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Current Affairs For 2017- Part 11 (March 2017)

1. SOCIAL ISSUES

1.1. New Executive Director For World Food Programme

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor

David Beasley to run the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP).

About World Food Programme (WFP)

As the international community has committed to end hunger, achieve food security

and improved nutrition by 2030, one in nine people worldwide still do not have

enough to eat.

Food and food-related assistance lie at the heart of the struggle to break the cycle of

hunger and poverty.

The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and

the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food

security.

It is assisting 80 million people in around 80 countries each year, delivering food

assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and

build resilience.

WFP’s efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development

aid and special operations.

Two-thirds of its work is in conflict-affected countries where people are three times

more likely to be undernourished than those living in countries without conflict.

It also focuses on nutrition, especially for mothers and children, addressing

malnutrition from the earliest stages through programmes targeting the first 1,000

days from conception to a child’s second birthday, and later through school meals.

It was established in 1961 after the 1960 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

Conference.

Its headquarter is in Rome (Italy) and has more than 80 country offices around the

world.

Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is an agency of the

United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 194 Member Nations, two associate

members and one member organization, the European Union.


Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries.

The organization has three main goals:

The eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition;

The elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress

for all;

The sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land,

water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future

generations.

1.2. Titu Mir Controversy

Nearly 190 years after his death, Syed Mir Nisar Ali, or Titu Mir, a peasant leader,

who led the Narkelberia Uprising in 1831 — often considered the first armed

peasant uprising against the British — has made a controversial comeback

inBengal’s politics through a chapter in a prescribed tenth grade history textbook.

The current row has been sparked by the chapter in the textbook that claims Titu Mir

“killed” many Hindus and destroyed several temples.

The chapter, titled Wahhabi Movement in Bengal, states that the Wahhabis under

“Titu’s leadership destroyed many Hindu temples and killed several priests.

Some historians have challenged this assertion, while the Opposition described it as

a “distortion of history.”

Titu Mir:

Syed Mir Nisar Ali Titumir (1782–1831) was an Islamic preacher who led a

peasant uprsing against the zamindars and the British colonial authorities in

Bengal, British India during the 19th century.

He built a bamboo fort in Narkelberia Village, which passed into Bengali folk

legend.

He was a leader of the tariqah-i-muhammadiya in Bengal, and his movement

initially aimed at socio-religious reforms, elimination of the practice of shirk

(pantheism) and bidat (innovation) in the Muslim society and at inspiring the

Muslims to follow Islamic principles in their day to day life.

Celebrated in folklore as a peasant leader, Titu Mir remains a controversial political

figure in Bengal for his religious identity as an Islamic preacher after he converted


to Wahabism.

Mahasweta Devi wrote a novella called Titu Mir. A play named Titumir-er Basher

Kellahas been made for TV in Bangladesh.

1.3. National Conference On Down Syndrome

National Conference on Down Syndrome”was inaugurated in New Delhi recently.

The Conference was organized by The National Trust for the welfare of persons with

Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities under Ministry

ofSocial Justice &Empowerment in collaboration with Muskaan, a registered

organisation of the National Trust.

The conference called upon the people to provide all types of support and help to

Persons with Down Syndrome. It stated that persons with Down Syndrome are

working in various areas and there is a need to recognise their talent and create

environment conducive for Persons with Down Syndrome.

Down Syndrome:

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal condition associated with intellectual and

learning disabilities.

Delayed development and behavioural problems are often reported in children with

Down Syndrome.

Persons with Down Syndrome have 47 chromosomes as compared to 46 in

majority of people. This one Extra chromosome causes its own impact and slows

down learning process.

It impacts neurological functioning causing impairment of intellectual functions e.g.

analytical thinking, complex abstractions and judgement etc.

Good schooling, loving family, learning and work opportunities make them grow up

to be responsible, loving and cheerful persons.

Their emotions and needs are like any other person of the same age. Accepting

and respecting family/community is a big support to their growth and development.

Fewer than 1 million cases per year are said to suffer with this syndrome in India.


1.4. Centre May Expand Social Security Net

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organidation’s central board of trustees has

recommended the Centre to consider extending social security benefits to volunteers

under anganwadi, mid-day meal and Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha)

schemes.

A proposal in this regard was recently made by the EPFO to the Labour ministry. It

proposed a lower contributory rate of 10% of income towards the Employees’

Provident Fund be allowed for scheme workers as against 12% contribution

stipulated for the organised workers.

According to estimates, there are 14 lakh Anganwadi workers, 12 lakh Anganwadi

helpers, 25.50 lakh mid-day meal workers in the country. There is no mandatory

social security cover for such scheme workers at present.

However, the Centre can issue a notification to cover any class of establishments

with a lower contributory rate under the Employees’ Provident Fund and

Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.

This will only be applicable to scheme workers in organisations employing at least 20

workers.

At present, EPF is optional for employees earning more than Rs 15,000 a month.

However, the EPFO will also consider a proposal to increase wage ceiling for its

social security coverage to Rs 25,000 a month from Rs 15,000 a month at present in

a bid to bring more workers under the provident fund net.

The purpose of revision of wage ceiling is to ensure that on increase in wages due to

inflation etc, minimum social security benefits are continuously made available to

intended beneficiaries.

However, the move may lead to additional financial burden on the Union government

as it contributes 1.16% of the employee’s salary as subsidy towards the Employees’

Pension Scheme. The wage ceiling hike will lead to additional burden of Rs 2,708

crore per annum on the central government.

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO):

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, a statutory body, is one of the

largest social security organizations in India in terms of volume of financial

transactions undertaken and number of covered beneficiaries.

Its mission is to extend the reach and quality of Publicly Managed Old - Aged


Income Security Programs.

It works under the overall aegis of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

1.5. Food Regulator Under CAG Lens

In a first, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is doing a

comprehensive performance audit of the country’s foodregulator.

CAG’s audit is looking at issues such as how FSSAI fixes standards, finalizes

regulations,approves products, ensures compliance and conducts surveillance.

The audit of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) comes

against the backdrop of the food regulator’s controversial decision to ban

manufacturing and sales of Maggi noodles—a popular snack sold by Swiss company

Nestle in India—in 2015.

After the crackdown on Maggi, questions were raised on FSSAI’s capabilities and

operations including things like product approval process, one of the primary things

the regulator used to do. The Bombay high court in July 2015 asked FSSAI to justify

its actions against the noodle brand.

Performance auditing is focused on improving good performance in public

administration by examining whether public programmes and services achieve the

principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness and identifying conditions or

practices that hamper performance and enable the auditor to make suitable

recommendations.

About FSSAI:

FSSAI was set up in August 2011 under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.

It has powers to lay down standards for food articles and to regulate their

manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale and import.

