Cur

rentAf
fai
rs
Fe
bruar
y-2022

E-
Gov
ernanc
eInt
iat
ive
s
I
CE360Surve
y
I
ndi
a-De nmark
Da
rkMat
ter
BRo’
sPr
oje
cts

Pr
eli
ms
&
Mains
Compl
eteMont
hCov
erag
e
Detai
ledAnal
ysi
s
Subj
ectwis
eAna l
ysi
s

www.
aks
ias
.com 8955177997/8448449709
 M.S.Shashank

February - 2022 Current Affairs

Sources: FOREWARD
The Hindu | The Indian
Dear Aspirants,
Express Live mint |
Every one of our students aims to get their dream job and seeks the
The Economic Times | right tools that helps them complete their career defining tests. We aim
Hindustan Times | PIB | PRS to be one of the main tool to help an aspirant become the one they
| Government & World aspire to be. AKS IAS thrives to be the best step a student takes towards
Reports (NITI Aayog, Budget, his/her goal and we do achieve it nearly every time. Our publishing unit is
WEF Economic Survey etc.) | one of the essential means to serve our intentions through AKS IAS
Monthly Magazine (Bilingual) and various imprinted and forthcoming
NCERTs All standard
titles.
reference books This Exclusive book has been prepared and compiled keeping in mind
AKS IAS Current Affairs the needs of those, who are looking for a focused and intensive
Monthly Magazine covers a approach, who wish to streamline their preparation strategy for the
wide range of topics which various competitive examinations.
overlaps with the CORE
subjects. AKS IAS Academy's - committed team has prepared this book
following certain norms to ensure non-partisan treatment of the subject,
a dedicated effort to help you prepare best to crack the Examinations.
Explaining each and every detail required. This all-inclusive volume will
Head Office: Hyderabad facilitate the aspirants to amass a complete and detailed understanding
Regional Branch: Vizag of the concerned subject.

www.aksias.com We wish you the best for your Test preparation!

Follow US: AKS IAS M.S.Shashank

Founder & CEO
AKS IAS Academy

©COPYRIGHTS 2021
AKS IAS has taken due care in collecting the data before publishing this book. Inspite of this, if any inaccuracy or printing error
occurs then AKS IAS owes no responsibility. AKS IAS will be grateful if you could point out any such error. Your suggestions will
be appreciated. © All rights reserved by AKS IAS. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form without the
written permission from the AKS IAS.

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

1
 M.S.Shashank

1. Polity & Governance ...............................................................................6

1.1. e-governance initiatives should be citizen centric .................................................................................. 6
1.2. Pushback to change in IAS cadre rules .................................................................................................... 7
1.3. HC orders notice to Center on Dam Safety Act ....................................................................................... 8
1.4. Conjugal rights before the Supreme Court.............................................................................................. 8
1.5. Euthanasia: Right to Life vs. Right to Die ............................................................................................... 10
1.6. Validity of OBC quota in NEET Admissions ............................................................................................ 12
1.7. Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 ................................................................... 13
1.8. Language of Courts in India ................................................................................................................... 14
1.9. Credibility of Electronic Voting Machines ............................................................................................. 15
1.10. Suspension of MLAs .............................................................................................................................. 16

2. Economy ............................................................................................... 18
2.1. The rise in India's wheat exports ........................................................................................................... 18
2.2. Spices Statistics at a Glance 2021 .......................................................................................................... 19
2.3. India appeals against WTO order on sugar ........................................................................................... 20
2.4. ICE360 Survey 2021: PRICE.................................................................................................................... 21
2.5. Controlling Expenditure on Subsidies.................................................................................................... 22
2.6. PM Gati Shakti Master Plan................................................................................................................... 24
2.7. ILO World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2022................................................................... 26
2.8. World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda ’22 ......................................................................................... 27
2.9. Need For Green Revolution 2.0: RBI...................................................................................................... 28
2.10. Drone use in Agriculture ....................................................................................................................... 29

3. International Relations ......................................................................... 31

3.1. India and Australia free trade agreement (FTA) .................................................................................... 31
3.2. CHANGING GEOPOLITICS ...................................................................................................................... 32
3.3. Decline in China’s BRI Investments ....................................................................................................... 34
3.4. Maldives inks key deals with China ....................................................................................................... 35
3.5. Sri Lanka asks China to restructure debt ............................................................................................... 36
3.6. India-South Korea Relations .................................................................................................................. 37
3.7. India-US Homeland Security Dialogue................................................................................................... 39
3.8. India and UK Free Trade Agreement ..................................................................................................... 41
3.9. India’s reliance on Chinese goods surged in 2021 ................................................................................. 43
3.10. India-Nepal boundary Issues ................................................................................................................. 44
3.11. India-Denmark Relations ....................................................................................................................... 45

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

2
 M.S.Shashank
4. Science & Technology ........................................................................... 47
4.1. Genome sequencing ............................................................................................................................. 47
4.2. First Magnetic Field on an Exoplanet .................................................................................................... 48
4.3. A star with a heartbeat ......................................................................................................................... 49
4.4. Grime-eating bacteria to restore classical art ....................................................................................... 49
4.5. Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile ............................................................................................... 50
4.6. BrahMos advanced variant test fired .................................................................................................... 50
4.7. Deep Ocean Mission ............................................................................................................................. 51
4.8. Quantum Computing: Ocean Of Opportunities..................................................................................... 52
4.9. Dark Matter........................................................................................................................................... 54
4.10. Human Space Programme: Gaganyaan ................................................................................................. 55
4.11. Negative Ion Technology ....................................................................................................................... 56
4.12. First on-site evidence of water on Moon .............................................................................................. 56

5. Social Issues & Justice ........................................................................... 57

5.1. Marital Rape .......................................................................................................................................... 57
5.2. Reservation in Private Sector ................................................................................................................ 58
5.3. Faecal Sludge and Septage Management.............................................................................................. 60

6. Health ................................................................................................... 61
6.1. CORBEVAXTM ....................................................................................................................................... 61
6.2. In NFHS report card, the good, the sober, the future ........................................................................... 61
6.3. Should vaccination be made mandatory? ............................................................................................. 62
6.4. Put out the data, boost the dose of transparency ................................................................................ 63
6.5. Project 'Niramay' ................................................................................................................................... 64

7. education.............................................................................................. 64
7.1. ARIIA 2021............................................................................................................................................. 64
7.2. The devastating impact of school closure ............................................................................................. 65

8. Agriculture ............................................................................................ 66
8.1. State Of India’s Livelihood (Soil) Report 2021 ....................................................................................... 66
8.2. Sustainable Farming Creates New livelihood Sources ........................................................................... 68
8.3. Gherkins ................................................................................................................................................ 69

9. Environment ......................................................................................... 70
9.1. Green Hydrogen .................................................................................................................................... 70
9.2. Tiger Deaths in India ............................................................................................................................. 72
9.3. GANGA REJUVENATION ........................................................................................................................ 74
9.4. The baton of forest restoration in the net zero race ............................................................................. 75
9.5. National Mission on Use of Biomass ..................................................................................................... 77
9.6. A proposal for Indian Environmental Service ........................................................................................ 78

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

3
 M.S.Shashank
9.7. Eco-centric Based Economic Growth Model ......................................................................................... 79
9.8. Global Plastics Treaty: Need of the Hour .............................................................................................. 80

10. Internal Security ................................................................................... 81

10.1. Deployment of S-400 defence missile system ....................................................................................... 81
10.2. Third Positive Indigenisation List........................................................................................................... 83
10.3. BRO’s projects in Ladakh ....................................................................................................................... 85
10.4. A serious lapse ...................................................................................................................................... 86
10.5. Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022: WEF ............................................................................................. 87

11. Geography & Disaster Management ..................................................... 88

11.1. Saraswati River ...................................................................................................................................... 88
11.2. Rare-Earth Metal ................................................................................................................................... 88
11.3. Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas of India .................................................................................. 89
11.4. Najafgarh jheel restoration plan ........................................................................................................... 90

12. History- Art & Culture ........................................................................... 90

12.1. Ramna Kali Temple: Bangladesh ........................................................................................................... 90
12.2. Rani Velu Nachiyar ................................................................................................................................ 91
12.3. Konark Sun Temple ............................................................................................................................... 91
12.4. Kaavi Art ................................................................................................................................................ 91
12.5. Rare Black Rock Art Depictions ............................................................................................................. 92
12.6. Amar Jawan Jyoti now merged with the War Memorial flame: govt. ................................................... 92
12.7. Kokborok Day ........................................................................................................................................ 93

13. Awards.................................................................................................. 93
13.1. Sahitya Akademi Awards ....................................................................................................................... 93
13.2. National Water Awards ......................................................................................................................... 93
13.3. Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Awards .............................................................................. 94
13.4. International Association of Working Women Award ........................................................................... 95
13.5. Assam Baibhav Award ........................................................................................................................... 95

14. Government Initiatives ......................................................................... 95

14.1. SMILE Scheme ....................................................................................................................................... 95
14.2. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) .............................................................................................................. 96
14.3. ‘Faceless Appeal Scheme, 2021’ ............................................................................................................ 96
14.4. Vice President calls for making India self-reliant in all areas ................................................................. 97
14.5. Launch of six One District One Product Brands ..................................................................................... 97
14.6. Rooftop Solar Scheme ........................................................................................................................... 98
14.7. One District One Product Scheme ......................................................................................................... 98

15. Persons & Appointments ...................................................................... 99

15.1. Vikram Dev Dutt as new CMD of Air India ............................................................................................. 99

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

4
 M.S.Shashank
15.2. Vijay Shekhar Sharma............................................................................................................................ 99
15.3. Lt Gen Manoj Pande .............................................................................................................................. 99
15.4. Jahnavi Dangeti ................................................................................................................................... 100
15.5. M.K. Prasad ......................................................................................................................................... 100
15.6. Narayan Debnath ................................................................................................................................ 100
15.7. Narendra Kumar Goenka .................................................................................................................... 100
15.8. Shanti Devi .......................................................................................................................................... 100
15.9. Goalkeeper Savita Punia ..................................................................................................................... 100
15.10. Tasnim Mir .......................................................................................................................................... 101
15.11. Legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj .................................................................................. 101

16. Important Days ................................................................................... 101

16.1. DRDO Foundation Day ........................................................................................................................ 101
16.2. World Braille Day ................................................................................................................................ 101
16.3. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas ......................................................................................................................... 102
16.4. Armed Forces Veterans Day ................................................................................................................ 102
16.5. Indian Army Day .................................................................................................................................. 102
16.6. ‘National Startup Day’ ......................................................................................................................... 102
16.7. Parakram Diwas .................................................................................................................................. 102
16.8. International Day of Education ........................................................................................................... 103
16.9. National Girl Child Day ........................................................................................................................ 103
16.10. National Tourism Day .......................................................................................................................... 103
16.11. National Voters’ Day ........................................................................................................................... 103

17. Miscellaneous ..................................................................................... 104

17.1. ‘Narendra Modi Marg’ ........................................................................................................................ 104
17.2. First human case of Avian flu .............................................................................................................. 104
17.3. Justice Clock ........................................................................................................................................ 104
17.4. India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F).................................................. 104
17.5. PM Modi to unveil 216-foot statue of saint Ramanujacharya ............................................................. 105
17.6. Indonesia names new capital Nusantara ............................................................................................ 105
17.7. First ‘Milk Village’ of J&K ..................................................................................................................... 105
17.8. Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar ................................................................................................................. 106
17.9. India’s first sanitary-napkin free village .............................................................................................. 106
17.10. MSME Technology Centre ................................................................................................................... 106
17.11. world first human receives a Pig Heart Transplant ............................................................................. 107
17.12. CSC Yogyata Mobile Application ......................................................................................................... 107
17.13. Online Storage Management (OSM) System ....................................................................................... 107
17.14. Assam Mission on Malnutrition .......................................................................................................... 107

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

5
 M.S.Shashank
1. Polity & Governance
1.1. e-governance initiatives should be
citizen centric
Why In the News?
• Addressing the 24th National Conference on
e- Governance in Hyderabad, Union Minister
of Science and Technology emphasized that
the e-governance initiatives should be citizen
centric and increase transparency and
accountability.
About e-Governance
• E-government is the use of technological
communications devices, such as computers
and the Internet, to provide public services to
citizens and other persons in a country or
region.
• E-government offers new opportunities for
more direct and convenient citizen access to
government and for government provision of
services directly to citizens.
• The term consists of the digital interactions
between:
o Citizen and their government (C2G),
o Between governments and other
government agencies (G2G),
o Between government and citizens (G2C),
o Between government and employees
(G2E), and
o Between government and
businesses/commerce’s (G2B).
Significance of e-Governance
• Post COVID era: The government stressed the
need for right and optimum use of e-
governance initiatives especially in the post
COVID era.
o It has provided flexible timings and
helped people especially employees
during COVID pandemic.
• Ease of life: The purpose of e- governance is
to bring ease of life for common citizens.
• One nation-one portal: Over grievances and
redressal, the linking of the Centralized Public
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Grievance Redress and Monitoring System
with that of the states is almost done realizing
Prime Minister’s vision for one nation-one
portal.
• Simplification: To support and simplify
governance for government, citizens, and
businesses.
• Transparent and accountable: To make
government administration more transparent
and accountable while addressing the
society’s needs and expectations through
efficient public services and effective
interaction between the people, businesses,
and government.
• Corruption: To reduce corruption in the
government.
• Speedy delivery: To ensure speedy
administration of services and information.
• To reduce difficulties: for business, provide
immediate information and enable digital
communication by e-business.
Issues/ Challenges of e-Governance
• Lack of computer literacy: India is still a
developing country and a vast majority of the
citizens lack computer literacy which hinders
the effectiveness of e-governance.
• Lack of accessibility: to the internet or even
computers in some parts of the country is a
disadvantage to e-governance.
• E-Governance results in a loss of human
interaction: As the system becomes more
mechanized, lesser interaction takes place
among people.
• Risk: It gives rise to the risk of personal data
theft and leakage.
• E-Governance leads to a lax administration:
The service provider can easily provide
excuses for not providing the service on
technical grounds such as “server is down” or
“internet is not working”, etc.
Various initiatives by the Government towards
E-governance
8448449709
6
 M.S.Shashank
• Aadhaar is a unique identification number with real-time presence and exchange among
issued by UIDAI that serves as proof of the key stakeholders.
identity and address on the basis of biometric
data. It is being used to provide many benefits 1.2. Pushback to change in IAS cadre rules
to the members of the society. One can e-sign
documents using Aadhar.
Why in the News?
• myGov.in is a national citizen engagement
• The Center has proposed amendments to the
platform where people can share ideas and
Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules
be involved with matters of policy and
1954 in order to exercise greater control in
governance.
central deputation of IAS officers.
• UMANG is a Unified Mobile Application which
• The Union government asks states to provide
provides access to central and state
an “offer list” with officers of the All India
government services including Aadhar, Digital
Services which includes IAS, IPS and IFS
Locker, PAN, Employee Provident Fund
officers willing to go on central deputation.
services, etc.
• Even within the new proposal, the Center can
• Digital Locker helps citizens digitally store
decide the number of officers going on
important documents like mark sheets, PAN,
central deputation “in consultation with the
Aadhar, and degree certificates. This reduces
State Government concerned”.
the need for physical documents and
facilitates easy sharing of documents. • The Rule-6 (1) of the IAS (Cadre) Rules-1954
• PayGov facilitates online payments to all further provides in case of a disagreement
public and private banks. between the Center and the states that “the
• Mobile Seva aims at providing government matter shall be decided by the Central
services through mobile phones and tablets. Government and the State Government or
The m-App store has over 200 live State Governments concerned shall give
applications which can be used to access effect to the decision” of the Center.
various government services.
What is the Need of Amendment?
• Computerisation of Land Records ensures
that landowners get digital and updated • Various state/joint cadres were found to be
copies of documents relating to their not sponsoring an adequate number of Indian
property. Administrative Service (IAS) officers as part of
the central deputation reserve even though
• DigiSevak platform connects interested
citizens with the government to volunteer for the personnel ministry had flagged the issue
various Digital India activities by Ministries several times.
and agencies of government.
What are the proposed amendments?
• Online Registration System (ORS) is an online
• In its amendment, the Center has proposed to
portal where citizens having Aadhaar can
insert a provision in Rule 6 of IAS (Cadre)
enroll for appointments in hospitals across
Rules, 1954, which stated that any IAS officer
various States and Union Territories of India.
could be posted on central deputation with
• IndiaStack is a set of APIs that allows
the concurrence of the state government
governments, businesses, startups and
concerned.
developers to utilize a unique digital
• The actual number of officers to be deputed
Infrastructure to solve India’s hard problems
to the central government shall be decided by
towards presence-less, paperless, and
the Center in consultation with the state
cashless service delivery.
government concerned,” it added.
• PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely
• Incidentally, the Center, in its proposal to
Implementation) is aimed at starting a
amend the IAS Cadre (Rules), has recently
culture of Pro-Active Governance and Timely
asked the state governments to send lists of
Implementation. It is also a robust system for
IAS officers for central deputation.
bringing e-transparency and e-accountability

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

7
 M.S.Shashank
What are the Concerns with Proposed
Amendments?
• The amendments could be misused.
• A sense of instability and ambiguity is likely to
arise among the officers of the All India
Services, who are posted at various important
posts in various districts.
• The proposed amendment grants the Central
government unilateral right to appoint AIS
officers without the consent of the State
government.
• There will be confusion in the discharge of
official responsibilities by them and due to
political interference.
1.3. HC orders notice to Center on Dam
Safety Act
Why in the News?
• The Madras High Court ordered notice to the
Centre on a case challenging the
constitutional validity of the Dam Safety Act,
2021, on the grounds that it goes against
federalism and is beyond the legislative
competence of the Centre.
What is the Significance of Dams in India?
• The first Prime Minister of India, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, proudly proclaimed dams
as the ‘temples of modern India’.
• Dams are critical infrastructure, constructed
with large investments which provide
multipurpose benefits such as irrigation,
power generation, flood moderation and
supply of water for drinking and industrial
purposes.
• Other physical assets, such as hydropower
plants, irrigation, drinking and industrial
water networks besides municipal supplies
are also linked with the dams.
What is the Dam Safety Act and what is its
Significance?
• The Dam Safety Act is aimed at developing
uniform safety procedures for all dams across
the country.
• The Act provides for surveillance, inspection,
operation and maintenance of dams to
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
prevent disasters, and institutional
mechanisms to ensure safety.
• It is applicable to all dams across the country
which are over 10 meters in height, subject to
specific design and structural conditions.
What are the reasons for criticism of the Act?
• Many states opposed the Act because they
say it encroaches upon the sovereignty of
States to manage their dams and violates the
principles of federalism.
• The Centre taking control of state dams is
considered an unconstitutional move.
• The provisions in the Act implies that the
dam-owning State would not have rights over
the safety and maintenance of the dam
located in another State.
1.4. Conjugal rights before the Supreme
Court
Why in the News?
• A petition challenging the provision allowing
restitution (recovery) of conjugal rights under
Hindu personal laws (Hindu Marriage act
1955).has been pending in the Supreme Court
(SC) for months without a hearing.
• The petition, titled Ojaswa Pathak vs Union of
India, was filed in the SC in February 2019.
The case was last heard in July 2021.
Conjugal Rights Meaning
• Conjugal rights mean the right to stay
together. It is the right of the wife or the
husband to the society of the other spouse.
• It recognises the following rights
o Personal laws dealing with divorce,
marriage etc and
o Criminal laws that require payment of
maintenance and alimony to a spouse.
• Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955,
deals with restitution of conjugal rights
Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act
• By petition to the District Court, the aggrieved
party may apply for the restitution of conjugal
rights.
8448449709
8
 M.S.Shashank
• It provides an opportunity to an aggrieved
party to apply for maintenance under Section
25 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
• If a wife does not want a judicial separation or
disruption of marriage. She can get
maintenance from her husband without filing
a suit for the same.
• It provides a ground for divorce under Section
13(1A) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 on a
condition that there has been no restitution
of conjugal rights between them for a period
of one year or more after the passing of a
decree for restitution of conjugal rights.
How can a case under Section 9 be filed?
• If a spouse refuses cohabitation, the other
spouse can move the family court seeking a
decree for cohabitation.
• If the order of the court is not complied with,
the court can attach property.
• However, the decision can be appealed
before a High Court and the Supreme Court.
• Normally, when a spouse files for divorce
unilaterally, the other spouse files for
restitution of conjugal rights if he or she is not
in agreement with the divorce.
• The provision is seen to be an intervention
through legislation to strike a conciliatory
note between sparring spouses.
Why has the law being challenged?
• The law is being challenged now on the main
grounds that is violative of the fundamental
right to privacy.
• The plea argues that court-mandated
restitution of conjugal rights amounted to a
“coercive action” on the part of the state,
which violates one’s sexual and decisional
autonomy, and right to privacy and dignity.
• In 2019, a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme
Court recognised the right to privacy as a
fundamental right.
• The verdict in the privacy case set the stage
for potential challenges to several laws such
as the criminalization of homosexuality,
marital rape, restitution of conjugal rights, the
two-finger test in rape investigations.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Question over gender-neutrality
• Although the law is ex-facie (‘on the face if it’)
gender-neutral since it allows both wife and
husband to seek restitution of conjugal rights,
the provision disproportionately affects
women.
• Women are often called back to marital
homes under the provision and given that
marital rape is not a crime, leaves them
susceptible to such coerced cohabitation.
• It will also be argued whether the state can
have such a compelling interest in protecting
the institution of marriage that it allows
legislation to enforce the cohabitation of
spouses.
What has the court said about the law earlier?
Supreme Court:
• In 1984, the Supreme Court had upheld
Section 9 holding that the provision “serves a
social purpose as an aid to the prevention of
break-up of marriage”.
• Leading up to the Supreme Court
intervention, two High Courts — those of
Andhra Pradesh and Delhi — had ruled
differently on the issue.
AP High Court:
• In 1983, AP High Court had for the first time
struck down the provision and declared it null
and void. It cited the right to privacy among
other reasons.
• The court also held that in “a matter so
intimately concerned the wife or the husband
the parties are better left alone without state
interference”.
• The court had, most importantly, also
recognised that compelling “sexual
cohabitation” would be of “grave
consequences for women”.
Delhi High Court:
• In the same year, a single-judge Bench of the
Delhi High Court took a diametrically opposite
view of the law and upheld the provision.
• From the definitions of cohabitation and
consortium, it appears that sexual intercourse
is one of the elements that go to make up the
marriage.
8448449709
9
 M.S.Shashank
• But it is not the summum bonum (the
ultimate aim). As if marriage consists of
nothing else except sex.
Way Forward
▪ The debate over criminalising marital rape
compels a relook at how the provisions of
restitution of conjugal rights, though gender-
neutral, place an additional burden on women
and poses a direct threat to their bodily
autonomy, privacy and individual dignity.
▪ While we talk about gender equality and the
gender-neutral quality of the law, women are
still at a disadvantage in Indian society and
this provision capitalises on it.
▪ Dowry deaths are a plague on society and
women being emotionally and mentally
manipulated and tortured for dowry are
aplenty.
▪ It's time for the Indian judiciary and society to
shift to more progressive views starting with
the progressive theory of marriage. Marriage
is not built upon the ceremonies but upon the
autonomy and freedom of two individuals
who agree to share them with each other.
1.5. Euthanasia: Right to Life vs. Right to
Die
Why In the News?
• Earlier this month, a man became the first
person in Colombia to be euthanized without
the prerequisite of suffering from a terminal
illness.
o His decision to die has reignited the debate
over euthanasia and its application under
the laws of different countries.
About
• Mercy Killing: Also known as Euthanasia is an
act of providing painless death to a suffering
individual who wouldn't survive if medical
facilities are removed from their help.
• Aruna Shanbaug Case: The issue was heard in
the Supreme Court (SC) and final judgment
came in the year 2018 making the Right to die
in a dignified way a part of Right to Life
under Article 21.
o As of now, only passive Euthanasia is
allowed in India by the Supreme Court.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Euthanasia
• Greek words: The term Euthanasia comes
from two Ancient Greek words: ‘Eu’ means
‘Good’, and ‘thantos’ means ‘death’, so
Euthanasia means good death.
• Two types: Euthanasia can be also divided
into two types according to means of death.
o Active Euthanasia: It is also known as
‘Positive Euthanasia’ or ‘Aggressive
Euthanasia’. It refers to causing
intentional death of a human being by
direct intervention. It is a direct action
performed to end useless life and a
meaningless existence.
▪ For example, by giving lethal doses
of a drug or by giving a lethal
injection. Active euthanasia is
usually a quicker means of causing
death and all forms of active
euthanasia are illegal.
• Passive Euthanasia: It is also known as
‘Negative Euthanasia’ or ‘Non-Aggressive
Euthanasia’. It is intentionally causing death
by not providing essential, necessary and
ordinary care or food and water.
o It implies discontinuing, withdrawing or
removing artificial life support systems.
o Passive euthanasia is usually slower and
more uncomfortable than active. Most
forms of voluntary, passive and some
instances of non-voluntary, passive
euthanasia are legal.
Rights, Cases and other Legal Provisions in India
• Article 21 includes the right to die or not first
came into consideration in the case State of
Maharashtra v. Maruti Shripati Dubal.
o It was held in this case by the Bombay
High Court that ‘right to life’ also includes
‘right to die’ and Section 309 was struck
down.
o The court clearly said in this case that the
right to die is not unnatural; it is just
uncommon and abnormal. Also, the court
mentioned many instances in which a
person may want to end his life.
• This was upheld by the Supreme Court in the
case P. Rathinam v. Union of India. However,
in the case Gian Kaur v. State of Punjab it was
8448449709
10
 M.S.Shashank
held by the five-judge bench of the Supreme
Court that the “right to life” guaranteed by
Article 21 of the Constitution does not include
the “right to die”.
o The court clearly mentioned in this case
that Article 21 only guarantees right to life
and personal liberty and in no case can
the right to die be included in it. In India,
like almost in other countries, euthanasia
has no legal aspect.
• Every act of aiding and abetting the
commission of suicide are punished under the
section 306 of the I.P.C.
• Distinguishing euthanasia from suicide,
Justice Lodha in Naresh Maratra Sakhee vs
Union of India, observed that, “suicide by its
nature is an act of self-killing or self-
destruction, an act of terminating one’s own
act and without the aid or assistance of any
other human agency.
• “Mercy killing is nothing but homicide,
whatever the circumstances in which it is
affected. Unless it is specifically accepted it
cannot be an offense. Indian Penal Code
further punishes not only abetment of
homicide, but also abetment of suicide”.
Issues
• Medical Ethics: Medical ethics call for
nursing, caregiving and healing and not
ending the life of the patient. In the present
time, medical science is advancing at a great
pace making even the most incurable diseases
curable today. Thus, instead of encouraging a
patient to end his life, the medical
practitioners have to encourage the patients
to lead their painful life with strength.
• Moral Wrong: Taking a life is morally and
ethically wrong. The value of life can never be
undermined.
• Vulnerable will become more prone to it:
Groups that represent disabled people are
against the legalisation of euthanasia on the
ground that such groups of vulnerable people
would feel obliged to opt for euthanasia as
they may see themselves as a burden to
society.
• Suicide v/s Euthanasia: When suicide is not
allowed then euthanasia should also not be
allowed. A person commits suicide when he
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
goes into a state of depression and has no
hope from the life. Similar is the situation
when a person asks for euthanasia. But such a
tendency can be lessened by proper care of
such patients and showing hope in them.
• X-Factor: Miracles do happen in our society
especially when it is a matter of life and
death, there are examples of patients coming
out of coma after years and we should not
forget human life is all about hope.
Significance
• End of Pain: Euthanasia provides a way to
relieve the intolerably extreme pain and
suffering of an individual. It relieves the
terminally ill people from a lingering death.
• Respecting Person's Choice: The essence of
human life is to live a dignified life and to
force the person to live in an undignified way
is against the person’s choice. Thus, it
expresses the choice of a person which is a
fundamental principle.
• Treatment for others: In many developing
and underdeveloped countries like India,
there is a lack of funds. There is a shortage of
hospital space. So, the energy of doctors and
hospital beds can be used for those people
whose life can be saved instead of continuing
the life of those who want to die.
• Dignified Death: Article 21 of the Indian
Constitution clearly provides for living with
dignity. A person has a right to live a life with
at least minimum dignity and if that standard
is falling below that minimum level then a
person should be given a right to end his life.
• Addressing Mental Agony: The motive behind
this is to help rather than harm. It not only
relieves the unbearable pain of a patient but
also relieves the relatives of a patient from
the mental agony.
Way Forward
• Achieving peace with God and pain control:
are nearly identical in importance for patients
and bereaved family members.
• The futile treatment: that doesn't have any
reasonable chance of doing good - other than
keeping the patient from dying could be
stopped to lessen the agony of the family.
8448449709
11
 M.S.Shashank
• Easier to commit murder: At the same time,
allowing voluntary euthanasia makes it easier
to commit murder, since the perpetrators can
disguise it as active voluntary euthanasia.
That must be avoided.
• We should look at the brighter side of it than
thinking of it being abused.
1.6. Validity of OBC quota in NEET
Admissions
Why In the News?
• The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional
validity of quota for Other Backward Classes
candidates in National Eligibility cum Entrance
Test’s (NEET) All India Quota seats for
undergraduate and postgraduate medical and
dental courses.
About
• The order pertained to a petition challenging
reservation for OBC and EWS: introduced by
the central government in the All-India Quota
(AIQ) seats in state government medical
institutions.
• Power of the government to provide
reservations under Article 15 (4) and (5) of
the Constitution: is not an “exception” to
Article 15 (1), which enshrines the mandate
that “the State shall not discriminate against
any citizen on grounds only of religion, race,
caste, sex, place of birth or any of them”.
• Substantive equality: The court held that the
power of the government to craft reservation
for the OBC amplified the principle of
“substantive equality” manifested through
Article 15 (1).
• The Parliament had backed the cause by
enacting the Central Educational Institutions
(Reservation in Admission) Act 2006: to
enable 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes,
7.5% for the Scheduled Tribes, and 27% for
the OBC category.
o The Constitution Bench in Ashoka
Kumar Thakur v. Union of India had
also upheld the constitutional validity
of 27% reservation for the OBC
category provided under the 2006 Act.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Arguments in Favour
• Reservations ensure that the opportunities
are distributed: in such a way that backward
classes are equally able to benefit from such
opportunities which typically evade them
because of structural barriers.
• The privileges that accrue to forward classes
are not limited: to having access to quality
schooling and access to tutorials and coaching
centres to prepare for a competitive
examination but also includes their social
networks and cultural capital that they inherit
from their family.
• The cultural capital ensures that a child from
the forward classes is trained unconsciously
by the familial environment: to take up
higher education or high posts commensurate
with their family ‘s standing.
o This works to the disadvantage of
individuals from social backward
classes who are first-generation
learners and come from communities
whose traditional occupations.
• Helped many if not everyone: Although
Reservation schemes do undermine the
quality of education but still Affirmative
Action has helped many if not everyone from
under-privileged and/or under-represented
communities to grow and occupy top
positions in the world’s leading industries.
• Social justice: Although Reservation schemes
do undermine the quality, they are needed to
provide social justice to the most
marginalized and underprivileged which is
their human right.
Counter- Arguments
• An open competitive exam only ensures
formal equality and does not end
widespread ingrained inequalities: in the
availability of and access to educational
facilities to certain classes of people, including
the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
• Reservations are the biggest enemy of
meritocracy: By offering reservation through
relaxed entry criteria, we are fuelling inflation
of moderate credentials as opposed to the
promotion of merit-based education system,
which is the foundation of many progressive
countries.
8448449709
12
 M.S.Shashank
• Allocating quotas is a form of discrimination:
which is contrary to the right to equality.
• The policy of reservation has never been
subject to a widespread social or political
audit: Before extending reservation to more
groups, the entire policy needs to be properly
examined, and its benefits over a span of
nearly 60 years have to be gauged.
• Poor people from “forward castes”: do not
have any social or economic advantage over
rich people from backward castes.
• There is fear that reservation once
introduced will never be withdrawn: even if
there is a proof for upliftment of backward
classes, due to political issues.
1.7. Haryana State Employment of Local
Candidates Act, 2020
Why In the News?
• The Haryana State Employment of Local
Candidates Act, 2020 has now been notified.
About the Law
• The law will guarantee 75% reservation: to
locals in private sector jobs in Haryana.
• Application: The law covers jobs where the
monthly salary is less than Rs 30,000 and
applies to private companies, societies, trusts
and partnership firms in the state with 10 or
more employees.
• Exemptions: New start-ups and IT/ITES
companies are exempted for two years under
the new law and short-term works, extending
up to 45 days, have been kept out of its
purview.
• Haryana lowered the domicile stipulation:
from 15 years to 5 years for the new law.
o It requires a residence certificate based on
a voter ID, Aadhaar or a ration card.
Issues/ Challenges with the new law
• The law also seems to be against the spirit of
the Constitution of India: which guarantees
the right to equality and the freedom to
reside in any part of the country and practise
any occupation.
• Industrialists, migrant workers and
contractors: remain wary of its repercussions
on businesses and employment prospects.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
o At a time when attracting investments
should be the highest priority for the
government, the new legislation threatens
to hurt the industry’s freedom.
• Almost 99% of employees in a Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprise (MSME): earn less
than 30,000 and fall under the purview of the
new law.
o MSMEs hire and lay off workers based
on the demand. Finding locals with
requisite skills every time would not
be possible.
• Lack of data: A political decision was taken
and implemented without any data or
research.
• Survey findings: An internal survey by the
Garments Exporters and Manufacturers
Association had revealed that more than 82%
may not consider Haryana for expansion in
case the new law was not repealed or the
industry not exempted from its provisions.
• Vague relaxations: Though the law allows
relaxation to hire non-locals in certain
conditions, the industrialists are skeptical that
they cannot wait for three months for the DC
office to grant the permission.
• Skew the workforce balance: Three-fourth
reservation in jobs would also skew the
workforce balance between locals and
migrants and disrupt the smooth running of
the businesses.
• The migrants too fear rampant job losses:
Though the residency condition for a domicile
certificate under the new law has been
reduced to five years from 15.
Haryana government’s argument
• The private jobs reservation was part of the
election manifesto.
• Urbanization and industrialisation have led to
substantial land acquisition in the State:
which has historically been an agrarian
society.
• Employment opportunities in agriculture
sector: The government believes this has led
to reduction in employment opportunities in
agriculture sector for the local youth and the
law will help create new job opportunities for
them and also encourage skill development.
8448449709
13
 M.S.Shashank
• It will reduce dependency: of employers in
Haryana on migrant workers and improve
their efficiencies.
Way Forward
• Challenge the law in court: Companies in the
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME)
sector are planning to challenge the law in
court.
• The IT industry: is evaluating relocation
options in nearby Delhi and Noida for fresh
growth since the policy applies only to new
jobs.
1.8. Language of Courts in India
Why in the News?
• Recently, the Gujarat High Court has asked a
journalist facing contempt of court
proceedings to speak only in English as that
was the language in the higher judiciary.
Background:
• The language used in Courts in India has seen
a transition over centuries with the shift from
Urdu to Persian and Farsi scripts during the
Mughal period which continued in
subordinate courts even during the British
Rule.
• The British introduced a codified system of
law in India with English as the official
language.
• Post-independence, Article 343 of the
Constitution of India provides that the official
language of the Union shall be Hindi in the
Devanagari script.
• However, it mandated that the English
language will continue to be used for all
official purposes of the Union for 15 years
from the commencement of the Constitution
of India.
• It further provides that the President may,
during the said period, by order to authorise
the use of the Hindi language for any official
purpose of the Union, other than the English
language.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
About:
• Article 348(1)(a) states that unless Parliament
by law provides otherwise, all proceedings
before the Supreme Court and in every High
Court shall be conducted in English.
• Article 348(2) provides further that
notwithstanding the provisions of Article
348(1), the Governor of a state may, with the
previous consent of the President, authorise
the use of Hindi or any other language used
for any official purpose, in proceedings in the
High Court.
• States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh have already authorised the
use of Hindi in proceedings before their
respective high courts and taking a cue, Tamil
Nadu is also working in that direction – to
authorise the use of Tamil before its high
court.
• A further provision states that nothing in this
clause would apply to any judgement, decree,
or order made by the High Court.
• Therefore, the Constitution recognizes English
as the primary language of the Supreme Court
and the High Courts, with the caveat that
when some other language is used in the
proceedings of High Courts, judgments of the
High Courts must be delivered in English.
Official Languages Act 1963:
• It empowers the Governor of a state to, with
previous consent of the President, authorise
the use of Hindi/the official language of the
state, in addition to English, for the purpose
of any judgement, decree or order passed by
the High Court of that state.
• It further provides that where any
judgement/decree/order is passed in any
such language it shall be accompanied by a
translation of the same in English.
• Read with the constitutional provisions, it is
clear that primacy is given to English even by
this Act.
• The Official Languages Act makes no mention
of the Supreme Court, where English is the
only language in which proceedings are
conducted.
8448449709
14
 M.S.Shashank
Reasons for Using English:
• Just like cases from all over the country come
to the Supreme Court, judges and lawyers of
the Supreme Court also come from all parts of
India.
• Judges can hardly be expected to read
documents and hear arguments in languages
with which they are not familiar.
• Without the use of English, it would be
impossible to discharge their duty. All
judgments of the Supreme Court are also
delivered in English.
• Though, in 2019, the Court introduced an
initiative to translate its judgments into
regional languages, it is rather a tall order
given the sheer volumes of judgments which
the Court delivers.
Significance of Using English:
• Uniformity: At present the judicial system in
India is well developed, integrated and
uniform throughout the country.
• Easy Access: Lawyers as well as the judges
have the benefit of easy access to the views
of other high courts on similar legislations and
other matters of law and constitution.
• Seamless Transfers: Presently, the judges
from one high court are transferred to other
high courts seamlessly.
• Unified Structure: This has given a unified
structure to the Indian judicial system. The
hallmark of any robust legal system is that the
law should be certain, precise and predictable
and we have nearly achieved that in India.
• Link Language: To a very great extent, we
owe it to the English language, which has
served as a link language for India where we
have about two dozen official state
languages.
Way Forward
• Language has always been an emotive issue in
India and the spectre of introduction of
respective official languages of the states in
25 different high courts looms large, which
will have very serious repercussions for the
Indian judicial system.
• A hitherto unified and well structured legal
system within the country might well
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
disintegrate in the game of lingual one-
upmanship by the states.
• The introduction of official state languages to
the proceedings also directly confronts and
interferes with the transfer policy of high
court judges.
• Thus the move by the different states to
introduce their official language in their
respective high courts without having a
discussion with other states at any level or
making any effort to achieve even a
semblance of consensus for the alternative
link language in place of English will only
create legal pigeon holes with judiciary of one
state having no means to interact with the
judiciary of the other states.
• The channels of communication between
judiciaries of different states will be broken.
In that eventuality the unified structure of the
judicial system of the country will not be the
only thing, which may crumble at the altar of
petty regional politics and lingual chauvinism.
1.9. Credibility of Electronic Voting
Machines
Why In the News?
• Raising doubts on the credibility of the
electronic voting machines (EVMs),
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s father has
written to the President requesting that
elections in the country be held using ballot
papers.
About
• Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) introduced
in India in 1982 allow the citizens to vote
electronically and ease the job of the Election
Commission of India in counting the votes.
• It comprises two units – control unit and
balloting unit. They are connected by a 5-
metre cable.
• The EVM runs on a 6-volt single alkaline
battery fixed in the control unit.
• It can even be used in areas that have no
electricity.
• The control unit is with the Election
Commission selected polling officer.
• National Voters' Day is celebrated on January
25.
8448449709
15
 M.S.Shashank
Advantages of electronic voting machines
• Right to vote: The right to vote is the
supreme right of democracy which is being
executed through the EVMs.
• Many developed countries have adopted
ballot paper: It is the constitutional duty and
the responsibility of the Election Commission
and the Central government to introduce
such a transparent system of voting and
counting in the elections which can be
evaluated by the public, the voters,
themselves.
o Despite this fact, by conducting polling
using the machines in India, which is the
biggest democracy in the world, the
constitutional right to vote is being
violated.
• Difficult for the hackers to hack: In most of
the advanced versions of electronic voting
machines, there are no external
communication paths which make it difficult
for the hackers to hack the machine and
tamper the count numbers.
• Electronic voting machines are cost effective
and economical: In the paper ballot, the
amount of raw material used is higher. It
directly impacts the environment as paper
ballots use papers to cast votes.
• Time savers: one can count the votes in a few
minutes which make life easier for the
election officers on duty. In a paper ballot, the
vote counting process is quite tedious and
time-consuming.
• Electronic voting machines are quite
effective against bogus votes: Electronic
voting machines are programmed to capture
a maximum of five votes in a minute. Due to
which a single vote cannot cast fake votes.
• Electronic voting machines are easier to
carry and transport from one place to
another without any hassle: One single
machine can record several votes captured
through that machine.
Disadvantages of electronic voting machines
• No certification: No nationally or
internationally recognised institutions or
governments have certified the EVMs as cent
per cent accurate.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Many software programmers have claimed
that the electronic voting machines are
vulnerable to malicious programming: and if
it gets affected then any hacker can hack the
machine and can tamper the vote counts
easily.
• Loss of data: The biggest change with
technology is that no matter how much data
it records, a single virus can destroy the entire
data storage.
• The highly humid area and those areas which
receive frequent rainfall are not suitable for
casting votes using electronic voting
machines: As machines are prone to damage
due to high humidity level, thus usage of
electronic voting machines is not advisable in
such areas.
• Most of the electronic voting machines used
in the country were foreign manufactured:
which means the secret codes that control
the electronic voting machines are in foreign
hands and they can be used to influence the
election results.
• Fake votes: Most of the electronic voting
machines used in the country do not have any
mechanism by which the voter can verify their
identity before casting the vote due to which
fake voters can cast numerous fake votes.
1.10. Suspension of MLAs
Why In the News?
• A bench comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar
and Dinesh Maheshwari observed that the
suspension for one year was "worse than
expulsion" as the constituency is remaining
unrepresented.
About the recent issue
• On the first day of Parliament’s winter session
last month, 12 Rajya Sabha members were
suspended for the remainder of the session
for alleged unruly conduct on the last day of
the monsoon session on a motion moved by
the government.
What have the suspended MLAs argued?
• The challenge relies mainly on grounds of:
denial of the principles of natural justice, and
of violation of laid-down procedure.
8448449709
16
 M.S.Shashank
• Article 14: The 12 MLAs have said they were
not given an opportunity to present their
case, and that the suspension violated their
fundamental right to equality before law
under Article 14 of the Constitution.
• They have also submitted that they were not
given access to video of the proceedings of
the House: and it was not clear how they had
been identified in the large crowd that had
gathered in the chamber.
• Rule 53: The MLAs have also contended that
under Rule 53 of the Maharashtra Legislative
Assembly Rules, the power to suspend can
only be exercised by the Speaker, and it
cannot be put to vote in a resolution as was
done in this case.
o Rule 53 states that the “Speaker may
direct any member who refuses to obey
his decision, or whose conduct is, in his
opinion, grossly disorderly, to withdraw
immediately from the Assembly”.
o The member must “absent himself during
the remainder of the day’s meeting”.
What has Maharashtra said in its defense?
• Undisciplined and unbecoming behavior: A
counter-affidavit filed by the in-charge
secretary of the state’s Parliamentary Affairs
Department has pointed to the “undisciplined
and unbecoming behavior” of the 12 MLAs,
and the fact that the Leader of Opposition
had tendered an apology.
o There was, therefore, no question of
hearing or furnishing written
explanations by the MLAs, who had
committed contempt of the House. It
denies any violation of Article 14.
• Article 212: Counsel for Maharashtra argued
that the House had acted within its legislative
competence, and that under Article 212,
courts do not have jurisdiction to inquire into
the proceedings of the legislature.
o Article 212 (1) states that “The validity
of any proceedings in the Legislature
of a State shall not be called in
question on the ground of any alleged
irregularity of procedure”.
• Article 194: The state has also referred to
Article 194 on the powers and privileges of
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
the House, and argued that any member who
transgresses these privileges can be
suspended through the inherent powers of
the House.
• It has denied: that the power to suspend a
member can be exercised only through Rule
53 of the Assembly.
Length of the suspension as per the Constitution
• The basic structure of the Constitution would
be hit: if the constituencies of the suspended
MLAs remained unrepresented in the
Assembly for a full year.
• The bench referred to Article 190 (4) of the
Constitution, which says: “If for a period of
sixty days a member of a House of the
Legislature of a State is without permission of
the House absent from all meetings thereof,
the House may declare his seat vacant.”
• Under Section 151 (A) of The Representation
of the People Act, 1951: “a bye-election for
filling any vacancy shall be held within a
period of six months from the date of the
occurrence of the vacancy”.
o This means that barring exceptions
specified under this section, no
constituency can remain without a
representative for more than six
months.
• Unconstitutional: The Supreme Court said
that the one-year suspension was prima facie
unconstitutional as it went beyond the six-
month limit, and amounted to “not punishing
the member but punishing the constituency
as a whole”.
Rules on the length of suspension of a Member
of Parliament and MLA
• Rules 373, 374, and 374A of the Rules of
Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok
Sabha: provide for the withdrawal of a
member whose conduct is “grossly
disorderly”, and suspension of one who
abuses the rules of the House or willfully
obstructs its business.
• The maximum suspension: as per these Rules
is “for five consecutive sittings or the
remainder of the session, whichever is less”.
8448449709
17
 M.S.Shashank
• Rules 255 and 256: The maximum suspension
for Rajya Sabha under Rules 255 and 256 also
does not exceed the remainder of the session.
o Several recent suspensions of
members have not continued beyond
the session.
• State legislative assemblies: Similar Rules
also are in place for state legislative
assemblies and councils which prescribe a
maximum suspension not exceeding the
remainder of the session.

