’ protests when unions had raised their voices against it.

The Centre had conceded to their demands by decriminalizing stubble burning for farmers, or any other
means of polluting. These offenses earlier had a penal provision of imprisonment of upto 5 years and a
fine of Rs 1 crore, the stiffest penalty that the Ministry has issued on air pollution offenses so far.

While the penalty still exists for other sectors and individuals, imprisonment is no longer imposed on the
farming community. These changes were made in the April ordinance after negotiations with farmers
and carried through to the Act.

However, while Clause 14 of the Act says that “the provisions of this section shall not apply to any
farmer for causing air pollution by stubble burning or mismanagement of agricultural residue”, the very
next clause says that the commission “may impose and collect environmental compensation from
farmers causing air pollution by stubble burning, at such rate and in such manner, as may be
prescribed”.

Parliamentarians have opposed this move to collect environmental compensation from farmers and
have demanded that the Ministry should reconsider this provision.

What are the powers of the commission?

The Commission is the most powerful air pollution monitoring body set up by the Centre to date. The
rulings by the commission on air pollution will override anything contained in any other law.

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The powers of the commission will also supersede that of any other body in matters of air pollution.
Therefore, in cases where conflict may arise between orders or directions issued by the other state
governments, state pollution control boards or even the Central Pollution Control Board, the orders of
the commission will prevail.

The Commission will have the power to take measures, issue directions and entertain complaints “for
the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of air in the National Capital Region”.

It will also coordinate action taken by states on air pollution and will lay down parameters for air quality
and emission or discharge of environmental pollutants. It will also have powers to restrict industries in
any area, carry out random inspections of any premises including factories and be able to close down an
industry or cut its power and water supply in case of non-compliance.

It will also be monitoring the measures taken by the states to prevent stubble burning.

What will be the composition of the commission?

The Commission will be headed by a full-time chairperson with experience of not less than 15 years in
the field of environmental protection and pollution control or having administrative experience of not
less than 25 years. The members of the commission will also comprise of an official from the
Environment Ministry, five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries from Delhi,
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, one full-time member who is or has been a joint
secretary, three full-time independent technical members who are experts in air pollution, one technical
member each from the Central Pollution Control Board and Indian Space Research Organisation, three
members from non-governmental organisations who deal in air pollution and one representative of the
National Institution for Transforming India.

The commission will also have three members, being stakeholders from sectors such as agriculture,
industry, transport or construction apart from representatives of several ministries, including Road
Transport and Highways, Power, Housing and Urban Affairs, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Agriculture and
Farmers’ Welfare, Commerce and Industry. There will also be representatives of any association from
the commerce or industry sector.

The commission will have at least three sub-committees —monitoring and identification, safeguarding
and enforcement, and research and development.

What are the concerns from environmentalists?

Environmentalists have raised concerns over the concentration of power with the Central Government.
They have also criticized the overwhelming number of bureaucrats in the commission, with “only a
token representation” of environmental bodies and non-governmental groups.

The Act further says that no civil court will have jurisdiction to entertain any suit, proceeding or dispute
pertaining to or arising out of the actions taken or directions issued by the commission and that orders
of the commission can only be contested before the National Green Tribunal. Environmentalists believe

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that this restricts legal action that can be taken on environmental matters as citizens so far could
approach the Supreme Court and other courts directly with these issues.

Device that detects SARS-CoV-2 in saliva sample in one hour

The new diagnostic, which relies on CRISPR technology, can be assembled for about $15, but those costs
could come down significantly if the devices were produced at large scale, the researchers say.
Engineers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a small tabletop device that can detect SARS-
CoV-2 from a saliva sample in about an hour. In a new study in Science Advances, they showed it is as
accurate as PCR tests, MIT said in a press statement. It said the device can also be used to detect specific
viral mutations linked to some of the variants now circulating.

The new diagnostic, which relies on CRISPR technology, can be assembled for about $15, but those costs
could come down significantly if the devices were produced at large scale, the researchers say. It is
based on SHERLOCK, a CRISPR-based tool.

First, a pre-processing step disables enzymes called salivary nucleases, which destroy nucleic acids such
as RNA. Once the sample goes into the device, the nucleases are inactivated by heat and two chemical
reagents. Then, viral RNA is extracted and concentrated by passing the saliva through a membrane.