Some of its activities include licencing and surveillance of food and beverages

outlets, enforcement of safety regulations across registered food vendors and

ensuring safety of imported food items, their standards and labelling.

Maggie Controversy:

Maggie noodles was banned by the government after the successive tests

indicated presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG). The Kolkata lab found

“very high quantities” of lead — 17.2 parts per million.


According to Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, MSG, a “flavour enhancer”,

should not be added to food for infants below 12 months.

MSG is not permitted in over 50 items, including “Pastas and noodles (only dried

products)”, but is allowed in the seasoning used for noodles and pastas.

Under Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues)

Regulations, 2011, permissible levels of lead range from 0.2 parts per million in

infant milk substitute and infant foods to 10 ppm in categories like baking powder,

tea, dehydrated onions, dried herbs and spices flavourings.

For instant noodles included in the “foods not specified category”, the permitted

level of lead is 2.5 ppm.

Instant noodles like Maggi are identified under food category code 6.4.3, which

includes “pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products” that are “pre-

gelatinised, heated and dried prior to sale”. These categories of food are governed

by Codex international standard 249, standards of food safety recognised by

WHO.

The masala used in these noodles is identified in code 12.2, which includes herbs,

spices, masalas, seasonings, and condiments (eg., seasoning for instant noodles),

where the use is “intended to enhance the aroma and taste of food”, according to

FSSAI regulations.

On 13 August 2015, the Bombay high court set aside the ban imposed by FSSAI

on Maggi noodles and asked Nestlé to retest samples at three laboratories

certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration

Laboratories (NABL).

On 5November, Nestlé India said its Maggi noodles received clearance from three

laboratoriescertified by NABL and relaunched the popular snack on 9 November

2015.

Why Do Noodles Have MSG And Lead?

MSG stimulates the nervous system and makes food appear tastier. It is widely

used in “Indian Chinese” food.

In “extreme cases”, MSG may cause some reactions in the body; even if a product

is satisfying MSG limits, and one is consuming it in large quantities or very

frequently, it may be harmful.


1.6. Odisha To Bring Banking To Remote Rural Areas Through Self Help

Groups

Odisha became the first state in the country to carry financial inclusion and extend

banking services to unbanked areas through Self Help Groups (SHGs).

The state government signed an agreement with State Bank of India in this regard.

This agreement will leverage the reach and resources of Odisha Livelihood Mission

(OLM) under which SHGs operate, to provide banking facilities to people in

unbanked areas.

In the first phase SHGs would be engaged as BCs in around 1,000 remote Gram

Panchayats having no banking facilities, Singh said adding, gradually it would be

extended to 4,000 non-banked panchayats.The process would be later on extended

across the state as a supplement to banking service

Through this arrangement, people would get services like opening of bank accounts,

cash deposits and withdrawals, Aadhaar-enabled payment, use of Rupay Cards and

other banking facilities.

The system would be of great help to people in rural areas under social security

schemes like Pradhan MantriBimaSurakshyaYojana, Pradhan

MantriJeevanJyotiYojana, Atal Pension Yojanaetc and would also be helpful in

promotion of digital banking.

1.7. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

“Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana”, a ‘Scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-

living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL category’ will be launched on 1st

April, 2017.

The proposal for formulation of a Scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-

Living Devices for Senior Citizens belonging to BPL Category was announced in the

Budget 2015-16. Pursuant to this, the “RashtriyaVayoshriYojana” has been

formulated.

Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens will be distributed in

Camp mode and the Scheme will be implemented through the sole implementing

agency, ‘Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO)’, (a PSU under

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment), which will undertake one year free

maintenance of the aids & assisted living devices.


The devices will help the Senior Citizens to overcome their age related physical

impairment and to lead a dignified and productive life with minimal dependence on

caregivers or other members of the family.

The ambitious Scheme, first of its kind in the country is expected to benefit 5,20,000

Senior Citizens over a period of the 3 years, he added.

As per the Census figures of 2011, the population of senior citizens in India is 10.38

crore. More than 70% of the population of senior citizens live in rural areas of the

country.

A sizeable percentage (5.2%) of the senior citizens suffers from some sort of

disabilities related to old age. Projections indicate that the number of elderly

population will increase to around 173 million by 2026.

The eligible elderly beneficiary will get devices such as walking sticks, elbow

crutches, walkers/crutches, Tripods / Quadpods, hearing aids, wheelchair, Artificial

Dentures and Spectacles.

As far as possible, 30% of the beneficiaries in each district shall be women.

The State Government/UT Administration/District Level Committee can also utilize

the data of BPL beneficiaries receiving Old Age Pension under the NSAP or any

other Scheme of the State/UT for identification of senior citizens belonging to BPL

category.

1.8. World TB Day

World Tuberculosis Day, observed on March 24 each year, is designed to build

public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to

eliminate the disease.

WTD is observed to commemorate discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, bacillus

(bacteria) causing TB on 24th March, 1882 by German microbiologist Dr Robert

Koch.

Theme of 2017 - “Unite to End TB: Leave No One Behind”.

This year it is second year of a two year “United to End TB” Campaign. WHO has

placed special focus on uniting efforts to “Leave no one behind” including actions to

address stigma, discrimination, marginalization and overcome barriers to access

care.

About Tuberculosis (TB)


TB is a disease caused by bacteria “Mycobacterium tuberculosis” that most often

affect the lungs.

The disease is spread from person to person through the air. It commonly affects

the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body.

It is the second biggest killer disease worldwide next only to HIV/AIDS. It can be

completely cured with proper and regular medication.

Indian Scenario

India has continued to account for one fourth of the global TB burden for more

than a decade despite implementing the WHO-backed Directly Observed

Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS) programme nationwide.

As per new estimates, the number of new cases every year has risen to 2.8 million

and mortality is put at 4,80,000 each year. These figures may go up when the

national TB prevalence survey is undertaken in 2017-18.

Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in its national

strategic plan for tuberculosis elimination (2017-2025), has set a highly ambitious

goal of “achieving a rapid decline in burden of TB, morbidity and mortality while

working towards elimination of TB by 2025.”

Effort To Eliminate TB So Far

The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has treated 10

million patients,however, the rate of decline has been slow.

Providing universal access to early diagnosis and treatment and improving case

detection were the main goals of the national strategic plan 2012-17.

The government made three significant important policy decisions to improve

disease surveillance: Making TB a notifiable disease (May 2012); including anti-TB

drugs under Schedule-H1 (August 2013); and developing a case-based, web-

based TB surveillance system.

Going by the current rate of decline, India is far from reaching the 2030

Sustainable Development Goals — reducing the number of deaths by 90% and TB

incidence by 80% compared with 2015.

Why TB Still Persists In India

Over 80 per cent of people with TB first knock on the doors of the private health

sector where the standard of diagnosis and quality of TB care have always been


contentious issues.