Way Forward
• The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the
question of whether the judiciary can
intervene in the proceedings of the House.
• Constitutional experts, however, say that the
court has clarified in previous rulings that the
judiciary can intervene in case of an
unconstitutional act done by the House.

2. Economy
2.1. The rise in India's wheat exports
Why In the News?
India’s wheat exports in terms of volume rose by
more than 527 per cent to 3.2 Million Tonne (MT)
from 0.51 MT reported during April-October
period of 2020-21.
• India’s cereals exports continue to surge
notwithstanding disruption of global supplies
because of COVID19 pandemic.
Why there is rise in India's wheat exports?
• The rise in wheat exports has been achieved
because of the Agricultural Products Exports
Development Authority (APEDA) taking up
various initiatives such as organizing B2B
exhibitions in different countries, exploring
new potential markets and initiating
marketing campaigns with active involvement
of Indian Embassies.
• It is giving thrust on building infrastructure in
the value chain for giving boosts to cereal
exports in collaboration with the state
governments and other stakeholders such as
exporters, farmer producer organizations,
transporters etc.
• In March 2021, it organized its first Virtual
Trade Fair – India Rice and Agro Commodity
Show, where participation of wheat exporters
was also organized.
• A sensitization programme for wheat startups
was organized to familiarize them about
export opportunities.
• In order to ensure seamless quality
certification of products to be exported,
APEDA has recognized 220 labs across India to
provide testing services for a wide range of
products and exporters.
Present status of India's wheat exports
• India is the second largest producer of wheat
with a share of around 13.53 per cent of
world total production.
• India produces around 107.59 MT of wheat
annually while a major chunk of it goes
towards domestic consumption.