This RNA sample is then exposed to freeze-dried CRISPR/Cas components. The reaction amplifies the
RNA sample and then detects the target RNA sequence, if present.

The researchers designed the device, which they call minimally instrumented SHERLOCK (miSHERLOCK),
so that it can have up to four modules that each look for a different target RNA sequence. The original
module detects any strain of SARS-CoV-2. Other modules are specific to mutations including B.1.1.7, P.1,
and B.1.351.

The Delta variant was not yet widespread when the researchers performed this study, but they say it
should be straightforward to design a new module to detect that variant.

Source: MIT

Vaccination: the road ahead

Worldwide, there is a gap between vaccine supply and demand, and disparities between developed and
developing countries. Where will new vaccines come from, and what challenges must they meet?

SARS-CoV-2 continues to play havoc in different parts of the world with several of its more virulent
forms, particularly the Delta variant, now driving new waves of infections.

Vaccines developed against the virus are the most effective scientific intervention to control
the pandemic. Developed at an amazing pace, as many as 19 vaccines have already been approved for
immunisation in some part of the world or the other.

Glaring disparities

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These vaccines are the result of intense scientific collaborations among scientists in academia and
industry, and early huge funding from many governments. Unfortunately, the initial collaborative efforts
did not translate into equitable access, and the trajectory of access has largely replicated the classical
paradigm of developed and the underdeveloped parts of the world. Glaring disparities and differences in
vaccine types, their availability and distribution have emerged in vaccination programmes across the
globe.

The initiative COVAX, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), has struggled to procure and
distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

While the western and resource-rich countries have mostly relied on the novel platforms of mRNA
based vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and viral vector vaccines of AstraZeneca and Johnson &
Johnson, the low- and middle-income countries find themselves relying mostly on vaccines developed in
China and Russia.

As of now, around 4.1 billion shots of various vaccines have been rolled out worldwide, with China (1.61
billion), India (455 million) and USA (344 million) accounting for more than half of these. Many
developed countries have vaccinated more than half their populations. On the other hand, resource-
compromised countries have barely started their vaccination programmes.

The gap between supply and demand of vaccines needs to be filled quickly. Clearly, we need more
vaccines, but where will they come from?

Vaccines in development

Among the 19 vaccines approved for use, a large number have been developed and approved in China,
and more recently a few in developing countries such as Cuba, Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan. In addition,
more than 30 vaccines are in large efficacy trials with a few already waiting for emergency use approval.
More than 90 vaccine candidates have entered phase I/II trials. Therefore more than 120 vaccines,
including many in the developing world, are under development.

Given the fact that so far only five vaccines have been abandoned following clinical trials, many of these
vaccine candidates are destined to reach the regulatory stages in various countries. Although currently
there is a huge shortage in supply, the space for introducing new vaccines cannot be unlimited, and only
the best may be able to compete with the existing ones.

Also, manufacturers of currently in-use vaccines have announced major increases in production at
multiple locations. For example, Pfizer has recently announced production of its vaccine in South Africa,
specifically for use in African countries. The most cost-effective vaccine of AstraZeneca, which is
approved in more than a hundred countries, is already being manufactured in many countries.

There will be additional challenges for the new vaccines. The current first-generation vaccines were
tested against the original strain of the virus, but phase III trials of the new vaccines will have to deal
with multiple, highly infectious variants.

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Further, organising large phase III trials in itself will become more complex, particularly in locations
where a large proportion of adult populations are vaccinated and/or infection rates have significantly
declined. Ethically too, phase III trials with placebo control groups may not be justifiable any more, given
that efficacious vaccines are already in use.

Hopes & challenges

The next generation of Covid vaccines could address the issues of stability at higher temperatures for
easy transportation and storage, a real concern in poor countries.

Large-scale immunisation through the injection route has always been complex and at least partly
contributes to vaccine hesitancy. To avoid the needle and deliver vaccines through nasal or oral routes
will also be an attractive target. Several non-injectable Covid vaccines are under development, including
in India.

Perhaps the most exciting development in the new vaccine arena is the recent phase III trial results of
the protein-based vaccine of Novavax, which has shown an efficacy of 91.4%. Importantly, these trials
were conducted at a time when several virus variants had already emerged. However, the US regulator
is yet to approve its emergency use.