As per norms, a private doctor or hospital has to inform the government about

each TB case but this hardly happens.

There is no institutionalised mechanism to help private players update their

knowledge and skills about changing diagnostic algorithms, even the use of anti-

TB drugs in appropriate doses for the correct duration.

Many patients do not follow the entire course of medicine and later develop drug

resistant TB.

Way Forward

There is need to develop radical approaches to address the issue. Rather than the

strategy of waiting for patients to walk in to get tested we need to engage in

detecting more cases, both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant.

The emphasis should be on using highly sensitive diagnostic tests, undertaking

universal testing for drug-resistant TB, reaching out to TB patients seeking care

from private doctors and targeting people belonging to high-risk populations.

The other priority should be to provide anti-TB treatment — irrespective of where

patients seek care from, public or private — and ensure that they complete the

treatment.

Sending customized SMSes to improve drug compliance, incentivising private

doctors to notify cases and providing free medicines to patients approaching the

private sector, facilitating nutritional support to TB patients, including financial

support, rewarding States performing well in controlling TB, and using

management information systems to monitor all aspects of TB control would help

India to fight against this disease.

1.9. New OBC Commission To Get Constitutional Status

The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of a new commission for backward

classes as a constitutional body.

The National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes(NCSBC)

will replace the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

This step would empower the commission to hear complaints from OBC members

like the SC/ST commissions did, and in that sense, a constitutional authority will

ensure it has more power.


A bill to set up the new commission will be presented in the Parliament. It will amend

the constitution by inserting Article 338B.

The bill to be introduced in Parliament proposes:

Insertion of a new Clause (26C) under Article 366 to define Socially and

Educationally Backward Classes.

Insertion of provision after Articles 341 and 342 viz. 342 A to provide for Parliament’s

approval for every inclusion into and exclusion from the Central List of Other

Backward Classes.

Repeal of National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993, and Rules framed

there under.

Dissolution of the Commission constituted under the Act of 1993.

Composition of the new Commission, i.e. National Commission for Socially and

Educationally Backward Classes, with a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and three

other Members.

Created in response to a Supreme Court ruling (IndraSawhney versus Union of

India) in 1992, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) examines

and recommends requests for inclusion and exclusion in the list of Other Backward

Classes or OBCs.

Background:

In the case of IndraSawhney versus Union of India, the Supreme Court in 1992

found that it was not invalid to identify a group by any criteria like occupation,

social, educational or economic situations.

However, it noted that social and educationally backward class under Article 340

had to be construed in a limited sense and did not have the wide sweep as under

the fundamental right guaranteed to backward classes in Article 16(4).

This provision empowers the government to make reservations in appointments in

favour of “any backward class of citizens”.

1.10. India Slips In Human Development Index

India was ranked 131 in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188

countries.

India slipped down one place from 130 to 131 among the 188 countries.


India’s human development index (HDI) value of 0.624 puts it in the “medium human

development” category, alongside countries such as Congo, Namibia and Pakistan.

It is ranked third among the SAARC countries, behind Sri Lanka (73) and the

Maldives (105), both of which figure in the “high human development” category.

India’s public health expenditure is lower, at 1.4% of the GDP. However, it did make

some gains between 1990 and 2015, improving life expectancy by 10.4 years in this

period. Child malnutrition also declined by 10 percentage points from 2015, and

there was a modest gain in infant and under-five mortality rates.

The report praised India’s reservation policy, observing that even though it “has not

remedied caste-based exclusions”, it has “had substantial positive effects”.

The HDR also hailed the national rural employment guarantee programme as a

“prime example” of “combining social protection with appropriate employment

strategies”.

About HDI:

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average

achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life,

being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living. The HDI is the

geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions.

The health dimension is assessed by life expectancy at birth, the education

dimension is measured by mean of years of schooling for adults aged 25 years

and more and expected years of schooling for children of school entering age. The

standard of living dimension is measured by gross national income per capita.

1.11. India's First Sign Language Dictionary To Come Up Soon

The government is all set to come up with the country's first-of-its-kind dictionary

which aims to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech

impaired people across the nation.

The Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary, which is being developed by the Indian

Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), has so far compiled 6,032

Hindi and English words and their corresponding graphic representation of the signs

which are used in daily life.

The dictionary is being developed in both print and video format.


A comprehensive Indian Sign Language Dictionary will facilitate communication

between the hearing and speech impaired and help in creation of a basic database

for further policy making.

1.12. Draft Labor Code On Social Security & Welfare

The government has proposed a labourcode which will provide social security cover to

the entire workforce in the country, including self-employed and agricultural workers.

Features Of Draft Code

Every working person in the country will be covered under the social security code

whether he/she belongs to the organised sector or the unorganised sector.

For the first time the government has shown its intention to cover agricultural workers

along with self-employed people and target to provide social security benefits to 45

crore workers.

A National Social Security Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, has been

proposed to streamline and make policy on social security schemes related to all the

Ministries. Other members would include: Finance Minister, Labour Minister, Health

and Family Welfare Minister along with employer and employees’ representatives.

The council will co-ordinate between central and State governments, monitor the

implementation of social security schemes, regulate funds collected under various

social security schemes.

The proposed code seeks to cover “any factory, any mine, any plantation, any shop,

charitable organisations” and all establishments or households employing casual,

part-time, fixed-term, informal, apprentice, domestic and home-based workers.

All such establishments or factories will be liable to pay compensation if they fail to

contribute towards the social security schemes of the workers.

The total contribution to be made by employers towards Employees’ Provident Fund

and Employees’ State Insurance Scheme is proposed to be capped at 30% of the

workers’ income.

At present, employers contribute 31.5% of the workers’ income towards these

schemes.

According to the proposed code, self-employed workers will contribute 20% of their

monthly income towards provident fund, pension and other related schemes.


Self-employed workers will also include “a person who takes land on share cropping

or any other form of rent, and tills the same using his own or family members’

labour.”

All the entities – whether factories or households – will have to register their workers

through an Aadhaar-based registration system, according to another proposal, and

self-employer workers will be required to register themselves.

According to the proposed code,social security benefits unclaimed for five years after

becoming due to the worker will be confiscated by the government.

1.13. National Health Policy 2017

The Union Cabinet approved the National Health Policy 2017 with an aim to provide

healthcare in an “assured manner” to all.

The main objective of this policy is to achieve the highest possible level of good

health and well-being, through a preventive and promotive health care orientation in

all developmental policies, and to achieve universal access to good quality health

care services without anyone having to face financial hardship as a consequence.

The policy proposes raising public health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the GDP by

2025.

Among key targets, the policy intends to increase life expectancy at birth from 67.5 to

70 by 2025 and reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019.

It also aims to reduce under five mortality to 23 by the year 2025. Besides, it intends

to achieve the global 2020 HIV target.