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

18
 M.S.Shashank
• Wheat exports have witnessed a 48.56
percent compounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) during 2016-2020.
o The country’s wheat exports touched $
243 million in 2020 against $ 50 million in
2016.
• In terms of value, India’s wheat exports in the
current fiscal (April – October) rose by 546
per cent to $ 872 million from $ 135 million
reported during the same period of the
previous fiscal.
• In the current financial year (2021-22), India’s
wheat exports is expected to achieve an all-
time record high as it has already surpassed
shipment of 2.09 MT achieved during 2020-
21.
• India accounts for even less than one per cent
in world wheat export.
o However, its share has increased from
0.14 per cent in 2016 to 0.54 per cent in
2020.
Export destinations
• India's wheat exports are mainly to
neighbouring countries with Bangladesh
having the largest share of more than 54 per
cent in both volume and value terms in 2020-
21.
• In 2020-21, India entered new wheat markets
such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Qatar and
Indonesia.
o The top ten importing countries for Indian
wheat in 2020-21 are Bangladesh, Nepal,
United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Yemen,
Afghanistan, Qatar, Indonesia, Oman and
Malaysia
o Top ten countries which accounted for
more than 94 per cent of India’s wheat
exports in 2016-17, now have 99 per cent
share in exports in 2020-21 both volume
and value terms.
Significance
• Higher exports would help the india to bring
down record inventories and provide Asian
buyers with cheaper supplies amid a rally in
global prices due to limited supplies from
major exporters such as Russia and Canada.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
2.2. Spices Statistics at a Glance 2021
Why in News?
Recently, the Minister for Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare has released the book ‘Spices
Statistics at a Glance 2021.
▪ The book highlights the growth achieved in
the production of spices and increase in area
during the last seven years from 2014-15 to
2020-21 in the country.
About Spices:
▪ Spices are aromatic flavorings from seeds,
fruits, bark, rhizomes, and other plant parts.
o They are used to season and preserve
food, and as medicines, dyes, and
perfumes.
o Spices have been highly valued as trade
goods for thousands of years.
▪ The word spice comes from the Latin
species, which means merchandise, or
wares.
o The demand of spices has tremendously
increased due to the recognition of spices
as a health supplement especially during
the pandemic period.
• This can be clearly seen from the growing
export of spices like turmeric, ginger,
cumin, chilli etc.
Spices Production In India:
▪ India is the world's largest producer,
consumer and exporter of spices.
▪ Due to the varying climates - from tropical to
subtropical to temperate-almost all spices
grow splendidly in India.
▪ In reality almost all the states and union
territories of India grow one or the other
spices.
▪ Under the act of Parliament, a total of 52
spices are brought under the purview of the
Spices Board.
o Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and
Industry) is the flagship organization for
the development and worldwide
promotion of Indian spices.
o It was established by the Spices Board Act,
1986.
8448449709
19
 M.S.Shashank
o In India, there are some states which grow
the spices that have very high value in
both national and international markets.
• The best example is Kashmiri saffron
which is the world’s best saffron.
• The Kashmir saffron has got
Geographical Indication (GI) tag status.
Spices Trade:
▪ The export of spices contributes 41% of the
total export earnings from all horticulture
crops in the country.
▪ It ranks fourth among agricultural
commodities, falling behind only the marine
products, non basmati rice and basmati rice.
Related Government Initiative:
▪ Recently, the Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) inaugurated the
fifth session of the Codex Committee on
Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH)
established under Codex Alimentarius
Commission (CAC).
▪ About the Codex Committee on Spices and
Culinary Herbs (CCSCH):
o Establishment: It was formed in 2013.
o Terms of Reference:
• To elaborate worldwide standards for
spices and culinary herbs in their
dried and dehydrated state in whole,
ground, and cracked or crushed form.
• To consult, as necessary, with other
international organizations in the
standards development process to
avoid duplication.
2.3. India appeals against WTO order on
sugar
Why In the News?
• India has appealed against a ruling of the
World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade
dispute settlement panel which ruled that the
country's domestic support measures for sugar
and sugarcane are inconsistent with global
trade norms.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
About
o WTO's Appellate Body: The appeal was filed
by India in the WTO's Appellate Body, which is
the final authority on such trade disputes.
o According to WTO rules: a WTO member or
members can file a case in the Geneva-based
multilateral body if they feel that a particular
trade measure is against the norms of the
WTO.
o Bilateral consultation is the first step to
resolving a dispute. If both the sides are not
able to resolve the matter through
consultation, either can approach for the
establishment of a dispute settlement panel.
The panel's ruling or report can be challenged
at the World Trade Organization's Appellate
Body.
o The panel in its ruling recommended: India to
withdraw its alleged prohibited subsidies
under the Production Assistance, Buffer
Stock, and Marketing and Transportation
Schemes within 120 days from the adoption
of this report.
o Ruling in favor of Brazil, Australia, and
Guatemala in their trade dispute against India
over India’s sugar subsidies, the WTO panel
has stated that the support measures are
inconsistent with WTO trade rules.
o Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of
sugar in the world. India is the world's second
largest sugar producer after Brazil.
Issues
o Subsidies are inconsistent: In 2019, Brazil,
Australia, and Guatemala dragged India into
the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism
alleging that India’s domestic support
measures to producers of sugarcane and
sugar and export subsidies are inconsistent
with global trade rules.
o It includes various provisions of the WTO's
Agreement on Agriculture, Agreement on
Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and
the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs
(GATT).
o These three countries, which are members of
the WTO, had complained that India's support
measures to sugarcane producers exceed the
de minimis level of 10 percent of the total
value of sugarcane production, which
8448449709
20
 M.S.Shashank
according to them was inconsistent with the
Agreement on Agriculture.
o MAEQ Scheme: is of the same essence as
other alleged export subsidies identified in
the complainants' requests for the
establishment of a panel.
o India considers that the Panel has picked a
few broad similarities while ignoring the
differences between MAEQ and the other
alleged exports subsidy measures.
o No Appellate Body division: It said that given
the ongoing lack of agreement among WTO
members regarding the filling of Appellate
Body vacancies, there is no Appellate Body
division available at the current time to deal
with the appeal.
o Even if the body, which is the final arbiter on
such trade disputes, starts working from now,
it would take over a year to take up India's
appeal.
o Legally binding: If the appellate body also
passes a ruling against India's support
measures, India has to abide by that and
make appropriate changes in the way it
provides those measures.
o Australia accused India: of “failing” to notify
its annual domestic support for sugarcane
and sugar subsequent to 1995-96, and its
export subsidies since 2009-10, which it said
were inconsistent with the provisions of the
SCM Agreement.
India’s argument
• Clear outstanding dues: The government had
approved a subsidy of Rs 3,500 crore to sugar
mills for the export of 60 lakh Tonnes of
sweetener during the ongoing marketing year
2020-21 as part of its efforts to help them
clear outstanding dues to sugarcane farmers.
• Within the WTO's agreement: India has said
that the panel has erred in finding that India's
fair and remunerative price and state advised
price constitute market price support under
the WTO's agreement of agriculture.
• Within its terms of reference: India has sought
review of the panel's finding that the scheme
for providing assistance to sugar mills for
expenses on marketing costs, including
handling, upgrading and other processing
costs and costs of international and internal
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
transport and freight charges on the export of
sugar is within its terms of reference.
• Errors in findings: India has stated that the
WTO’s dispute panel ruling has made certain
“erroneous” findings about domestic schemes
to support sugarcane producers and exports
and the findings of the panel are completely
“unacceptable” to it.
• Article 3 of the SCM Agreement: The
requirements of Article 3 of the SCM
Agreement are not yet applicable to India and
that India has a phase-out period of 8 years to
eliminate export subsidies, if any, pursuant to
Article 27 of the SCM Agreement.
• India argued: That its “mandatory minimum
prices are not paid by the central or state
governments but by sugar mills, and hence do
not constitute market price support.
The panel rejected this argument saying market
price support does not require governments to
purchase or procure the relevant agricultural
product.
Way Forward
• While calculating subsidies: Today's prices
cannot be compared to prices in 1986-88. This
is wrong. A larger battle has to be fought on
how much price support can India give in the
WTO.
2.4. ICE360 Survey 2021: PRICE
Why In News
• Recently, a survey named ICE360 Survey 2021
was conducted by People’s Research on
India’s Consumer Economy (PRICE).
Key Findings
Income:
• Income of the poorest fifth has plunged 53%
in 5 yrs while those at top have surged.
• In a trend unprecedented since economic
liberalisation, the annual income of the
poorest 20% of Indian households, constantly
rising since 1995, plunged 53% in the
pandemic year 2020-21 from their levels in
2015-16.
8448449709
21
 M.S.Shashank
o Growth for Richest: In the same five-
year period, the richest 20% saw their
annual household income grow 39%
reflecting the sharp contrast Covid’s
economic impact has had on the
bottom of the pyramid and the top.
• K-shaped Recovery: This recovery is
highlighted to be K-shaped.
• Pandemic effect: While the pandemic
brought economic activity to a standstill for at
least two quarters in 2020-21 and resulted in
a 7.3% contraction in GDP in 2020-21, the
survey shows that the pandemic hit the urban
poor most and eroded their household
income.
• Variation within Population: The poorest
20% (first quintile) witnessed the biggest
erosion of 53%.
o The second lowest quintile (lower middle
category), too, witnessed a decline in their
household income of 32% in the same
period.
o The quantum of erosion reduced to 9% for
those in the middle income category.
o The top two quintiles — upper middle
(20%) saw their household income rise by
7%.
o The richest (20%) saw their household
income rise by 39%.
2.5. Controlling Expenditure on Subsidies
Why In the News?
Rural-Urban Split:
• Even among the poorest 20 percent, those in
urban areas got more impacted than their
rural counterparts as the first wave of Covid
and the lockdown led to stringent curbs on
economic activity in urban areas.
• This resulted in job losses and loss of income
for the casual labour, petty traders and
household workers.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Rising Poor Population:
• There has been a rise in the share of poor in
cities.
• While 90 per cent of the poorest 20 per cent
in 2016, lived in rural India, that number had
dropped to 70 per cent in 2021.
• On the other hand, the share of poorest 20
per cent in urban areas has gone up from
around 10 per cent to 30 per cent now.
Way Ahead
• Improving ease of doing business should
make the tide rise again and sweep small
business and individuals up along with it.
• There is a need to inspire confidence through
long-term policy stability.
• Most big companies are doing well and don’t
need more help but the need is to work the
economy for the bottom half.
• With Budget Day approaching, the Centre’s
spending on food and fertiliser subsidies are
likely to come under close scrutiny.
Trends for Food and Fertiliser Subsidies
Before COVID-19: A Significant Drop:
• Between 2015-16 and 2019-20, the aggregate
outlay on the two fell, both in absolute terms
(from Rs 211,834 crore to Rs 189,813 crore)
and as a share of the Centre’s total
expenditure (from 11.8% to 7.1%).
• A further drop, to Rs 186,879 crore and 6.1%,
was projected in the Budget for 2020-21
presented on February 1, 2020.
8448449709
22
 M.S.Shashank
Post COVID-19: Rising Again:
• The declining trend has since completely
reversed.
• The combined food and fertiliser subsidy bill
in the revised estimates for 2020-21 was a
massive Rs 556,565 crore, representing 16.1%
of the Centre’s entire Budget.
• While the budget estimates for 2021-22 stood
lower, they are still way above the trend till
2019-20.
Reasons for Reversal
Increasing Cost:
• Until last year, the Centre was not providing
fully for the subsidy.
• Now the cost of FCO has increased.
Covid:
• The other reasons have been Covid (in
respect of food subsidy) and soaring
international prices (vis-à-vis fertilisers).
• The post-Covid crisis led the Centre to not
only distribute, but also procure,
unprecedented quantities of grain.
Subsidy
Background:
Economic reforms:
• Since 1991, when economic reforms began in
India, several attempts have been made to
reform the fertilizer sector to keep a check on
the rising fertilizer subsidy bill, promote the
efficient use of fertilizers, achieve balanced
use of N, P and K (nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium), and reduce water and air
pollution caused by fertilizers like urea.
Share in GDP:
• Agriculture has a share of around 15% in gross
domestic product (GDP) and nearly 60% of
the population derives its livelihood from it.
• For 2021-22, the Union Budget has estimated
fertilizer subsidies to reach a much higher
level due to the recent upsurge in the prices
of energy, the international prices of urea and
other fertilizers, and India’s dependence on
imports.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Meaning:
• A subsidy is an incentive given by the
government to individuals or businesses in
the form of cash, grants, or tax breaks that
improve the supply of certain goods and
services.
Types:
Production subsidy:
• This type of subsidy is provided in order to
encourage the production of a product.
• In order for manufacturers to increase their
production output, the government
compensates for some of its parts in order to
lessen their expenses while increasing their
output.
• The drawback of such an incentive is that it
may promote overproduction.
Consumption subsidy:
• This happens when the government offsets
the costs of food, education, healthcare, and
water.
Export subsidy:
• A country or state earns from its exports and
exports help to balance its economy.
• That is why, to encourage exports, the
government subsidizes the cost.
Employment subsidy:
• This incentive is given by the government to
companies and organisations in order to
enable them to provide more job
opportunities.
Benefits
Lowering prices and controlling inflation:
• They are especially applicable in the area of
production cost inputs such as fuel prices,
particularly when global crude oil prices are
rising.
Preventing the long-term decline of industries:
• There are many industries that should be kept
alive and functional, such as fishing and
farming because they are essential to support
a population.
8448449709
23
 M.S.Shashank
• Many new and fast-growing industries may
also benefit from being subsidized.
A greater supply of goods:
• Governments want to increase the access of
their population to Goods & Services such as
Water, Food, and Education.
• They, therefore, provide an incentive that
could be in the form of a tax credit or even
straight up cash.
Issues/Challenges
• Policy and price changes:
o Farmers tended to move towards
balanced use, but policy and price changes
reversed the favourable trend a couple of
times in the last three decades.
• Uncontrolled increase in subsidies on urea:
o There has been an uncontrolled increase
in subsidies on urea, due both to almost
freezing the MRP of urea in different time
periods and its rising sale leading to an
increase in indiscriminate and imbalanced
use of fertilizers.
• Shortage of supply:
o Ultimately, subsidies can lead to very high
demand that causes an increase in prices.
• Difficulty in measuring success:
o Subsidies are usually effective and helpful.
But it is hard to quantify the success of
subsidies.
• Higher taxes:
o The government raises funds to use for
subsidizing industries, by imposing higher
taxes.
o So, it is the general population and
corporations who provide the means to
enable the government to subsidize
industries.
• Unsustainable fiscal deficit:
o Subsidies are paid at the cost of
development expenditure.
• Cropping pattern:
o Subsidies distort cropping patterns as
well.
o Fertiliser subsidy primarily benefits the
fertiliser producers and big farmers.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Incentive to improve:
o Subsidies reduce the incentive to improve,
thus encouraging inefficiency.
Way Ahead
• India plans to increase 2021-22 fertilizer
subsidies to a record of more than 1.55 trillion
Rupees ($20.64 billion) ($1 = 75.1080 Indian
Rupees) to avoid shortages amid a sharp
increase in global prices of the chemicals.
• The need is for more substantive measures to
rein in subsidy.
• These include hiking PDS issue prices, capping
grain procurement, decontrolling urea and
providing a fixed per-tonne nutrient-based
subsidy similar to that for other fertilisers.
2.6. PM Gati Shakti Master Plan
Why In the News?
• Recently, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of
Puducherry appealed to the Centre for
extending support to develop infrastructure
and improve multimodal connectivity in the
region.
About
o The LG said the Union Territory was looking to
develop an outer ring road in Puducherry, SEZ
clusters in Puducherry and Karaikal, and
National Highways to improve connectivity
across the region.
o The other infrastructure expansion initiatives
include development of air, rail and port
connectivity, apart from coastal mapping and
marine spatial planning.
Gati Shakti Master Plan
Launch:
• On India’s 75th Independence Day, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced that the
Centre will launch ‘PM Gati Shakti Master
Plan’, a Rs. 100 lakh-crore projects for
developing ‘holistic infrastructure’.
About:
• Gati Shakti — a digital platform — will bring
16 Ministries including Railways and
8448449709
24
 M.S.Shashank
Roadways together for integrated planning
and coordinated implementation of
infrastructure connectivity projects.
Cooperation:
• It will incorporate the infrastructure schemes
of various Ministries and State Governments
like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland
waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.
• Economic Zones like textile clusters,
pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors,
electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing
clusters, agri zones will be covered to improve
connectivity & make Indian businesses more
competitive.
• It will also leverage technology extensively
including spatial planning tools with ISRO
imagery developed by BiSAG-N
(Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space
Applications and Geoinformatics).
6 pillars of the Plan:
Comprehensiveness:
• It will include all the existing and planned
initiatives of various Ministries and
Departments with one centralized portal.
• Each and every Department will now have
visibility of each other’s activities providing
critical data while planning & execution of
projects in a comprehensive manner.
Prioritisation:
• Through this, different Departments will be
able to prioritize their projects through cross–
sectoral interactions.
Optimization:
• The National Master Plan will assist different
ministries in planning for projects after
identification of critical gaps.
• For the transportation of the goods from one
place to another, the plan will help in
selecting the most optimum route in terms of
time and cost.
Synchronization:
• Individual Ministries and Departments often
work in silos.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• There is lack of coordination in planning and
implementation of the project resulting in
delays.
• PM GatiShakti will help in synchronizing the
activities of each department, as well as of
different layers of governance, in a holistic
manner by ensuring coordination of work
between them.
Analytical:
• The plan will provide the entire data at one
place with GIS based spatial planning and
analytical tools having 200+ layers, enabling
better visibility to the executing agency.
Dynamic:
• All Ministries and Departments will now be
able to visualize, review and monitor the
progress of cross-sectoral projects, through
the GIS platform, as the satellite imagery will
give on-ground progress periodically and
progress of the projects will be updated on a
regular basis on the portal.
o It will help in identifying the vital
interventions for enhancing and
updating the master plan.
Significance
Tourism:
• Infrastructure was key to development of
tourism, including spiritual and medical
tourism.
Institutional infrastructure:
• The Centre's support in creating an
institutional framework in time-bound
manner and implementation of projects
under the PM Gati Shakti national master
plan for multimodal connectivity will give a
boost to overall infrastructure of the country.
Logistics:
• Development of the logistics network by
investing heavily in road infrastructure, new
and renewable energy.
Ease of Living:
• Endeavour to build Next Generation
Infrastructure which improves Ease of Living
as well as Ease of Doing Business.
8448449709
25
 M.S.Shashank
• The multi-modal connectivity will provide
integrated and seamless connectivity for
movement of people, goods and services
from one mode of transport to another.
• It will facilitate the last mile connectivity of
infrastructure and also reduce travel time for
people.
Information help with investing:
• PM GatiShakti will provide the public and
business community information regarding
the upcoming connectivity projects, other
business hubs, industrial areas and
surrounding environment.
• This will enable the investors to plan their
businesses at suitable locations leading to
enhanced synergies.
Employment:
• It will create multiple employment
opportunities and give a boost to the
economy.
Improved competitiveness:
• It will improve the global competitiveness of
local products by cutting down the logistics
costs and improving the supply chains, and
also ensure proper linkages for local industry
& consumers.
Reduce turnaround time:
• Besides cutting logistics costs, the scheme is
also aimed at increasing cargo handling
capacity and reducing the turnaround time at
ports to boost trade.
Silo working reduced:
• It would address the problem of government
departments and Ministries working in silos.
Way Ahead
• Infrastructure development will play an
important role in India’s aim to become a $5
trillion economy.
• India is seeking the use of innovative
technology and materials in road
construction, and is open to adopting
guidelines for use of new materials and
technology.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
2.7. ILO World Employment and Social
Outlook – Trends 2022
Why In the News?
• Global unemployment is projected to stand at
207 million in 2022. This is 21 million more
than in 2019 before the novel coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) pandemic began,
according to the ILO World Employment and
Social Outlook – Trends 2022.
About
• Status of Global working hours in 2022: This
will be almost two per cent below their pre-
pandemic level that is equivalent to the loss
of 52 million full-time jobs.
• Global labour force: It is estimated that in
2022 around 40 million people will no longer
be participating in the global labour force.
• The Outlook remains fragile because the
future path of the pandemic remains
uncertain: Also, wider economic risks such as
accelerating inflation may come into play.
o Labour market prospects are uneven
across the globe.
• Many low and middle-income countries have
low access to vaccines and limited scope to
expand government budgets to address the
crisis.
o Thus, these countries are struggling
more than high-income ones to get
back to pre-pandemic levels of
employment and job quality.
• All regions face severe downside risks to their
labour market recovery that stem from the
ongoing impact of the pandemic.
o The outlook is the most negative for
Latin America and the Caribbean and
for Southeast Asia.
Overall Issues
• The pandemic has pushed millions of
children into poverty: It is estimated that in
2020, an additional 30 million adults fell into
extreme poverty while being out of paid
work.
• The number of extreme working poor:
workers who do not earn enough through
their work to keep themselves and their
8448449709
26
 M.S.Shashank
families above the poverty line rose by eight
million.
• Some sectors: Such as travel and tourism
have been particularly hard hit, while other
sectors such as those related to information
technology have thrived.
• Women have been worse hit by the labour
market crisis than men and this is likely to
continue. The closing of education and
training institutions will have long-term
implications for young people, particularly
those without internet access.
Indian Scenario
• Impact on organized sector’s jobs: Urban
employment is a proxy for better paying jobs
and a decline in these numbers reflects
impact on better-paying organized sector’s
jobs.
• Low consumption levels: With Covid-19 cases
on the rise amid the threat posed by the
Omicron variant and many states imposing
fresh curbs, economic activity and
consumption levels have been affected.
2.8.
• $5-trillion target: None of this portends well
for the economy or the $5-trillion target set
by the government, unless it can course-
correct and creates more jobs.
• Job security: Indians, however, worry about
unemployment with concerns around job
security topping their list.
• Ripple effect: The impact of unemployment
can be felt by both the workers and the
national economy and can cause a ripple
effect.
• Suffer financial hardship: Unemployment
causes workers to suffer financial hardship
that impacts families, relationships, and
communities. When it happens, consumer
spending, which is one of an economy’s key
drivers of growth, goes down, leading to a
recession or even a depression when left
unaddressed.
Way Forward
• Many temporary workers lost their jobs at
the start of the crisis: However, many new
temporary jobs have also been created since.
• There is the need for a broad-based labour
market recovery: the recovery must be
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
human-centered, inclusive, sustainable and
resilient.
• There can be no real recovery from this
pandemic without a broad-based labour
market recovery: And to be sustainable, this
recovery must be based on the principles of
decent work including health and safety,
equity, social protection and social dialogue.
• A Change in the pattern of investment: The
planning process in the initial stages gave
importance to an investment-allocation
pattern with a high capital-labour ratio.
Therefore, a shift in the emphasis to mass
consumer goods industries would generate
more employment to absorb the unemployed
labour force.
• Encouragement to small enterprises as
against big enterprises: The employment
objective and the output objective can be
achieved, if greater investment is directed to
small enterprises rather than to large
enterprises.
World Economic Forum’s Davos
Agenda ’22
Why In the News?
• The theme-setting World Economic Forum
(WEF) Agenda on the ‘State of the World’ will
see government and corporate leaders talk
about critical global challenges, with a special
address by the Prime Minister ahead of the
Davos meeting.
About
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an
international organization: headquartered in
Geneva, Switzerland.
• It brings together: its membership of political
and business leaders each year to discuss
major issues that impact the global economy.
o These include but are not limited to
political, economic, social, and
environmental concerns.
• Davos: The WEF is best known for its annual
World Economic Forum Meeting at Davos, the
Swiss ski resort.
o The event regularly draws business
and political leaders from around the
8448449709
27
 M.S.Shashank
world for a series of discussions about
global issues.
• The WEF has no independent decision-
making power: but seeks to influence
powerful people to make decisions that
benefit the global community.
• The organization is funded: through its own
membership, which includes many prominent
business and political figures.
Issues
• Networking hub rather than an intellectual
nebula: While the WEF sees large-scale
participation from industry, business leaders,
civil society and international organizations
each year, it has been criticized for being
more of a networking hub than an intellectual
nebula or a forum for finding effective
solutions to global problems.
• Lack of representation: The platform, which
provides an opportunity for collaboration
through dialogue, is also criticized for the lack
of representation of various sections of civil
society and for not providing effective
solutions.
Significance
• It influences public sector and corporate
decision-making: particularly on issues of
global importance such as poverty, social
challenges, climate change and global
economic recovery.
• Building economies: Closing the vaccine gap,
building the resilience of global value chains
in addition to building economies in fragile
markets through humanitarian investment.
• It will also discuss data solutions: to prepare
for the next pandemic.
• The environment and related issues: such as
biodiversity destruction and human-made
disasters dominate the WEF's current list of
most pressing global concerns.
• It will see the launch of other WEF initiatives:
aimed at accelerating the mission on the
economic opportunity of nature-positive
solutions and on cyber-resilience.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
2.9. Need For Green Revolution 2.0: RBI
Why In the News?
• India needs a second green revolution along
with the next generation of reforms with a
view to make agriculture more climate-
resistant and environmentally sustainable,
said an RBI.
About
• Agriculture has traditionally been the source
of basic sustenance: of 70% of the
population, which resides in rural India.
• The Second Green Revolution: is a change in
agricultural production widely thought
necessary to feed and sustain the growing
population on Earth. These calls came about
as a response to rising food commodity prices
and fears of peak oil, among other factors.
o It is used to describe future
widespread adoption of genetic
engineering of new food crops for
increased crop yield and nutrition.
• Indian agriculture scaled new heights: with
record production of various food grains,
commercial and horticultural crops, exhibiting
resilience and ensuring food security during
the COVID-19 period.
Issues/ Challenges
• Food inflation: Despite the success in terms
of production that has ensured food security
in the country, food inflation and its volatility
remain a challenge.
• Crop productivity: in India is much lower than
other advanced and emerging market
economies due to various factors, like
fragmented landholdings, lower farm
mechanization and lower public and private
investment in agriculture.
• Environmental hazards: Current
overproduction of crops like rice, wheat and
sugarcane, has led to rapid depletion of the
ground-water table, soil degradation and
massive air pollution raising questions about
the environmental sustainability of current
agricultural practices in India.
• Seed: is a critical and basic input for attaining
higher crop yields and sustained growth in
8448449709
28
 M.S.Shashank
agricultural production. Distribution of
assured quality seed is as critical as the
production of such seeds.
• Manures, Fertilizers and Biocides: Indian soils
have been used for growing crops over
thousands of years without caring much for
replenishing. This has led to depletion and
exhaustion of soils resulting in their low
productivity.
• Irrigation: Although India is the second
largest irrigated country of the world after
China, only one-third of the cropped area is
under irrigation. Irrigation is the most
important agricultural input in a tropical
monsoon country like India.
• In spite of the large scale mechanization of
agriculture in some parts of the country:
most of the agricultural operations in larger
parts are carried on by human hand using
simple and conventional tools and
implements like wooden plough, sickle, etc.
• Agricultural marketing: still continues to be in
a bad shape in rural India. In the absence of
sound marketing facilities, the farmers have
to depend upon local traders and middlemen
for the disposal of their farm produce which is
sold at throw-away price.
Suggestions/ Way forward
• The need is supply-side interventions: such
as higher public investment, storage
infrastructure and promotion of food
processing.
• Climate resistant: Addressing these
challenges would require a second green
revolution focussed on the agriculture water-
energy nexus, making agriculture more
climate resistant and environmentally
sustainable.
• The use of biotechnology and breeding: will
be important in developing eco-friendly,
disease-resistant, climate-resilient, more
nutritious and diversified crop varieties.
• Wider use of digital technology and
extension services: will be helpful in
information sharing and generating
awareness among the farmers.
• It also stressed that better post-harvest loss-
management and a revamp of co-operative
movement: through the formation of farmer-
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
producer organizations (FPOs) can arrest the
volatility in food prices and farmers' income
and help harness the true potential of Indian
agriculture.
• Many companies, VCs, start-ups: are
increasingly of the view that there is an
urgent and important need to adopt new and
less-negatively impacting agricultural
practices for future generations.
• Krishi Vigyan Kendras: The governments
must provide farmers with access to startup
infrastructure, such as through the Krishi
Vigyan Kendras, to engage with these
innovations.
2.10. Drone use in Agriculture
Why In the News?
• In a major boost to promote precision farming
in India, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare has issued guidelines to
make drone technology affordable to the
stakeholders of this sector.
About
• The drone operations are being permitted:
by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Director
General of Civil Aviation through the
conditional exemption route.
• Drone Rules 2021: Ministry of Civil Aviation
has published ‘Drone Rules 2021’ to regulate
the use and operation of Drones in India.
• The Department of Agriculture & Farmers
Welfare has also brought out Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs): for use of
Drone application with pesticides for crop
protection in agricultural, forestry, non-
cropped areas, etc. and for Drone Application
in Spraying for Soil and Crop Nutrients.
• Comply with these rules: The demonstrating
institutions and all the providers of
agricultural services through drone
application have to comply with these
regulations and SOPs.
Guidelines Issued
• The guidelines of “Sub-Mission on
Agricultural Mechanization” (SMAM) have
been amended
8448449709
29
 M.S.Shashank
o It envisages granting upto 100% of the
cost of agriculture drone or Rs. 10 lakhs,
whichever is less, as grant for purchase
of drones by the Farm Machinery
Training & Testing Institutes, ICAR
institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and
State Agriculture Universities.
• The Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs)
o Would be eligible to receive grants up to
75% of the cost of agriculture drone for its
demonstrations on the farmers’ fields.
• A contingency expenditure
o Rs.6000 per hectare would be provided to
implementing agencies that do not want
to purchase drones but will hire drones for
demonstrations from Custom Hiring
Centres, Hi-tech Hubs, Drone
Manufacturers and Start-Ups.
o The contingent expenditure to
implementing agencies that purchase
drones for drone demonstrations would
be limited to Rs.3000 per hectare.
o The financial assistance and grants would
be available until March 31, 2023.
• In order to provide agricultural services
through drone application
o 40% of the basic cost of drone and its
attachments or Rs.4 lakhs, whichever less
would be available as financial assistance
for drone purchase by existing Custom
Hiring Centers which are set up by
Cooperative Society of Farmers, FPOs and
Rural entrepreneurs.
o The new CHCs or the Hi-tech Hubs that
will be established by the Cooperative
Societies of Farmers, FPOs and Rural
entrepreneurs with financial assistance
from SMAM, RKVY or any other Schemes
can also include Drone as one of the
machines along with other agricultural
machines in the projects of CHCs/Hi-tech
Hubs.
• Agriculture graduates establishing Custom
Hiring Centers
o They would be eligible to receive 50% of
the basic cost of the drone and its
attachments or up to Rs.5 lakhs in grant
support for drone purchases.
o Rural entrepreneurs should have passed
class tenth examination or its equivalent
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
from a recognized Board; and should have
remote pilot license from an Institute
specified by the Director General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA) or from any authorized
remote pilot training organization.
Significance/ Benefits of Drone Technology
• Widespread adoption: The subsidized
purchase of agriculture drones for CHCs/Hi-
tech Hubs will make the technology
affordable, resulting in their widespread
adoption.
• This would make drones more accessible: to
the common man in India and will also
significantly encourage domestic drone
production.
• Enhanced Production - The farmer can
improve production capabilities through
comprehensive irrigation planning, adequate
monitoring of crop health, increased
knowledge about soil health, and adaptation
to environmental changes.
• Effective and Adaptive Techniques - Drone
usage results in regular updates to farmers
about their crops and helps develop
strengthened farming techniques. They can
adapt to weather conditions and allocate
resources without any wastage.
• Greater safety of farmers - It is safer and
more convenient for farmers to use drones to
spray pesticides in terrains challenging to
reach, infected areas, taller crops, and power
lines. It also helps farmers prevent spraying
the crops, which leads to less pollution and
chemicals in the soil.
• 10x faster data for quick decision-making -
Drone surveys back farmers with accurate
data processing that encourages them to
make quick and mindful decisions without
second-guessing, allowing farmers to save the
time invested in crop scouting.
• Less wastage of resources - Agri-drones
enable optimum usage of all resources such
as fertilizer, water, seeds, and pesticides.
• 99% Accuracy rate - The drone survey helps
farmers calculate the precise land size,
segment the various crops, and indulge in soil
mapping.
• Useful for Insurance claims - Farmers use the
data captured through drones to claim crop
8448449709
30
 M.S.Shashank
insurance in case of any damages. They even
calculate risks/losses associated with the land
while being insured.
• Evidence for insurance companies -
Agricultural insurance sectors use Agri-drones
for efficient and trustworthy data. They
capture the damages that have occurred for
the right estimation of monetary payback to
the farmers.
Problems and bottlenecks
• Flight Time and Range: Due to relatively
higher payloads, the flight duration of drones
used in agriculture is short, ranging from 20-
60 minutes. This results in limited coverage of
land with every charge. The cost of drones
increases significantly with longer flight time.
• Initial Cost: Mostly, agricultural drones used
for surveying have fixed wings and may cost
3. International Relations
3.1. India and Australia free trade
agreement (FTA)
Why in the News?
• India and Australia are expected to complete
negotiations for an interim free trade
agreement (FTA), which is officially dubbed as
the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement (CECA) by the end of 2022.
• A similar agreement with the UAE is likely to
be signed in March 2022.
About Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement:
• It is aimed at boosting economic ties between
the two countries.
• The pact covers areas such as goods, services,
investment, rules of origin, customs
facilitation, legal and institutional issues.
• It is expected to increase bilateral trade in
goods to $100 billion within five years.
India-Australia relations:
Historical background:
• Before independence, Australia and India
were both part of the British Empire.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
very high based on features and sensors
necessary for executing its intended use.
• Connectivity: Online coverage is mostly
unavailable in the arable farms. Under such a
situation, any farmer intending to use drones
has to invest in connectivity or buy a drone
with local data storing capability in a format
that can be transferred and processed later.
• Weather Dependent: Under windy or rainy
conditions, flying drones is not easy, unlike
traditional aircrafts. Drones are weather
dependent.
• Knowledge and Skill: An average farmer
cannot analyze drone images as it requires
specialized skills and knowledge to translate it
to any useful information.
• Misuse: There is a chance of misuse to
infringe the privacy of people and illegal
transfer of information.
• They also share political, economic, security,
lingual and sporting ties.
• As a result of British colonisation, cricket has
emerged as a strong cultural connection
between the two nations, as well as the
English language.
• Australia has traditionally supported India's
position on Arunachal Pradesh, which is
subject to diplomatic disputes between India
and the People's Republic of China.
• Principle and pragmatism have been the two
pillars on which the two countries have built
their partnership.
Areas of cooperation:
• Besides both being members of the
Commonwealth of Nations, both nations are
founding members of the United Nations, and
members of regional organisations including
the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional
Cooperation and ASEAN Regional forum.
• India and Australia have a lot in common, as
both are Westminster-style secular,
multicultural democracies.
• The Australian foreign policy blueprint sees
healthy relations with India must for stability
and openness of the Indian Ocean.
8448449709
31
 M.S.Shashank
• Both the countries have common interests in
upholding international law, especially in
relation to freedom of navigation and
maritime security.
• Australia’s is part of Quadrilateral Security
Dialogue (Quad) which is a outcome-oriented
cooperation for building capacity and
improving interoperability in the Indo-Pacific
region.
• India’s and Australis share the same vision
“free and open Indo-Pacific” with a rules-
based order and open market economies,
along with the freedom of navigation in high
seas and overflight.
• Both countries share the same concern about
China’s expansionist behavior, whether in the
South China Sea or along China’s land border,
especially the ongoing India-China border
standoff.
Security cooperation:
• In June 2020, India and Australia had elevated
their relationship to a ‘Comprehensive
Strategic Partnership’.
• They hold the “Two-Plus-Two” dialogue
meets to discuss vital security issues.
• India and Australia signed Mutual Logistics
Support Agreement to allows each country to
use the other's bases for the refuelling and
maintenance of aircraft and naval vessels
• Military cooperation between Australia and
India includes the regular joint exercise
AUSTRA HIND (a Special Forces Army
Exercise), AUSINDEX (a bilateral maritime
exercise), KAKADU (a multilateral maritime
exercise), and Exercise Pitch Black (a
multilateral air exercise).
• Recently, Australia joined the Malabar
exercise, which also include the United States
and Japan.
Economic relations:
• India was Australia's first major trading
partner with imports through the East India
Company, exports from Australia to India
dates back to the late 18th century, when
coal from Sydney and horses from New South
Wales were exported to India.
• Trade is highly skewed towards Australia.
• India is Australia’s fifth largest trade partner,
with trade in goods and services worth A$29
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
billion, representing 3.6 percent of the total
Australian trade in 2017-18.
• Australia mainly exports Coal, services (mainly
education), vegetables for consumer
consumption, gold, copper ores and
concentrates, while India's chief exports are
refined petroleum, services (professional
services such as outsourcing), medicaments,
pearls, gems and jewelry.
• India and Australia have established a $100
million Strategic Research Fund.
Way Forward:
• Australia and India should negotiate to revive
the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement (CECA) to improve trade and
market access.
• There is need to address the gaps in the
educational cooperation between India and
Australia and associated issues of attack on
Indian students.
• There is also a need to promote and
popularize the New Colombo Plan of
Australia, which encourages Australian
undergraduate students to study in Indo-
Pacific countries in general and India in
particular.
3.2. CHANGING GEOPOLITICS
Why in the News?
The covid-19 has made it sure that it is neither
possible to look at 2021 with any measure of
satisfaction nor look forward to 2022 with any
degree of optimism
In an ideal world a global pandemic should have
brought all countries together instead it has left
countries divided and inward looking, at the end
of the day geopolitics reigned supreme in 2021
CHANGING WORLD GEOPOLITICS
• Geopolitics can be defined as a study of
influence of such factors like geography,
economics and demography on the politics
and specially the foreign policy of a state
• Asia's geography is also increasingly being
redefined within the concept of Indo Pacific
which underscores the importance of treating
8448449709
32
 M.S.Shashank
the global and maritime domains of two great
oceans as one seamless strategic space
• The ethos of India's strategic autonomy lies in
the compelling need to preserve and promote
its national interest as defined by Indians
themselves
• This has enabled India to share democratic
values with the US and have a close
relationship with Russia simultaneously
• Also it has permitted India to have a friendly
relation with both Israel and Palestine, Iran
and Saudi Arabia & Iran and the US
• Proactive engagement with the world is
therefore increasingly becoming a norm in
the Indian foreign policy
• For India strategic autonomy means the
exercise of sovereign choice in domestic
legislation and policy and also non
interference in its internal affairs.
INDIA'S POLICY TOWARDS OTHER NATIONS
• Major powers:The US-China rivalry coincides
with an upward trajectory in the Indo Russian
relation, this is important for equilibrium and
multipolarity in Asia even though India and
China try to build much-needed trust and
cooperation
• Southeast Asian nations:India has also
strengthened its economic, defence and
security cooperation with many other
countries in the region including Japan and
other Southeast Asian countries
• Eursian engagement:India's engagement with
the Eurasian world has witnessed a new
momentum with India becoming a member of
Shanghai cooperation organisation
Relationship with neighbours
• Neighbourhood first policy: India’s choices at
home and its international priorities form part
of a seamless variety that are firmly anchored
in India's transformational goals
o Good relations with neighbours both
immediate and extended are priority of
India's foreign policy as part of its
'Neighbourhood First Policy'
o The emergence of country as a key
regional and global power is predicted on
how effectively it manages its own
periphery
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Inclusive regional growth: India is committed
to build capacity is within South Asia thereby
achieving an inclusive regional growth, with
the Prime Minister emphasizing on
importance of shared prosperity through '
Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'
• Part of sub regional groupings: A key feature
of India's neighbourhood first policy is also its
engagement with its neighbours and the sub
regional groupings of IORA, BBIN & BIMSTEC
• Maritime cooperation
o India has trilateral maritime cooperation
format with Sri Lanka and Maldives to
improve maritime domain awareness and
cooperation in maritime oil pollution
response, research and rescue etc
o Promotion of blue economy initiatives in
areas like ocean energy, sustainable
fishing, maritime biotechnology and
exploration of mineral resources are vital
instruments of India's ocean outreach.
Indian interests in Indian ocean region
• India's key interest in the Indian Ocean is
underscored by its position as a deep wedge
straddling the Arabian sea and the Western
Indian ocean on one flank and the Bay of
Bengal and Eastern Indian ocean on the other
• Some of the busiest sea lanes of
communication transverse through these
waters carrying two third of global energy
shipments, 95% of India's trade moves by sea
including its import of oil and gas
• Some of the world's most important choke
points are in the Indian Ocean region, from
the Bab-El-Mandeb at the Horn of Africa to
the Malacca straits at the edge of the
Andaman sea which acts as a virtual gateway
to the South China sea and then to the Pacific
Ocean.
THE NEW WORLD ORDER
• The shaping of New world order: the global
and regional environments are dynamic,
nothing ever remains forever except the
national interests
o India has limited control over the fast
changing geopolitics that are shaping the
external environment, Indian foreign
policy should navigate the turbulent
8448449709
33
 M.S.Shashank
international scene and safeguard
national interest
• Effects of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty,
complexity & ambiguity)
o The multilateral institutions are showing
signs of helplessness, the covid-19 has
slowed the economic progress of a
number of countries and the new balance
of power is shaping the world .
o On one hand the world is becoming
multipolar with several countries rising
simultaneously and hegemonic US
showing signs of decline.
o On the other hand there are also signs of
new cold war shaping up between the US
and China.
WAY FORWARD
• Geo political framework: For India's
engagement with the wider world there is a
need of a geopolitical framework for
addressing India's immediate and long-term
strategic challenges in a world of shifting
power balances and unpredictable changes
• Economic progress: India's economic rise and
transformation of the lives of ordinary Indians
are closely linked to the external world
• Soft power approach: the cultural dimension
of India's external policy should be used not
just in the terms of elevating India's soft
power to a global phenomenon but also
develop deep into India's civilization and
culture to frame an Indian discourse on global
issue.
3.3. Decline in China’s BRI Investments
Why in News?
• According to a China based think tank report,
investments in China's much-touted Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) have fallen by 5% since
2019.
• Unsuccessful deals and the Covid-19
pandemic contributed to the fall in the
investments.
• Also, China is no longer doling out hard cash
for projects in Africa, amid criticism over
infrastructure debt and loan defaults.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
About BRI:
• It is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched in
2013.
• It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia,
the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a
network of land and sea routes.
• It has been launched to undertake big
infrastructure projects in the world which in
turn would also enhance the global influence
of China.
• More than 100 countries signed agreements
with China to cooperate in BRI projects like
railways, ports, highways and other
infrastructure.
o From 2000 to 2020, China helped
African countries build more than
13,000 kms of roads and railways, and
more than 80 large-scale power
facilities, and funded over 130 medical
facilities, 45 sports venues and over
170 schools and built the African
Union Conference Centre.
Activities under BRI:
▪ It encompassed five kinds of activities:
o Policy coordination, Trade promotion,
Physical connectivity, Renminbi
internationalization (China’s currency)
and People to people contacts.
Routes of BRI:
• New Silk Road Economic Belt: It encompasses
trade and investment hubs to the north of
China, by reaching out to Eurasia including a
link via Myanmar to India.
• Maritime Silk Road (MSR): It begins via the
South China Sea going towards Indo-China,
South-East Asia and then around the Indian
Ocean thus reaching Africa and Europe.
Related concerns (for India and World):
▪ Hamper India’s Strategic Interests:
o The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) passes through Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir (PoK) and Baluchistan, both of
which are home to a long-running
insurgency.
o CPEC would hamper India’s strategic
interests in the South Asian region and
8448449709
34
 M.S.Shashank
can aid Pakistan’s legitimacy in the
Kashmir dispute too.
o Also, attempts to extend CPEC to
Afghanistan may undermine India’s
position as economic, security and
strategic partner of Afghanistan.
▪ China’s Strategic Rise in the Subcontinent:
Along with China-Myanmar Economic
Corridor (CMEC) and CPEC, China is also
developing the China-Nepal Economic
Corridor (CNEC) which will link Tibet to Nepal.
o The endpoints of the project will touch the
boundaries of the Gangetic plain.
o Thus three corridors signify the economic
as well as strategic rise of China in the
Indian subcontinent.
Lack of Transparency:
o Lack of transparency of the BRI agreements
and mounting debt to China by smaller
countries have raised global concerns.
o The 99-year lease of Hambantota port to
China by Sri Lanka has raised red flags
about the downside of the BRI and push for
major infrastructure projects costing
billions of dollars in small countries.
Initiatives to Tackle BRI:
▪ B3W Initiative: The G7 Countries proposed a
‘Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative’ at
the 47th G7 summit to counter China’s BRI.
• It aims to address the infrastructure
investment deficit in developing and lower
income countries - the space which has
been increasingly captured by China.
▪ Blue Dot Network (BDN): It is a multi-
stakeholder initiative formed by the US, Japan
and Australia to bring together governments,
the private sector and civil society to promote
high-quality, trusted standards for global
infrastructure development.
• BDN was formally announced in
november, 2019 at the Indo-Pacific
Business Forum in Bangkok, Thailand.
▪ Global Gateway: In a bid to compete with
BRI, the European Union recently launched
the Global Gateway, a new infrastructure
development scheme.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Way Forward
▪ To counter China's BRI, alternative projects
must be launched by more advanced countries
which are also participatory in nature keeping
into account the interests of the host/recipient
countries.
▪ India must seek help from partners like Japan
when necessary to build and upgrade its
infrastructure and create an alternative to
Chinese-led connectivity corridors and
infrastructure projects since India’s ability to act
alone in South Asia and the larger Indian Ocean
is limited.
▪ For India, it is important to work with its
partners in the region to offer alternative
connectivity arrangements to its neighbours.
o Connectivity is increasingly seen as a
tool for exerting foreign policy
influence.
3.4. Maldives inks key deals with China
Why in the News?
o Maldives and China signed key bilateral
agreements on developing and maintaining
infrastructure in the Indian Ocean
archipelago.
About the Agreement:
• Maldives and China signed an agreement of
‘Economic and Technical Cooperation’ on
grant aid, focusing on social, livelihood, and
infrastructure projects.
• The agreement aims at developing and
maintaining infrastructure in the Indian Ocean
archipelago.
• It also agreed on a visa-free travel
arrangement for Maldivians intending to
travel to China.
China-Maldives Relations: –
• China has been an important partner in the
socio-economic development of the Maldives.
• It has contributed immensely towards social
housing, capacity building, infrastructure
development, and tourism in Maldives.
• The bridge is considered China’s flagship
project in the Maldives.
8448449709
35
 M.S.Shashank
• China also agreed to back a sea-water
desalination project and cooperate in the
health sector.
Consequences of the Agreement for India:
• Maldives-China relations will be watched
closely by India, which has maintained
frequent contact with the Solih government
that openly pursues an ‘India First’ foreign
policy.
• The agreement coincides with a growing
‘India Out’ campaign among sections within
the Maldives that oppose “Indian military
presence” in the country.
• The ‘India Out’ campaign has more recently
intensified whose conviction in a money
laundering case was recently overturned by
the Supreme Court.
3.5. Sri Lanka asks China to restructure
debt
Why in the News?
• The Sri Lankan President has sought Chinese
assistance to restructure the debt owed by
the island nation to the Asian giant.
Why has Srilanka Sought Chinese Assistance?
o Sri Lanka owes China more than $5 billion,
which accounts for almost 10% of the
country’s total foreign debt.
o Sri Lanka’s proposal to restructure comes at a
time when the country’s economy is in
freefall.
o Besides this, the country’s foreign reserves
are rapidly dwindling as a result of the
pandemic’s disastrous impact on the
country’s vital export and tourism sectors.
o The state of Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves has
sparked considerable concern about how Sri
Lanka would pay its large import bill,
especially given the rupee’s recent
depreciation.
What caused the Sri Lankan Economic Crisis?
• Covid-19 Pandemic: The Covid Problem was
the immediate cause of the economic
slowdown, the coronavirus epidemic has
wreaked havoc on the tourism industry.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Tourism: Tourism, which accounts for more
than 10% of the island nation’s GDP, was
severely harmed, with a cascade effect.
• Decreased supply of foreign exchange: The
amount of money that Sri Lankans have had to
spend to purchase the foreign exchange
needed to import products has increased as
the supply of foreign exchange has dried up.
• Food Crisis: The country’s basic food supply is
mainly reliant on imports. As a result, food
prices have grown in lockstep with the rupee’s
depreciation. As inflation began to rise in 2021
after the Sri Lankan currency plummeted,
triggering a spike in food costs.
• Restriction on chemical fertilizers: The
government’s restriction on chemical
fertilizers in agriculture has exacerbated the
issue by reducing agricultural output.
• Foreign debt burden: One of the key causes of
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is the country’s
massive foreign debt burden.
• Debt to China: Sri Lanka is in debt to China for
more than $5 billion.
How Will the Economic Crisis in Sri-lanka Impact
India?
Request for debt moratorium: –
• Sri Lanka made a similar request to India in
February 2020 for a debt moratorium, but
there has been no response since.
What is a debt moratorium?
o A moratorium is a temporary suspension to
activity until future circumstances merit the
suspension’s lifting or until associated
difficulties are handled.
o A moratorium is frequently imposed in the
aftermath of a disaster that disrupts normal
operations.
Implications on India: –
• India’s strategic interests: India is concerned
about Sri Lanka’s strategic placement at the
crossroads of major shipping routes and
China’s massive investment in its
infrastructure.
• Negative impact on Exports: The enforcement
of restrictions on spot trading and foreign
contracts, as well as diminishing foreign
8448449709
36
 M.S.Shashank
exchange reserves, will harm India’s exports to
the country.
• Increasing threat of China: The deepening
economic situation in Sri Lanka provides
additional opportunity for China to expand its
regional domination. Sri Lanka’s economic
difficulties may force the country to align its
policies with those of China.
• Threat in Indian Ocean region: –
Neighborhood First policy with Sri Lanka is
important to preserve its strategic interests in
the Indian Ocean region. Colombo is an
important port for India because it handles
60% of the country’s trans-shipment cargo.
Conclusion:
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation and the
Indian Ocean Rim Association are two regional
venues that could be used by India and Sri Lanka
to develop cooperation in common areas of
interest for economic resilience and sustainable
development.
3.6. India-South Korea Relations
Why In the News?
• Recently, India and South Korea aimed to
achieve the trade target of USD 50 Billion
before 2030.
Minutes of the Recent Meeting
• The Ministers of both nations held wide
ranging discussions covering the whole
gamut of Bilateral Trade and Investment
related aspects.
• The Ministers agreed to impart fresh
momentum to the discussions on
Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA) up-gradation negotiations
and also promote extensive B2B
interactions on trade and investment
between the industry leaders of the two
countries.
• Both sides were instructed by respective
negotiating teams to meet on a regular basis
in order to conclude the CEPA up-gradation
negotiations as soon as possible in a time
bound manner.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• They agreed with the spirit of openness to
address difficulties expressed by industry
from both sides
• It will be built upon support from relevant
stakeholders, so as to try to achieve the
target of USD 50 Billion before 2030 which
was agreed at the summit meeting in 2018.
• These regular negotiations shall be a forum
to discuss the difficulties of the business
community from both countries and
emerging trade-related issues.
• Employment possibilities for English teachers
and IT professionals also were on agenda.
Issues Highlighted
o Difficulties the bovine meat exports are facing
in South Korea.
o South Korea has been insisting that India
should get a clearance from the World
Organisation for Animal Health.
o India’s statement in response: The meat is
being exported to several countries like
Mauritius, Brunei, the Maldives, Seychelles
and the Philippines and there are no
complaints regarding the foot-and-mouth
disease from them.
o Supply chain resilience is a big hurdle in
expansion of bilateral trade numbers.
o India had raised the need to expedite the
process to facilitate export of grapes,
pomegranate arils and eggplants. The request
has been pending for more than a decade
with the Korean side.
CEPA between India and South Korea
About:
o The Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA) is a free trade agreement
between India and South Korea.
Signed on:
• The agreement was signed on August 7, 2009.
Benefits of the agreement:
• It is equivalent to a free trade agreement.
• The agreement will provide better access for
the Indian service industry in South Korea.
• Services include Information technology,
engineering, finance, and the legal field.
8448449709
37
 M.S.Shashank
• South Korean car manufacturers will see large
tariffs cut to below 1%.
• The agreement will ease restrictions on
foreign direct investments.
• Companies can own up to 65% of a company
in the other country.
• Volume of trade has only increased since the
agreement was signed.
Problem:
• Korean corporations have flooded India with
cheaper imports of raw metal, steel and
finished products.
India - South Korea Relations
Political:
• In May 2015, the bilateral relationship was
upgraded to ‘special strategic partnership’.
• India has a major role to play in South
Korea’s Southern Policy under which Korea is
looking at expanding relations beyond its
immediate region.
• Similarly, South Korea is a major player in
India’s Act East Policy under which India aims
to promote economic cooperation, cultural
ties and develop strategic relationships with
countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Regional Stability:
o The regional tensions in South Asia especially
between India and China create a common
interest for India and South Korea.
o This could be a collaborative approach for
regional stability.
Nuclear:
• South Korea’s key interest in managing their
nuclear neighbour (North Korea) is similar to
India’s considerations toward Pakistan.
• The US alliance system, established with
South Korea and Japan, puts pressure on
North Korea to cap its nuclear programme.
• Containing North Korea is beneficial to India’s
economic and regional ambit in East Asia.
• It also adds to its approach to the nuclear
non-proliferation regime as a responsible
nuclear state.
Economic:
• The current bilateral trade between India and
South Korea is at USD 21 billion and the target
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
that has been set is USD 50 billion by the year
2030.
• India and South Korea have signed the
Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA), 2010 which has facilitated
the growth of trade relations.
• To facilitate investment from Korea, India has
launched a "Korea Plus” facilitation cell under
‘Invest India’ to guide, assist and handhold
investors.
Diplomatic:
• There is a long-lasting regional security
dilemma with the continued verbal
provocations and a conventional arms race.
• Thus, despite the alliance system, Seoul
appears to be searching for a stronger
diplomatic stand on imminent regional issues
beyond the alliance system.
• South Korea's approach to India comes with
strategic optimism for expanding ties to
ensure a convergence of interest in planning
global and regional strategic frameworks.
Cultural:
• Korean Buddhist Monk Hyecho or Hong Jiao
visited India from 723 to 729 AD and wrote
the travelogue "Pilgrimage to the five
kingdoms of India" which gives a vivid account
of Indian culture, politics & society.
• Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore had
composed a short but evocative poem –
'Lamp of the East' - in 1929 about Korea's
glorious past and its promising bright future.
Challenges
Stagnation in Economic relationship:
• The economic partnership is struck at $22
billion annually.
• Also, the defence partnership appears to have
receded from great all-round promise to the
mere sale and purchase of weapon systems.
• Cultural Prejudices on both sides preventing
people-to-people ties
• Cold War Era perception: There may be a
widespread perception among South Koreans
of India as a third world country, rife with
poverty and hunger.?
• Indian Diaspora: Within South Korea, the
integration of Indians in the local population
8448449709
38
 M.S.Shashank
is far from complete, with some instances of
racial prejudice or discrimination toward
Indians
• Inadequate acknowledgment of Korean
Culture: To a certain extent Indians are
unable to distinguish between the cultural
and social characteristics of South Koreans
from that of Japanese/Chinese.
Unfulfilled potential of Cultural Centres
• Indian Culture Centre (ICC) was established in
Seoul 10 years ago?to promote people-to-
people contacts.
• However, ICC has to reach an exponentially
wider audience and its focus has to expand
beyond the urban, English-speaking elite of
Seoul.
• The same may be applicable to South Korean
culture centres in India.
Conclusion
• India-Republic of Korea (RoK) relations has
made great strides in recent years and has
become truly multidimensional.
• The bilateral relations are spurred by a
significant convergence of interests, mutual
goodwill and high-level exchanges.
3.7. India-US Homeland Security
Dialogue
Why In the News?
• Top officials of India, US meet for home
security dialogue
More Details:
o The meeting was held recently in virtual
mode.
o It was co-chaired by the Home Secretary,
Government of India, and Under Secretary for
Strategy, Policy and Plans, Department of
Homeland Security, Government of USA.
Minutes of the Meeting
Purpose:
o During the meeting, both sides reviewed the
ongoing cooperation.
Sub Groups:
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• There are six sub-groups formed under the
Indo-US homeland security dialogue which
cover the areas of:
o Illicit finance, financial fraud and
counterfeiting.
o Cyber information.
o Megacity policing and sharing of
information among federal, state and
local partners.
o Global supply chain, transportation, port,
border and maritime security.
o Capacity building.
o Technology upgradation.
Conclusion of the meeting:
• The meeting concluded with both sides
expressing satisfaction with the ongoing
partnership and agreeing to deepen bilateral
engagement and collaboration in all areas of
mutual concern.
U.S.-India Homeland Security Dialogue
o India and the U.S. have agreed to re-establish
the U.S.- India Homeland Security Dialogue,
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) announced in March 2021, following a
discussion between India’s Ambassador to the
United States and Secretary of Homeland
Security.
o The first Homeland Security Dialogue
between both countries was held in 2011.
o The second dialogue was held in 2021.
India- US Relations
Defence and Security:
• India has signed all 4 foundational
agreements with the USA including.
• General Security of Military Information
Agreement (GSOMIA)
• Logistics Exchange Memorandum of
Agreement (LEMOA)
• Communications, Compatibility and Security
Arrangement (COMCASA)
• Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement
for Geo- Spatial Cooperation (BECA)
• A ‘2+2’ foreign and defence ministers
dialogue has been started.
• Malabar Exercise and QUAD
8448449709
39
 M.S.Shashank
Economy:
• Indian Petronet, an LNG company, will invest
in American gas company Tellurian.
• India is buying defence equipment worth $3-
billion, including American helicopters (MH-
60 Romeo helicopters) this year itself.
• India has a trade surplus with the USA.
Energy Security:
• A bilateral Strategic Energy Partnership was
launched in April 2018.
• Under this India has started importing crude
and LNG from the US.
• Now, the US is India’s sixth-largest source of
crude oil imports and hydrocarbons.
Renewable Energy:
• A commercial agreement for Westinghouse to
build six nuclear reactors in Andhra Pradesh.
Geostrategic:
▪ China’s hegemony in the South China Sea as
well as the Belt and Road Initiative is creating
trouble for both India and USA.
Anti Terror Cooperation:
• Designation of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief
Masood Azhar as a global terrorist under UN
Security Council Resolution 1267 after
Pulwama Attack needed support from the US.
• Further placing Pakistan in the FATF grey list is
also a mutual decision.
Pivot to Asia Policy of USA:
• The US under its Pivot to Asia policy views
India as an ideal balancer to check the
aggressive rise of China.
• Therefore, the US has formulated the concept
of Indo-Pacific to counter China in the South
China Sea and the Indian ocean.
• The US has designated India as an integral
part of the Indo-pacific narrative by the
conception of Quad.
• Points of Divergence
Challenges
Trade Deal:
• The USA is worried about the trade deficit it
has with India.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Further, India’s benefits under the
Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)
scheme were terminated by Trump in 2019.
• The GSP provides preferential, duty-free
access for over $6 billion worth of products
exported from developing countries to the
US.
Different cases/ disagreements at WTO:
• India’s domestic component clause was a
bone of contention.
• Similarly there is lack of consensus over the
IPR regime and evergreening of patents.
• Peace Clause and Public Procurement Policy
Digital Data:
• The US, Japan, etc support Free Flow of Data
with Trust whereas India has raised red flags
on it.
Agriculture:
• The US has long demanded greater access to
American agriculture and dairy products.
• For India, protecting its domestic agriculture
and dairy interests was a major reason to
walk out of the RCEP agreement.
US-Pakistan Equation:
• The US has often shown a soft corner for
Pakistan due to dynamic equations in
Afghanistan.
CAATSA:
• The USA, although has given special waivers,
still time to time threatens to impose
CAATSA on India over trade with Iran and
Russia.
• Both are very strategic for countering China
and Pakistan.
Conclusion
o Defence cooperation has been a critical
element of Indo-US friendship as this has both
strategic and economic shared interests,
based on the democratic ideology of both
countries.
8448449709
40
 M.S.Shashank
3.8. India and UK Free Trade Agreement
Why In the News?
• Recently, India has launched the Free Trade
Agreement negotiations with the United
Kingdom.
About
• The FTA is expected to facilitate the target of
doubling bilateral trade between India and the
United Kingdom by 2030, set by the Prime
Ministers of both the nations in May 2021.
• Observing that UK was a major trade partner
of India with substantial bilateral volume of
trade in goods and services, the cooperation
was extended across areas like:
o tourism,
o technology,
o startups,
o education,
o climate change, etc.
• The two nations were looking forward to a
mutually beneficial trade deal with balanced
concessions and market access packages in a
wide range of sectors.
• It was also agreed to explore during the FTA
negotiations, the possibility of an Interim
Agreement to provide quick gains for
benefiting businesses in both nations. The
focus is to deliver a comprehensive, balanced,
fair and equitable FTA, to benefit small,
medium and micro-enterprises in both
nations.
Significance
Democracy and diaspora:
• Both India and the UK are vibrant
democracies, with a partnership built on
shared history and rich culture.
• The diverse Indian diaspora in the UK, who
act as a “Living Bridge”, adds further
dynamism to the relations between the two
countries.
Better productivity:
• The FTA with the UK is expected to provide
certainty, predictability and transparency and
will create a more liberal, facilitative and
competitive services regime.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Export:
• FTA negotiations with the UK are expected to
increase our exports in Leather, Textile,
Jewellery and processed Agri products.
• India is also expected to register a quantum
jump in the export of Marine Products
through the recognition of 56 marine units of
India.
Market access:
• The Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)
on Pharma could provide additional market
access.
Service Sector:
• There is also great potential for increasing
exports in service sectors like IT/ITES, Nursing,
education, healthcare, including AYUSH and
audio-visual services.
• India would also be seeking special
arrangements for movement of its people
Employment:
• The Agreement would help generate direct
and indirect employment in both nations.
Value Chains:
• The FTA will also contribute in integrating
value chains and help augment the mutual
efforts to strengthen the resilience of supply
chains.
India-UK Relations
About:
o UK-India relationship is rooted in India’s
colonial history with the British and the
relationship shared by both countries even
after India’s independence.
o The bilateral relationship was upgraded to a
strategic partnership in 2004.
Political:
• They share a modern partnership which was
upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2004.
• The UK supports India’s proposal for
permanent membership of the UNSC and is
also an important interlocutor for India on
global platforms.
Economic Engagements:
Trade:
• UK is among India’s major trading partners
and as per trade statistics of MoC&I, India’s
8448449709
41
 M.S.Shashank
trade with the UK in 2017-2018 was US
$14.497 billion.
Investment:
• UK is the 4th largest inward investor in India,
after Mauritius, Singapore and Japan with a
cumulative equity investment of US $26.09
billion (April 2000-June 2018), accounting for
around 7% of all foreign direct investment into
India. India continued to be the third largest
investor in the UK and emerged as the second
largest international job creator with Indian
companies having created over 110,000 jobs in
the UK.
Defence:
• In 2015, the two countries agreed to elevate
their Defence relationship by establishing
capability partnerships in strategic areas.
• The institutionalised dialogue to discuss
defence cooperation viz. Defence Consultative
Group Meeting, is held annually at Defence
Secretary level.
• Ajeya Warrior (army-to-army biennial
exercise), the Konakan (joint navy-to-navy
annual exercise) and the Indradhanush (joint
air-to-air exercise) happen between India and
UK.
Education:
• Over the last 10 years, the relationship has
grown substantially with the introduction of
bilateral mechanisms such as the India-UK
Education Forum, UK-India Education and
Research Initiative (UKIERI), Joint Working
Group on Education, Newton-Bhabha Fund
and Scholarship schemes.
Science and Technology:
o Joint investment in UK-India research has
grown from less than £1 million in 2008 to
over £200 million.
o A India-UK Clean Energy R&D Centre with a
focus on solar energy storage and a
collaborative R&D programme in energy
efficient building materials were announced.
o New research partnerships worth £80 million
including a new Joint Strategic group on
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) with a joint
investment of up to £13 million have also
been established.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Cultural Linkages:
• Cultural linkages between India and UK are
deep and extensive, arising out of shared
history between the two countries.
• There has been a gradual mainstreaming of
Indian culture and absorption of Indian
cuisine, cinema, languages, religion,
philosophy, performing arts, etc.
• 2017 was celebrated as the India-UK year of
Culture to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian
independence.
Indian Diaspora:
• The Indian Diaspora in the UK is one of the
largest ethnic minority communities in the
country.
• As per the 2011 census, approximately 1.5
million people of Indian origin live in the UK
equating to almost 1.8 percent of the
population and contribute 6% of the country’s
GDP.
Roadmap 2030:
• The “Roadmap 2030” for India-UK future
relations was launched during India-UK
Virtual Summit for-
o revitalized and dynamic connections
between people;
o re-energised trade, investment and
technological collaboration that improves
the lives and livelihoods of the citizens;
o enhanced defence and security
cooperation that brings a more secure
Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific and
o India-UK leadership in climate, clean
energy and health that acts as a global
force for good.
Way Ahead
o Subsequent to the unveiling of FTA, the two
nations should proactively and regularly
engage with each other, for deliberating on
the scope and coverage of the trade deal.
8448449709
42
 M.S.Shashank
3.9. India’s reliance on Chinese goods
surged in 2021
Why In the News?
• Imports to India from China reached nearly
$100 billion for the first time in the year 2021,
as the import of electrical and electronic
goods, particularly smartphones, as well as
machinery, fertilizers and specialty chemicals,
including active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs), witnessed a massive surge.
About
• India’s exports to China in 2021 also reached
record levels: Indian exports to China jumped
to $24 billion in 2021, compared to $19 billion
in 2020 and $17.1 billion in 2019.
• Trade deficit: India’s trade deficit with China
in 2021 stood at $61 billion compared to $39
billion in 2020.
o India was China’s 15th largest trade
partner in 2021.
• Total two-way bilateral trade: touched
$125.66 billion.
• Previous year: India’s total imports from
China crossed a record $97.5 billion last year.
• The top 100 items: by value accounted for
$41 billion, up from $25 billion in 2020.
• Category: integrated circuits were up by
147%, laptops and personal computers by
77%, and oxygen therapy apparatus by more
than fourfold.
o Acetic acid was up by more than
eightfold.
• China is India’s top trading partner: followed
by the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
• The US: maintained its place as China’s third-
largest trade partner following ASEAN and the
European Union..
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Reasons for the rising imports
• Recovery in domestic demand: For finished
products from China and an industrial
recovery are the key drivers for increase in
imports.
• Growth in India’s exports worldwide: has
also pushed up the need for many crucial
intermediate inputs, and disruptions
elsewhere have led to greater sourcing from
China in the short-term, for instance in the
case of coking coal previously sourced from
Australia and Indonesia.
• India is sourcing both finished goods for the
Indian market: such as electronics, in record
numbers, while also relying on China for a
range of intermediate industrial products,
many of which cannot be sourced from
elsewhere and are not made in India in
sufficient quantities.
• Import of petroleum (crude) and petroleum
products: pearls, precious and semi-precious
stones, and also that of coal, coke, and
briquettes also jumped significantly.
o These items together accounted for
about $60 billion of the total imports
from China during this period.
• Mirror the US-China relationship: Despite its
worsening political relations with China, the
US has not been able to decrease its reliance
on the ‘factory of the world’.
o India, too, has been unable to
decouple from the Chinese economy,
despite the government of India’s
efforts.
• India’s China-dependence syndrome: could
increase further when our manufacturing
industries recover fully to the pre-pandemic
levels.
• APIs: India’s dependence on the import of
APIs from China would also take a long time.
• The mismatch in the Indian and Chinese
data: could be due to certain issues related to
leakages in reporting and non-reporting of
data, due to under-invoicing done by
exporters.
Way Forward
• If the growth in imports of finished items:
such as toys, electronics, or furniture, which
8448449709
43
 M.S.Shashank
we could be manufacturing in India, is not a
good dependency.
• Emerging as a manufacturing hub: The fact
that we are acquiring new intermediate
goods, for instance, is probably a good
development in the broader picture as it
means we are emerging as a manufacturing
hub and need new inputs to match the global
demand for a finished Indian product.
• Identify: which of these are short-term
changes because of disruption during the
pandemic, and which are longer-term trends
that we need to consider and deal with.
• We got some market access in China’s
agricultural market: We are now exporting
more non-basmati rice, exotic vegetables,
soybeans and fruits.
• Growth in India’s trade with other key
trading partners: including the US, UAE and
Australia was even higher than the growth in
trade with China.
o India is currently in the process of
negotiating Free Trade Agreements
(FTAs) with the UAE, EU, UK and
Australia.
• The government also modified foreign direct
investment (FDI) rules: making the Centre’s
approval a must for any FDI in Indian firms
from neighboring countries apparently aimed
at preventing opportunistic takeovers of
domestic firms by Chinese companies during
the pandemic.
3.10. India-Nepal boundary Issues
Why In the News?
• The mutually agreed boundary issues
between India and Nepal can always be
addressed in the spirit of close and bilateral
relations between the two countries, said the
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
About
• Boundary dispute points: The Lipulekh pass is
a far western point near Kalapani, a border
area between Nepal and India.
o Both India and Nepal claim Kalapani as
an integral part of their territory.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
o India as part of Uttarakhand’s
Pithoragarh district and Nepal as part
of Dharchula district.
• Strategically crucial road: The bilateral ties
came under strain under then prime minister
K P Sharma Oli after India opened an 80-km-
long strategically crucial road connecting the
Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand
in 2020.
Current Issues
• Reiterating that Kalapani, Lipulekh and
Limpiyadhura are Nepali territories: Nepal
urged India to immediately withdraw its
troops stationed in the Kalapani region and
amicably resolve the border row through
high-level dialogue based on historical facts
and evidence.
• Construction of roads: The Nepal
Government unwaveringly believes that
construction of roads and other structures
should be stopped.
o It violates the clause mentioned in
Nepal-India Joint Commission which
mentions that any dispute between
the two countries should be resolved
through diplomatic mechanism.
• New map: Nepal first protested the
inauguration of the road claiming that it
passed through its territory, and days later, it
came out with a new map showing Lipulekh,
Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.
o India reacted sharply to the move.
o Nepal’s Parliament approved the new
political map of the country featuring
areas which India maintains belong to it.
India-Nepal Relations
• Open borders: India and Nepal share a unique
relationship of friendship and cooperation
characterized by open borders and deep-
rooted people-to-people contacts of kinship
and culture.
• Economic Cooperation: India has been a key
development partner of Nepal. Following the
massive earthquakes in Nepal in April and
May 2015, India promptly offered to help
hands.
o About 150 Indian ventures operate in
Nepal in manufacturing, services (banking,
8448449709
44
 M.S.Shashank
insurance, dry port, education and should be built at the state level until
telecom), power sector and tourism resolution is reached through dialogue.
industries. • Established inter-governmental mechanisms
o Integrated check-posts have been and channels: are most appropriate for
proposed at four points on the Indo-Nepal communication and dialogue.
border namely (i) Raxaul-Birganj, • Sugauli Treaty of 1816: The border dispute
(completed and operationalised from April between Nepal and India must be resolved on
2018) (ii) Sunauli-Bhairahawa, (iii) Jogbani- the basis of the Sugauli Treaty of 1816.
Biratnagar and (iv) Nepalganj Road- o According to Nepal, the Sugauli Treaty
Nepalgunj. says that territories that lie west of
• Trade and Transit: The partnership with India the Mahakali River belong to Nepal.
in the areas of trade and transit is a matter of • In accordance with Gujral Doctrine: India
utmost importance to Nepal. India is Nepal’s must keep on strengthening such ties.
largest trading partner. India has provided a
transit facility to Nepal for the third country 3.11. India-Denmark Relations
trade. Both the public and private sectors of
India have invested in Nepal.
Why In the News?
• Defence Cooperation: India has assisted the
• Recently, India & Denmark agreed to work
Nepalese Army (NA) in its modernization
together on green fuels including green
through the provision of equipment and
hydrogen.
training and cooperation in areas of disaster
management.
Discussion in the Meeting
• Multilateral and Regional Fora: Both Nepal
• It discussed national strategic priorities and
and India have a common approach to
developments in Science, Technology, and
regional and multilateral institutions and
Innovation of both countries with a special
hence, work in tandem in the United Nations,
focus on green solutions of the future -
Non-aligned Movement and other
strategy for investments in green research,
international fora on most of the important
technology, and innovation at the virtual
international issues.
meeting.
o Furthermore, both the countries have
• The 14th Joint S&T Committee emphasised
been deeply engaged in the regional and
on:
sub-regional frameworks of SAARC,
o The development of bilateral collaboration
BIMSTEC and BBIN for enhancing
on mission-driven research, innovation, and
cooperation for greater economic
technology development, including climate
integration by harnessing collectively the
and green transition, energy, water, waste,
potentials and complementarities
food, and so on as agreed by both parties
available in the region.
while adopting the Green Strategic
• Education: Several scholarships are provided
Partnership – Action Plan 2020-2025.
to the Nepali nationals annually.
o They agreed to organise 3-4 webinars for
• Culture: Both nations promote people-to-
partnership development and stressed on
people contacts, organize cultural
promoting calls for proposals in green fuels,
programmes, and conferences and seminars.
including green hydrogen.
o India and Nepal have also signed three
o They also reviewed the progress of the
sister-city agreements for the twinning
ongoing projects of last two joint calls being
of KathmanduVaranasi, Lumbini-
implemented in the areas of:
Bodhgaya and Janakpur-Ayodhya.
o energy research;
o water;
Way Forward
o cyber-physical systems, and
• Dialogue: The issue should be promptly
o bio-resources and secondary
resolved through dialogue and no structure
agriculture.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