Another protein-based vaccine being developed by Biological E in India, in collaboration with Baylor
College of Medicine, US, has shown excellent safety and efficacy results in human trials conducted so
far. Such protein-based vaccines will undoubtedly be major game-changers since they are not only safe,
time tested, and highly efficacious, but also easy to produce, stable at higher temperatures, and
generally very cost-effective.

But the lower-than-expected efficacy of 47% emerging from a large pivotal trial of the mRNA vaccine
from CureVac, Germany, has seriously dampened hopes of its role in vaccination programmes in the
European Union and elsewhere. The disappointing results underscore the risks and challenges for new
vaccines, which will have to demonstrate efficacy against viral variants now prevalent all over the world.

Yet, new vaccines are being introduced at regular intervals. China has approved six vaccines and
vaccinated a staggering 20 million people per day for more than a week in mid-June this year. Recently
China has started vaccination of all minors using its own vaccines. There have been concerns about the
efficacy of these vaccines in some Asian countries, including Indonesia and Thailand.

India, now & later

With 500 million (50 crore) vaccines already administered so far, India set its own record of vaccinating
nearly 9 million people in a day on 21 June 2021. India’s vaccination programme so far has been mainly
driven by Covishield of AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech accounting
for over 87% and 12% of all vaccinations respectively. Sputnik V from Russia, which was approved in
April 2021, is yet to make any sizeable contribution to the vaccination programme.

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According to revised estimates, the vaccine programme in India hopes to procure 135 crore vaccines by
December 2021. The overall average supply of all vaccines has hovered around 4 million per day for the
last two months. Clearly, the supply will need to be more than twice the present rate.

It is hoped that both Covishield and Covaxin production will be scaled up, with Covaxin to be produced
at multiple locations. Likewise, Sputnik V supply through imports, or through its production in India, is
expected to fill the gap.

Manufacturing and approvals of protein-based vaccines of Novavax and Biological E will be crucial to the
supply chain in India. Novavax has demonstrated safety and high efficacy of its vaccine and may seek
approval for its use in India before it is approved elsewhere.

The DNA based vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila, which requires three shots for full vaccination, is also
expected to be rolled out in the coming months. Biological E was also slated to manufacture the single-
shot vaccine of Johnson & Johnson, which, however, is yet to be approved for use in India.

If all falls into place, India should be able to produce more than 1-2 billion doses of Covid vaccines by
2022. India is well known for its ability to produce high quality vaccines at affordable cost and it should
hope to occupy its rightful position of the largest producer of vaccines, especially for developing
countries.

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Monopolistic Practices of Big-Tech Firms -

EXPLAINED
With the Internet playing a central role in determining how humans live and work, a few big technology
companies have gathered remarkable clout. Big Tech firms, also known as GAFA (Amazon, Apple,
Google, Facebook), are the largest and most dominant companies in the information technology
industry of the United States.

Many have speculated it may not be possible to live outside of the digital world ecosystem created by
these companies. Now, these big tech companies are setting their sights on the Global South,
particularly the Indian subcontinent, for the untapped potential it holds.

However, there are many concerns over these Big tech firms’ monopolistic practices like slow
regulation, unfair competition, privacy, etc. Therefore, given the centrality of digital technologies in the
future, a comprehensive regulatory framework must be needed.

How Big Tech Firms Establishes Monopoly?

▪ Network effect: Due to strong network effects, it is not possible to ban or curtail these services.

o Even if other options are available (such as Signal and Telegram for messaging), the
network effects bind customers to their often used platform (WhatsApp), even if it is not
their favorite.

▪ Brand Loyalty: The major players have harnessed technologies that permit synchronicity between
devices and people in a manner that is often superficially described as “brand loyalty.”

▪ Tying or Bundling Certain Products: Big tech firms have pre-loaded certain software with the OS.
Due to this, many times, there was no option available to users to use other alternatives.

Concerns Associated with BigTech Firms

▪ Unfair Competition: Innovations and technological advancements have meant that unlikely
giants have emerged in an extremely short span of time. To retain their pole position, these firms
may resort to anti-competitive behavior. For example:

o They are erecting entry barriers by refusing to interconnect and interoperate with
competing firms.

o Leveraging their capital base and thereby engaging in predatory pricing, and driving out
competitors.

o Exclusive arrangements and cartelization.

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▪ Privacy Concerns: Big tech firms’ market power is built at individuals’ expense through the
unscrupulous collection and processing of user data and forcing certain products on consumers.

o Further, there is a lack of transparency in how tech companies process user data, which
has raised serious and pressing privacy concerns.