Primary Features

Access and financial protection: It proposes free drugs, free diagnostics and free

emergency care services in all public hospitals at secondary and tertiary care levels.

Enhanced govt. spending on healthcare: It recommends prioritizing the role of the

Government in shaping health systems. It proposed raising public health expenditure

to 2.5% of the GDP from the current 1.4% in a time bound manner.

Collaboration with the private sector for strategic purchasing, capacity building,

skill development programmes, awareness generation, developing sustainable

networks for community to strengthen mental health services, and disaster

management.


Comprehensive primary health care: It provides for larger package of assured

comprehensive primary health care through the Health and Wellness Centers. It

includes geriatric health care, palliative care and rehabilitative care services. It

intends to ensure availability of two beds per 1,000 population distributed in a

manner to enable access within golden hour [the first hour after traumatic injury,

when the victim is most likely to benefit from emergency treatment].

Specific quantitative targets: These are aimed at reduction of disease

prevalence/incidence, for health status and programme impact, health system

performance and system strengthening.

Registries for diseases: To strengthen the health and surveillance system, it

proposes establishment of registries for diseases of public health importance by

2020. It also seeks to align other policies for medical devices and equipment with

public health goals.

Pre-emptive care: Aims at pre-empting the occurrence of diseases to achieve

optimum levels of child and adolescent health.

Focus on schools: It calls for school health programmes as also health and hygiene

made a part of the school curriculum.

Mainstream different health systems: In order to leverage the pluralist health care

legacy of India. It envisages better AYUSH remedies through co-location in public

facilities. Yoga would also be introduced much more widely in school and work

places as part of promotion of good health.

‘Giving back to society’: It is an initiative that supports voluntary service in rural

and under-served areas on pro-bono basis by recognized healthcare professionals.

Deployment of digital tools for improving the efficiency and outcome of the

healthcare system and proposes establishment of National Digital Health Authority

(NDHA) to regulate, develop and deploy digital health across the continuum of care.

Increased dearness allowance (DA): This will benefit millions of central govt.

employees and pensioners.

Push up male sterilization by at least 30%: This exhibits concern for the plight of

women, who, after dealing with unwanted pregnancies and repeated childbirths, also

undergo harrowing tubectomies.

Criticism


The indication that the policy would adopt an “assurance-based approach” itself

abandons a radical change proposed in the draft policy of 2015 — that of a National

Health Rights Act aimed at making health a right.

It failed to make health a justiciable right in the way the Right to Education 2005 did

for school education.

Before implementing the new policy, the govt. needs to collect robust Health data.

However, the existing data inputs which are collected from multiple sources and

sample surveys are not satisfactory. This will create an implementation challenge.

Although it talks about positive and proactive engagement with private sector, it fails

to provide a clear path to synergise relationship between two.

Conclusion

The prevailing challenges in the health sector are much more complex in nature like

complexities of culture and customs, economic situations, geography, ethnicity, and

political situation make it more difficult for the policy-makers.

The problems faced by Indians like high incidence of communicable and non-

communicable disease, the low performance of maternal and child health indicators,

and nutritional problems, particularly that of women and children, are the issues that

exist in every part of the country even today apart from the burden of chronic, non-

chronic disease and other socio-economic social factors.

In this context, NHP 2017 is a right step forward.

1.14. World Bank To Provide Loan For ‘Tejaswini’ Project

The World Bank will provide $63 million loan to India to empower 6.8 lakh adolescent

girls in Jharkhand under the ‘Tejaswini: Socio-Economic Empowerment of

Adolescent Girls and Young Women’ project.

Tejaswini is the first World Bank Project in India that is solely focused at welfare and

empowerment of adolescent girls.

The project seeks to empower the adolescent girls with basic life skills and thereafter

provide further opportunities to acquire market driven skill training or completion of

secondary education, depending on the inclination of the beneficiary.

The project will support adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 14

and 24 to complete their secondary level education. It will also help them to acquire

relevant skills for the job market.


The project will be delivered in 17 districts of Jharkhand. It has three main

component — expanding social, educational and economic opportunities; intensive

service delivery; and state capacity-building and implementation support.

The project will intervene ate two levels i.e. at the community level and at the

institutional level.

The community based platforms will hold regular counselling session for life skills

education, livelihood support services and more. At institutional level,it will work with

partner institutions through performance based contracts to deliver vocational

training, business skills and non-formal education.

1.15. A Government Panel Recommends Legal Framework For Protection Of

Interests Of Migrants In The Country

A Government appointed Panel has recommended necessary legal and policy

framework to protect the interests of the migrants in the country, stating that the

migrant populationmakes substantial contribution to economic growth and their

Constitutional rights need to be secured.

‘Working Group on Migration’ headed by ParthaMukhopadhay was set by the

Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviationin 2015.

Key Recommendation

The Working Group has recommended that the Protocols of the Registrar General of

India needs to be amended to enable caste based enumeration of migrants so that

they can avail the attendant benefits in the States to which migration takes place.

It also recommended that migrants should be enabled to avail benefits of Public

Distribution System (PDS) in the destination State by providing for inter-State

operability of PDS.

Referring to Constitutional Right of Freedom of Movement and residence in any part

of the territory of the country, the Group suggested that States should be encouraged

to proactively eliminate the requirement of domicile status to prevent any

discrimination in work and employment.

States are also to be asked to include migrant children in the Annual Work Plans

under SarvaSikshaAbhiyan (SSA) to uphold their Right to Education.


Working Group suggestedthat the vast network of post offices need to be made

effective use of by reducing the cost of transfer of money to avoid informal

remittences.

It also suggested that migrants should be enabled to open bank accounts by asking

banks to adhere to RBI guidelines regarding Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and

not insist on documents that were not required.

The Group suggested that the hugely underutilized Construction Workers Welfare

Cess Fund should be used to promote rental housing, working Women Hostels etc.,

for the benefit of migrants.

According to census 2011 and National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO),

migrants constitute about 30% of the country’s population and also of the total

working force.

2016-17 Economic Survey also noted that annual migration in the country

increased to 9.00 million in 2016 from 3.30 million in 2011.

1.16. Revitalising Kurukh Language

Kurukh, an endangered tribal language of the Dravidian family, is set to get a new lease

of life in West Bengal. The State Government has given official language status to this

language.

Key Facts

In West Bengal, it is spoken by Oraon tribal community who live in Dooars. The

Dooars are the alluvial floodplains in northeastern India that lie south of outer

foothills of Himalayas and north of Brahmaputra River basin.

While most of the tribal languages in the State have their origins in the Austro-Asiatic

and Tibeto-Barman families, Kurukh is an exception.

The only example of a tribal language having its origin from the Dravidian family is

Malto, which is not spoken in West Bengal, but in the Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand.