45
 M.S.Shashank
India Denmark Relations million in 2009-10 to US$ 1344 million in 2020-
About: 21.
• The then Prime Minister’s visit to Denmark in • Major export items from India to Denmark are
1957 laid the foundation for a friendly textiles, apparels and yarns related. Other items
relationship between India and Denmark. include road vehicles and components, metal
• Bilateral relations between India and goods, iron and steel, footwear, travel goods
Denmark are cordial and friendly. including leather goods, industrial machinery
• The relations are based on synergies in and accessories, chemical material and
political, economic, academic and research products, etc.
• Major Danish exports to India are
fields.
medicinal/pharmaceutical goods, power
generating machinery, industrial machinery,
Prime-Ministerial level interactions:
metal waste and ore, organic chemicals, etc.
• India-Nordic Summit (April 2018): This meeting
• Bilateral trade in services between India and
at the level of Prime Ministers was held after a
Denmark was US$ 2.32 billion in 2020 [import
gap of 9 years. Four MoUs were exchanged
to India in services amounting to US$ 1.29
during the meeting, viz.
billion and export in the service sector by India
o MoU on cooperation in the fields of
valued at US$ 1.03 billion].
Animal Husbandry and Dairying,
o MoU in the field of Sustainable and
Important streets and public places named after
Smart Urban Development,
Indian leaders:
o MoU on cooperation in Agricultural
• Gandhi Plaene (Gandhi Park), located at the
Research and Education, and
junction of BorupsAlle and Hvidkildevej in
o MoU on Food Safety Cooperation.
Copenhagen, has a bronze statue of Mahatma
• Danish Prime Minister’s visit to India (January
Gandhi in sitting posture.
2019): Two MoUs were exchanged during the
• The city of Aarhus has a Nehru Road near
meeting -
Aarhus University.
o MoU on Maritime Issues between the
Estimated NRI/PIO:
Ministry of Shipping of India and the
• The size of the Indian community in Denmark,
Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial
inclusive of both NRIs (13,368) and PIOs, (2,755)
Affairs of Denmark and
is 16,123 (as of November 2021).
o MoU between Imagine Panaji Smart City
Development Limited and the Danish
Air links with India:
Embassy in New Delhi to establish an Urban
• There are presently no direct air-links between
Living Lab in Panaji, Goa.
India and Denmark.
• Virtual Summit (September 2020): A significant
• Indirect connections are through Frankfurt,
boost was given to the bilateral relationship
Paris, Amsterdam, etc.
with the launching of a Green Strategic
Partnership between the two countries during
Visa requirements for officials:
the Summit.
• Holders of diplomatic and official passports do
• Visit of Prime Minister of Denmark (Oct 2021):
not require a visa to enter Denmark.
The two Prime Ministers also discussed regional
• Others require a visa. Visa may be required to
and global developments, including the post-
transit through other EU countries while
pandemic global economic recovery, Indo-
travelling to Denmark.
Pacific and the situation in Afghanistan.
• The details and types of visas issued to tourists,
businessmen and students are available on the
Commercial and Economic Relations:
Danish Embassy's website.
• As per Denmark Statistics, the total volume of
bilateral trade in goods and services between
Way Ahead
India and Denmark was US$ 3.58 billion in
• The recently launched Green Strategic
2020.
• Bilateral trade of commodities between India Partnership between India and Denmark will
and Denmark has increased from US$ 1077.8 make our relationship even stronger.

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

46
 M.S.Shashank
4. Science & Technology
4.1. Genome sequencing
Why in the News?
• Latest genome sequencing in Mumbai finds
one-third of samples positive for Omicron.
What Is Genome Sequencing?
• A genome is a complete set of genetic
instructions which are present in an organism
in its DNA. Sequencing is the sequence of
occurrences of the four nucleotide bases i.e.,
adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and
thymine (T).
• The human genome is made up of over 3
billion of these genetic letters. The whole
genome can't be sequenced all at once
because available methods of DNA
sequencing can only handle short stretches of
DNA at a time.
• While human genomes are made of DNA
(Deoxyribonucleic acid), a virus genome can
be made of either DNA or RNA (Ribonucleic
acid). Coronavirus is made of RNA. Every
organism has a unique genome sequence.
• Genome sequencing is a technique that reads
and interprets genetic information found
within DNA or RNA.
Approaches for Genome Sequencing
• There are two approaches to the task of
cutting up the genome and putting it back
together again.
• The "clone-by-clone" approach involves first
breaking the genome up into relatively large
chunks, called clones, about 150,000 base
pairs (bp) long. Scientists use genome
mapping techniques to figure out where in
the genome each clone belongs.
• Next, they cut each clone into smaller,
overlapping pieces of the right size for
sequencing—about 500 BP each. Finally, they
sequence the pieces and use the overlaps to
reconstruct the sequence of the whole clone.
• The "whole-genome shotgun" method
involves breaking the genome up into small
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
pieces, sequencing the pieces, and
reassembling the pieces into the full genome
sequence.
Significance of Genome Sequencing
• Understands the Virus: The purpose of
genome sequencing is to understand the role
of certain mutations in increasing the virus’s
infectivity. Some mutations explain immune
escape or the virus’s ability to evade
antibodies which have consequences for
vaccines.
• Studying Efficacy: It helps in studying
whether the vaccines developed so far are
effective against such mutant strains of the
virus and if can prevent re-infection and
transmission.
• Tracing Mutations: Sequencing of the
genomes of viral strains is important from a
"know-thy-enemy" point of view as it
becomes easier to trace the mutations.
Scientists can find mutations much more
easily and quickly.
• Developing Vaccines: Knowledge generated
through vital research assists in developing
diagnostics and potential therapeutics and
vaccines now and for the potential diseases in
the future.
• Vital Information: important information and
findings can be derived from the Genome
sequencing of those who tested positive for
COVID.
Challenges in Genome Sequencing in India
• Very High target: The aim was to sequence at
least 5% of the samples, the minimum
required to keep track of the virus variants.
This has so far been only around 1%, primarily
due to insufficient reagents and tools
necessary to scale up the process.
• Low Capacity: The ten laboratories together
can sequence about 30,000 samples a month,
or 1,000 a day, six times less than what is
needed to meet the target.
• Fund crunch: Funding is being delayed
repeatedly. INSACOG asked for Rs 100 crore,
8448449709
47
 M.S.Shashank
but it was not until March that any funding
arrived and it received Rs 70 crore.
• Sample Collection: The healthcare system is
already overstretched and this is one
additional task for them to sort and package
samples and RNA preparations regularly for
shipping in a cold chain to sequencing centres
along with recording extensive metadata to
make sequence information useful.
• Dependence on Imports: The process of
genome sequencing slowed down due to the
Atma Nirbhar scheme which banned imports
of goods worth less than Rs 200 crore to
promote local procurement. Even after the
exemption, some special plastics
inadvertently remained within the import ban
affecting the process.
• International aspect: The poor progress in
genome sequencing also affects India’s image
abroad, as all countries are required to
upload data into a common global repository,
called the ‘Global Initiative on Sharing All
Influenza data’, or GISAID.
Way Forward
• The Number of laboratories should be
increased to get the research going at the
speed required. The Union Health Minister
has announced the opening of 17 more
laboratories for the same.
• The data collected from genome sequencing
of the virus will further aid in studying
linkages between the variants and
epidemiological waves (super-spreader
events, outbreaks) of the virus.
4.2. First Magnetic Field on an Exoplanet
Why in the News?
• Recently, a team of astronomers used data
from the Hubble Space Telescope for
discovering the signature of a magnetic field
on an Exoplanet.
• The findings were described in the journal
called Nature Astronomy. Such a feature has
been seen on an exoplanet, for the first time.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
More Details:
• A magnetic field around the planet explains
the observations of an extended region of
charged carbon particles. It streams away
from it in a long tail.
• Magnetic fields play a significant role in
protecting planetary atmospheres.
• Thus, the ability to detect the magnetic fields
of exoplanets is a significant step of
understanding what aliens’ worlds may look
like, in a better manner.
• Researchers used the Hubble for observing
the exoplanet HAT-P-11b. it is a Neptune-
sized planet, located at a distance of 123
light-years from Earth.
• Observations were made in ultraviolet light
spectrum.
Exoplanet or extrasolar planet
• Exoplanet is a planet outside our Solar
System. First possible evidence of an
exoplanet was found in 1917, but was not
recognized as such. First confirmed
exoplanet was detected in 1992. As of
December 2021, there are 4,878 confirmed
exoplanets, located across 3,604 planetary
systems. Out of all the systems, 807 systems
are having more than one planet.
8448449709
48
 M.S.Shashank
4.3. A star with a heartbeat
Why in the News?
A group of Indian Scientists have spotted a
peculiar binary star that shows a heartbeat but
no pulsations. The team included 33 scientists
from Aryabhatta Research Institute of
Observational Sciences (ARIES) which is an
autonomous institution under the Department of
Science and Technology, Government of India.
Details of the finding:
• The star spotted has been named HD73619 in
Praesepe (M44), located in the Cancer
constellation which is one of the closest open
star clusters to the Earth.
• There are 180 stars known to have
heartbeats. The term heartbeat is rooted
from the fact that the stars resemble the path
similar to the pattern of human heartbeat in
the electrocardiogram.
• These heartbeat stars are binary systems
where each star travels in a highly elliptical
orbit around the common centre of mass.
• The distance between the two common stars
varies to a great extent as they orbit around
each other.
• It has been observed that the stars at the
closest proximity with the binary systems
exhibit a sudden increase in brightness with
an amplitude of several parts per thousand
(ppt).
• The scientists inferred that the pulsation
activity of these stars is due to the oscillations
in the component stars when they are closest
to each other. Chemically this makes it
evident that such oscillations happen due to
the abundance of heavier elements on their
surface.
• The newly discovered heartbeat star is
accompanied by a weak magnetic field or no
magnetic field.
Importance of the discovery:
• This discovery is of vital importance for the
study of inhomogeneities due to spots in non-
magnetic stars.
• This also helps in the advancement of the
understanding and investigation of pulsation
variability of the stars.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• It offers the knowledge of the nature of
elements present on the surface of these
stars.
• This research has been a result of the
Nainital-Cape survey which is one of the
longest ground-based surveys to search and
study the pulsation variability of the stars.
This study was carried out in collaboration
with the South African Astronomical
Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town.
• This is an exemplary step that reveals India’s
progress in the field of space sciences and its
growing engagement with international
communities in the same context.
4.4. Grime-eating bacteria to restore
classical art
Why in the News?
o The role of microorganisms has been
recognised in protecting the artistic heritage
of humanity since the 1980s when the
bacteria Desulfovibrio Bulgaria was used.
o Earlier Art restorers have usually employed
chemical agents and, more recently laser
techniques, to remove dirt, oil, glue, or
pollutants from monuments, stoneworks, and
paintings.
About
• The researchers first used the bacteria
Desulfovibrio Vulgaris to clean a marble
monument at the Cave Hill Cemetery in
Louisville, US.
• Desulfovibrio Vulgaris is a Gram-negative,
anaerobic, non-spore-forming, curved rod-
shaped bacteria, that can be found in soil,
animal intestines and faeces, and fresh and
saltwater.
• It went on to meet several artworks,
including, in 2013, the Allegoria Della Morte
— the Allegory of Death — at the English
Cemetery in Florence.
Other bacteria used
o Pseudomonas stutzeri has been trusted to
clean a range of monuments, as well as the
stones of historic bridges and granite slabs of
chapels in Spain.
8448449709
49
 M.S.Shashank
o This strain of bacteria was used for the bio-
restoration of frescoes in the 17th century
Church of Santos Juanes in Valencia, Spain,
and murals of the Camposanto Monumentale
di Pisa in Italy
o Recently P. stutzeri was used to clean the
14th-century Triumph of Death fresco at the
Campo Santo. The cemetery was bombed
4.6. BrahMos advanced variant test fired
during World War II.
o Pseudomonas stutzeri is a Gram-negative,
rod-shaped, motile, single polar-flagellated,
soil bacterium that was first isolated from
human spinal fluid and is widely distributed in
the environment.
Significance for India
o Bio-restoration can save many of India’s
monuments.
o In 2014, a paper published by researchers
from Thapar Institute of Engineering and
Technology, Patiala, and Curtin University in
Perth, Australia, noted that calcifying bacteria
could be used for remediation of stones and
cultural heritage monuments, including the
Taj Mahal.
4.5. Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided
Missile
Why In the News?
• Recently, Defense Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested
the final deliverable configuration of Man-
Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).
About (MPATGM)
• It is an indigenously developed low weight,
fire and forgets missile.
• The missile is incorporated with state-of-the-
art Miniaturized Infrared Imaging Seeker (IIS)
along with advanced avionics.
• It is a passive weapon guidance system that
uses the infrared light emission from a target
to track and follow it.
• Missiles that use infrared seeking are often
referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is
radiated strongly by hot bodies.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Significance
• The successful trial of the missile is a major
boost for the government's 'Atma Nirbhar
Bharat' (self-reliant India) campaign.
• The missile is being developed to strengthen
the combat capabilities of the Indian Army.
Why In the News?
• An extended range sea-to-sea variant of the
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was
successfully test-fired by India from the Indian
Navy’s newly commissioned INS
Visakhapatnam.
About the missile
o BrahMos: deployed by the Navy on its warships
first in 2005, has the capability to hit sea-based
targets beyond radar horizon.
o It is capable of carrying a warhead of 300
kilograms (both conventional as well as
nuclear).
o Specifications: This version of the missile has
been designed to launch either in a vertical or a
horizontal mode from moving/stationary assets
to target both land and sea targets.
o The missiles, fired at a speed of 2.8 Mach or
nearly three times the speed of sound,
significantly increase the capability of the ships
in engaging long-range targets.
o India-Russia synergy: BrahMos missiles are
designed and developed by BrahMos
Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by
Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO) and Mashinostroyenia of
Russia.
o Originally introduced in 2001, variations of
these supersonic missiles can be launched from
submarines, ships, aircraft, and land platforms.
o The range of the missile: was originally capped
at 290 km as per obligations of the Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
o Following India’s entry into the club in 2016,
officials said the range would be extended to
450 km and to 600km at a later stage.
o INS Visakhapatnam: with a displacement of
7,400 Tonnes, is the first of four ingeniously
designed and built Project-15B class stealth
guided missile destroyers and was
commissioned in 2021.
8448449709
50
 M.S.Shashank
4.7. Deep Ocean Mission
Why in the news?
• Admiral R. Hari Kumar called on Union
Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Science & Technology; Minister of State
(Independent Charge) Earth Sciences,Dr
Jitendra Singh and discussed the modalities
to deepen cooperation in "Deep Ocean
Mission" which is to be the torchbearer of
India's "Blue Economy".
What is Deep Sea Mining?
• Deep-sea mining is the process of retrieving
mineral deposits from the deep sea – the
area of the ocean below 200 m which covers
about 65% of the Earth’s surface.
• Depleting terrestrial deposits and rising
demand for metals are stimulating interest in
the deep sea, with commercial mining
imminent.
Key highlights:
• India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square
kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin
(CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed
Authority for exploitation of polymetallic
nodules (rocks scattered on the seabed
containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt
,estimated availability of 380 million metric
tonnes in CIOB)
• A fraction of that reserve can meet the energy
requirement of India for the next 100 years,
• India’s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over
2.2 million square kilometres
• A manned submersible will be developed to
carry three people to a depth of 6,000 metres
in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors
and tools.
• An Integrated Mining System will be also
developed for mining polymetallic nodules at
those depths in the central Indian Ocean with
future aim of the commercial exploitation as
and when commercial exploitation code is
evolved by the International Seabed
Authority, an United Nations organization
• Developing Ocean Climate Change Advisory
Services, based on observations and models
to understand and provide future projections
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
of important climate variables on seasonal to
decadal time scales.
• To search for deep sea flora and fauna,
including microbes, and studying ways to
sustainably utilise them.
• To explore and identify potential sources of
hydrothermal minerals that are sources of
precious metals formed from the earth’s crust
along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
• To study and prepare detailed engineering
design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy
Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination
plants.
• To groom experts in the field of ocean biology
and engineering with an aim to translate
research into industrial applications and
product development through on-site
business incubator facilities.
Concerns:
The following impacts of mining activities could
affect its biodiversity and ecosystems:
• Disturbance of the seafloor: The scraping of
the ocean floor by machines can alter or
destroy deep-sea habitats, leading to the loss
of species and fragmentation or loss of
ecosystem structure and function. Many
species living in the deep sea are endemic –
meaning they do not occur anywhere else on
the planet – and physical disturbances in just
one mining site can possibly wipe out an
entire species. This is one of the biggest
potential impacts from deep-sea mining.
• Sediment plumes: Some forms of deep-sea
mining will stir up fine sediments on the
seafloor consisting of silt, clay and the
remains of microorganisms, creating plumes
of suspended particles. It is unclear how far
these particles may disperse beyond the
mining area, how long it would take for them
to resettle on the seafloor, and to what
extent they may affect ecosystems and
species, for instance by smothering animals or
harming filter-feeding species that depend on
clear, clean water to feed, such as krill and
whale sharks.
• Pollution: Species such as whales, tuna and
sharks could be affected by noise, vibrations
8448449709
51
 M.S.Shashank
and light pollution caused by mining • Circular economy: The repair, recycling and
equipment and surface vessels, as well as reuse of products should be encouraged to
potential leaks and spills of fuel and toxic help reduce the demand for raw materials
products. from the deep sea. Enhancing product design
to make use of less or alternative materials
Pathway forward: can also reduce the demand.
• Studies for understanding deep sea: To
understand what species live in the deep sea, 4.8. Quantum Computing: Ocean Of
how they live, and how they could be affected
by mining activities baseline studies are
Opportunities
needed with more funds for training and
Why in the News?
educational programmes focused on
improving our understanding of the deep sea. • While quantum computing has been around for
• Environmental impact assessments: These
decades, the last few months have seen
assessments are also needed to ensure that tremendous interest from investors and
the loss of biodiversity as a result of mining governments.
operations is properly accounted for in mining
regulations set by authorities, well before any Background:
• Until late 2021, the governments of 18
decision to mine is approved. The costs to the
marine environment should be included in countries have committed about $25 billion in
quantum computing initiatives, according to
the financial and economic assessments
conducted by mining companies. the talent and training firm Qureca.
• This includes India, which has committed
• Mitigation: Current technologies may not be
sufficient to avoid serious and lasting harm to more than $1 billion to the National Mission
on Quantum Technologies and Applications.
the environment, including the loss of
• Private investment has grown, too. More than
biodiversity. Mining operations strategies
should be based on the avoidance of $1 billion was invested by venture funds in
environmental impacts. This requires quantum computing companies last year.
stringent and precautionary controls on the
What is quantum supremacy?
permissible extent and duration of mining
• It is a term proposed in 2012 by John Preskill,
operations to keep large parts of the seabed
professor of theoretical physics at the
undisturbed.Minimising impacts should
California Institute of Technology.
involve, among other things, improving
• It describes the point where quantum
mining equipment to reduce seafloor
computers can do things that classical
disturbance.
computers cannot.
• Enhanced regulation: The ISA is operating
• In Google’s case, researchers at the University
with the dual mandate of promoting the
of California, Santa Barbara have claimed to
development of deep-sea minerals whilst
have developed a processor that took 200
ensuring that this development is not harmful
seconds to do a calculation that would have
to the environment. This challenging and
taken a classical computer 10,000 years.
conflicting mandate will require improved
oversight by the international community –
What is a quantum computer?
including government representatives and the
• Our traditional computers work on the basis
general public – to ensure that marine life is
of the laws of classical physics, specifically by
adequately protected.To avoid possible
utilising the flow of electricity.
conflicts of interest due to the dual mandate
• A quantum computer, on the other hand,
of ISA, the organisation should consider
seeks to exploit the laws that govern the
divesting itself of some of its responsibilities,
behaviour of atoms and subatomic particles.
and placing them on independent entities.