▪ Slow Regulation: Due to rapid innovation and advancement by the Big Tech firms, the regulators
are only able to react, not be in readiness.

o In India, Big Tech companies are able to operate in a regulatory vacuum.

o Due to this, they can avoid any negative repercussions for their continued violations
regarding the adequate compensation of labor, local incorporation, and taxation laws and
maintaining reasonable and adequate data protection standards.

Way Forward

▪ Prioritizing Personal Data Regulation: At a point in time where data is the new gold standard, the
regulation of how tech companies use consumers’ personal data to establish dominance should
be a significant preliminary focus point.

▪ Ensuring Right to Privacy: Governments worldwide have introduced stringent laws to ensure
users’ right to privacy by requiring tech companies to adhere to certain basic and essential data
security and privacy measures.

o In this context, the dedicated data protection law (the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill)
must be expedited.

▪ Comprehensive Regulatory Framework: There is an undeniable monopoly that big tech

companies enjoy across sectors and regulatory gaps and consumer loyalty has enabled this unique
situation to thrive.

o The consumer will not easily give up the convenience that this offers her; therefore, there
is a need to create a network of regulatory measures and safeguards centered around the
consumer.

o Thus, regulation should be mindful of region-specific issues and adopt a multi-disciplinary

approach to have the most impact.

▪ Monetizing Information: Big Tech companies must negotiate a fair payment with all the
stakeholders for using their content in Facebook’s newsfeed and Google’s Search.

Conclusion

Given the size and impact of the Indian market, all regulatory action in India is bound to be closely
monitored and can have a far-reaching effect elsewhere in the world.

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Hence, the question before policymakers is how to regulate these Internet firms from abusing their
monopoly power while at the same time encouraging the positive externalities and consumer surplus
they create.

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NEWS IN SHORT
1. The 79th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement, which is considered as
one of the important milestones in the history of the freedom struggle of our country, is being
observed on 8 August 2021. Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy inaugurates Exhibition on ‘Quit India
Movement’ organised by National Archives of India in New Delhi as part of Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav being celebrated to mark 75th years of IndependenceOn 8 Aug 1942, Mahatma Gandhi
gave a clarion call to end British rule and launched the Quit India Movement at the session of the
All-India Congress Committee in Mumbai.
2. India’s nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,480 Mega Watts by 2031 from the current
6,780 MegaWatts. There are presently 22 reactors with a total capacity of 6780 MW in operation
and one reactor, KAPP-3 (700 MW) has been connected to the grid on January 10, 2021. Ten (10)
nuclear power reactors with 8000 MW capacity (including 500 MW PFBR being implemented by
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited {BHAVINI}) are under construction.
3. As per RBI Data, India’s foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 9.427 billion. Foreign exchange
reserves now stand at a record high of USD 620.576 billion in the week ended July 30. In 3rd week
of July, reserves had declined by USD 1.581 billion amounting to USD 611.149 billion. Rise in
reserves was witnessed in line with the increase in foreign currency assets (FCAs). FCAs are major
component of overall reserves. FCA was raised by USD 8.596 billion, amounting to USD 576.224
billion in the same period. Gold reserves rose by USD 760 million amounting to USD 37.644 billion.
Increase by USD 6 million in special drawing rights (SDRs) was also witnessed with International
Monetary Fund (IMF). SDR now stands at USD 1.552 billion.
4. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) has been joined in by 25 countries and seven
international organisations as member till date. Bangladesh is the new entrant to CDRI. It was set
up with the objective of promoting resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate
and disaster risks to support sustainable development. Prime minister launched the CDRI on
September 23, 2019 during his speech at the UN Climate Action Summit. Its primary objective is
to promote research and knowledge sharing in fields of infrastructure risk management,
financing, standards and recovery mechanisms.
5. 7th National Handloom Day was celebrated on August 7. First National Handloom Day was
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 7, 2015 in Chennai. On the occasion,
handloom weaving community will be honoured for their contribution in socio-economic
development of India. Handloom sector directly addresses women’s empowerment with 70
percent of all weavers and allied workers being female. On the occasion, three Handloom Craft
Villages will be set up at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Mohpara Village of Golaghat
district in Assam and, Kanihama in Budgam, Srinagar, Craft villages will be set up by Ministry in
collaboration with State governments.

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