Santhali, Munda and Hoe languages belong to the Austro-Asiastic family, while the

languages spoken by the Lepcha, Tamang and Bhutia tribes of the Darjeeling hills

were of the Tibeto-Burman group.

Kurukh script reflected the socio-cultural aspects of the tribal community.The script is

calledTolongSiki. It resembles that of any Dravidian language


The language has been listed “vulnerable”state in UNESCO’s list of endangered

languages.

Jharkhand has alreadyrecognisedKurukh as a language. In 2003, the State officially

recognised the language and its script

According to the 2001 census report (the latest official data on language-speakers),

the language is spoken by about 17 lakh persons.

Official Language:

Part XVII of the Constitution deals with the official language in Articles 343 to

351. Its provisions are divided into four heads – Language of the Union,

Regional Languages, Language of the Judiciary and texts of laws and special

directives.

Article 345 deals with the official language or languages of the States, whereby it

is mentioned that the legislature of a state may adopt any one or more of the

languages in use in State or Hindi as the official language of the State.

1.17. NFHS 4 Shows Improved Sex Ratio, Decline In Infant Mortality Rate

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled last National Family

Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) for 2015-16.

It has shown positive trends in key health indicators, including an decline in infant

mortality rate (IMR) and improvement in sex ratio at birth during 2015-16.

Key Findings

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined from 57 to 41 per 1,000 live births between

NFHS-3 (2005-06) and NFHS-4.

Sex ratio at birth (number of females per 1,000 males)has improved from 914 to

919 at the national level over the last decade.

Institutional births increased by 40 percentage points to 78.9% in NFHS 4

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 2.2 children per woman.

Full immunization coverage: Children within the age of 12-23 months have been

fully immunized (BCG, measles and 3 doses each of polio) and DPT increased by 18

percentage points to 62% in NFHS-4.

Underweight children: There was a decline by 7 percentage points, a consequence

of improved child feeding practices and focus on nutritional aspects of children.


2. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

2.1. Water Ministry Blamed NGT For Not Being Able To Clean Ganga By 2018

The delay is due to the “unreasonable” directions by the National Green Tribunal

(NGT) questioning the operating capacity of sewage treatment plants in Uttar

Pradesh and a delay in clearances by State governments to execute projects.

The work at developing the sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Uttar Pradesh had

stopped because different expert groups, tasked by the court to estimate the sewage

in the drains, had conflicting figures. These estimates are necessary to determine the

processing capacity of a treatment plant.

Ever since the Supreme Court had transferred 30-year-old cases dealing with

cleaning the Ganga to the NGT, it has routinely pulled up officials in the Central

Pollution Control Board and the Union Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga

Rejuvenation, and the Uttar Pradesh State Water Board, for poorly executing

projects.

The NGT has fined officials for inaccurate information on the 30 drains in the State

and “wasting public money” on commissioning projects that didn’t properly account

for the pollution load in the city.

Out of a Rs. 20,000-crore clean-up programme, only Rs. 2,000 crore has been

sanctioned to the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the executive authority tasked

with commissioning treatment plants, cleaning and beautifying the Ghats, and setting

up improved crematoria.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a ban on camping activities within 100

metres of the Ganga because people who had camped along the river disposed of

waste in the river and also left behind glass and plastic bottles on the banks.

2.2. SC Declined Plea To Abort 26-Week Old Foetus With Down’s Syndrome

The Supreme Court had rejected a Maharashtra woman’s plea to terminate her 26-

week-old foetus on the ground that it suffered from Down syndrome after a court-

appointed medical board advised against the abortion.

Down’s Syndrome is a congenital disorder which causes intellectual impairment and

physical abnormalities and can be detected through various screening tests at the

second trimester (18-20 weeks).

Analysis Of Judgement


The court refused permission for abortion, calling the foetus “a life”. It said the

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 places a 20-week ceiling on

termination of pregnancy.

Though the apex court said that one can abort a more than 20-week-old foetus in

cases where the life of either mother or the baby is in danger, after considering the

report of the medical board. In the case of the foetus with Down’s Syndrome, the

court said the foetus posed no danger to the woman’s life.

Also the Medical reports said the woman's child may suffer from physical and mental

problems and with low intelligence, but there was no physical risk to the mother in

continuing the pregnancy.

In Jan’ 2017, the same Bench of SC had relaxed the 20-week cap to permit another

woman to terminate her 24-week pregnancy. The foetus in that case was diagnosed

with anencephaly — a congenital defect in which the baby is born without parts of

the brain and skull. The court had said abortion was necessary to preserve the

woman’s life.

Internationally, a woman can seek an abortion of an abnormal foetus. However, each

country has its own limit, which in most cases is more than 20 weeks. Switzerland,

Great Britain and the Netherlands are the only countries to not have such a ceiling.

For Detailed Analysis on MTP Act 1971 and MTP Bill 2014, plz refer Section 4.4 in

Part 4 (Aug 2016) of CA Magazine

2.3. SC Issued Guidelines To HCs To Avoid Judicial Delays

Highlighting the importance of having men and women with leadership qualities among

the subordinate judiciary, which had over 2 crore pending cases, the Supreme Court

said subordinate judiciary “cannot rest in a state of helplessness” as litigants waited in

snaking, ever-longer queues for their turn. Observing this, it issued some guidelines to

avoid judicial delays.

Issued Guidelines

Weed out the non-performers: Non-performers and “dead-wood” among judges

should be weeded out as the judicial service is not just a job to be done with but a

mission to serve the cause of justice.


Revamp subordinate judiciary: Post suitable officers in key leadership positions of

Session Judges and Chief Judicial Magistrates to tackle the cases efficiently.

Time-bound disposal of cases: The SC fixed a time-bound hearing and disposal of

criminal cases, especially in bail applications.

o Bail applications

o be decided in a week by subordinate courts, while High Courts do the same

within a month.

o Magisterial trials, where accused are in custody, should normally be

concluded within six months and sessions trials, with accused in custody,

within two years.

o It asked High Courts to ensure that subordinate courts dispose of cases

pending for five years by the end of 2017.

Monitor judicial performance: High Courts should monitor action plans for lower

courts and keep a constant watch. The timelines prescribed in judgment would be

used to assess judicial performance in annual confidential reports of judicial officers.

Take up the case of Undertrials: Noting that 50% of the population in jails consists

of undertrial prisoners and long periods of incarceration without bail or trial is human

rights violation, the court said those undertrials who have already completed their

entire period of their sentence had they been found guilty should be released on

personal bond.

Avoid avoiding legal work: Liberal adjournments of cases must be avoided and

witnesses once produced must be examined on consecutive dates. It held that

suspension of work or strikes were “clearly illegal and it is high time that the legal

fraternity realises its duty to the society which is the foremost”.