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

52
 M.S.Shashank
• At that tiny scale, many laws of classical
physics cease to apply, and the unique laws of
quantum physics come into play.
Core principles identified by World Economic
Forum (WEF) on Quantum Computing
Governance:
Such principles become critical while
considering the multi-industry applications of
quantum computing.
• They include privacy, cyber security, open
innovation and sustainability.
• A set of core values have also been identified
to prevent human biases and ensure
responsible behaviour.
• Mechanisms in place to ensure human
accountability, both in its design and in its
uses and outcomes.
Application:
Quantum computing is an inherently
multidisciplinary field, spanning a diverse range
of disciplines from physics and mathematics to
engineering and computer science.
• Industrial revolution 4.0: Companies like IBM
has worked with Mercedes to enhance the
quality of batteries for electric vehicles.
o Leveraging other Industrial revolution 4.0
technologies like the Internet-of-Things,
machine learning, robotics, and artificial
intelligence across sectors will further
help in laying the foundation of the
Knowledge economy.
• Computational chemistry: Simulating
chemical reactions, interactions of millions of
electrons and their impact can take a fraction
of the time when done with quantum
computing.
o Scientists are keen to simulate the
working of a battery at a molecular
level to help improve efficiency.
• Pharmaceutical: Quantum computing could
reduce the time frame of the discovery of
new molecules and related processes to a few
days.
o From drug discovery to vaccine trials,
several efforts can be enhanced, improved
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
and fast tracked using quantum
computing.
• Financial regulators: To use quantum
computing to keep track of increasingly
complex and fast-paced digital transactions.
o Credit risk analysis, which includes
several more parameters, can be
become far more accurate with
quantum computing.
• Cyber Security and secure communications:
Various techniques to combat cyber security
threats can be developed using some of the
quantum machine learning approaches and
reducing time to crack codes.
• Weather forecasting and Disaster
Management: Tsunamis, drought,
earthquakes and floods may become more
predictable with quantum applications.
o The collection of data regarding
climate change can be streamlined in a
better way through quantum
technology.
• Data mining and artificial intelligence: It
would be major beneficiaries, along with
sciences which deal in volumes of data, from
astronomy to linguistics.
Challenges:
• Technological availability: Consistent
electron is damaged as soon as affected by
environment
• Usage: Although Sycamore performed a
benchmark test but it has no real-world use
as of now and could take years or decades for
the technology to be freely available
• Stability: Qubits are stable only at cryogenic
temperatures, and only governments and
large corporations can hope to keep a
quantum computer on the premises
• Insecure communications: The dark side of
quantum computing is the disruptive effect
that it will have on cryptographic encryption,
which secures communications and
computers.
• Privacy: Encryption depends on very large
prime numbers, which serve as the seeds from
which cryptographic keys are generated and
exchanged by the parties to a conversation. If
the odds of encryption and decryption are
evened by exponentially powerful computers,
privacy online would be dead.
8448449709
53
 M.S.Shashank
India race to quantum computing:
• India formally joined the race to quantum
computing by establishing the National
Mission for Quantum Technology and
Applications in 2020.
• The Department of Science and Technology
launched the Quantum-Enabled Science and
Technology (QuEST) initiative to invest INR 80
crores to lay out infrastructure and to
facilitate research in the field.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) launched the ‘Quantom
Computer Simulator (QSim) toolkit’ to
provide the first quantum development
environment to academicians, industry
professionals, students, and the scientific
community in India.
• This is an outcome of the budgetary outlay of
INR 8000 crores to bolster quantum
technology development and uptake in the
country.
Way ahead:
• The complex nature of quantum science
needs deeper linkages between academia,
scientists, governments, tech companies and
investors.
• Even systems of national security, especially
cyber threats, will be enhanced by quantum
science.
• India and other emerging economies must
now invest in the talent required to fuel
quantum science.
• While India has committed to quantum
computing, the effort will require multi-
dimensional effort, which involves skilling as
well as industry linkages.
• It would be prudent to develop a regulatory
framework for quantum computing before it
becomes widely available.
• It is a transformative technology whose future
uses, across a wide spectrum of sectors from
data analysis to geopolitics, cannot be fully
anticipated.
• It would be useful to regulate quantum
computing now, or at least define the limits of
its legitimate use.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
4.9. Dark Matter
Why In the News?
• Motion of some stars holds clue of dark matter
shape in barred galaxies.
About
• Dark matter: It is a hypothetical form of
matter thought to account for approximately
85% of the matter in the universe. It forms
the skeleton on which galaxies form, evolve,
and merge.
• Various astrophysical observations including
gravitational effects: that accepted theories
of gravity cannot explain unless more matter
is present than can be seen imply dark
matter's presence.
o For this reason, most experts think
that dark matter is abundant in the
universe and has had a strong
influence on its structure and
evolution.
• Dark matter is called "dark" because: it does
not appear to interact with the
electromagnetic field, which means it does
not absorb, reflect, or emit electromagnetic
radiation (like light) and is, therefore, difficult
to detect.
• The primary evidence for dark matter: comes
from calculations showing that many galaxies
would fly apart, that they would not have
formed, or that they would not move as they
do if they did not contain a large amount of
unseen matter.
• Buckling: Scientists investigating how the
shape of dark matter halo affects the motion
of stars in stellar bars have found that out-of-
plane bending events of the bar explain the
shape of dark matter halos in barred galaxies.
o Out of plane bending of the bar in
barred galaxies is a rare violent bar
thickening mechanism known as
buckling.
8448449709
54
 M.S.Shashank
4.10. Human Space Programme:
Gaganyaan
Why In the News?
• Recently, the Indian Space & Research
Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted a
25-second qualification test for its liquid
propellant-based Vikas engine to be used
under the Gaganyaan mission.
About
• The test was conducted to check the robustness
of the engine by operating beyond its nominal
operating conditions.
• The engine met the test objectives and the
engine parameters were closely matched with
the predictions during the entire duration of the
test.
• The space agency conducted a qualification test
for 720 seconds of its cryogenic upper stage
earlier.
o The engine will undergo four more tests
totalling 1,810 seconds and the other
engine will undergo two short duration
and one long-duration test before the
cryogenic stage is qualified for the
Gaganyaan mission.
• This is especially important after the failure of
the GSLV F10 mission in August 2021 when the
cryogenic engine did not ignite due to a small
drop in pressure in the fuel tank, even though
the cryogenic engine for the GSLV MkIII is
different.
Gaganyaan Mission
• It envisages undertaking the demonstration of
human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in
the short term and will lay the foundation for a
sustained Indian human space exploration
programme in the long run
o Low-Earth orbit (often known as LEO)
encompasses Earth-centered orbits with
an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 mi) or
less.
Objective:
• to demonstrate the indigenous capability to
undertake human space flight missions to LEO
• As part of this programme, two unmanned
missions and one manned mission are approved
by the Government of India (GoI).
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and
successive lockdowns, Gaganyaan, will be
launched in 2023.
• This manned mission will be the first of ISRO’s
human spaceflight missions.
o The US, Russia and China are the only
three countries to have conducted
human spaceflights yet.
Launched by:
o ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
GSLV Mk III (3 stages heavy-lift vehicle)
Challenges
• Environmental Hazards: Hostile space
environment with a lack of gravity and
atmosphere and danger of radiation.
• Astronauts may have medical issues due to:
o Microgravity: Transition from one gravity
field to another affects hand-eye and head-
eye coordination leading to orientation-loss,
vision, muscle strength, aerobic capacity,
etc.
o Isolation: Behavioural issues are likely to
crop up when astronauts are confined into
small spaces and have to rely on limited
resources.
▪ They may encounter depression,
cabin fever, fatigue, sleep disorder
and other psychiatric disorders.
o Artificial Atmosphere: There are two
choices for an artificial atmosphere, either
an Earth-like mixture of oxygen in inert gas
or pure oxygen.
▪ A pure or concentrated oxygen
atmosphere is toxic and has fire risk,
especially in ground operations.
Aerospace Technology Challenges
• Launch Escape System: Space flight requires
much higher velocities than air transportation.
Travelling in a rocket is like sitting on an
exploding bomb with a speed increasing from 0
to over 25,000 km per hour in a few minutes.
Anything may go wrong during the launch and
pre and post phases, including the explosion of
the rocket.
8448449709
55
 M.S.Shashank
Suggestions
• To tackle microgravity inside the crew
acceptable atmospheric pressure has to be
maintained.
• All the things necessary for supporting the
physiological needs of astronauts, like food,
water, medicine, and human waste removal
have to be addressed.
• A well-developed Environmental Control and
Life Support System (ECLSS) is needed to supply
the essentials, maintain the acceptable
environment and deal with the management of
waste products.
▪ The ECLSS maintains steady cabin pressure and
air composition, removes carbon dioxide and
other harmful gases, controls temperature and
humidity and also manages the other important
parameters like fire detection and suppression,
food and water management and emergency
support.
• Shielding against harmful external influences
such as radiation and micro-meteorites is also
ensured.
• The use of a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere
before launch and low-pressure pure oxygen
only in space is considered a safer option.
• Ground testing will have to be followed by tests
in the space orbit while simulating zero gravity
and deep vacuum
• Launch escape system safety features have to
be built to minimize the loss and warning of
anything abnormal
• The crew and mission control team require
extensive training to prepare. They also need to
familiarize themselves with panel buttons and
other man-machine interfaces within the crew
module and various safety drills.
4.11. Negative Ion Technology
Why in the News?
• Recently, the Authority for Nuclear Safety and
Radiation Protection (ANVS), Netherlands issued
a statement identifying various negative ion
wearable products containing more Radioactivity
than legally permitted.
About:
o Negative ion technology embeds negative ions
in personal products and is currently being
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
advertised as a means to maintain health,
balance energy, and improve well-being.
o This technology is used in certain silicone
wristbands, quantum or scalar-energy
pendants, and kinesthesiology tape.
• Negative ions are also made when
sunlight, radiation, air, or water break
down oxygen.
o The minerals that produce these negative ions
often include naturally occurring radioactive
substances such as uranium and thorium.
o It is believed that negative ions create positive
vibes and uplift the mood. They show the
various mental and physical health benefits,
such as stress reduction, better sleeping,
respiration etc. whereas these ions may also act
on pollutants, make them negatively charged
and get them collected on surfaces.
4.12. First on-site evidence of water on
Moon
Why in the News?
• Chang’e 5 lunar lander of China has found first-
ever on-site evidence of water on the surface of
moon.
More Details:
• Study was published in the peer-reviewed
journal Science Advances on January 8, 2022.
• It revealed that the lunar soil at the landing site
comprises of less than 120 grams water per ton
or120 parts-per-million (ppm) water.
• It further reveals that, a light, vesicular rock
carries 180 ppm water.
• These are much drier as compared to that of
Earth.
• Presence of water on Moon had been
confirmed by remote observation earlier.
However, lander has detected signs of water in
rocks and soil.
• Water was detected on the spot for the first
time, by a device on-board the lunar lander. The
device measured the spectral reflectance of
regolith and rock.
• Water content in the regolith and rock can be
estimated since water molecule or hydroxyl
absorbs at a frequency of around three
micrometers.
8448449709
56
 M.S.Shashank
5. Social Issues & Justice
5.1. Marital Rape
Why in the News?
o The High Court of Chhattisgarh has decided a
criminal revision petition challenging the
charges framed against the applicant
husband.
o Based on the allegations of his wife, charges
were framed by a trial court under Section
376 (rape), Section 377 (carnal intercourse
against the order of nature) and Section 498A
(cruelty towards wife by husband or his
relatives) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Exception to rape :
• The High Court upheld charges under Sections
498A and 377 but discharged the husband
under Section 376 on the ground that by virtue
of Exception 2 to Section 375 (the definition of
rape), sexual intercourse by a man with his
own wife (provided she is over the age of 18)
would not amount to the offence of rape.
• Since the High Court was bound by the law,
which exempts husbands from being tried or
punished for raping their wives by creating the
legal fiction that all sex within marriage is
consensual, no other conclusion was open to
the Court. Notwithstanding this, the
discrepancies and failings of Indian criminal
law, highlighted by the judgment, deserve
scrutiny.
Inconsistency in provisions
o First, the marital rape exception is
inconsistent with other sexual offences, which
make no such exemption for marriage. Thus,
a husband may be tried for offences such as
sexual harassment, molestation, voyeurism,
and forcible disrobing in the same way as any
other man. A husband separated from his
wife (though not divorced) may even be tried
for rape (Section 376B).
o A husband may be charged and tried for non-
consensual penetrative sexual interactions
other than penile-vaginal penetration with his
wife under Section 377 (prior to the decision
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
of the Supreme Court in Navtej Singh Johar
vs. Union of India, 2018, consent or lack
thereof was not relevant to Section 377, but it
is now).
o As a result, penetrative intercourse that is
penile-vaginal is protected from criminal
prosecution when performed by a husband
with his wife, even when done forcibly or
without consent. If there is an underlying
rationale to this extremely limited exemption,
it is not immediately clear.
Patriarchal beliefs
o Second, the marital rape exception is an insult
to the constitutional goals of individual
autonomy, dignity and of gender equality
enshrined in fundamental rights such as
Article 21 (the right to life) and Article 14 (the
right to equality).
o In Joseph Shine v. Union of India (2018), the
Supreme Court held that the offence of
adultery was unconstitutional because it was
founded on the principle that a woman is her
husband’s property after marriage.
o The marital rape exception betrays a similar
patriarchal belief: that upon marriage, a
wife!s right to personal and sexual autonomy,
bodily integrity and human dignity are
surrendered. Her husband is her sexual
master and his right to rape her is legally
protected.
Would it destroy the ‘institution of marriage’?
o A commonly cited rationale for preserving the
marital rape exemption is that recognising
marital rape as a criminal offence would
"destroy the institution of marriage”. This was
the government’s defence in Independent
Thought v. Union of India (2017). Rejecting
this claim, the Supreme Court astutely
observed, “Marriage is not institutional but
personal – nothing can destroy the
"institution” of marriage except a statute that
makes marriage illegal and punishable.”
o If it is true, however, that criminalising marital
rape will destroy the institution of marriage,
8448449709
57
 M.S.Shashank
what does that tell us about this so-called
institution? If its very existence depends on
husband’s right to rape their wives, and on
the legally sanctioned violation of wives
“sexual autonomy, is this institution worth
saving? Does this kind of marriage deserve to
be the cornerstone of our society?
Is it difficult to establishing its validity?
o Another argument frequently raised against
the criminalisation of marital rape is that
since marriage is a sexual relationship,
determining the validity of marital rape
allegations would be difficult. Even if we
accept, arguendo, that marriage is necessarily
a sexual relationship, this argument does not
hold water. It is not marriage that creates a
problem in adjudication, but the dangerously
erroneous belief that consent may simply be
assumed from a woman’s clothes, her sexual
history, or indeed, her relationship status.
o While the current law seems to operate under
this misconception, marriage does not signify
perpetual sexual consent. Therefore, the
determination of consent or lack thereof in
the context of a sexual interaction within
marriage would be the same as in any other
context (especially in other ongoing sexual
relationships): through physical evidence,
through the prosecutrix’s testimony and
through the defence of the accused.
Way forward
• It is shocking that Exception 2 to Section 375
of the IPC survives to this day. Antithetical to
the liberal and progressive values of our
Constitution, and violative of India’s
international obligations under instruments
such as the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
the provision underlines women’s
subordination to men, especially within
marriage. In 2017, the Supreme Court, in
Independent Thought, had read down the
exception so that husbands who raped their
minor wives could no longer hide behind it. It
is high time adult women are afforded the
same protection and dignity in marriage.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
5.2. Reservation in Private Sector
Why In the News?
• Recently, a law has come into effect in
Haryana that provides 75 percent reservation
in the private sector to job seekers from the
state.
Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates
Bill, 2020
• Application:
o It applies to “all the Companies, Societies,
Trusts, Limited Liability Partnership firms,
Partnership Firm and any person
employing ten or more persons and an
entity, as may be notified by the
Government, from time to time".
o The act covers the whole of the State.
o The law will be applicable for 10 years.
• Whole Private Sector:
o Post its implementation, priority for jobs
would be given to the youth of Haryana in
all private sector companies, institutions,
trusts, societies and industries established
in the state.
• Certain Relaxation:
o The state government also relaxed the
residency requirement from 15 to five
years for a person to get a bona fide
resident certificate in the state to provide
some flexibility to the private companies
in hiring.
• Dedicated Portal:
o A dedicated portal has also been created
by the Labour Department along with a
helpline number.
o For availing benefit, the Domicile
candidates need to register on a
designated portal from which
recruitments will be done.
o Companies will now have to reflect their
vacancy on the portal which will be
continuously monitored by the
government.
• Upper Limit on Salary:
o It envisages reservation for local youth in
the private sector with an upper limit of
gross monthly salary up to Rs 30,000.
• Penalty:
8448449709
58
 M.S.Shashank
o Time period of three months is available
for compliance. Non-Compliance will
attract a fine of between Rs. 25,000 and
Rs. 1,00,000.
Need of Reservation
• High Unemployment rate:
o The February unemployment rate in
Haryana was over 26% against a national
average of less than 7% according to the
Centre for Monitoring India Economy.
• Loss of Livelihood of Locals:
o With growth in industries, the locals suffer
the most whether it is displacement due
to land acquisition or loss of agricultural
opportunities.
• Prime Victims of Pollution:
o The locals are the first victims of pollution
or industrial hazards and hence they
should have first right over jobs.
• Reservations are granted on other Grounds
like Caste, Gender:
o The locals who suffer from
industrialisation also need to be brought
into the net of positive descrimination.
Causes for Such Laws
• Vote Bank Politics
• Widespread Joblessness
• Accommodating Talent
• Economic Recession
Significance
• Employment:
o With the implementation of this system,
new avenues for employment will open
for lakhs of youth in the private sector
• Ensuring Development:
o Such provisions would be able to get
through the setbacks as that of the recent
stagflation situation and it will also bring
the development back to its pace and
level up the infrastructure.
• Tackles unemployment:
o This bill would curb the unemployment
rate within the states where these policies
are to be implemented by providing much
of the population with jobs.
• Raises the morale:
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
o With the presence of a higher
employment level, it would also level up
the morale of the citizens and especially it
would boost up the youths who are left
unemployed without such incentives.
• Discourages migration:
o The law will discourage the influx of
migrants seeking low-paid jobs, which has
a “significant impact” on local
infrastructure and leads to the
“proliferation of slums”.
• Reaping benefits of NMP:
o With increasing privatisation and the
Central government pushing for
National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP),
such a law would prove to be a boon
for the local residents of Jharkhand.
• Eliminates Biasness:
o There are many instances where it was
found that there were inherent biases
among the corporate sector against
minorities and Dalits and this will ensure
that no such prejudice would be made.
• Addresses Agrarian Crisis:
o Many people do want to get hold of jobs
instead of practicing farming but due to
the dearth of jobs in the private sector,
they are not able to do so. This policy
would help it out by supporting domicile
reservations.
• Undoing LPG Losses:
o Soon after the Liberalization, Privatization,
and Globalization reforms the country
faced a crisis in the job market with a
plethora of jobs in the hands of foreigners.
So, these reservations are somehow giving
the reins to the government sector to
secure jobs for the natives.
Way Ahead
• The State governments can come up with
certain incentives to companies which are
investing a certain amount of money for
training the local youths.
• The State governments should enable the
reservation system to which serves its original
purpose of making India a more just society.
8448449709
59
 M.S.Shashank
5.3. Faecal Sludge and Septage
Management
Why in the News?
• According to the NITI Aayog report Faecal
sludge and septage management in urban
areas, Service and business models, by 2021
more than 700 cities / towns are in various
stages of Faecal Sludge and Septage
Management (FSSM) implementation.
Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM):
• India has recognized the gaps in sanitation
coverage and embarked purposefully to
address them, becoming one of the first
countries to announce a national policy on
FSSM in 2017.
• FSSM prioritizes human excreta
management, a waste stream with the
highest potential for spreading diseases.
• It is a low-cost and easily scalable sanitation
solution that focuses on safe collection,
transportation, treatment, and reuse of
human waste.
• As a result, FSSM promises a means to
achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG) target 6.2 of adequate and inclusive
sanitation for all in a time bound manner.
Capacity of India’s Sewage Treatment Plants:
• According to the latest report of the Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Sewage
Treatment Plants (STPs) in India are able to
treat a little more than a third of the sewage
generated per day.
• India generated 72,368 MLD (million litres per
day) whereas the installed capacity of STPs
was 31,841 MLD (43.9%).
• 5 states and Union Territories (UT) -
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi
and Karnataka - account for 60% of the total
installed treatment capacity of the country.
• Unwillingness of ULBs to introduce proper
collection, segregation, transportation and
treatment/disposal systems.
• Indifference of citizens towards waste
management due to lack of awareness.
• Lack of community participation towards
waste management and hygienic conditions.
Way Forward
• Utilising FSSM Alliance: The National Faecal
Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM)
Alliance has played a catalytic role in the
FSSM sector in India so far and serves as a
ready resource and platform for state and city
officials.
• To ensure long term sustainability and quality
implementation, states and cities must
undertake capacity building, quality assurance
and quality control, and monitoring.
Moreover, it is critical that states take steps
to institutionalize
• Keeping the most vulnerable and
underserved, women and urban poor at the
center of this effort, states and cities must
move quickly to introduce innovative
solutions.
• With that, India can become an exemplar to
the world for not only ending open
defecation, but also for safely managed
holistic sanitation.

Issues with Solid Waste Management:

• Absence of segregation of waste at source.
• Lack of funds for waste management at Urban
Local Bodies (ULB).
• Lack of technical expertise and appropriate
institutional arrangement.

©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

60
 M.S.Shashank
6. Health
6.1. CORBEVAXTM
Why In the News?
• Recently, CORBEVAXTM received approval
for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by
Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
About CORBEVAXTM
• It is India’s first indigenously developed
Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) protein
subunit vaccine for COVID-19.
• It is a 2-dose vaccine administered
intramuscularly and can be stored at 2ºC to
8ºC.
• It is developed by Biological E Limited.
o The Department of Biotechnology
(DBT) and its Public Sector
Undertaking (PSU), Biotechnology
Industry Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC), have supported Biological E’s
COVID-19 vaccine candidate from the
preclinical stage through Phase III
clinical studies.
• Financial Support: The vaccine candidate was
provided financial support under COVID-19
Research Consortium, through the National
Biopharma Mission, for preclinical toxicology
studies.
o Later support was provided under
Mission COVID Suraksha for clinical
development.
• The recombinant protein subunit vaccine
developed from the Receptor Binding Domain
(RBD) of the spike protein on the viral surface
is adjuvanted with Dynavax’s CpG 1018 and
alum.
Result of Phase III clinical trials
• Comprehensive Phase III clinical trials
involving more than 3000 subjects between
the ages of 18 and 80 at 33 study sites across
India, demonstrated the vaccine to be safe,
well-tolerated and highly immunogenic.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Significance
• This vaccine will sharpen the country’s efforts
in ending the pandemic. The development of
indigenous vaccines to fight the pandemic will
also inspire the country’s scientists and
manufacturers to resolve the problems of the
country.
6.2. In NFHS report card, the good, the
sober, the future
Why in the News?
• The recently released fifth edition of the
National Family Health Survey (NFHS) has
positive news against the COVID-19
pandemic.
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5
• The NFHS-5 presents a top view of the
condition of the nation’s health and related
development indicators.
Highlights of National Family Health Survey
(NFHS)-5
Positive Indicators:
• The state of the nation’s health looks
promising on various fronts like:
Stabilizing population growth
• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) i.e. the average
number of children born per woman has
declined to 2.0 from 2.2.
• A total of 31 States and Union Territories have
achieved fertility rates below the replacement
level of 2.1.
Improved family planning services
• The main reasons for the decline in fertility
are:
o An increase in usage of modern family
planning methods (56.5% in 2019-21
compared to 47.8% in 2015-16).
8448449709
61
 M.S.Shashank
o Further, 62% of current users have
received information about the side
effects of contraceptives.
o Significant improvements in female
literacy, with 41% of women having
undergone 10 or more years of schooling
(compared to 36% in 2015-16). Fertility
decline has taken place alongside notable
improvements in access to quality
education, especially girls’ education.
Better delivery of health systems
• Maternal health services are showing steady
progress.
• Institutional births were accessed by 88.6%
of women in 2019-21 compared to 78.4% in
2015-16.
• Almost 10% increase in institutional
deliveries in public health facilities.
• The practice of child marriage has shown a
decline (from 26.8% in 2015-16 to 23.3% in
2019-21).
• The proportion of women who have their
bank accounts has reached a record 78.6%.
• About 50% of the women use mobile phones
and about one in three women use the
internet.
Concerns Highlighted:
It also highlights the need for further
improvement to address various issues like,
• Gender-based violence.
• Harmful practices against women and
girls, like child marriage and gender-
biased sex selection.
Conclusion
While it is heartening to see significant
improvements in the fields such as female
literacy, it is important to invest in fields such as
mobile technology, banking, education, and
women’s economic empowerment and device
targeted strategies or policies based on the
specific indicators that are currently lagging. This
would help India achieve its development goals
as well as the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG) 2030 Agenda.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
6.3. Should vaccination be made
mandatory?
Why in the News?
• Challenges in vaccination drive against
COVID-19, including vaccine hesitancy and
shortage in supplies.
Background:
• A total of 142 crore doses have been
administered in India till date. The vaccination
drive was taken up in a phased manner,
starting with the healthcare workers, frontline
workers, then for people aged 60 years and
above, then for people aged 45-plus with co-
morbidities, and finally, for persons above 18
years.
• Various challenges have been encountered
during this phase.
Challenges in the Vaccination Drive
Vaccine supplies and logistics issue
The last mile reach of vaccines is one of the
major challenges. The first dose of vaccination is
not yet complete for all the eligible persons,
while many countries are moving towards
booster doses.
Issue of vaccine hesitancy
It is a major challenge in universal vaccination
currently.
Reasons:
• Anti-vaxxers are actively spreading rumours,
pseudoscience, and unscientific information
against vaccination.
• The spread of pseudo-information like
vaccination leads to infertility and vaccines
can alter the DNA in the body.
• It is also a result of a trust deficit in the
scientific community and the government.
Way forward
• Health care workers travelling to inaccessible
areas and remote places are a welcome sign
in ensuring the last mile reach and that no
one is left behind.
• Further, the accessibility and availability of
vaccine doses can be increased by fastening
8448449709
62
 M.S.Shashank
the production and licensing of newer
vaccines.
• To counter vaccine hesitancy, large-scale
innovative and creative awareness campaigns
have to be undertaken to educate the public
about the efficiency of vaccines.
• Legislations making vaccination mandatory
for entry into public places and workplaces
are in the right direction.
• Door-to-door campaigns with local groups,
Panchayat leaders, ward members, and
women from self-help groups should be
undertaken.
Conclusion
• The problem of the availability of vaccines in
low-economic countries is a major one and
will create new strains or variants in the
future. This is why the World Health
Organization has stated that instead of giving
booster shots to all, we must provide two
doses of vaccines to all the eligible people
across the world. Developed countries have a
big role to play.
• India being called the “Pharmacy of the
world”, has a major role to play in increasing
vaccine production and supplying it to poor
countries to end the pandemic. Also,
domestically the government should provide
incentives for people who get vaccinated and
focus on educating people by involving
doctors, community influencers such as
religious leaders, political leaders, panchayat
leaders and other influential groups, frontline
and healthcare workers to promote vaccines
and achieve 100% immunization.
6.4. Put out the data, boost the dose of
transparency
Why in the News?
• Recently, the Prime Minister of India
announced two key decisions.
o First, all children in the 15-17 age bracket
will be eligible to receive COVID-19
vaccines from January 3, 2022.
o Second, all healthcare workers, frontline
workers and people aged 60 years and
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
above can get a third shot or ‘precaution
dose’.
Concerns associated with the Two Decisions:
• The vaccination that will be given as a
precautionary dosage was not specified in the
letter.
• Children will be given Covaxin, which is the
only World Health Organization (WHO)
approved vaccination with an emergency use
list (EUL) for this age group available in India.
• It’s unclear if the counsel was given on the
basis of opinion or scientific proof.
• The term ‘precaution dosage’ is often
interpreted as a tacit admission of a lack of
proof.
• The development of the COVID-19 Omicron
variation has had little effect on the risk in
youngsters. In this context, the advantages of
immunizing youngsters are limited, and they
are ranked lower on the priority list for
COVID-19 immunization.
• The ‘targeted vaccination approach’ is likely
to meet a logistical barrier in identifying the
youngsters who are eligible.
• The bulk of the older population suffers from
one or more comorbidities. If they are needed
to seek medical advice, it is estimated that up
to 10 crore medical consultations will be
required, with both indirect and direct costs.
Way Forward:
1. First, the conditionality of comorbidities and
the need for advice by a doctor for ‘the
precaution shot’ in the elderly should be done
away with.
2. Second, there is scientific evidence and
consensus on administering the third dose for
immunocompromised adults.
3. Third, studies have found that a heterologous
prime-boost approach is a better approach.
4. Fourth, technical experts should be given
complete access to COVID-19 data for analysis
and to find answers to those scientific and
policy questions. Additional studies with
primary data collection should be urgently
commissioned for those policy issues which
cannot be answered by existing data.
5. Fifth, vaccination for teenage children,
exclusively with Covaxin has other
implications.
8448449709
63
 M.S.Shashank
6. Finally, the precaution dose and vaccination
for children should not divert attention from
the task of primary vaccination, 46 crore
doses are still needed for the first and second
shots.
6.5. Project 'Niramay'
Why In the News?
• National Health Mission, Assam in
collaboration with Piramal Swasthya and Cisco
launched the project “Niramay” to
demonstrate the integration of digital health
technology to strengthen public health care
delivery in the state.
About ‘Niramay’
• It is a step towards strengthening public
health delivery in the state of Assam by
realizing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision
of the National Digital Health Mission.
• This initiative is based on Piramal Swasthya’s
indigenous integrated health technology
7. education
7.1. ARIIA 2021
Why In the News?
Recently, The Ministry of Education’s innovation
cell released the Atal Ranking of Institutions on
Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2021.
• Seven institutions, including College of
Engineering Pune, IIT Bombay and Savitribai
Phule Pune University from Maharashtra have
secured 'Top 10' positions under various
categories.
About ARIIA
• It is a very unique joint initiative of the
Ministry of Education and AICTE to
systematically rank higher educational
institutions in India on indicators related to
Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship
Development amongst students and faculty.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
platform ‘AMRIT’(Accessible Medical Records
via Integrated Technologies).
• This project will work towards strengthening
digital infrastructure to enable telemedicine
interactions, rapid diagnostics, patient’s
health records and data collection at the
grass-root level in three aspirational
districts(Barpeta, Darrang and Baksa) in
Assam.
Objectives and need
• The recent experiences from the pandemic
have shown the importance of having a
robust Public Health Delivery System.
• Digitization and as well as public-private
partnerships will play a significant role in this.
‘Niramay’ will enable a continuum of care and
accessibility of real-time data to the relevant
stakeholder for informed decision making .
• It aims to strengthen the health system at the
grassroots level and improve the quality of
healthcare as well as the experience of
healthcare delivery by establishing a continuum
of care..”
• The first edition of the ARIIA was launched in
2018.
• Parameters
o It critically evaluates institutions on
parameters like patent filing and granted,
number of registered students and faculty
startups, fund generation by incubated
startups, specialised infrastructure
created by institutions to promote
innovation and entrepreneurship, etc.
• Categories
o ARIIA-2021 ranking is announced in
various categories:
▪ Centrally funded technical institutions
(eg IITs, NITs, etc), State Universities,
State Standalone Technical colleges,
Private Universities, Private
Standalone Technical Colleges, Non-
Technical Government and Private
Universities And Institutions.
8448449709
64
 M.S.Shashank
7.2. The devastating impact of school poor families were left disadvantaged as they
did not have access to digital devices and the
closure
internet.
• Unsuitability of online education: Online
Why in the News?
education would be a poor replacement for
• Adverse consequences of School Closure on
physical classes as children, especially in
Children in India.
primary and pre-primary classes, can learn
efficiently only through human interactions
How Covid-19 Pandemic has impacted School
with teachers and peers.
Closure in India:
• UNICEF estimated that school closures
Recommendations:
affected about 250 million children in India.
• Education sector must adopt a multipronged
• The primary “reason” being provided for
approach to ensure no child is left behind.
school closure is to “protect children”.
• Policymakers should focus on creating
• Some medical professionals have argued that
incentives to get children back in school, For
COVID-19 vaccines are necessary for children
example mid-day meals.
as otherwise children may carry the infection
from school back home to adults. • Building back better education system such as
identifying gaps and assessing the current
What are the Consequences of School Closure educational status of the children.
on Children Welfare? • Focusing on direct and continuous interactions
• Deprivation of Learning Skills: It is observed with parents to encourage increased
that reading and writing levels of children attendance of children.
have declined, with nearly half of them • Incorporating bridge courses that help
unable to read more than a few words. More children overcome their learning losses, so
than a third of them were not studying at all. that the gap created in education does not
• Mental Health Issues: The mental health impact their learning in the future.
issues are deeply concerning. The U.K. has • Launching a campaign aimed at getting girls
reported alarming increases in mental health back to school with active support from school
issues among kids. Likewise, the American management committee and the local
Academy of Pediatrics called the mental government.
health crisis among children a national
emergency. Conclusion:
• Increasing Issue of Malnutrition: Malnutrition o Education is a constitutional right.
has become a serious problem since the Prolonged school closures and the lack of
closed schools deprived children from mid- quality and accessible online education is
day meals. a violation of children’s rights.
• Child Labour: Decades of progress against the
severe malice of child labour has been
reversed due to extended school closure. As
per the 2011 Census, we had an estimated
10.1 million children in child labour.
• Increased Exposure to Violence and
Exploitation: When schools shut down, early
marriages increase, sexual exploitation of girls
and young women rises, teenage pregnancies
become more common, and child labour
grows.
• Digital Divide deepening the already existing
Inequalities: School closures have led classes
to be moved online. Millions of children from
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com 8448449709

65
 M.S.Shashank
8. Agriculture
8.1. State Of India’s Livelihood (Soil)
Report 2021
Why In the News?
• The State of India’s Livelihood (SOIL) Report
2021 stated that only 1-5 percent of Farmer
producer organisations (FPOs) have received
funding under central government schemes
introduced to promote them in the last seven
years.
o It is an annual Report released at the
Livelihoods India Summit, an initiative of
Access Development Services (a national
livelihoods support organization).
Key Highlights
Sanctioned cases:
• Maharashtra has the highest number of cases
sanctioned (144), followed by Tamil Nadu at
104 and Uttar Pradesh at 96. West Bengal has
the highest coverage, followed closely by
Karnataka and then Tamil Nadu.
Equity Grant Scheme and Credit Guarantee
Scheme:
• Equity Grant Scheme and Credit Guarantee
Scheme were the two primary programmes
introduced for FPOs to avail funds to support
their activities.
• In the Credit Guarantee Scheme, which
provides risk cover to banks that advance
collateral-free loans to FPCs up to Rs 1 crore,
only about 1 per cent of registered producer
companies have been able to avail the
benefits.
10K Policy:
• 10K (10,000 FPOs) policy has played an
important role in bringing attention to the
importance of collectivising small and
marginal farmers, and more needs to be
done.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Capacity building:
• FPOs need to secure funding, identify and
establish relations with customers, establish
internal governance processes, among other
things.
• For this, they need capacity building to be
able to move from start-up phase to growth
and eventually to maturity. This is a gap that
has not been addressed yet.
Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs)
About:
• It is a generic name, which refers to farmer-
producers’ organization incorporated/
registered either under Part IXA of Companies
Act or under Co-operative Societies Act of the
concerned States.
• It is formed for the purpose of leveraging
collectives through economies of scale in
production and marketing of agricultural and
allied sector.
Concept:
• The concept behind Farmer Producer
Organizations is that farmers, who are the
producers of agricultural products, can form
groups.
o To facilitate this process, the Small
Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium
(SFAC) was mandated by Department
of Agriculture and Cooperation,
Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India,
to support the State Governments in
the formation of Farmer Producer
Organizations (FPOs).
Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer
Producer Organizations (FPOs):
• The Government of India has approved and
launched a Central Sector Scheme to form
and promote 10,000 new FPOs till 2027-28.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 29
February 2020, launched 10,000 FPOs across
India from Chitrakoot.
• Under the scheme, the formation and
promotion of FPO is based on Produce
8448449709
66
 M.S.Shashank
Cluster Area approach and specialized
commodity-based approach.
• While adopting cluster-based approach,
formation of FPOs will be focussed on “One
District One Product” for development of
product specialization.
Implementation of the Scheme:
• Under this scheme, formation & promotion of
FPOs are to be done through the
Implementing Agencies (IAs). As of February
2021, nine IAs had been finalized for
formation and promotion of FPOs viz.:
o Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium
(SFAC)
o National Cooperative Development
Corporation (NCDC)
o National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD)
o National Agricultural Cooperative
Marketing Federation of India (NAFED)
o North Eastern Regional Agricultural
Marketing Corporation Limited
(NERAMAC)
o Tamil Nadu-Small Farmers Agri-Business
Consortium (TN-SFAC)
o Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium
Haryana (SFACH)
o Watershed Development Department
(WDD)- Karnataka
o Foundation for Development of Rural
Value Chains (FDRVC)- Ministry of Rural
Development (MoRD)
Need for FPOs:
Small and marginal farmers:
• Nearly 86 per cent of farmers are small and
marginal with average land holdings in the
country being less than 1.1 hectare.
Challenges faced by them:
• Production: These small, marginal and
landless farmers face tremendous challenges
during agriculture production phase such as
for access to technology, quality seed,
fertilizers and pesticides including requisite
finances.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Marketing: They also face tremendous
challenges in marketing their produce due to
lack of economic strength.
Solution thru FPOs:
• FPOs help in collectivization of such small,
marginal and landless farmers in order to give
them the collective strength to deal with such
issues.
• Members of the FPO will manage their
activities together in the organization to get
better access to technology, input, finance
and market for faster enhancement of their
income.
Objectives of FPOs:
• To provide holistic and broad-based
supportive ecosystem to form 10000 new
FPOs to facilitate development of vibrant and
sustainable income-oriented farming and for
overall socio-economic development and
wellbeing of agrarian communities.
• To enhance productivity through efficient,
cost-effective and sustainable resource use
and realize higher returns through better
liquidity and market linkages for their
produce and become sustainable through
collective action.
• To provide handholding and support to new
FPOs up to five years from the year of its
creation in all aspects of management of FPO,
inputs, production, processing and value
addition, market linkages, credit linkages and
use of technology etc.
• To provide effective capacity building to FPOs
to develop agriculture entrepreneurship skills
to become economically viable and self-
sustaining beyond the period of support from
the government.
Challenges to FPOs
Lack of/ Inadequate Professional Management:
• Farmers’ Organizations are required to be
efficiently managed by experienced, trained
and professionally qualified CEO and other
personnel under the supervision and control
of democratically-elected Boards of
Directors.
8448449709
67
 M.S.Shashank
• However, such trained manpower is presently
not available in the rural space to manage
FPO business professionally.
Weak Financials:
• FPOs are mostly represented by SF/MF with
poor resource base and hence, initially they
are not financially strong enough to deliver
vibrant products and services to their
members and build confidence.
Inadequate Access to credit:
• Lack of access to affordable credit for want of
collaterals and credit history is one of the major
constraints the FPOs are facing today.
• Further, the credit guarantee cover being
offered by SFAC for collateral free lending is
available only to Producer Companies (other
forms of FPOs are not covered) having
minimum 500 shareholder membership.
• Due to this, large number of FPOs particularly
those, which are registered under other legal
statutes as also small size FPOs are not able to
access the benefits of credit guarantee scheme.
Lack of Risk Mitigation Mechanism:
• Presently, while the risks related to production
at farmers’ level are partly covered under the
existing crop / livestock / other insurance
schemes, there is no provision to cover business
risks of FPOs.
Inadequate Access to Market:
• Marketing of produce at remunerative prices is
the most critical requirement for the success of
FPOs.
• The input prices are largely fixed by corporate
producers.
• The cultivators loose through the complex
gamut of market processes in the input and
output prices.
• There are more market opportunities; if FPOs
can identify local market needs of the
consumers and have tie-up for sale of its
produce.
• The linkage with Industry/ other market players,
large retailers, etc. is necessary for long term
sustainability of FPOs.
Inadequate Access to Infrastructure
• The producers’ collectives have inadequate
access to basic infrastructure required for
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
aggregation like transport facilities, storage,
value addition (cleaning, grading, sorting, etc.)
and processing, brand building and marketing.
• Further, in most of the commercial farming
models, the primary producers are generally
excluded from the value chain.
Lack of technical Skills/ Awareness:
• Inadequate awareness among the farmers
about the potential benefits of collectivization
& non availability of competent agency for
providing handholding support.
• Further, lack of legal and technical knowledge
about various Acts and Regulations related to
formation of FPOs and statutory compliances
thereafter.
Way Ahead
• There is a need to make it easier for FPOs to
avail government programmes and schemes for
providing equity grants and loans.
• This can be achieved either by reducing the
threshold for eligibility or by supporting FPOs to
reach the eligibility criteria, or both.
8.2. Sustainable Farming Creates New
livelihood Sources
Why in the News?
o The Chief Minister’s Economic Transformation
Advisory Council was delighted by a sustainable
natural farming technique used in southern
Rajasthan’s Banswara district.
What is Sustainable Natural Farming?
• Sustainable agriculture is a style of farming that
focuses on producing long-term crops while
causing the least amount of environmental
damage possible.
• This style of agriculture attempts to strike a
balance between the requirement for food
production and the maintenance of the
environment’s ecological system.
Significance of Sustainable Agriculture
• Sustainable agriculture helps in environmental
conservation.
• Sustainable agriculture substitutes the sources
for energy with renewable sources.
• Sustainable agriculture ensures public health
safety.
• It also helps in reducing pollution.
8448449709
68
 M.S.Shashank
Sustainable Farming Methods or Practices:
What are the Challenges to Sustainable
Agriculture in India?
1. Urbanization: Land and water resources are
under severe strain as a result of
urbanization. The conversion of prime
agricultural land to non-agricultural uses has
to be reversed by effective land use policy.
2. Agricultural Development: Sustainable
agriculture needs to fulfill the requirement of
increasing production, creating jobs, and
offering a source of income for the poorest
sectors of the population. This is at the heart
of agricultural development.
3. Access to Technology: In India, the adoption
of modern technologies is delayed, and
agricultural techniques remain haphazard and
unscientific.
4. Low Incomes: The vast majority of farmers
are caught in a cycle of low production and
poor investment due to deteriorating natural
resources, unconnected value chains,
fragmented landholdings, limited
infrastructure, inadequate expertise, etc.
5. Other Issues: Strengthening rural finance,
research, human resource development,
trade and export promotion, land reforms,
and education are all important challenges for
the growth of the sustainable Indian
agriculture industry.
Way Forward:
• Technology Transfer: Transfer of technology
and capacity building are critical in
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
empowering farmers to increase production
and embrace sustainable agricultural practices.
• Private Players’ Involvement: The private
sector may play an important and
complementary role in boosting agricultural
output.
• Increase Investment: Large agribusiness
investments can guarantee that input
availability is coordinated, that financing for
crops and capital expenditures are made easier,
and that resources are supplemented.
• Policy Reforms: Policy reforms in the
agriculture sector must take into account the
sustainable agriculture requirements, which
have an influence on the value chain from
farmer to consumer.
8.3. Gherkins
Why in the News?
• India has emerged as the largest exporter of
gherkins in the world. India has exported
cucumber and gherkins to the tune of 1,23,846
Metric Tonnes with a value of USD 114 million
during April- October, 2021.
More Details
• India has crossed the USD 200 million mark of
export of agricultural processed product, -
pickling cucumber, which is globally referred as
gherkins or cornichons, in the last financial
year.
Significance –
o Gherkins are exported under two categories —
cucumbers and gherkins, which are prepared
and preserved by vinegar or acetic acid and
cucumbers and gherkins, which are
provisionally preserved.
o Gherkin cultivation, processing and exports
started in India during the early 1990s with a
modest beginning in Karnataka and later
extended to the neighbouring states of Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Nearly
15% production of the world’s gherkin
requirement is grown in India.
o Gherkins is currently exported to more than 20
countries, with major destinations being North
America, European countries and Oceanic
countries such as USA, France, Germany,
Australia, Spain, South Korea, Canada, Japan,
Belgium, Russia, China, Sri Lanka and Israel.
8448449709
69
 M.S.Shashank
9. Environment
9.1. Green Hydrogen
Why In the News?
• The government is planning to blend 15 per
cent green hydrogen with piped natural gas
(PNG) for domestic, commercial and industrial
consumption.
About
• The move is in line with India’s ambitious
target of reducing greenhouse emissions and
becoming carbon neutral by 2070.
• This initiative will be part of the government’s
National Hydrogen Energy Mission aimed at
generating hydrogen from green power
sources.
Government’s plans
• The government will bring green hydrogen
under renewable purchase obligation (RPO).
• It means that bulk buyers such as Discoms
and captive users have to buy a certain
proportion of renewable energy (RE) out of
their total power requirement.
• A similar mechanism will be created for
hydrogen and it will be called hydrogen
purchase obligation (HPO).
• The HPO will cover industries like oil refineries
and fertiliser plants, which use grey hydrogen.
• The idea is to create demand for green
hydrogen.
• HPO is likely to come from 2023.
• Government plans to float bids for
manufacturing green hydrogen, which will be
supplied to fertiliser units and petroleum
refineries.
• Similarly, the plan is also to supply green
hydrogen for PNG.
• The government will offer free transmission
(of power) for this like in the case of
Renewable Energy.
• The objective is to blend 15 per cent green
hydrogen with PNG, as it is technically viable.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Beyond this, the gas pipeline would have to
be refurbished.
About Hydrogen
• Hydrogen is the lightest element.
• It is the simplest and smallest element in the
periodic table. No matter how it is produced,
it ends up with the same carbon-free
molecule.
• However, the pathways to produce it are very
diverse, and so are the emissions of
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2)
and methane (CH4).
• At standard conditions, hydrogen is a gas of
diatomic molecules having the formula H2.
Properties
• It is colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic,
and highly combustible.
• Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical
substance in the universe, constituting
roughly 75% of all normal matter.
• Hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel burned
with oxygen. It can be used in fuel cells or
internal combustion engines. It is also used as
a fuel for spacecraft propulsion.
Different Types of Hydrogen
• Green hydrogen: It is defined as hydrogen
produced by splitting water into hydrogen
and oxygen using renewable electricity.
8448449709
70
 M.S.Shashank
• This is a very different pathway compared to
both grey and blue.
• Grey hydrogen: It is traditionally produced
from methane (CH4), split with steam into
CO2 – the main culprit for climate change –
and H2, hydrogen.
• Grey hydrogen has increasingly been
produced also from coal, with significantly
higher CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen
produced, so much that is often called brown
or black hydrogen instead of grey.
• It is produced at an industrial scale today,
with associated emissions comparable to the
combined emissions of the UK and Indonesia.
• It has no energy transition value, quite the
opposite.
Blue hydrogen
• It follows the same process as grey, with the
additional technologies necessary to capture
the CO2 produced when hydrogen is split
from methane (or from coal) and store for the
long term.
• It is not one colour but rather a very broad
gradation, as not 100% of the CO2 produced
can be captured, and not all means of storing
it are equally effective in the long term.
• The main point is that by capturing a large
part of the CO2, the climate impact of
hydrogen production can be reduced
significantly.
Advantages of hydro energy
• Flexible carrier: Hydrogen is a flexible energy
carrier and can be used for many energy
applications like the integration of
renewables and transportation.
• Fewer emissions: It is produced using RE and
electrolysis to split water and is distinct from
grey hydrogen, which is produced from
methane and releases greenhouse gases.
• The by product is also environmentally
friendly: Energy can be extracted from
hydrogen through combustion or through fuel
cells, which emit only water as a by-product.
• Global dominance increasing: Several
countries in Europe and North America are
experimenting with mixing green hydrogen
with PNG. For instance, in the UK, power
utilities are blending hydrogen into pipelines
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
to fuel power plants, industrial applications
and to serve homes. The mixing is around 15-
20% in some networks. Besides, there are
various pilot projects on hydrogen blending
with PNG being tested in countries like the
Netherlands, Germany, France, Australia,
South Korea and Japan.
Disadvantages
• Increased leakage risks: According to a study
by the US Energy Department’s National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2013,
“How it (hydrogen) affects the pipelines it
travels in and appliances that use it.
• On the pipeline front, hydrogen
embrittlement can weaken metal or
polyethylene pipes and increase leakage risks,
particularly in high-pressure pipes”.
• Brittle: Hydrogen embrittlement is a situation
when the metal (pipeline) becomes brittle
due to the diffusion of hydrogen into the
material. The extent of embrittlement
depends on the amount of hydrogen and the
material’s microstructure.
Other Challenges
• Highly Flammable: Its flammability and its
lightness mean that hydrogen, like other
fuels, needs to be properly handled.
Compared to gasoline, natural gas, and
propane, hydrogen is more flammable in the
air.
• Lack of Infrastructure: Because hydrogen is
so much less dense than gasoline, it is difficult
to transport. It either needs to be cooled to -
2530C to liquefy it, or it needs to be
compressed to 700 times atmospheric
pressure so it can be delivered as a
compressed gas.
• There is not enough infrastructure to
accommodate the widespread use of
hydrogen.
• Requires modifications: To distribute pure
hydrogen, natural gas pipelines would require
major alterations to avoid potential
embrittlement of the metal pipes, or
completely separate hydrogen pipelines
would need to be constructed.
• Constraints in Fuel Cells: Fuel cell technology
has been constrained by the high cost of fuel
8448449709
71
 M.S.Shashank
cells because platinum, which is expensive, is
used at the anode and cathode as a catalyst
to split hydrogen.
• A challenge for fuel cell electric vehicles has
been how to store enough, to 13 kilograms of
compressed hydrogen gas, in the vehicle to
achieve the conventional driving range of 300
miles.
Suggestions
• The Center on Global Energy Policy
recommended that policymakers take a
colourblind approach to planning and analysis
to determine whether blue or green hydrogen
production best suited their geography,
rather than picking a pathway before
understanding the associated costs and
challenges.
9.2. Tiger Deaths in India
Why In the News?
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA) has recorded 126 tiger deaths in the
year 2021.
Key Points
• The number of deaths is the highest since
NTCA began collecting the data a decade ago.
• Madhya Pradesh has maximum tiger deaths
followed by 26 in Maharashtra and 14 in
Karnataka.
• There can be numerous causes for deaths as
the population of tigers is huge and a
standard operating procedure (SoP) is
followed to ascertain the reasons.
• Tiger deaths are under the scrutiny of the
state as well as the NCTA.
Threats faced by tigers
• Poaching: Every single part of the tiger is
traded in illegal markets. It is used in
traditional Asian medicine which has no
medicinal value at all, making the deaths of
these animals for this purpose unnecessary.
• Habitat Loss: Tigers have lost 93% of their
historical range as their habitat has been
destroyed or degraded by human activity.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Human-Wildlife Conflict: With smaller forests
to hunt in, tigers are forced to kill livestock
and when they do the farmers often retaliate
and kill the big cat.
Tiger Conservation Efforts
CATS:
• Fourteen out of India’s 52 tiger reserves have
received the Conservation Assured Tiger
Standards (CATS) accreditation for meeting a
set of standards for effective conservation of
big cats.
• It is a globally accepted conservation tool that
sets best practices and standards to manage
tigers and assessments to benchmark
progress.
Project Tiger:
• “Project Tiger”, now ongoing as a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme, was launched by the
Government of India in 1973 in nine reserves
of different States (Assam, Bihar, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal)
over an area of approximately 14,000 sq. km.
• Since then, the project coverage has
expanded considerably to 52 tiger reserves
(TR).
International Collaboration
• India has signed a protocol on conservation of
tigers with China and a Memorandum of
Understanding with Bangladesh on
conservation of the Sundarbans.
• Also, the Cabinet has given the nod to sign a
Memorandum of Understanding with
Myanmar to combat timber trafficking and
conservation of tigers and other wildlife.
• Besides bilateral engagements are being
carried out with Bhutan, Nepal and
Cambodia.
• The Government of Guatemala has solicited
collaboration with the Govt. of India to
safeguard their Jaguar population.
• A tripartite, institute level has been signed
between the National Tiger Conservation
Authority, the Wildlife Institute of India,
Dehradun and the A. N. Severtsov Institute of
Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of
Sciences for tiger conservation.
8448449709
72
 M.S.Shashank
Global Efforts for Tiger Conservation:
• Tigers are now globally listed as
“endangered” on the International Union for
the conversion of Nature (IUCN) Red List of
threatened species.
• The Global Tiger Forum (GTF), an
international NGO working on tiger
conservation, and World Wildlife Fund India
are the two implementing partners of the
National Tiger Conservation Authority for
CATS assessment in India.
• International Tiger Day: The 29th of July
marks International Tiger Day.
Technological advancements in tiger
conservation
M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers
Intensive-Protection & Ecological Status):
• This is an android application that has three
distinct modules namely the Patrol module,
Ecological module and Conflict module.
• The Patrol module inter-alia is a mechanism
to ensure accountability of front line staff vis-
à-vis anti-poaching efforts and is useful for
the tiger reserve management to strengthen
protection measures, based on data that is
generated through M-STrIPES.
• The ecological module assists in collecting
biological data from the field which is utilised
in the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation
and annual Phase IV exercise.
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)
• The project titled ‘E-Bird Technology for
Tiger Conservation: Development and
Integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAV) as a Surveillance and Monitoring tool
for Protection of Tiger and Capacity Building
of Frontline Staff’ has commenced in13 tiger
landscapes. A trainer drone has been
fabricated along with the development of a
trainer manual for field staff.
Conservation Genetics
• This technique of non-invasive genetic
sampling of tiger scat is used in low tiger
density areas to detect tiger presence or a
minimum number of tiger individuals.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• DNA extracts from scat samples are collected
from the field and identified by a tiger specific
DNA marker.
• This has also been used to carry out a genetic
assessment of relatedness between India’s
tiger populations.
Artificial Intelligence
• Owing to a large number of camera traps,
photographs of tigers and wildlife collected
during the 2018 cycle of the All India Tiger
Estimation (nearly 3.5 crores) concepts from
artificial intelligence were used to segregate
species wise photographs.
Recent Developments
• Ongoing process to protect tigers like
patrolling is going on, and a lot of people have
been arrested for poaching too.
• Everything is being done to protect the tigers,
but nearly 30 per cent of them are outside
tiger reserves which make it tough to track.
Suggestions to manage human-tiger negative
interactions
Material and logistical support:
• Funding support through the ongoing
centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger is
provided to tiger reserves for acquiring
capacity in terms of infrastructure and
material, to deal with tigers dispersing out of
source areas.
Restricting habitat interventions:
• Based on the carrying capacity of tigers in a
tiger reserve, habitat interventions are
proposed or restricted through an
overarching Tiger Conservation Plan.
• In case tiger numbers are at carrying capacity
levels, it is advised that habitat interventions
should be limited so that there is no excessive
spillover of wildlife including tigers thereby
minimizing man-animal conflict.
Standard Operating Procedures:
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority
has issued the following three SOPs to deal
with man-animal conflict.
8448449709
73
 M.S.Shashank
9.3. GANGA REJUVENATION
Why in the News?
• The Director General for National mission of
clean Ganga has talked about rejuvenating the
Ganga’s water and maintaining the river’s
purity can prove to be one of the best ways to
keep Sundarbans alive and protect it from the
effects of climate change
Namami Gange Programme
• Namami Gange was launched in 2014-15 for
the rejuvenation of Ganga and its tributaries
with assured funding of Rs.20,000 crores
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is
the implementing agency
• It is backed by Ganga river basin management
plan and has a holistic multisectoral, multi
agency and multi level approach in four broad
categories
o Pollution Abatement (Nirmal Ganga)
o Improving flow and ecology (Aviral Ganga)
o Strengthening people-river connect (Jan
Ganga)
o Research & knowledge management
(Gyan Ganga)
• It is not only limited to cleaning or piecemeal
selected city intervention but follows river
centric and basin-based approach for
comprehensive rejuvenation.
• The government has notified NMCG as an
authority under the Environmental Protection
Act,1986 and created empowered institutions
& laid down fundamental principles with a
comprehensive framework for rejuvenation of
rivers in the Ganga basin.
• It has integrated rivers, tributaries, wetlands,
floodplains, springs and small rivers as a
single system.
• It envisages an integrated administrative
structure from the national to district level
facilities with shared vision, convergence,
effective implementation and involvement of
people.
Pollution Abatement (Nirmal Ganga)
• Namami Gange introduced PPP for sewage
infrastructure for the first time in India
through hybrid annuity model (HAM) bringing
a paradigm shift from payment for
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
construction to performance linked
payments.
• The 'one-city one-operator approach' merging
the rehabilitation of old and creation of new
assets and operation & management for all of
them on HAM to improve governance was
introduced.
• The annual inspection of grossly polluting
industries by expert institutions, online
monitoring, process improvement and
common effluent treatment plant have
helped in checking the industrial pollution.
• Improving sanitation at ghats, stopping solid
waste from entering the river, surface water
cleaning and improving process capacity in
urban local bodies have helped to make
Ganga grams ODF.
Improvement in flow and ecology (Aviral Ganga)
• Demarcation and protection of floodplains,
protection and conservation of wetlands
especially floodplains and urban wetlands,
springs and small river rejuvenation projects
are under implementation
• Sustainable agriculture is being promoted
through organic farming, eco agriculture and
medicinal plantation and improving water use
efficiency
• Also demand side management, rainwater
harvesting, aquifer mapping and recharge are
under progress.
People River connect (Jan Ganga)
• 'Jan Bhagidari' is central to this mission,
riverfronts have been improved and kept
clean because of the efforts of people
• Transformation of ghats from dirty to
beautiful riverbanks is taking place with
people's participation
• Dedicated cadres of Ganga saviours are
working to reach out to the community and
helping to create awareness
• All efforts can help in in bringing behavioral
change transforming the programme as a Jan
Andolan.
Research, policy and knowledge management
(Gyan Ganga)
• A new paradigm for planning for river cities to
mainstream river health in urban planning
8448449709
74
 M.S.Shashank
and a national framework for reuse of treated
wastewater are being formulated
• Namami Gange is now leading to the
development of Arth Ganga model linking the
economic development of the Ganga basin
with ecological improvement and Ganga
rejuvenation.
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT OF WASTEWATER
• The inadequate management of wastewater
has emerged as one of the biggest threats to
the riverine ecosystem and public health in
the Ganga basin
• While the conventional methods of
wastewater treatment like sewage network
and sewage treatment plants need to be
strengthened especially in the terms of
durability and performance, equally urgent is
the advocacy of some alternative methods at
policy level and intervention at the
implementation level
• Initiatives like faecal sludge and septage
management (FSSM) acquire even greater
significance in the backdrop of increasing
acceptance of the fact that connecting all
households especially in the urban areas to
sewage networks is an extremely daunting
task
• The importance of FSSM also reflects in the
vision of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen),
Phase-2 as faecal sludge management is one
of the focus areas of ODF to ODF plus
• The demand attention is also becoming the
decentralized approach to integrated
wastewater management which is
increasingly being watched as an attractive
solution for addressing the problems of water
pollution and scarcity
• From augmenting the performance of sewage
networks and sewage treatment plants
through innovations like hybrid annuity model
(HAM) and one City one operator to
implementation of FSSM projects to
bioremediation, multi pronged approach has
been adopted to address the challenge of
waste water in the Ganga basin
• The importance accorded to river sensitive
planning and water sensitive design in urban
areas under Namami gange programme
attests to the vigorous advocacy of including
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
river health at the planning stage rather than
viewing the riverine ecosystem as mere water
sources for the population which can be dealt
at some later stage.
WAY FORWARD
• Local planning in both rural and urban areas
plays a major role in successful management
of wastewater
• It is essential that decentralised planning is
practiced in mainstream for successful
implementation of multiple efforts being
made in the direction of pollution abatement
in the Ganga basin
• It is imperative for the planners and managers
to view rivers, water and ecology as an
essential balancer and not just a resource to
be injudiciously used
9.4. The baton of forest restoration in the
net zero race
Why in the News?
• India’s pledge to set a net zero target by 2070,
at the COP26 summit, Glasgow, has again
highlighted the importance of forests as an
undisputed mechanism to help mitigate the
challenges of climate change.
India’s New Climate Action Goals at COP 26
(Glasgow)
• India will achieve a net-zero emissions target
by 2070.
• By 2030, India will ensure 50% of its energy
will be sourced from renewable sources.
• India plans to generate 500 GW of renewable
energy by 2030.
• India also committed to reducing its carbon
emissions until 2030 by a billion tonnes.
• By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity
of its economy to less than 40% of its GDP.
Degradation of Forests in India
• Though India has increased its forest cover by
15,000 sq km in the last six years, the
degradation of existing forests still continues.
• According to the State of Forests Report
(1989), the country had 2,57,409 sq km under
the open forest category (i.e. having a density
8448449709
75
 M.S.Shashank
ranging between 10% to 40%) accounting
for 7.83% of its geographical area.
• However, in the last 30 years (till 2019) this
has been increased to 3,04,499 sq km that is
9.26% of its geographical area.
• This suggests that every year on average,
nearly 1.57 lakh hectares of forests were
degraded.
• This degradation is mainly due
to anthropogenic pressures that include
encroachment, grazing, and fire.
• A total of nearly 1.5 million hectares of
forests have been diverted since 1980 for
developmental activities and nearly 1.48
million hectares of forests have been lost to
encroachers.
• This has a link between poverty and
unemployment in India.
Study by Griscom in 2017
The study suggests that better management
of land is needed to achieve the Paris Climate
Agreement goal of holding warming to below 2
°C. The study examined various options available
and their mitigation potential. The study
concludes by saying that,
• The maximum potential of land-based sinks,
when coupled with food security, fiber
security, and biodiversity conservation, is 23.8
petagrams of carbon-di-oxide (CO2)
equivalent.
• Land-based sinks can provide 37% of cost-
effective CO2 mitigation needed through
2030 for >66% chance of restricting warming
to below 2 °C.
• One-third of this cost-effective natural
climate solution can be delivered at less than
10 USD.
• If actions are implemented effectively, they
also offer water filtration, flood buffering, soil
health, biodiversity habitat, and enhanced
climate resilience.
• The report provides a robust basis for
immediate global action to improve
ecosystem management as a major solution
to climate change.
Background of Joint Forest Management
Activities in India
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• As proposed in National Forest Policy, 1988,
India made its first attempt to engage local
communities in a partnership mode to protect
and manage forests and restore wastelands
with the concept of “care and share”.
• The concept of joint forest management gave
much hope for the States and communities
living in the forest perimeter.
• Later, the funds flowed in from various other
sources like the World Bank, the Overseas
Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) Japan,
the Department for International
Development (DFID), United Kingdom and the
European Union.
• The efforts to make this participatory
approach operative resulted in the formation
of about 1.18 lakh joint forest management
committees managing about 25 million
hectares of forest area.
• A similar system was also implemented to
manage national parks, sanctuaries and tiger
reserves which resulted in a considerable
reduction of man-animal conflicts and the
protection of forests from fires and grazing.
Current challenges
• Post the completion of the project period,
lack of further funding and also lack of
support from associated NGOs affected the
functionality of forest management
committees.
• Except for the National Mission for Green
India, all other centrally sponsored
programmes such as Project Tiger, fire
management, Integrated Development of
Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) and the
Compensatory Afforestation Management
and Planning Authority (CAMPA) lack the
policy support to ensure the participation of
local communities resulting in the decline of
their effectiveness.
• The role of local institutions like gram
panchayat is currently restricted to only
consultation instead of being partners in
planning and implementation.
• Distancing the local communities from
participating in the planning and
implementation of various schemes will
further affect the harmony between them.
8448449709
76
 M.S.Shashank
Solutions
• To achieve net zero targets there is a need to
examine our existing legal and policy
framework; there is a need to incentivise the
local communities and ensure enough supply
of funds. Also further steps need to be taken
to involve local communities in the planning
and implementation of projects.
• Political interventions like in Telangana,
wherein the panchayat and municipal acts
were amended to include environmental
concerns and provision for the creation of
Green Fund and Telangana Haritha Nidhi – for
tree planting and related activities need to be
replicated in other states.
• The inclusive approach of joint forest
management will help reduce emissions as
well as conserve and increase our forest
cover. It will also help protect our rich and
precious biological diversity.
Conclusion
As India has committed at Glasgow, we have
to focus more on climate change and formulate
plans and programs to achieve the net zero
target. Apart from reducing the amount of
emission, equal priority must be given to the
approaches of carbon storage and carbon
sequestration through natural sinks like forest
lands.
9.5. National Mission on Use of Biomass
Why in the News?
o Union Power Secretary chaired the second
meeting of Steering Committee for SAMARTH
i.e. National Mission on Use of Biomass in
coal based thermal Power Plants.
More Details
• He reviewed the status of bio-mass co-firing
and progress of the actions being taken to
promote the co-firing in the thermal power
plants in the meeting.
• In order to reduce stubble burning and to
reduce carbon footprint of Thermal Power
Plants while increasing the income of
farmers, Government of India has taken
various proactive step with the
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
establishment of National Mission on Use of
Biomass in Thermal Power Plants.
• The agro-residue/biomass earlier considered as
a waste product has now begun to produce
zero-carbon electricity for the citizens of the
country.
• In turn farmers are getting additional income
by selling the stubble/ biomass for conversion
into torrefied/non-torrefied biomass pellets.
• For overall monitoring of the Mission and to
facilitate the Mission on inter-ministerial
issues/ constraints, a Steering Committee
under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry
of Power (MoP) has been constituted.
• Ministry of Power's policy on “Biomass
Utilisation for Power Generation through Co-
firing in Coal based Power Plants” issued in
October 2021 mandates all thermal power
plants in the country to use 5 to 10% biomass
along with coal for power production. The
policy has started showing promising results.
About National Mission on Use of Biomass –
• In order to address the issue of air pollution due
to farm stubble burning and to reduce carbon
footprints of thermal power generation,
Ministry of Power has decided to set up a
National Mission on use of Biomass in coal
based thermal power plants. This would further
support the energy transition in the country and
our targets to move towards cleaner energy
sources.
Objectives:
• The "National Mission on use of biomass in
thermal power plants" will have the following
objectives;
• To increase the level of co-firing from present
5% to higher levels to have a larger share of
carbon neutral power generation from the
thermal power plants.
• To take up R&D activity in boiler design to
handle the higher amount of silica, alkalis in the
biomass pellets.
• To facilitate overcoming the constraints in
supply chain of bio mass pellets and agro-
residue and its transport upto to the power
plants.
• To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-
firing.
8448449709
77
 M.S.Shashank
9.6. A proposal for Indian Environmental
Service
Why in the News?
• The Supreme Court has asked the Government
if it will create an Indian Environmental Service
(IES) as recommended by a committee headed
by former Cabinet secretary T.S.R
Subramanian in 2014.
Why is the IES debate back in the news?
• The Supreme Court was responding to a
petition whose counsel pointed out that the
matters of environment required special
expertise.
• Currently, matters of environmental
regulation rest on scientists of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests as well as
bureaucrats from the Indian Administrative
Services (IAS).
• The apex court expressed reluctance at
getting into administrative matters of the
Government but nevertheless asked the
Centre if it expects to go about constituting
such a mechanism.
TSR Subramanian Committee Report on
Environment
• The Subramanian committee was set up in
August 2014 to review the country’s green
laws and the procedures followed by the
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change (MoEF&CC).
• It suggested several amendments to align
with the Government’s economic
development agenda.
• The report had suggested amendments to
almost all green laws, including those relating
to the environment, forest, wildlife and
coastal zone clearances.
• The committee suggested that another
committee, with more expertise and time, be
constituted to review the environmental laws.
Key recommendations
(a) Establishment of Environment Management
Authorities
• The report proposed an ‘Environmental Laws
(Management) Act’ (ELMA), that envisioned full-
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
time expert bodies to be constituted at the
Central and State levels respectively:
1. National Environmental Management
Authority (NEMA)
2. State Environmental Management Authority
(SEMA)
(b) Project clearances
• These authorities evaluate project
clearance (using technology and
expertise), in a time bound manner,
providing for single-window clearance.
• It suggested a “fast track” procedure for
“linear” projects (roads, railways and
transmission lines), power and mining
projects and for “projects of national
importance.”
• It also suggested an appellate mechanism
against the decisions of NEMA/SEMA or
MoEF&CC, in respect of project clearance,
prescribing a three-month deadline to
dispose appeals.
(c) Expanding Environment Protection Act
• The Air Act and the Water Act is to be
subsumed within the EP Act.
• The existing Central Pollution Control
Board and the State PCBs, which monitor
and regulate the conditions imposed on
the industries to safeguard environment
be integrated into NEMA and SEMA.
(d) Evaluating Environmental Reconstruction
Cost (ERC)
• The report also recommends that an
“ERC” should be assessed for each project
on the basis of the damage caused by it to
the environment and this should be added
into the cost of the project.
• This cost has to be recovered as a cess or
duty from the project proponent during
the life of the project.
(e) Research and Development
• It proposed the establishment of a
National Environment Research institute
“on the lines of the Indian Council of
Forestry Research and Education”.
• It would bring in the application of high-
end technology in environment
governance.
8448449709
78
 M.S.Shashank
(f) Establishment of Indian Environment Service
(IES)
• Finally, an Indian Environment Service
should be established to recruit qualified
and skilled human resource in the
environment sector.
How were the recommendations received?
• The Centre never formally accepted this
report and neither constituted a new
committee as recommended by the
Parliamentary Standing Committee.
• The Parliamentary rejected the report on the
grounds that it ended up diluting key aspects
of environmental legislation designed to
protect the environment.
• However, many of these recommendations
are implicitly making their way into the
process of environmental regulation.
9.7. Eco-centric Based Economic Growth
Model
Why in the News?
• Recently, Dasgupta Report of 2021 on the
economics of biodiversity hammered the point
home:
1 Nature is a blind spot in economics when its
value must be at the heart of economics.
2 Climate change is only half the problem;
ecosystems destruction and biodiversity
loss destroy natural barriers to climate
threats, reduce the overall resilience and
put global food security at risk.
• Another report by the World Bank estimates
that failure to protect pollinators, fisheries and
natural forests will cost the global economy
$2.7 trillion annually by 2030.
Highlights
• India’s commitment to net-zero by 2070 at
COP26 has reignited a global debate on the
tension between economic development and
ecologically compliant growth.
• Framed as a zero-sum game, developing
countries such as India and China, with
booming economies, insist that
decarbonisation and ecologically compliant
growth will severely impact their ability to
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
meet the development needs of their people
first.
• Globally, businesses and governments are
realising the need to transition to an
economic paradigm recognizing the
interdependence between ecology and
economy.
Global opportunities
1. Ecocentric growth Model: Putting ecology
back into the economy, the world can build a
regenerative economy, sustainably unlocking
the full power of our rich natural capital.
2. Net Zero Future: Bold climate action towards
the net-zero future is a $26 trillion
opportunity for a sustainable, equitable
future for people & biodiversity by 2030.
3. Out of these, 15 key transitions towards a
nature-positive future, across land & ocean
use, infrastructure and energy will deliver
$10.1 trillion in business opportunities and
create 395 million jobs by 2030.
4. SEEA brings Objectivity : The UNEP has
developed the System of Environmental-
Economic Accounting (SEEA) to help
governments make better decisions that
value nature.
5. Build Back Better world
o The US Build Back Better bill allocates $15
billion for a “conservation corps” to
employ people in managing and
maintaining the country’s forests and for
ecosystem clean-up.
o Similarly, the UK is committing £600
million to nature-based solutions to
restore peatlands and plant trees.
6. Bhutan case study:
o Bhutan is making huge strides at moving
from being an LDC to a developing
country.
o It is one of three countries to be carbon
negative through strict policies preventing
deforestation.
o Its Gross National Happiness framework
puts ecology on par with economic
considerations in decision-making.
India’s opportunity
1. India’s steps to a green economic transition so
far have been primarily energy-focused :
o India’s 2021 stimulus package is more climate-
friendly, with two-thirds allocated to green
8448449709
79
 M.S.Shashank
recovery and a transfer from fossil to non-
fossil energy sources.
o Incentives for setting up designated
manufacturing hubs for renewable energy in
India, providing support for renewable energy
and extending the timelines for renewable
energy projects affected by the lockdown are
welcome.
o India is now among the 90 countries to sign
up to the UN’s SEEA to value nature in
policymaking.
2. Reduce Coal dilemma:
o The country’s dependence and support of coal
may undermine this.
o India is still one of the largest coal pipelines in
the world and will open 40 new coalfields in
some of its most ecologically-sensitive
forests.
3. New policies based on ecocentric based
economic determinism
o Criticisms have been raised about its revised
forest and biodiversity policies, which
prioritises business concerns but fails to offer
adequate protection for biodiversity, or for its
diverse indigenous communities.
o Its silence at COP26 about its forest-based
NDC and the country’s failure to sign on to the
voluntary deforestation elimination pledge
raises serious questions about the future of
the country’s forests.
4. An ambitious plan to invest in the country’s
ecosystems, needs to deal with its rural
employment and economic crisis.
o For example, a rural recovery plan to rewild
the North-East’s forests and agricultural
lands – 4.1 million hectares – would generate
earnings up to ₹4,50,544 crores annually over
a 30-year period through agroforestry
produce and sustainable bamboo.
o Investing these earnings back in the
community could deliver universal basic
assets like healthcare, education, energy and
water access to over 6 million households –
with spending on healthcare and education
matching international OECD standards.
• Over 70 consumer brands including Coca-
Conclusion
• The next ten years are imperative to place
ecology at the centre of the national and
regional landscape to meet the country’s
growing climate threats to its water and food
systems, and to its rural communities.
• India’s rich biodiversity is a natural buffer
against these threats.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Investing in a transition to ecology in the
economy is no longer optional: it is a
necessity.
• India’s commitment in COP26 and Panchamrit
Pledges reflects the country's strong aim for
an environmentally inclusive growth.
9.8. Global Plastics Treaty: Need of the
Hour
Why In the News?
• A report by the Environmental Investigation
Agency (EIA) highlighted that a new global
plastics treaty that takes into account the
entire lifecycle of plastics needs to be
developed urgently.
Key Points
• The report puts together recent scientific data
on the impacts of plastics on climate,
biodiversity, human health and
environment.
• It was released ahead of the second part of
UNEA 5 in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Addressing the problem of plastic pollution
must begin when plastic is produced as a
material.
• This was also proposed in the draft resolution
by Peru and Rwanda at the United Nations
Environment Assembly (UNEA).
• The fifth session of the UNEA is taking place in
two parts.
o UNEA 5.1 was held online from February
22-23, 2021.
o The substantive matters that required in-
depth negotiations were deferred to
UNEA 5.2 scheduled to be held from
February 28-March 2, 2022.
o Implementation of resolutions on marine
litter and microplastics is likely to be
discussed at the meeting.
Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Ikea, who
contribute significantly to global plastic
pollution, issued a joint statement January 17,
2022 calling for a global treaty to fight plastic
pollution that would include reducing the
production of the material.
8448449709
80
 M.S.Shashank
Suggestions
Prioritise policies that address multiple threats
acting at different timescales:
• This must include measures to urgently
eliminate the discharge of plastics into the
environment, phase plastic production down
to sustainable levels in alignment with the
United Nations-mandated Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 12 as well as
promote the upscaling of reuse, refill and
traditional packaging systems tailored to
national contexts.
Peru and Rwanda resolution:
• UNEA member states need to support the
convening of an intergovernmental
negotiating committee to develop a new
global plastics treaty at the upcoming chapter
of UNEA 5.
10. Internal Security
10.1. Deployment of S-400 defence
missile system
Why In the News?
• The first unit of S-400 Triumf has been
deployed in Punjab for protection against any
strike from Pakistan and China.
• The system has been deployed at one of the
five IAF bases in the state, which borders
Pakistan.
Background
• India has contracted five S-400 Triumf (NATO
designation SA-21 Growler) regiments from
Russia under a $5.43 billion deal signed in
October 2018.
• Delivery was originally slated to begin in 24
months by the end of 2020 but was slightly
delayed due to late payments as well as the
COVID-19 pandemic.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Meeting nationally determined contributions:
• Parties need to work toward reducing the
climate impact from extraction, processing,
cracking and polymerisation through targeted
measures in their NDCs under the Paris
Climate Agreement to reduce methane and
other greenhouse gas emissions from those
activities, in tandem with the rapid phase-out
of fossil fuels in the energy sector.
Global Biodiversity Framework:
• Member states must ensure that the
proposed target to eliminate plastic waste
discharges by 2030 is upheld and harmonised
with the objectives of a new global plastics
treaty, with ambitious actions and
implementation genuinely capable of securing
zero discharges.
Conclusion
• The rise in plastic pollution spilling into the
environment is a planetary emergency which
needs to be dealt with before it’s too late.
• The system is already available with China,
which deployed it along the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh amid the
border standoff.
What is the S-400 system?
• It is an upgrade of the S-300 surface-to-air
missile system.
• The defence missile system was bought from
Russia.
• The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced
long-range surface-to-air missile defence
system.
• Capable of handling multiple objects: It is
capable of simultaneously tracking numerous
incoming objects including aircraft, missiles
and UAVs in a radius of a few hundred
kilometres and launching appropriate missiles
to neutralise them.
8448449709
81
 M.S.Shashank
• It is capable of protecting its air defence
bubble against rockets, missiles, cruise
missiles and even aircraft.
• Radars: It has radars that can pick up an
incoming object up to a distance of 1,000
kilometres, track several dozen incoming
objects simultaneously, distribute the targets
to missile systems and ensure a high success
rate.
• Range of targets: S-400 has been specifically
designed to detect and destroy a range of
targets including strategic bombers, aircraft
used for electronic warfare, early warning,
and reconnaissance; and even fighter jets
such as F-16 and F-22.
• Deployment: The IAF will start focusing on
the eastern borders along with providing
resources for training personnel within the
country after the first squadron is deployed.
Significance of S-400 for India
• India’s deployment will provide a major fillip
to its air defence capacity as the weapon
system is capable of neutralising assets.
• The S-400 fills important gaps in India’s
national air defence network and would
complement India’s indigenous Ballistic
Missile Defence system developed by the
Defence Research and Development
Organisation.
• Handling a two-front threat: S-400 will be a
game-changer once inducted and will also
partly make up for the dwindling fighter
strength of the force especially in the
backdrop of growing two-front threat from
China and Pakistan.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Possible implications on India
• Countering America's Adversaries through
Sanctions Act (CAATSA): It would be surprising
to see how the United States will react to the
delivery of the S-400 to India as in the past US
had indicated this could be considered as a
significant transaction under its Countering
America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act
(CAATSA) and that it could attract sanctions.
However, India is expecting a waiver from the
United States.
o There have been attempts by the United
States to undermine such cooperation
and impose the purchase of its own
weapons on India.
o Example of Turkey: Following US
sanctions on Turkey over the
procurement of S-400 missile systems,
there have been apprehensions that the
US may impose similar punitive
measures on India.
What is CAATSA?
• CAATSA is a tough US law that authorises the
administration to impose sanctions on
countries that purchase major defence
hardware from Russia in response to Russia’s
annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged
meddling in the 2016 US presidential
elections.
• Sanctions targeting Russia’s defence and
intelligence sectors: Its provisions include
sanctions targeting Russia’s defence and
intelligence sectors, serving as an important
tool for the US government to discourage
Russian arms purchases around the world.
• Imposed on various countries: It has been
imposed on Iran, Russia and North Korea.
India’s Response
• India stated that it was a sovereign state and
would itself decide what armaments to buy
and who will be its partner here and in other
spheres.
Indo-Russia Defence ties
• Defence trade between India and Russia was
$15 billion in the last three years because of
several big-ticket deals.
8448449709
82
 M.S.Shashank
• Few big pending deals: On the defence front,
which is a major pillar of cooperation, few big
pending deals are lined up for the conclusion
which includes Ka-226T utility helicopters, Ak-
203 assault rifles and Igla-S Very Short Range
Air Defence (VSHORAD) systems.
• Emergency procurement: India recently made
an emergency procurement of the Igla-S
systems and signed a deal for off the shelf
procurement of 70,000 Ak-103 assault rifles.
• Russian Origin Weapon Systems in India:
Nuclear submarine INS Chakra,
o The kilo-class conventional submarine,
o Brahmos cruise missile,
o MiG 21/27/29 and Su-30 MKI fighters,
o Mi-series of helicopters, and
o Vikramaditya aircraft carrier
Other Missile systems
• Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
(THAAD): It is an American anti-ballistic
missile defence system designed to shoot
down short, medium-, and intermediate-
range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase
by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach.
• THAAD has been deployed in Guam, the
United Arab Emirates, Israel, Romania, and
South Korea.
• Iron Dome: is a mobile all-weather air
defence system developed by Rafael
Advanced Defense Systems and Israel
Aerospace Industries.
• The system is designed to intercept and
destroy short-range rockets and artillery
shells fired from distances of 4 kilometres to
70 kilometres away and whose trajectory
would take them to an Israeli populated area.
10.2. Third Positive Indigenisation List
Why in News?
Recently, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has
restricted the import of 351 systems and
components as a part of third Positive
Indigenisation List to boost Indigenisation in
Defence Manufacturing.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
▪ In June 2021, the MoD had notified the
second negative import list, renamed as the
‘positive indigenisation list' of 108 items.
▪ The 'First Negative Indigenisation’ List
comprising 101 items was notified in August
2020.
Key Points
Procurement:
▪ All the 351 items will now be procured from
indigenous sources as per provisions given in
Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.
o The DAP 2020 includes the following
procurement categories: Buy (Indian –
Indigenously Designed Developed and
Manufactured), Buy (Indian), Buy and
Make (Indian), Buy (Global - Manufacture
in India) and Buy (Global).
Timeline:
▪ The import of 172 systems and components
will be stopped from December 2022, while
curbs on another batch of 89 items will come
into effect from December 2023. The import
of a further 90 items will be stopped from
December 2024.
Items Included:
▪ It includes components such as a missile
approach warning sensor, shells, propellants,
electrical parts, missile containers, a torpedo
tube launcher and a gun fire control system.
Significance:
▪ This Atmanirbhar (self-reliance) initiative will
save foreign exchange approximately
equivalent to Rs 3,000 cr every year.
▪ It will give a boost to indigenisation with
active participation of the public and private
sector for fulfilling the twin objectives of
achieving self-reliance. (Atmanirbhar Bharat)
and promoting defence exports.
▪ Not only does the list recognise the potential of
the local defence industry, it will also invigorate
impetus to domestic Research & Development
by attracting fresh investment into technology
and manufacturing capabilities.
▪ It also provides an excellent opportunity for
‘start-ups’, as Micro, Small, and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) will get a tremendous
boost from this initiative.
8448449709
83
 M.S.Shashank
Indigenisation of Defence
About:
▪ Indigenisation is the capability of developing
and producing any defence equipment within
the country for the dual purpose of achieving
self reliance and reducing the burden of
imports.
▪ Self-reliance in defence manufacturing is one
of the key objectives of Department of
Defence Production.
o Defence Research Development
Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public
Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and private
organisations are playing a critical role in
indigenisation of defence industries.
o India is among the world’s largest arms
importers, and the armed forces are
expected to spend about USD 130 billion
on defence purchases over the next five
years.
Background:
▪ Overdependence on the Soviet Union brought
about a change in India’s approach to defence
industrialisation.
▪ From the mid-1980s, the government
pumped resources into R&D (Research and
Development) to enable the DRDO to
undertake high profile projects.
o A significant beginning in defence
indigenisation was made in 1983, when
the government sanctioned the
Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP) to develop 5
missile systems (Prithvi, Agni, Trishul,
Akash, Nag).
o The indigenous efforts were not
adequate to meet the requirements of
the armed forces, this resulted in the
shift of focus towards co-development
and co-production in partnership with
foreign companies.
o A beginning was made in 1998, when
India and Russia signed an inter-
governmental agreement to jointly
produce Brahmos supersonic cruise
missile.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Need:
Reducing Fiscal Deficit:
▪ India is the second largest arms importer in
the world (after Saudi Arabia).
▪ Higher import dependency leads to an
increase in the fiscal deficit.
o Despite having the fifth largest
defence budget in the world, India
procures 60% of its weapon systems
from foreign markets.
Security perspective:
▪ Indigenisation in defence is critical to
national security also. It keeps intact the
technological expertise and encourages spin-
off technologies and innovation that often
stem from it.
▪ Indigenisation is needed in order to avert the
threats associated with the frequent
ceasefire violations like that of the Uri,
Pathankot and Pulwama attacks.
Employment Generation:
▪ It will lead to the generation of satellite
industries that in turn will pave the way for
generation of employment opportunities.
▪ As per government estimates, a reduction in
20-25% in defence related imports could
directly create an additional 100,000 to
120,000 highly skilled jobs in India.
Strategic Capability:
▪ A self sufficient and self reliant defence
industry will place India among the top global
powers.
Notion of Patriotism:
▪ Nationalism and Patriotism can increase with
indegenious production of defence
equipment, that in turn will not only boost
the trust and confidence of the Indian forces
but will also strengthen a sense of integrity
and sovereignty in them.
Challenges:
▪ Lack of an institutional capacity and
capability to take different policies aimed at
indigenisation of defence to its logical
conclusion.
8448449709
84
 M.S.Shashank
▪ Infrastructural deficit increases India's
logistics costs thus reducing the country's
cost competitiveness and efficiency.
▪ Land acquisition issues restrict entry of new
players in the defence manufacturing and
production.
▪ Policy dilemma offset requirements under
the DPP (Defence Procurement Policy, now
replaced with DAP 2020) didn't help achieve
its goal. (Offsets are a portion of a contracted
price with a foreign supplier that must be re-
invested in the Indian defence sector, or
against which the government can purchase
technology).
o Only government-to-government
agreements (G2G), ab initio single
vendor contracts or inter-
governmental agreements (IGA) will
not have offset clauses anymore.
o According to DAP 2020, all other
international deals that are
competitive, and have multiple
vendors vying for it, will continue to
have a 30% offset clause.
10.3. BRO’s projects in Ladakh
Why in the News?
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has
inaugurated 27 projects built by the Border
Roads Organisation (BRO), which included 24
bridges and three roads, most of which are in
the border areas.