2.4. SC Asked HCs To Not Keep Review Pleas Pending

The Supreme Court has asked High Courts to dispose of review petitions as

expeditiously as possible to prevent any slow-up in the process of justice.

Reason: Review petitions were often kept on “life support” by litigants and their

lawyers to deliberately delay the process.

The court issued a slew of guidelines for High Courts, litigants and their lawyers

while dealing with review petitions and prescribed a limitation for filing an application

for review.


It is the duty of a litigant to file his review plea against a judgment on time.

It is the obligation of counsel filing an application for review to cure or remove the

defects at the earliest.

Review VS Curative Petition

In India, a binding decision of the Supreme Court/High Court can be reviewed in Review

Petition. The parties aggrieved on any order of the Supreme Court on any apparent

error can file a review petition.

The concept of Curative petition was evolved by the Supreme Court of India in the

matter of Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and Anr. (2002) where the question was

whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final judgment/order of

the Supreme Court, after dismissal of a review petition. The Supreme Court in the said

case held that in order to prevent abuse of its process and to cure gross miscarriage of

justice, it may reconsider its judgments in exercise of its inherent powers.

2.5. EC Said That Multi-Phase Polls Will Continue

Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) has said that long-drawn-out, multiple-

phase elections are here to stay because of the use of Central police forces for the

conduct of free and fair polls.

Rationale for using the Central forces: Voters and political parties have

apprehensions about the State police and feel that to truly ensure an unafraid

exercise of franchise, Central forces are required.

One India, One Election

It is a concept that is often discussed so as to disburden the state exchequer and the

Election Commission of conducting several elections at different times of the year.

Hence, simultaneous elections for State Assemblies as well as Parliament have been

mooted as it has the following benefits:

1. Save public money: It must be noted here that the election exercises cost the govt.

exchequer to the tune of billions. This spending could be optimized by adopting

simultaneous elections.

2. Shift the focus of political parties to core polity and governance issues:

Currently, they are always indulged in populist measures to have a buoyant vote

bank as they are always in the campaign mode.


3. Increase voter turnout: because it will be a lot more convenient for the elderly

citizens and the migrant workers who’ll have to commute to their electoral

constituency only once.

4. Disburden the Election Commission: It can optimize the workforce effectively to

monitor the MCC when the entire nation goes to election mode at once.

However, it has been opposed by various intelligentsias on the following grounds:

1. Detrimental to the federation: Different elections from time to time gauge the mood

of the people. If held at once, same party everywhere, which would be detrimental to

federation.

2. Dilute the mandate of Rajya Sabha: Same party's majority will be there in Rajya

Sabha and Lok Sabha. This would be against Parliamentary form of govt. having two

houses. If one house goes wrong, the other acts as a check but if the same party is

present in both the houses, then quality of the debates will go down.

3. Opposition from the regional parties: because there is always a tendency for

voters to vote the same party in power in the state and at the Centre in case of


4. Federal issues: Many issues need to be resolved before the implementation of this

idea such as – A state govt. that has come to power only 6 months ago would be

reluctant to hold fresh elections when the entire country is up for elections in case of


Therefore, conducting simultaneous elections might seem like a good idea but its

implementation needs to be carefully deliberated upon so as to address the multiple

issues that might crop up in case the country intends to move in this direction.

2.6. Parliament Cleared Amended Enemy Property Bill

Heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during Partition will have no claim

over the properties left behind in India. Hereafter, Inheritance law will not be

applicable on Enemy Property.

The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the

Enemy Property Act, 1968, was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha,

incorporating the amendments made by the Rajya Sabha.


It paves the way for the government to monetise assets worth more than Rs 1 lakh

crore, which will come as a nice cushion at a time when the government is looking at

ways to control the fiscal deficit.

“Enemy property” refers to any property belonging to, held or managed on behalf

of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm. The government has vested these

properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the

Central government.

After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968,

which regulates such properties and lists the Custodian’s powers.

Till date, about 9,500 enemy properties have been identified. A majority of them

belong to Pakistani citizens from the time of the wars, and are valued at Rs 1,04,339

crore. Pakistan enacted similar laws to take over properties and assets of Indian

citizens and companies in Pakistan during the wars. Unlike India, it sold off these

properties in 1971.

Highlights Of The Bill

The Bill amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, to vest all rights, titles and interests

over enemy property in the Custodian.

The Bill declares transfer of enemy property by the enemy, conducted under the Act,

to be void. This applies retrospectively to transfers that have occurred before or after

1968.

The Bill prohibits civil courts and other authorities from entertaining disputes related

to enemy property.

Key Issues and Analysis

The Act allows transfer of enemy property from the enemy to other persons. The Bill

declares all such transfers as void. This may be arbitrary and in violation of Article 14

of the Constitution.

The Bill prohibits civil courts from entertaining any disputes with regard to enemy

property. It does not provide any alternative judicial remedy (eg. tribunals).

Therefore, it limits judicial recourse or access to courts available to aggrieved

persons.

The special case of Jinnah’s house


o The Enemy Property Act has no bearing on the Jinnah house, a prime

property in Mumbai’s Malabar hill because it is an "evacuee property" and not

an "enemy property'' under law.

o The property was sold by the Central govt. and heirs were compensated.

o Evacuee: Under the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950, an

evacuee is a person who, on account of setting up of the Dominions of India

and Pakistan or due to civil disturbances or fear of such disturbances, has left

India by March 1, 1947.

2.7. Parents Can Evict Abusive Adult Children From Their House: Delhi HC

Children who abuse their parents while staying with them in their house can be

evicted from the property as long as the parents have the legal possession of the

property.

Earlier, even in cases of parental abuse, no eviction order could be passed under the

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007.

Hence, this is a major improvisation in a 2007 law that had left it to State

governments to frame rules to protect the life and property of senior citizens.

2.8. Parliamentary vs. Presidential System

The debate as to why Presidential system is best suited for India has been started by

Shashi Tharoor, an MP.

Reasons Favouring Transition To Presidential System

1. Indisciplined and unqualified legislators: There’s no educational qualification

required for the legislators in India as per the constitution.As a result of this, the

legislators are largely unqualified to legislate.

2. Vague separation of powers: The doctrine of separation of powers is not stringently

applied. As the govt. holds majority in the Lok Sabha, the legislature can’t truly hold

the executive accountable. If there’s clear distinction of the legislature from the

executive, there would be better law making because the legislature would be able to

focus solely on the policy and law making.

3. Dirty coalition politics: Very often, due to rise of state local parties, a coalition govt.

is formed because no one party has a clear majority in the elections. There focus is


more on politics than on policy or performance. The govt. in power fears withdrawal

of support from the coalition parties.

4. One charismatic leader distorts voters’ preferences: If the electorate wants an

influential political leader as their Prime Minister (for instance, Mr. Modi), they vote

for his party’s MP/MLA merely because he belongs to Modi’s party.