• One of the 24 bridges is on what has now become
the world’s highest motorable road, passing
through a pass situated at an elevation of 19,000
feet.
Projects inaugurated -
The road -
• It is in south Ladakh, connecting Chisumle and
Demchok. It passes through a pass known as
Umling La, which is at a height of over 19,000
feet.
• The height of the pass makes it the highest
motorable road in the world, and was
recently recognised as such by Guinness
World Records.
• The road in Ladakh was built under extremely
challenging conditions, as temperatures in the
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
region can fall to below minus 40 degrees
Celsius, and oxygen levels go down to 50 per
cent below normal.
• What the Defence Minister inaugurated,
however, was not the entire road, but one of
the bridges on the road, which completed the
axis. The 60-metre bridge has been built at
the point called Km 99.3 on the road.
The Pass -
• According to officials in the defence
establishment, vehicles had been crossing the
Umling La pass for at least the last four years.
• However, the road at the pass has now been
black-topped, making the journey easier, and
qualifying it for the Guinness World Record
honour.
• The BRO had said that the road connected
towns in the Chumar sector of eastern
Ladakh, providing a direct route between
Chisumle and Demchok from Leh.
Significance -
• At the pass, the road is higher than both the
base camps for the climb to Mount Everest,
the world’s highest mountain.
• The South Base Camp in Nepal is at a height
of 17,598 ft, while North Base Camp in Tibet is
at 16,900 ft. The Chisumle-Demchok road is
also higher than the Siachen Glacier, which is
situated at 17,700 feet.
• Khardung La in Leh, which at one time was
among the highest roads in the world, is a t
analtitude of 17,582 feet.
About BRO -
• Functioning under the control of the Ministry
of Defence since 2015 (earlier functioning
under the Ministry of Road, Transports and
Highways).
• The BRO is engaged in road construction to
provide connectivity to difficult and
inaccessible regions in the border areas of the
country.
• It is staffed by officers and troops drawn from
the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers,
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Army
Service Corps, Military Police and army
personnel on extra regimental employment.
8448449709
85
 M.S.Shashank
• Engineering Service and personnel from the
General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form
the parent cadre of the Border Roads
Organisation.
• Currently, the organisation maintains
operations in twenty-one states, one UT
(Andaman and Nicobar Islands), and
neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan,
Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.
10.4. A serious lapse
Why in the News?
The lapse in Prime Minister’s security
arrangements, which left his convoy stranded on a
flyover for around 20 minutes, near Ferozepur in
Punjab is certainly a serious lapse in the security
system as stated by the Union Home Ministry.
Background
• The PM landed at Bathinda from where he was
to go to the National Martyrs Memorial at
Hussainiwala. It was decided that he would visit
the National Martyrs Memorial via road, which
would take close to 2 hours. Around 30 km from
the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala,
when the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, it was
found that the road ahead was blocked by
protesters. The PM was stuck on the flyover for
15-20 minutes.
• This is considered a major lapse in the security
of the leader of the nation.
• Two parallel inquiries have been launched both
by the Centre and the State of Punjab.
• The Supreme Court directed the Registrar
General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court
to “forthwith” seize and secure records of the
security measures for Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit to Punjab.
More Details
• India is a country that takes the security of its
Prime Minister very seriously, as the past
experiences of assassinations of the nation’s
top leaders have proved costly and have a
negative remark on internal security. The
security of the PM is taken care of by the
Special Protection Group (SPG).
Special Protection Group (SPG)
• The Special Protection Group (SPG) was formed
in 1988 by the SPG Act, 1985 to provide security
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
to the PM, former PMs and their family
members.
• The SPG’s ‘Blue Book’ lays down security
guidelines for the protection of the Prime
Minister.
• The Blue Book is a set of instructions, in which
information about the procedure to be followed
regarding the security of VVIPs is written.
• The Book contains complete information about
the guidelines to be followed in PM security and
the protocol is decided accordingly.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues
instructions in the ‘Blue Book’ that serve as
guidelines for the security forces.
• The SPG has an outlay of around ₹600 crore and
around 3,000 personnel.
• The SPG draws its personnel (both men and
women) from the Central Armed Police Forces
such as the Border Security Force, Central
Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security
Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the
Railway Protection Force Service.
• The PM’s convoy contains dozens of vehicles
including an Ambulance, a Jammer, two dummy
cars identical to that of PM’s vehicle and
shooters from NSG protect all these cars.
Criticism
• The decision to travel by road for more than
100 km, and the inputs into making the decision
are being questioned by the critics.
• Since the route was identified in advance as a
contingency plan, the security arrangements
made in this regard are criticized as below par.
• It is questioned on what basis, the Director-
General of Police (DGP) of Punjab gave the all-
clear message to the Prime Minister’s security.
• It is the responsibility of the local police to
sanitise the entire route and place snipers on
rooftops. SPG never allows the PM to move
unless it has got the go-ahead from the local
police about the security of the route. In this
case, the PM was totally exposed atop a flyover
for over 15 minutes.
• Also, such a lapse in security in the state of
Punjab, a border state to Pakistan is a cause of
major concern.
• The miscommunication, misinformation and
misjudgment between the state force and
central forces are said to be the cause of this
chaos.
8448449709
86
 M.S.Shashank
Conclusion
• It is the job of the government to analyze and
give protection to a person who needs it, as
security is a matter of utmost importance. This
episode must also lead to a more efficient
protocol for the Prime Minister’s travel, and a
restructuring of the SPG needs to be done if
required.
10.5. Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022:
WEF
Why In the News?
• The World Economic Forum's 'Global
Cybersecurity Outlook 2022' has stated that
cyberattacks have surged amid accelerating
Covid-driven digitalisation.
Key Highlights of the Report
Rising cyber-attacks:
• The accelerating pace of digitalisation, fuelled
by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to a record-
breaking year for cybercrime with ransomware
attacks rising 151 per cent in 2021, and an
average of 270 cyberattacks per organisation
being faced
Cost of breaching:
• Each successful cyber breach cost a company
USD 3.6 million (nearly Rs 27 crore) last year,
while the average share price of the hacked
company underperformed NASDAQ by nearly 3
percent even six months after the event in case
of the breach becoming public.
Dangerous ransomware:
• The WEF said the global digital economy surged
on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, but so
has cybercrime and nearly 80 percent of cyber
leaders now consider ransomware a 'danger'
and 'threat' to public safety.
Cyber resilience:
• Some 92 per cent of business executives
surveyed agree that cyber resilience is
integrated into enterprise risk-management
strategies, but only 55 percent of cyber leaders
surveyed agreed.
• This gap between leaders can leave firms
vulnerable to attacks as a direct result of
incongruous security priorities and policies
• Less than one-fifth of cyber leaders feel
confident that their organisations are cyber
resilient.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Weakest Link:
• Nearly nine in ten see SMEs as the weakest link
in the supply chain.
Challenges
Response time:
• Companies need 280 days on average to
identify and respond to a cyberattack.
Lack of skill set:
• Nearly two-thirds would find it challenging to
respond to a cybersecurity incident due to the
shortage of skills within their team.
Retaining skilled force:
• The dearth of staff security positions is a major
threat to business continuity and even to
national defence.
• The survey found that 50% of all respondents
would find it challenging to respond and
recover from a cyberattack due to the shortage
of skills within their team, and less than 25% of
companies with 5,000 to 50,000 employees,
have the people and skills they need today.
Poor Prioritisation:
• The survey indicates that whereas about 85% of
cyber leaders agree that cyber resilience is a
business priority for their organization, one of
their most prominent challenges is to gain
decision-makers’ support when prioritising
cyber risks, against a plurality of other risks.
o These discordant results indicate that
highlighting cyber resilience as a
business priority alone is necessary but
insufficient.
Way Ahead
• In a world that is so deeply interconnected by
digital technology, cybersecurity and global
security are the same thing.
• No single organisation, public or private, can
have a complete view of the entire cyber
landscape.
• Senior leadership must insist organisations
share information to put the pieces of the
puzzle together.
• Organisations need to work more closely with
ecosystem partners and other third parties to
make cybersecurity part of their ecosystem
DNA, so they can be resilient and promote
customer trust.
8448449709
87
 M.S.Shashank
11. Geography & Disaster Management
11.1. Saraswati River
Why in the News?
o In an attempt to revive the
Saraswati river, the Haryana and Himachal
Pradesh governments signed a Why In the News?
Memorandum of Understanding for the
construction of a dam in Himachal
Pradesh on 77 acres, near the Adi Badri
area of Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar district.
More Details -
• The dam would not only revive the Saraswati
river but also help in water conservation in the
region.
• The project would also be of use for Himachal
Pradesh as 3.92 hectare metres water per
annum would be earmarked for the State for
its drinking water requirements, and 57.96
hectare metres for irrigation water demand in
project-affected habitations
• With the construction of the dam, the
Saraswati river would flow throughout the
year with 20 cusecs water all the time.
About ‘Saraswati River’ -
o The Sarasvati River is one of the main Rigvedic
rivers mentioned in the scripture Rig Veda
and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts.
o The !Sapta Sindhu"#in Rig Veda refers to the
rivers Saraswati, Satadru (Sutlej), Vipasa
(Beas), Asikni (Chenab), Purushni (Ravi),
Vitasta (Jhelum) and Sindhu (Indus). Among
these, the Saraswati and the Sindhu were
major rivers that flowed from the mountains
right up to the sea.
o For 2000 years, between 6000 and 4000 B.C.,
the Saraswati flowed as a great river.
o The river, which had originated from Kapal
tirith in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash,
was flowing southward to Mansarovar and
then taking a turn towards west.
o The river flowed through Haryana, Rajasthan
and North Gujarat. It also flowed through
Pakistan before meeting Western Sea through
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Rann of Kutch and was approximately 4,000
km in length.
11.2. Rare-Earth Metal
• Recently, U.S. senators have proposed a law
aiming to end China’s alleged “chokehold” on
rare-earth metal supplies.
Background
• The Chinese Communist Party has a
chokehold on global rare-earth element
supplies, which are used in everything from
batteries to fighter jets,”
o 80% of the United States’ rare-earth
imports in 2019 were from China.
Major Points
• The law would require the departments of the
Interior and Defense to create a “strategic
reserve” of rare earth minerals by 2025.
• The law would aim to ensure the United
States can guarantee its supplies of rare-earth
minerals.
• It also aims to ensure greater transparency on
the origins of the components, restricts the
use of rare-earth minerals from China in
“sophisticated” defense equipment, and
urges the Commerce Department to
investigate Beijing’s “unfair trade practices
About Rare Earth metal
• Rare earth metals are a group of 17 elements
- lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium,
neodymium, promethium, samarium,
europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium,
holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium,
lutetium, scandium, yttrium.
• They are lustrous silvery-white soft heavy
metals.
• These metals have unusual fluorescent,
conductive, and magnetic properties, which
make them very useful when alloyed, or
8448449709
88
 M.S.Shashank
mixed, in small quantities with more common
metals such as iron.
• However, with the exception of the highly-
unstable prometheum, rare earth elements
are found in relatively high concentrations in
the earth's crust.
• The rare earths occur in many other minerals
and are recoverable as by-products from
phosphate rock and from spent uranium
leaching.
Reserves & Production
• The total world reserves are estimated at 121
million tonnes of rare earth oxides (REO).
• China alone accounts for 44 million tonnes
followed by Brazil and Vietnam (18% each)
and Russia (15%).
• China holds the leading position among
producers of rare earth with 140 thousand
tonnes.
• China accounts for 90% of the world’s rare
earth production.
• The other major producers are Australia,
USA, Russia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
• Concentrates/partially processed
intermediate products are further processed
at many locations in Europe, USA, Japan and
China.
Global Consumption of REEs
• In 2019, the U.S. imported 80% of its rare
earth minerals from China.
• The EU gets 98% of its supply from China.
• The demand for rare earths is centered
around countries which manufacture high
tech goods and components like automotive
catalyst systems, fluorescent lighting tubes
and display panels.
• The demand, therefore, is expected to
emanate mainly from Europe, USA, Japan,
China and the Republic of Korea.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Significance
• Rare earth materials are utilised in a wide
range of critical products enabling many
emerging green energy technologies, high
tech applications and defence systems.
• They are used in consumer goods such as
smartphones, computer screens and
telescopic lenses.
• They work on clean energy which is the need
of the hour today.
• Traditional uses like Cerium for glass polishing
and lanthanum for car catalysts or optical
lenses
• Rare earth minerals, with names like
neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium,
are crucial to the manufacture of magnets
used in industries of the future of the 21st
century’s need of electric vehicles, wind
turbines and Drones.
11.3. Climate Hazards and Vulnerability
Atlas of India
Why In the News?
• Recently, the Indian Meteorological
Department (IMD) launched India’s 1st
Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas.
About The Climate Hazards and Vulnerability
Atlas of India.
• It is developed by the scientists at the Climate
Research and Services (CRS) office of the
India Meteorological Department (IMD),
Pune.
• It is based on 14 extreme weather events and
the risks they pose to the local population,
livelihoods and economy of each district.
o The atlas features extreme rainfall,
drought, coldwave, heatwave, dust
storms, hail storms, thunderstorms,
cyclones, snowfall, lightning, winds
and fog.
• The hazards and vulnerability values have
been calculated utilising the Met
department’s historical climate data.
• Each weather phenomenon’s month-wise
hazard levels posed to the respective district
has been enlisted in this one-of-its-kind atlas.
o In all, 640 maps are available in the
online atlas.
8448449709
89
 M.S.Shashank
11.4. Najafgarh jheel restoration plan
Why in the News?
• Najafgarh Jheel is a transboundary wetland. It
is located along the borders of Delhi and
Haryana. The Najafgarh lake is under the
control of Delhi. The National Green Tribunal
recently directed the Haryana and Delhi
governments to implement the environment
management plans prepared by them. The
plan aims to rejuvenate Najafgarh Jheel.
Background
• The Najafgarh water body was once spread
over 226 square kilometer. Today it has
shrinked to seven square kilometres. In
December 2021, the central government
made the Najafgarh as a transboundary
wetland. This was done to ease the
rejuvenation process.
What is the issue?
• The lake is largely filled with sewage from
Gurugram. The lake is fed by the Sahibi river.
12. History- Art & Culture
12.1. Ramna Kali Temple: Bangladesh
Why in the News?
• Recently, the Indian President has
inaugurated the reconstructed Ramna Kali
temple in Ramna, Dhaka (Bangladesh), where
the landmark Suhrawardy Udyan (the former
Ramna Race Course) is located.
• The inauguration of the reconstructed Ramna
Kalibari coincided with the 50th anniversary
of the victory of Bangladesh and India in the
Liberation War, which also marks the golden
jubilee of the bilateral relations between the
two sides.
Ramna Kali Temple:
• The temple in the area, dedicated to the
Goddess Kali, is believed to have been built
during the Mughal period. It is believed to be
400 years old, even though it is difficult to
pinpoint a year in which it was built.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
It was a huge in size and was connected with
river Yamuna through the Najafgarh drain.
The Flood Control Department of Delhi was
continuously widening the drain after 1960s
to save the capital from floods. This almost
drained the lake completely.
What is the management plan?
• The plan will first notify the Najafgarh lake
and its wetland under the Wetlands
(Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
These conservation rules regulate the
activities in the wetland.
• The plan prohibits constructions within fifty
metres from the mean high flood level.
• The Zone of Influence covers 4,740 hectares,
that is, 2,140 hectares in Haryana and 2,600
hectares in Delhi. The Zone of Influence is the
buffer zone. It holds the seasonal floods.
Water from these zones are used for
agriculture. No construction is allowed in this
zone. The zone is hazardous to buildings due
to high soil liquefaction.
• Removal of water hyacinth and other invasive
species in the lake.
• The temple was built by a Hindu sect, but it is
difficult to identify exactly who built it.
However, it is said that it was built by a
certain Haricharan Giri who was a mahant in
the temple.
• It was not a very large temple, and was fairly
ordinary in terms of its architecture.
However, it is the second oldest Hindu temple
in Bangladesh, the Dhakeshwari Temple being
the oldest.
• The temple gained prominence in the early
20th century when the renowned saint Ma
Anandamayi built her ashram in its precincts.
• Anandamayi was popularly addressed
as “Shahbag-er ma”, or the Mother of
Shahbag.
8448449709
90
 M.S.Shashank
12.2. Rani Velu Nachiyar
Why in the News?
• Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid
tributes to Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth
anniversary.
About
• Rani Velu Nachiyar was a queen of Sivaganga
estate from c. 1780–1790.
• She was the first Indian queen to wage war
with the East India Company in India.
• She is known by Tamils as Veeramangai
(“brave woman”).
• During this period, she formed an army and
sought an alliance with Hyder Ali with the aim
of launching a campaign against the East India
Company in 1780.
• Acquired Skills: She was trained in war match
weapons usage, martial arts like Valari,
Silambam (fighting using the stick), horse
riding and archery.
o She was a scholar in many languages
and she had proficiency with
languages like French, English and
Urdu.
• War against the British: In collaboration with
Hyder Ali and Gopala Nayaker, she waged a
war against the British and emerged
victoriously.
12.3. Konark Sun Temple
Why in the News?
• The Archaeological Survey of India insists that
Konark is among the best looked after
monuments; however, its conservation
history is uneven to say the least.
About
• It is a 13th-century CE (year 1250) Sun temple
at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi)
northeast from Puri on the coastline of
Odisha, India.
• The temple is attributed to king
Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga
Dynasty about 1250 CE.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what
remains of the temple complex has the
appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot
with immense wheels and horses, all carved
from stone.
• Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic
illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture
or Kalinga Architecture.
• This temple was called the “Black Pagoda” in
European sailor accounts as early as 1676
because it looked a great tower which
appeared black.
• Similarly, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was
called the “White Pagoda”.
• Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in
1984, it remains a major pilgrimage site for
Hindus, who gather here every year for the
Chandrabhaga Mela around the month of
February.
• Konark Sun Temple is depicted on the reverse
side of the Indian currency note of Rs 10 to
signify its importance to Indian cultural
heritage.
12.4. Kaavi Art
Why In the News?
• During his Mann Ki Baat address, the Prime
Minister spoke about a dying form of art
known as Kaavi Art. He has urged people to
work towards preserving such ancient forms
in the country.
8448449709
91
 M.S.Shashank
More Details:
• Kaavi art is a form of murals found in Konkan
region especially in temples of Goa, parts of
coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• Kaavi murals can also be seen in old houses,
small shrines.
• The term Kaav in Konkani refers to Indian red
pigment which is the only color used in this
painting, is obtained from the laterite soil.
• Reddish brown murals against white
sandblasted backgrounds are the specialties
of Kaavi art.
• The painting is done on wet plaster in a
manner similar to frescoes.
12.5. Rare Black Rock Art Depictions
Why in the News?
• Rare black stick-like drawings of humans have
been discovered in two caverns near the
Kundu River in Paibogula village, Kurnool
district, Andhra Pradesh.
More Details:
• These drawings date from the Megalithic
Period (1500 to 500 BC) and the early
Historical Period (500 BC to 600 AD).
• The recently discovered rock art sites in the
Kundu river valley in Gadivemula Mandal are
40 kilometers from Kurnool city and are
known locally as Yedoorlagayi, Siddhulagayi,
and Gurralapadah.
• These sites feature rock art in black, red, and
white paints, as well as cupules or cup
markings of various sizes, which need to be
investigated further for an exact date.
• Gneissic granite, a particularly hard and
erosion-resistant rock type, was used to
create these cupules.
Kundu River
• The Kundu River also known as 'kunderu',
'Kumurdruthi'is a tributary of the Penna River
in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
• It is known for frequent floods that bring
heavy damage to the Nandyal and Koilkuntla
areas, and hence it is popularly called the
"Sorrow of Nandyal."
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
12.6. Amar Jawan Jyoti now merged with
the War Memorial flame: govt.
Why in the News?
o The Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was
merged with the eternal flame at the
National War Memorial (NWM).
What is the Amar Jawan Jyoti?
• Amar Jawan Jyoti is an eternal flame at India
Gate in central Delhi.
• It is an iconic symbol of the nation’s tributes
to the soldiers who have died for the country
in various wars and conflicts since
Independence.
Why was Amar Jawan Jyoti constructed?
• After India defeated Pakistan in the 1971 war,
the Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a
memorial for Indian soldiers who made the
supreme sacrifice.
• Amar Jawan Jyoti was inaugurated by the
then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, on
January 26, 1972.
What are the Key Elements of Amar Jawan Jyoti?
• The key elements of the Amar Jawan Jyoti
included a black marble plinth, a cenotaph,
which acted as a tomb of the unknown
soldier.
• The plinth had an inverted L1A1 self-loading
rifle with a bayonet, on top of which was a
soldier’s war helmet.
• The installation had four burners called the
eternal flame which was never allowed to be
extinguished.
How was the eternal flame kept burning?
• Since 1972, Amar Jawan Jyoti has been kept
alive with the help of cylinders of liquified
petroleum gas, or LPG.
• In 2006, the fuel for the flames was changed
from LPG to piped natural gas, or PNG.
Why was the eternal flame merged with
the flame at the National War Memorial
(NWM)?
• The government sources have claimed that
the eternal flame paid homage to the soldiers
8448449709
92
 M.S.Shashank
killed in the 1971 War, but does not mention
their name.
• Besides the India Gate is a “symbol of our
colonial past”
• The names of all Indian martyrs from all the
wars are housed at the National War
Memorial. Hence it is a true tribute to have
the flame paying tribute to martyrs there.
• Indian political and military leaders and
foreign dignitaries pay their tributes to the
fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial,
which used to happen at the Amar Jawan
Jyoti earlier.
• Many criticized that Amar Jawan Jyoti was
etched so strongly in the emotional psyche of
the country that the new war memorial did
not get the attention as the government had
expected, and the government wants to
promote the new memorial.
What is the National War Memorial (NWM)?
• The National War Memorial was inaugurated
in 2019.
• It is located at the ‘C’ Hexagon near India
Gate.
13. Awards
13.1. Sahitya Akademi Awards
Why In the News?
• Recently, The Sahitya Akademi announced its
awards for 2021 for literary works in 20
languages, including novels in Assamese and
English by Anuradha Sarma Pujari and Namita
Gokhale respectively.
About Sahitya Akademi Awards
• It was established in 1954, is a literary
honour.
• It is conferred by Sahitya Akademi which is
India’s National Academy of Letters.
• The Sahitya Akademi Award prizes the most
outstanding books of literary merit published
in any of the major Indian languages
recognised by the Akademi.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• It was built in memory of the soldiers who laid
down their lives for the country in the post-
Independence period.
• The architecture of the memorial is based on
four concentric circles:Raksha Chakra, Tyag
Chakra, Veerta Chakra, and Amar Chakra.
12.7. Kokborok Day
• Kokborok Day, also known as the Tripuri
Language Day is annually celebrated across
the Indian State of Tripura on 19th January
with an aim to develop the Kokborok
Language. The day commemorates the initial
recognition of Kokborok as the official
language in 1979.
• 19th January 2022 marks the observance of
the 44th Kokborok Day. The Kokborok
language, the official language of Tripura, is
also known as Tripuri or Tiprakok. In 1979,
Kokborok, along with Bengali and English, was
declared an official language of the state of
Tripura, India by the state government.
Sahitya Akademi
• It is an autonomous organization under the
Ministry of Culture, encouraging the
preservation and promotion of languages,
especially the unrecognized and tribal
languages.
• The Sahitya Akademi Library is one of the
largest multi-lingual libraries in India, with a
rich collection of books on literature and
allied subjects.
• It publishes two bi-monthly literary journals:
Indian Literature in English and Samkaleen
Bharatiya Sahitya in Hindi.
13.2. National Water Awards
Why in the News?
• The National Water Awards is presented
annually by Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. The
8448449709
93
 M.S.Shashank
third round of the awards, for the year 2020
was recently announced.
State Awards
Uttar Pradesh was awarded the first prize.
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu were awarded the
second and third prizes.
District Awards
• Muzzafarnagar of Uttar Pradesh was
presented the “Best District”.
• In the North Zone, Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar
of Punjab was awarded the best district.
• Thiruvananthapuram: South Zone
• Indore, Madhya Pradesh: West Zone
• East Champaran, Bihar: East Zone
• Goalpara, Assam and Siang, Arunachal
Pradesh: North East Zone
Purpose of the Awards
• To encourage organizations doing exemplary
work in the field of water resource
management.
• To provide good opportunities for startups to
engage with senior policy makers of water
resource management.
• It encourages stakeholders to step towards
water management
• It motivates the stakeholders to adopt better
water usage techniques
• It creates awareness about efficient and
minimal use of water
13.3. Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda
Prabandhan Awards
Why in the News?
• To recognise and honour the invaluable
contribution and selfless service rendered by
individuals and organisations in India in the
field of Disaster Management, Government of
India has instituted an annual award known as
Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan
Puraskar.
What is the award?
o The award is announced every year on 23rd
January, the birth anniversary of Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
o In case the winner being an institution, it shall
receive a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 51
lakhs. This cash prize shall be utilised by the
winning institution for Disaster Management
related activities only.
o In case of the winner being an individual,
winner shall receive a certificate and a cash
prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.
More Details -
o For the year 2019, 8th Battalion of the
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
located at Ghaziabad, had been selected for
the award for its commendable work in
disaster management.
o For the year 2020, Disaster Mitigation &
Management Centre, Uttarakhand (in the
institution category) and Shri Kumar Munnan
Singh (Individual category) have been
selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda
Prabandhan Puraskar for their commendable
work in Disaster Management.
o For the year 2021, Sustainable Environment
and Ecological Development Society (in the
institutional category) and Dr. Rajendra
Kumar Bhandari (in the Individual category)
have been selected for the Subhash Chandra
Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for their
excellent work in Disaster Management.
o For the year 2022, (i) Gujarat Institute of
Disaster Management (in the Institutional
category) and (ii) Professor Vinod Sharma (in
the Individual category) have been selected
for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda
Prabandhan Puraskar for their excellent work
in Disaster Management.
About the awardees –
• Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management
GIDM), established in 2012, the Gujarat
Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) has
been working to enhance the disaster risk
reduction (DRR) capacity of Gujarat. Through
a series of strategically designed capacity
building programs, GIDM has trained more
than 12,000 professionals on diverse issues
concerning multi-hazard risk management
and reduction during the pandemic.
• Professor Vinod Sharma, a senior professor
at the Indian Institute of Public
8448449709
94
 M.S.Shashank
Administration and Vice-Chairman of the
Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority,
was the founder coordinator of the National
Centre of Disaster Management, now known
as the National Institute of Disaster
Management.
13.4. International Association of
Working Women Award
Why in the News?
• Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen has been
conferred with the International Association
of Working Women Award at the Washington
DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) 2021.
More Details:
• The former Miss Universe has been felicitated
for outstanding performance by a female
actor in a TV series for her show ‘Aarya 2’.
• The Aarya 2 series is created by Ram
Madhvani and had released on December 10,
2021, on Disney+Hotstar. The DC South Asian
Film Festival (DCSAFF) 2021 is organised
virtually from January 16 to January 30, to
showcase the best in alternative cinema from
14. Government Initiatives
14.1. SMILE Scheme
Why in the News?
• The Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment is expected to launch a SMILE
Scheme for the rehabilitation of persons
engaged in begging and for providing support
to transgender persons.
About SMILE Scheme
• It includes two sub-schemes - ‘Central Sector
Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for
Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and ‘Central
Sector Scheme for Comprehensive
Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act
of Begging’.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Sri Lanka.
13.5. Assam Baibhav Award
Why in the News?
• Government of Assam conferred its highest
civilian award ‘Assam Baibhav’ on Ratan Tata.
Assam Baibhav
• It is the highest civilian award in State of
Assam. This award was officially declared by
chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on
December 2, 2021.
• It was declared on the occasion of “Asom
diwas” (Assam Day). The Award carries a cash
prize of Rs 5 lakh. Furthermore, the recipient
can avail medical treatment at government
expense, throughout his life.
• Obverse of the award has an image of Jaapi
and words “Assam Baibhav” has been
inscribed in Assamese script, on the leaf of
Hollong tree.
Coverage
• This umbrella scheme covers several
comprehensive measures including welfare
measures for both transgender persons and
persons who are engaged in the act of
begging.
Focus
• It is extensively on rehabilitation, provision of
medical facilities, counselling, education, skill
development, economic linkages etc with the
support of State Governments/UTs/Local
Urban Bodies, Voluntary Organizations,
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and
institutions and others. The Scheme is
expected to be launched soon.
8448449709
95
 M.S.Shashank
14.2. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
Why In the News?
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog
released the second edition of – ‘Innovations
for You’ and ‘The Ingenious Tinkerers’.
• Both the books are celebrations of the
success stories of young innovators of India.
About
• ‘Innovations for You is a compendium of
innovations focused on agriculture featuring
70 startups supported by Atal incubation
Centers (AICs) of AIM and
• ‘The Ingenious Tinkerers’ is a compendium on
the innovations on technology featuring 41
innovations from the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL)
of India.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
• Launched by NITI aayog, AIM is the
Government of India’s flagship initiative to
promote a culture of innovation and
entrepreneurship in the country.
Objectives:
• To develop new programmes and policies for
fostering innovation in different sectors of the
economy,
• To provide platform and collaboration
opportunities for different stakeholders,
• To create awareness and create an umbrella
structure to oversee the innovation
ecosystem of the country.
Few Major Initiatives:
• Atal Tinkering Labs: Creating a problem-
solving mindset across schools in India.
• Atal Incubation Centers: Fostering world-
class startups and adding a new dimension to
the incubator model.
• Atal New India Challenges: Fostering product
innovations and aligning them to the needs of
various sectors/ministries.
• Mentor India Campaign: A national mentor
network in collaboration with the public
sector, corporates and institutions.
• Atal Community Innovation Center: To
stimulate community-centric innovation and
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
ideas in the unserved /underserved regions
including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
• Atal Research and Innovation for Small
Enterprises (ARISE): To stimulate innovation
and research in the MSME industry.
• Apart from the above initiatives, it has also
launched AIM Prime, AIM iCREST, etc to boost
industrial exposure of students and
innovators.
14.3. ‘Faceless Appeal Scheme, 2021’
Why In the News?
• Recently, The income tax department has
revised its faceless appeal scheme.
• Originally, the scheme was launched in
September 2020.
About ‘Faceless Appeal Scheme, 2021’
• It was notified by The Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT).
• Under the previous scheme, a taxpayer’s
request for a personal hearing for making oral
submissions, required the approval of the
Chief Commissioner or the Director-General
of I-T, in charge of the Regional Faceless
Appeal Centre.
• The new scheme grants an oral hearing to
taxpayers through videoconference as a
matter of right while dealing with their
appeals.
• All communication between the assessee and
the commissioner (appeals) or his
representative will be through the National
Faceless Appeal Centre, which will solely use
electronic mode for communication.
• Other features: There is no need for a
physical appearance by the taxpayer or his
representative.
• However, the taxpayer may request a
personal hearing for making oral submissions
or present his case before the commissioner
(appeals), through the National Faceless
Appeal Centre and the official “shall allow the
request" and communicate the date and time.
• Significance: It will improve transparency and
objectivity in tax assessments.
• It will address the main grievance of the
appellant of the principle of natural justice.
8448449709
96
 M.S.Shashank
14.4. Vice President calls for making India self-
reliant in all areas
Why in the News?
The Vice President of India called for making India
fully self-reliant in all areas, including strategic
domains.
Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan – Self Reliant India
Scheme
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission focuses on
improving the Indian economy by improving
manufacturing, supply, and demand. It is the
mission started by the Government of India
on 13th May 2020, aimed towards making
India Self-reliant.
• The Prime Minister announced that an
Atmanirbhar Bharat or a self-reliant India
should stand on the following five pillars:
• Economy
• Infrastructure
• 21st-century technology-driven
arrangements and system
• Demand
• Vibrant Demography
Steps to achieve Indigenisation of Defence
Sector
• Give thrust to Research and Development
activities.
• Allow private collaboration wherever feasible.
• Stringent quality controls.
Advantages of Indigenisation
• The complete know-how and know-why in
critical areas like oceanography and
transducer materials remain exclusively with
India and no foreign player can enter the
market easily.
• The systems can be upgraded periodically
with improvements as per requirements.
• Problems of users can be resolved in a quick
and efficient manner.
• Through indigenization, there will be a 20% to
75% savings in the national expenditure.
Conclusion
• As India is strongly moving ahead to
becoming a global superpower in the coming
decades, the role of scientists In defence,
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
space, and other areas becomes very
important.
• The fact that India is still one of the largest
importers of defence equipment, the Vice
President said, the contribution of a small lab
like Naval Physical and Oceanographic
Laboratory (NPOL) in empowering the nation
in its defence needs is commendable.
• Given the geopolitical landscape in our
neighbourhood, NPOL’s role towards national
security is supreme as all warships or
conventional submarines in the fleet of the
Indian Navy are installed with NPOL-
developed sonars.
14.5. Launch of six One District One
Product Brands
Why in the News?
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing
Federation of India (NAFED) launched six One
District One Product brands under the Pradhan
Mantri Formalization of Micro Food processing
Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.
Important facts:
• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries
has signed an agreement with NAFED for the
development of 10 brands selected under
One District One Product.
• To benefit the consumers all the products are
packed in a unique way that is attractive,
ensuring a longer shelf life of the products
and keeping the moisture content and
sunlight at bay.
• All products will be available at NAFED
bazaars, e-commerce platforms and all retail
stores across India.
• Each brand would be supported with
investments in brand communication in
relevant markets and a strong push on
digitization in the value chain.
Products launched:
1. Amrit Phal – This consists of amla juice added
with lemon juice for several health benefits
developed under the ODOP concept for
Gurugram, Haryana. Amla helps to boost
immunity, promote heart health and keeps
the liver healthy.
8448449709
97
 M.S.Shashank
2. Cori Gold – This product is made from
coriander powder which is a demarcated
product of Kota, Rajasthan. It has distinct
flavours that bring up the regional speciality.
3. Brand Kashmiri Mantra – This brings out the
flavours of spices from Kulgam, Jammu and
Kashmir.
4. Brand Madhu Mantra – It is developed under
the ODOP concept for honey from
Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The multiflora
honey is collected by free-range bees (Those
bees that fly at their desire without being
captured in a controlled environment).
5. Whole Wheat Cookies – This product has
been developed under Dilli bakes reflecting
the speciality of Delhi bakeries. It contains
whole wheat, jaggery instead of sugar, and
butter instead of vanaspati.
6. Brand Somdana – This is developed under the
ODOP scheme for the concept of millets from
Thane, Maharashtra. It is composed of ragi
flour which is gluten-free, rich in iron, fibre
and calcium.
Significance:
• This initiative will enable the promotion of
local products, encouraging the micro food
processing enterprises across the country
towards the vision, efforts of the government
to make them self-reliant.
14.6. Rooftop Solar Scheme
Why in the News?
• Union Minister of Power and New &
Renewable Energy has reviewed the progress
of the Roof Top Scheme.
About the ‘Rooftop Solar Scheme’
o It aims to achieve a cumulative capacity of
40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar Projects by
the year 2022.
o In a grid-connected rooftop or small Solar
Photovoltaic (SPV) system, the DC power
generated from the SPV panel is converted to
AC power using the power conditioning unit
and is fed to the grid.
The major objective of the programme includes :
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
o To promote the grid-connected SPV rooftop
and small SPV power generating plants
among the residential, community,
institutional, industrial and commercial
establishments.
o To mitigate the dependence on fossil fuel
based electricity generation and encourage
environment-friendly Solar electricity
generation.
o To create an enabling environment for
investment in the solar energy sector by the
private sector, state government and the
individuals.
o To create an enabling environment for the
supply of solar power from rooftop and small
plants to the grid.
o This scheme is being implemented in the
state by power distribution companies
(DISCOMs).
o Under this scheme the Ministry is providing a
40% subsidy for the first 3 kW and 20%
subsidy beyond 3 kW and upto 10 kW of solar
panel capacity.
o The residential consumer has to pay the cost
of rooftop solar plant by reducing the subsidy
amount given by the Ministry as per the
prescribed rate to the vendor.
14.7. One District One Product Scheme
Why In the News?
• The much-touted One District One Product
(ODOP) scheme launched by the state
government to encourage setting up of
processing units for local agrarian produce
has failed to make much headway.
About the scheme
• Philosophy behind ODOP: To select a brand
and promote one product from each district
of India that has a specific characteristic
feature or is native to that particular
region/district and to enable profitable trade
in that product and generate employment.
• Agencies involved: The Department of
Commerce through DGFT is engaging with
State and Central government agencies to
promote the initiative of One District One
Product.
8448449709
98
 M.S.Shashank
• Objectives: To convert each District of the
country into an Export Hub by identifying
products with export potential in the District.
o By addressing bottlenecks for
exporting these products,
o Supporting local
exporters/manufacturers to scale up
manufacturing, and
o Find potential buyers outside India
with the aim of promoting exports,
o Promoting manufacturing & services
industry in the District and
o Generate employment in the District.
• Each district is to identify a food product:
with special focus on perishable farm
produce, cereal-based product, or a food
product widely produced in the district and
their allied sectors.
15. Persons & Appointments
15.1. Vikram Dev Dutt as new CMD of Air
India
• Senior bureaucrat Vikram Dev Dutt has been
appointed as the chairman and managing
director (CMD) of Air India Ltd. Dutt is a 1993-
batch IAS officer of AGMUT (Arunachal
Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory)
cadre.
• He has been appointed as the Air India chief
in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary,
an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Prior to this, he was the Principal Secretary
(Tourism) in Delhi government.
• The Centre had in October last year accepted
Tata Son’s bid of Rs 18,000 crore to acquire
100 per cent of the debt-laden state-run
carrier. The takeover has not been completed
yet. Talace Pvt Ltd, a unit of the holding
company of the salt-to-software
conglomerate, had made the winning bid of
Rs 2,700 crore cash and Rs 15,300 crore debt
takeover.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• It will also provide a framework: for value
chain development and alignment of support
infrastructure. More than one cluster of
products can be set up in a district.
• District Export Promotion Committee (DEPC):
It is constituted in all Districts of India, except
districts of the state of West Bengal.
Significance of the scheme
• Fueling economic growth and generating
employment and rural entrepreneurship.
(Goal of AtmaNirbhar Bharat).
• For enabling holistic socioeconomic growth
across all regions.
• To attract investment in the District to boost
manufacturing and exports.
• To provide an ecosystem for Innovation/ use
of Technology at District level to make them
competitive with domestic as well as
International markets.
15.2. Vijay Shekhar Sharma
• Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has
been roped in as the Ambassador of Universal
Acceptance Steering Group (UASG), a
community-based team of industry leaders
supported by global internet body ICANN.
• UASG works on developing and
recommending standards for languages script
that are not currently used to access the
internet. The Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) aims
to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified
global Internet. Its headquarter is based at
California, United States.
15.3. Lt Gen Manoj Pande
• General Pande would be the successor to Lt
Gen CP Mohanty who is scheduled to
superannuate on January 31. General Pande
was commissioned into the Corps of
Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December
1982.
8448449709
99
 M.S.Shashank
• He was Director-General at Army
Headquarters dealing with subjects of
discipline, ceremonial and welfare.
15.4. Jahnavi Dangeti
• Jahnavi Dangeti, a young girl from Andhra
Pradesh, has just completed NASA’s
International Air and Space Program (IASP) at
the Kennedy Space Centre in Alabama, US,
making her the first Indian to accomplish this
feat. She is part of a carefully shortlisted
group of 20 students from around the world.
• She has been a campus ambassador for
numerous organisations, including Star (Space
Technology and Aeronautical Rocketry), an
Indian private aerospace company.
• She is a member of the International
Organization of Aspiring Astronauts (IOAA).
She participated in many events and
workshops of Nasa, Isro and other space
agencies.
15.5. M.K. Prasad
• Noted environmentalist & ‘Save Silent Valley’
campaigner Prof M K Prasad passed away
recently. He was a prominent figure in the
historic grassroots level movement to save
the evergreen tropical rain forests in Kerala’s
Silent Valley from destruction.
• He had also led the popular science
movement, ‘Kerala Sasthra Sahithya
Parishath’. Prof. Prasad, who had served as
Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University, was
in the forefront of environment protection
activities in the State.
15.6. Narayan Debnath
• Legendary Bengali comics artist, writer and
illustrator, Narayan Debnath, has passed
away after a prolonged illness. He was 97. The
celebrated cartoonist was the creator of
popular Bengali comic strips like Handa
Bhonda (1962), Bantul the Great (1965) and
Nonte Phonte (1969).
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• He holds the record of longest-running comics
by an individual artiste for the Handa Bhonda
comics series which completed its continuous
60 years of running. In 2021, Debnath was
awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest
civilian award in India.
15.7. Narendra Kumar Goenka
• Narendra Kumar Goenka has been appointed
as the new chairman of the Apparel Export
Promotion Council, AEPC. Former chairman
Padma Dr A Sakthivel handed over the charge
to him.
• Mr. Goenka has been associated with the
Council for more than two decades. He was
the Vice Chairman of the apex body of Indian
apparel exporters before taking charge as
Chairman of AEPC.
• AEPC is the official body of apparel exporters
in India, under the aegis of the Ministry of
Textiles, that provides invaluable assistance
to Indian exporters as well as
importers/international buyers.
15.8. Shanti Devi
• Odisha’s social worker and Padma Shri
awardee Shanti Devi, who was remembered
as the voice of the poor, has passed away.
She was 88. She was also called Lugdi Devi.
• She was known for her dedication towards
the underprivileged community and restoring
peace in the Maoist-affected areas in Odisha.
• She has received the prestigious Padma Shri
award from President Ram Nath Kovind on
November 9, 2021.
15.9. Goalkeeper Savita Punia
• Goalkeeper Savita Punia will lead India at the
upcoming women’s Asia Cup in Muscat as
Hockey India named a strong 18-member
squad for the event, including 16 players that
featured at the Tokyo Olympics.
• Since regular skipper Rani Rampal is
recovering from an injury in Bengaluru, Savita
will lead the side in the tournament, which is
8448449709
100
 M.S.Shashank
scheduled to be held between January 21-28.
Indian women are the defending champions.
• Seven other teams competing at the
Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022 are China,
Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South
Korea and Thailand.
15.10. Tasnim Mir
• Tasnim Mir became the first Indian to
grab World no 1 in Under-19 (U-19) Girls
Singles category with 10,810 points in the
latest Badminton World Federation (BWF)
Junior rankings. She is followed by Mariia
Golubeva from Russia and Lucia
Rodriguez from Spain.
• In 2021, she won 3 Junior International
Tournaments held in Bulgaria, France and
Belgium, which helped her climb up for No.1
position. The World No.1 position in Boy’s
16. Important Days
16.1. DRDO Foundation Day
• 64th foundation day of “Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO)” was
celebrated on January 1, 2022.
• In 63 years, DRDO has transformed the
landscape of defence research and
development in India.
• DRDO also played a significant role in fighting
against COVID-19 pandemic. It set up around
850 oxygen plants and Covid hospitals with the
help from PM CARES Fund
• It also developed a medicine named 2DG, to
fight covid-19
• Synergy with the defence industry with
respect to development and production has
reached to new heights in India, with more
than 175 transfers of technologies happened
in 2021 alone.
• DRDO was established on January 1, 1958
after merging Directorate of Technical
Development & Production of Indian
Ordnance Factories and Technical
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Singles is shared by Lakshya Sen, Siril Verma
and Aditya Joshi.
15.11. Legendary Kathak dancer Pandit
Birju Maharaj
• Legendary Kathak dancer, Pandit Birju
Maharaj has passed away at the age of 83. A
recipient of the country’s second-highest
civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, he was
fondly called Pandit-ji or Maharaj-ji by his
disciples and legions of followers and was one
of India’s best-known artistes.
• Birju Maharaj was a descendant of the
Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, which
includes his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj
and Lachhu Maharaj, and his father and guru,
Acchan Maharaj. Birju Maharaj was also a
singer par excellence, having command over
Thumri, Dadra, Bhajan and Ghazal.
Development Establishment, with Defence
Science Organisation. In 1979, Defence
Research & Development Service (DRDS) was
set up as a service of Group ‘A’ Officers /
Scientists.
16.2. World Braille Day
• Every year on January 04, World Braille Day is
observed to raise the importance of Braille,
which serves as a communication medium for
blind and partially sighted people.
• This day is marked as the birth anniversary of
Louis Braille, who was the inventor of Braille,
born on January 04, 1809, in France.
• The day was first initiated by the United
Nations General Assembly, which acts as
Braille Literacy month in the year 2019. The
event is celebrated throughout the month of
January to bring up the importance of Braille
and Braille Literacy.
8448449709
101
 M.S.Shashank
16.3. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
• The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) also known
as Non-Resident Indian Day commemorates
the contribution of Indians living in other
countries to the development of their
homeland.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is a day dedicated to
the Indian community living in other countries
that occurs every two years.
• The people of India commemorate this day on
January 9.
• The day is named after Mahatma Gandhi, the
greatest Pravasi and our nation's Father of
the Nation.
• In 1915, he returned from South Africa and
became the leader of the Indian
independence movement. As a result, the
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has
commemorated this day every year from
January 07-09 since 2003.
16.4. Armed Forces Veterans Day
• In India, the Armed Forces Veterans Day is
observed each year on 14 January since 2017.
The day aims to acknowledge and honour the
selfless devotion and sacrifice of our veterans
in the service of the nation.
• 2022 marks the 6th Armed Forces Veterans
Day.
• It is observed as a mark of respect and
recognition of the services rendered by Field
Marshal KM Cariappa OBE, the first Indian
Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed
Forces who retired on 14th January 1953.
16.5. Indian Army Day
• The Army Day in India is celebrated on 15
January every year, to salute the valiant
soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect
the country and its citizens. This year marks
the 74th Indian Army Day.
• The day is marked to commemorate the day
when General (later Field Marshal) KM
Carriappa took over the command of the
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Army from General Sir FRR Bucher, the last
British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and
became the first Commander-in-Chief of
Indian Army post Independence.
16.6. ‘National Startup Day’
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared
to mark 16th January as ‘National Start-up
Day’.
• The announcement was made by PM Modi on
January 15, 2022, via video conferencing
during a week-long event “Celebrating
Innovation Ecosystem” as a part of Azadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav. The Prime Minister
interacted with more than 150 startups across
different sectors, during the event.
• The startups, categorised under six groups,
gave presentations to the Prime Minister on
six themes — ‘growing from roots, ‘nudging
the DNA’, ‘from local to global, ‘technology of
future’, ‘building champions in
manufacturing’ and ‘sustainable
development.
• The Prime Minister was of the view Indian
startups can easily make it to the global stage
and reach other countries and told the young
entrepreneurs: “Don’t just keep your dreams
local, make them global. Remember this
mantra — let’s Innovate for India, innovate
from India”.
16.7. Parakram Diwas
• In order to honour and remember Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose’s indomitable spirit
and selfless service to the nation,
Government of India has decided to
celebrate his birthday on the 23rd day of
January every year as “PARAKRAM DIWAS”
to inspire people of the country, especially
the youth, to act with fortitude in the face of
adversity as Netaji did, and to infuse in them
a spirit of patriotic fervor.
About Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose:
• Netaji’ was born on January 23, 1897, in
Cuttack in Odisha. He acquired a degree in
8448449709
102
 M.S.Shashank
philosophy and was later selected for the
Indian Civil Services. He refused to join as he
did not want to serve the British
Government.
• Netaji joined the Indian National Congress in
1921.
• Netaji started a newspaper called “Swaraj”.
• He had written a book called “The Indian
Struggle”. The book covers the Indian
Independence movement between 1920 and
1942.
• The term “Jai Hind” was coined by Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose.
• With the slogan “Give me blood and I will
give you freedom”, he awakened the country
towards fighting against the British.
16.8. International Day of Education
• Every year on January 24th, the world observes
the International Day of Education
commemorates the role of education in
promoting global peace and sustainable
development.
• This year marks the fourth year of celebration,
with the theme ‘Changing Course, Transforming
Education’.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
in December, 2018 proclaimed the celebration
of this day to mark the importance of education
in ensuring peace and development. The
resolution to mark this International Day of
Education was authored by 59 member states.
This demonstrated the unwavering political will
to support transformative actions for inclusive,
equitable and quality education for all.
16.9. National Girl Child Day
• India is celebrating National Girl Child Day on
Monday (January 24). It is an initiative
undertaken by the ministry of women and child
development with an objective to provide
support and opportunities to the girls of India.
• The government of India, in 2008, declared
January 24 to be celebrated as the National Girl
Child Day every year with the objective of
raising the consciousness of the society towards
the girl child so that she can be valued and
respected.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
• According to women and child development
ministry, National Girl Child Day is meant to
create awareness about the rights a girl owns
and to give them opportunities like everyone
else, and to support the girl child of the nation
and remove gender-based biases.
• It also calls for promoting awareness about the
inequalities that a girl child faces and educate
people about girl’s education.
16.10. National Tourism Day
• The Indian government designated January 25
as National Tourism Day in order to raise
awareness about the importance of tourism
to the Indian economy.
• The day is observed to raise global awareness
regarding the significance of tourism and its
social, political, financial, and cultural value.
16.11. National Voters’ Day
• Every year, National Voters' Day is observed on
January 25, in India, and this year will mark the
12th National Voters' Day.
• On this day, the Election Commission of India
(ECI) creates awareness about the need to
participate in the electoral process through
voting. Those who attain 18 years of age get
eligible to cast their votes.
• National Voters Day began as an initiative by
the Election Commission of India in the year
2011. A Union Council of Ministers meeting
took place under the then Prime Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh.
• It was noticed that young people who were of
voting age were reluctant to register
themselves as voters.
• This led to the founding of National Voters’ Day
to identify the youth who have turned 18, enrol
them and then provide them with their
Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC). January 25
was chosen as the date of observance of
National Voters’ Day to commemorate the
founding of The Election Commission on this
day in 1950.
• The theme for this year’s National Voters’ Day is
‘Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible &
Participative’. The theme underscores the
primary objective for the observance of
National Voters’ Day, which is to urge adults to
participate in the democratic process of
choosing their elected representatives.
8448449709
103
 M.S.Shashank
17. Miscellaneous
17.1. ‘Narendra Modi Marg’
Why in the News?
• Governor of Sikkim, Ganga Prasad, has named
a new road Narendra Modi Marg. The
Governor viewed the road under Kabi
Lungchok from Kyongsala, 4th mile.
More Details:
• This is an alternative to Jawahar Lal Nehru
Marg. The National Monument at National
Highway 310 was built by Border Roads
Organization.
• It will be easier for Indian tourists to reach
Nathula Border. The stretch, constructed by
Border Roads Organisation, has reduced the
distance between Gangtok and Tsomgo lake
by 15 km.
17.2. First human case of Avian flu
Why in the News?
• United Kingdom has reported the first human
case of Avian flu. A 79-year-old man named
Alan Gosling is the first UK resident to catch
the H5N1 strain of bird flu. He kept pet ducks
at his home in England.
Avian influenza
• Avian influenza is also known as avian flu or
bird flu. It is a type of influenza caused by
viruses adapted to birds.
• The type with greatest risk is highly
pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). It is similar
to swine flu, horse flu, dog flu, and human flu,
because illness caused by strains of influenza
viruses in all the flu adapts to a specific host.
17.3. Justice Clock
Why in the News?
o Supreme Court e-Committee chairperson and
SC judge Justice DY Chandrachud inaugurated
two digital services for Gujarat High court — a
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
‘Justice Clock’, and electronic payment of
court fee.
What is the ‘Justice Clock’?
• An LED display of 7 feet by 10 feet, placed at a
height of 17 feet from the ground, has been
erected at a busy crossroad near the Gujarat High
Court premises.
• This ‘Justice Clock’ will exhibit vital statistics of the
justice delivery system in Gujarat, to “maximise
outreach and visibility” of the work done by the
state judiciary.
• The interface has been designed and developed
in-house and will display data from the National
Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) in real-time.
• A similar format of Gujarat judiciary-related
statistics will also be available on the Gujarat HC
website under a tab of ‘Virtual Justice Clock’,
accessible to all.
17.4. India-Israel Industrial R&D and
Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)
Why in the News?
• Experts from India and Israel deliberated on
widening the scope of India-Israel Industrial
R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)
at its 8th Governing Body meeting. Details -
They approved 3 joint R&D projects worth
USD 5.5 million and suggested measures to
create a broader India-Israel collaborative
ecosystem.
What is I4F?
• India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological
Innovation Fund (I4F) fund is a cooperation
between the Department of Science and
Technology (DST), Government of India, and
the Israel Innovation Authority, Government
of Israel.
• Its objective is to promote, facilitate and
support joint industrial R&D projects between
companies from India and Israel to address
the challenges in the agreed ‘Focus Sectors’.
8448449709
104

• I4F is aimed to promote, facilitate and
support joint industrial R&D between India &
Israel, which would lead to the co-
development and commercialisation of
innovative technologies benefiting both
countries.
• Global Innovation & Technology Alliance
(GITA) is appointed to implement the I4F
program in India, while Israel Innovation
Authority is the implementing agency in
Israel.
What is GITA?
• A Public Private Partnership (PPP) between
Technology Development Board (TDB),
Department of Science & Technology (DST)
and India!# s apex industry association
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• It focuses on professionally managing
Government!s industrial innovation funds,
providing flexibility to industry for R&D,
including with global partners and delivering
commercialisable products and services to
Indian and global markets.
• It offers funding, capacity Building,
deployment and strengthening of the
innovation Eco- System.
• For the successful commercialisation of a
project, it offers up to 50% of R&D
expenditure to a project developing new
technology / products in partnership with
industry from Canada, Israel, Korea, Italy,
Spain, Sweden.
17.5. PM Modi to unveil 216-foot statue of
saint Ramanujacharya
Why in the News?
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
inaugurate a 216-foot statue
Ramanujacharya in a sitting position in
Hyderabad on February 5, 2022, to celebrate
the 1,000th birth anniversary of the saint.
More Details:
• Ramanujacharya was an 11th-century saint
and a revolutionary social reformer. The
statue will be called as the ‘Statue of
Equality’. It is located in a 45-acre complex at
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
M.S.Shashank
Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad in
Telangana.
• The project is built at a cost of Rs. 1,000-
crore, which was funded entirely by donations
from devotees globally.
• President Ram Nath Kovind will unveil the
inner chamber of the statue of
Ramanujacharya on February 13, 2022.
• The Statue of Equality is the world’s second-
tallest statue in a sitting position. The Buddha
statue in Thailand is considered as the world’s
tallest statue in a sitting pose.
17.6. Indonesia names new capital
Nusantara
Why in the News?
• Indonesia will move its capital to mineral-rich
East Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on
the island of Borneo. The name of the new
capital will be Nusantara, which means
“archipelago” in Javanese. It will be based in
the regions of North Penajam Paser and
Kutai Kartanegara.
More Details:
• The new project is likely to cost around 466
trillion rupiah ($32 billion). The heavily
populated city of Jakarta is home to 10 million
people (30 million if you include the greater
metropolitan area) and has been facing the
growing issue with the overuse of
groundwater by home drilling due to large-
scale city developments.
• The problem is worsened when combined
with rising sea levels. This shift of
development is set to slow down the rate at
which Jakarta sinks into the Java Sea.
of 17.7. First ‘Milk Village’ of J&K
Why in the News?
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,
the administration has declared Jerri
settlement in Reasi district as the first ‘Milk
Village’ of the Union Territory and sanctioned
57 more dairy farms under the Integrated
Dairy Development Scheme (IDDS) for the
hamlet.
8448449709
105
 M.S.Shashank
More Details:
• The village, which houses 73 individual dairy
units with 370 cows, will give the local
farmers financial security. After being
declared as ‘Milk Village’, a total of 57 units
have been sanctioned under the IDDS for the
village. Under the IDDS, dairy units of five
animals are provided with a 50 per cent
subsidy.
• The scheme also has a provision for milking
machine, bulk milk cooling unit at 50 per cent
subsidy (maximum Rs 5 lakh), paneer making
machine, khoya making, Dahi making, cream
separator, ice cream making machine, butter
and ghee making machine (max subsidy Rs 3.
5 lakh), milk van (maximum subsidy Rs 2 lakh),
milk ATM subsidy of Rs 5 lakh.
17.8. Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar
Why in the News?
• Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar
has launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar
(SVP) 2021 – 2022 virtually.
More Details:
• The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar recognises,
inspires and awards schools that have
undertaken exemplary work in the field of
water, sanitation and hygiene while also
providing a benchmark and a roadmap for
schools to make further improvements in
future.
• The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar was first
distributed by the Department of School
Education and Literacy, in 2016-17 to create
self-motivation and awareness about
sanitation.
• A total of 40 schools will be selected under
the overall category this year at the national
level. The award money has been increased
from Rs 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 per school under
the Samagra Shiksha scheme. Additionally, 6
sub-category awards have been introduced
for the first time and entail award money of
Rs. 20,000/- per school.
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
17.9. India’s first sanitary-napkin free
village
Why in the News?
• Kerala’s Kumbalanghi is set to become the
country’s first sanitary napkin-free
panchayat.
More Details:
• This move is a part of the ‘Avalkayi’ initiative,
which is being implemented in the Ernakulam
parliamentary constituency, in association
with the “Thingal Scheme” of HLL
Management Academy’s and Indian Oil
Corporation.
• Under this initiative, menstrual cups will be
distributed to women aged 18 and above in
Kumbalangi village. 5000 menstrual cups will
be distributed under it. In the same event,
Governor will also declare Kumbalangi village
as a model village.
• The model village project is implemented as a
part of ‘Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana (PM-SAGY)’. A new tourist information
centre will also be set up in the village.
• Kumbalangi is an island village, located in the
outskirts of Kochi city of Kerala. It is a major
tourist attraction and is famous for the
Chinese fishing nets.
• It is situated amidst backwaters, about 12 km
from the city centre. The village is also the
first eco-tourism village in India.
17.10. MSME Technology Centre
• On the occasion of the National Youth Day
2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually
inaugurated an ‘MSME Technology Centre’,
which will function under the Union Ministry
of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSME), in Puducherry.
• The technology centre was built at a cost of
Rs 122 crore with a focus on the Electronic
System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM)
Sector.
• The centre was inaugurated during the
inauguration event of the 25th National youth
Festival (12th & 13th January 2022) in
Puducherry. He also inaugurated the
8448449709
106
 M.S.Shashank
‘Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam’, a
modern auditorium with an open-air theatre
in Puducherry.
17.11. world first human receives a Pig
Heart Transplant
• A US man has become the first person in the
world to get a heart transplant from a
genetically-modified pig. David Bennett, 57, is
doing well three days after the experimental
seven-hour procedure in Baltimore.
• The possibility of using animal organs for so-
called xenotransplantation to meet the
demand has long been considered, and using
pig heart valves is already common. Pigs are
increasingly becoming popular candidates for
organ transplantation.
• This is because their organs are anatomically
similar to those of humans. What’s more,
porcine components are more tuned for
genetic engineering.
17.12. CSC Yogyata Mobile Application
• The Common Service Centre operating under
the Ministry of Electronics and IT recently
launched the Yogyata Mobile Application.
• The main objective of the application is to
provide skill development opportunities to
the youths in the rural areas.
• The app will offer courses in 3D printing, CAD,
cybersecurity and several other IT tools. The
app will provide industrial based training and
make the learners job ready. The courses
offered are in accordance to the current
market needs of the country.
17.13. Online Storage Management (OSM)
System
Why in the News?
• Central government is set to roll out a digital
system called “Online Storage Management
(OSM)” from April 1, 2022 in a bid to bring in
operational efficiency in storage, movement
and distribution of food grains under
Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
©AKS IAS www.aksias.com
Online Storage Management System
• The online storage management system
would provide real time data on the volume
and quality of rice and wheat stocks with
Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other
government agencies.
• It will provide information on food grains
stocks, which are held in the godowns of FCI,
Central Warehousing Corporation and state
warehousing corporations.
• The system will track each stack of grain
stocks, starting from procurement points to
PDS distribution outlets.
17.14. Assam Mission on Malnutrition
Why in the News?
o The Assam Mission on Malnutrition was
launched in 2020 to eradicate malnutrition
among children in the age group of six
months to five years. It was launched under
the name Project Parvarish.
About the Mission
• It was launched during Poshan Maah 2020.
POSHAN Maah is celebrated in the month of
September. It is celebrated to increase people
participation in the nutrition initiatives,
especially Poshan Abhiyan.
• It was launched by the Cachar Deputy
Commission
• The main aim of the project is to reduce the
number of malnourished children who cannot
provide nutritious food and also for
malnourished children below poverty line.
• The mission aims to improve the nutritional
status of the children in the state.
• The main objective of the mission is to reduce
the Severe Acute Malnutrition in children
belonging to BPL (Below Poverty Line).
• So far, the project has helped 800 children. Of
this 704 recovered from acute
malnourishment.
8448449709
107