5. Delayed decision making: India needs a govt. that focuses on governance rather

than staying in power and delivers quick decisions.

6. Major differences between a Parliamentary system and Presidential system:

7. Manner of election: The major difference between these two systems is that in a

Presidential system, the executive leader, the President, is directly voted upon by the

people (Or via a body elected specifically for the purpose of electing the president,

and no other purpose), and the executive leader of the Parliamentary system, the

Prime Minister, is elected from the legislative branch directly.

8. Answerability of the executive: In the Presidential System, the President is only

answerable to the people, the legislative branch can't really do anything to threaten

the President.It is more difficult to enact legislation, especially in the event that the

President has different beliefs than the legislative body. However, in the

Parliamentary system, if the Parliament doesn't like the Prime Minister, they can cast

a vote of no confidence and replace him. This tends to make the executive leader

subservient to the legislature (Parliament).

Why Did Our Constitution Makers Choose Parliamentary System?

1. British influence: Indian constitution has been largely borrowed from the British

constitution. Also, there were a cadre of officers and govt. servants who were well

versed with this kind of system under British Rule in India.

2. Diversity of India: Parliamentary system was envisaged to ensure representation of

all the diverse religious, local, ethnic, tribal and caste groups of India in the

Parliament. The aim was to protect their rights in the independent India.

3. Executive is answerable to the legislature: This minimizes conflicts between the

two organs of the govt. and doesn’t impede the governance, which was required for

our naïve democracy.

Why Some People See Presidential System To Be The Best For Our Democracy?

1. Directly elected executives at all govt. levels: Right from the President, the Chief

Minister to the Sarpanch, all the directly elected executives will be answerable only


to the people. This would enable efficient and quick decision making in governance.

The Cabinet will have efficient legislators who are well qualified and able.

2. Better performance by the govt.: because it is constantly being gauged by the

electorate for the services delivered and the ability to tackle socio-economic

challenges that India faces.And since the directly elected President will not have

coalition partners to blame for his or her inaction, a presidential term will have to be

justified in terms of results.

3. Stable govt. ensures unhindered decision making: due to the absence of

coalition politics, there’s no fear of withdrawal of support and political pressure.

4. Separation of powers in true sense: Since the executive, the legislature and the

judiciary are independent of each other, there are no conflicts among them. Also,

there is proper checks and balances in the presidential democracy.

Apprehensions Regarding Adoption Of Presidential System For Our Democracy

1. Concentration of power in an individual: Too much power vested in the President

may prove fatal to democracy if the power is abused. More so if the party to which

the President belongs has majority in the legislature.A presidential system

centralises power in one individual unlike the parliamentary system, where the Prime

Minister is the first among equals.

2. Deadlocks in the legislature:in case when the legislature is dominated by a party

opposed to the party to which President belongs.

3. Autocracy could become the norm: A strong President could override the interests

of different segments. This could lead to dictatorship as seen in the case of many

Latin American countries that adopted Presidential system.

4. Dilution of democratic principles: Often, this system doesn’t follow the procedure

of consensus building.

Feasibility Of The Shift To Presidential Form Of Govt. In India

1. Violation of the doctrine of ‘basic structure’: The Parliamentary form of govt. is a

part of the basic structure as propounded by the Supreme Court in the Kesavananda

Bharati Case in 1973.

2. Constituent Assembly’s views: Our forefathers had made an informed choice after

weighing the pros and cons of both the systems and arrived at a consensus that

Parliamentary system is best suited for India. As B.R. Ambedkar put it, Parliamentary

system is for ‘accountability’ and Presidential system is for ‘stability’. India needs

accountability more than stability.


3. Consequent changes at the state level:If the Presidential system is adopted, the

states would also have to shift to the “Gubernatorial” form of govt. because at

present Chief Ministers are the counter-parts of Prime Minister in the states.

Conclusion: India Should Stick To The Parliamentary System

1. Indian democracy is very different from that of the USA: Parliamentary system

has been tried and tested for nearly 70 years. Parliamentary systems confer greater

flexibility through the simpler expedient of votes of confidence on the floor of the

house: governments can be formed and re-formed to reflect changing political

realities or alignments.

2. Suitable for our diverse country: Parliamentary democracy can be more stable

especially in societies riven by deep social and political cleavages. Parliamentary

regimes have built-in mechanisms for power-sharing in such circumstances, for

example through coalition governments. They place a higher premium on the political

skills of bargaining and consensus building. Coalitions can offer effective and

continuous representation to a variety of interests which would be excluded from the

administration in a presidential regime.

3. Collective responsibility of the executive to the legislature: In contrast to a sort

of individual presidential executive, the cabinet executive with collective responsibility

can more adequately reflect social and political diversity as is the case in India.

Way forward

Rather than change the system, we should reform it thoroughly and cleanse the electoral

process. We must debate about reforming the electoral processes by plugging the

loopholes to make democracy more robust such as limiting expenditure of political

parties and deciding the ceiling on the expenditure, to holding simultaneous elections,

declare the results for a combination of booths instead of constituencies.


3. ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

3.1. GST Rollout

[For detailed analysis, refer the cover story of August 2016 issue of current affairs

magazine]

Context

● The Parliament passed four legislations to pave the way for roll out of the historic

Goods and Services Tax (GST) from the target date of July 1. The four GST related

bills are CGST, ISGT, UTGST and the Compensation bill.

● All the States will now have to pass the State's GST Bill after which the new indirect

tax regime can be rolled out.

● The GST Council had last year decided on five tax slab rates - 0 , 5 , 12, 18 and 28

per cent. The “zero tax rate” on several items approximately constitute half of the

consumer price index basket including food grains.

● On top of the highest slab, a cess will be imposed on luxury and demerit goods to

compensate the States for revenue loss in the first five years of GST implementation.

● While the highest GST rate has been pegged at 28%, the integrated GST law has

set a ceiling of 40%. Though an enabling provision, it gives the government too much

leeway to alter the rate structure in coming years without seeking Parliament’s nod.

Features Of The GST Bills In Recent News

● 101st CAA mandates roll out of the indirect tax regime by 16th September 2017.

● There are total 5 GST bills listed below which are required to be passed for the

implementation of the GST:

1. The Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 - The CGST Bill makes provisions

for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods or services or both by

the Central Government.

2. The Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 - The IGST Bill makes

provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods or services

or both by the Central Government.

3. The Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill) - The

UTGST Bill makes provisions for levy on collection of tax on intra-UT supply of

goods and services in the Union Territories without legislature. Union Territory

GST is akin to States Goods and Services Tax (SGST) which shall be levied and


collected by the States/Union Territories on intra-state supply of goods or

services or both.

4. The State GST(SGST) Bills - It will be taken by the respective state governments

through its cabinets to the respective state assemblies.

5. The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017 (The

Compensation Bill) - The Compensation Bill provides for compensation to the

states for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the goods and

services tax for a period of five years as per section 18 of the Constitution

(101st) Act, 2016.

a. GST compensation cess: A cess known as the GST Compensation Cess

may be levied on the supply of certain goods and services, as recommended

by the GST Council. The receipts from the cess will be deposited in a GST

Compensation Fund.

b. The cess would be transient for a period of 5 years so that the proceeds can

be utilised to compensate the states.

c. Demerit or sin goods cess capped at 15%: The GST Council has approved a

15 per cent ceiling on the cess to be levied on aerated drinks and luxury cars

over and above the maximum proposed GST rate of 28 per cent.

d. While Bidis have been kept out of the GST net(to avoid friction with states),

separate cess ceilings have been approved for pan masala and tobacco

products, including chewing tobacco and cigarettes – keeping adequate room

to raise the effective rate from their existing levels.

e. The environment cess on coal, lignite and peat has been capped at the

existing rate of Rs 400 per tonne.

3.2. Patent Hoarding Disorder In Publicly Funded Research

Context

● CSIR-Tech, the commercialisation arm of the CSIR, had to shut down its operations

for lack of funds. The fate of CSIR-Tech is proof that the current model of

commercialisation does not work with respect to publicly-funded research.

● Recently, CSIR’s Director-General claimed that most of CSIR’s patents were “bio-

data patents”, filed solely to enhance the value of a scientist’s resume and that the

extensive expenditure of public funds spent in filing and maintaining patents was

unviable.


Issues

1. CSIR claims to have licensed 9% of its patents, but has so far failed to show any

revenue earned from the licences.

o The compulsive hoarding of patents has come at a huge cost to public. Acquiring

IPR comes out of our blind adherence to the idea of patenting as an index of

innovation.

o The private sector commercialises patents through the licensing of technology

and the sale of patented products to recover the money spent in R&D. But when

the funds for R&D come from public sources, mimicking the private sector may

not be the best option.

2. Patents and Moral Hazard - In the case of public-funded research, the reckless

filing of patents without due diligence results from the moral hazard of the

government bearing the risk of patents that don’t generate revenue. It costs lakhs of

rupees to get a patent in India, government-funded research organisations are likely

to spend more money on patents as they are not asked to bear the risk.

3. The National IPR Policy released last year does not offer any guideline on

distinguishing IPR generated using public funds from private ones — it views every

IPR with private objectives by insisting on commercialisation.

o Dissemination of technology to the masses, participation in nation-building and

creating public goods are rarely objectives that drive the private sector.

o The IPR policy of some publicly-funded research institutions allows for 30-70% of

the income generated through the commercialisation of the patent to be shared

with the creators of the invention, i.e., scientists and professors on the payroll of

the government.

o Such a policy could promote private aggrandisement and may work against

public interest. In contrast, the IPR policy of private companies does not allow for

a payback on the share of royalties earned by patents.

4. It is predominantly taxpayers’ money that goes into public-funded research. When

research is commercialised by private entities, it tends to be sold back to the public

at a price. America is in the midst of such a conundrum, where talks are going on of

granting French pharmaceutical company Sanofi exclusive licence for the drug

against the Zika virus — a drug which has already cost the American exchequer $43

million in R&D. Granting Sanofi this would defeat the purpose of public funds

expended on research as the company would charge the American public again for

the life-saving drug.


Way Forward

● The government must ensure that public-funded research reaches the masses and

check the excessive filing of patents with due diligence.

● A possible solution to preserve the objective of publicly funded research is to devise

an IPR policy wherein patents are initially offered on an open royalty-free licence to

start-ups. Once start-ups commercialise the inventions successfully, the royalty-free

licence could be converted into a revenue-sharing model.

● Putting granted patents on an open licence can be testimony to the commercial

viability of the patents (that are created using public money).

o It bring a sense of accountability to the managers who run the system.

o It would also open up publicly-funded research to a whole lot of people,

especially start-ups, who can now test, verify, work and put the patented

technology into the market

● CSIR laboratories need to bear 25% of expenses for their patents to address the

moral hazard. The government-funded research organisations must bear the risk.

3.3. Hydrocarbon: Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP)

Context

● India recently announced an open acreage licensing policy for oil and gas

exploration to boost production. Being an energy- hungry country, India is looking for

greater foreign investment to boost output.

● The objective of this policy is to increase India's indigenous oil and gas production by

maximising the potential of already discovered hydrocarbon resources in India.

● The new policy is part of the strategy to make India a business and investor friendly

destination and cut import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022.

About OALP

● OALP gives an option to a company looking for exploring hydrocarbons to select the

exploration blocks on its own, without waiting for the formal bid round from the

Government.

● The world's third-largest oil consumer will conduct auction of oil and gas blocks

under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) twice a year


o OAPL permits investors to select the exploration blocks after accessing G&G and

historic data of India through the national data repository. Geological and

geophysical (G&G) data and seismic data in particular are at the heart of all

exploration activities.

o OAPL allows flexibility for Investors to carve out blocks of their choice.

● OALP auction will be held under the overhauled exploration licensing policy allows

pricing and marketing freedom to operators and shifts to a revenue sharing model.

● Under OALP, a bidder intending to explore hydrocarbons like oil and gas, coal bed

methane, gas hydrate etc., may apply to the Government seeking exploration of any

new block (not already covered by exploration).

● The Government will examine the Expression of Interest and justification. If it is

suitable for award, Govt. will call for competitive bids after obtaining necessary

environmental and other clearances.

Some Facts

● India’s domestic crude oil production of 36.95 million tons in 2015-16 barely met 20

per cent of its oil needs. Natural gas output at 32.249 billion cubic metres meets less

than half of its needs.

● OALP was introduced in March 2016, as part of the new fiscal regime in exploration

sector called HELP or Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy, so as to

enable a faster survey and coverage of the available geographical area which has

potential for oil and gas discovery.

o India has a sedimentary area of 3.14 million sq. km. comprising of 26 basins.

o At the end of 2012-13, about 48% of this sedimentary area remains

unapprised. This includes, 65% of the total on-land sedimentary area, 22%

of the shallow offshore basin (bathymetry up to 400m) and around 49% of

the deep offshore (bathymetry beyond 400m) sedimentary area.

o Further, it is estimated that India has exploited only 3% of its proven natural

gas reserves and around 5% of its proven oil reserves.

● Till 2016, exploration was confined to blocks which have been put on tender by the

Government. There are situations where exploration companies may themselves

have information or interest regarding other areas where they may like to pursue

exploration. Currently, these opportunities remain untapped, until and unless

Government brings them to bidding at some stage.

● What distinguishes OALP from New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) of 1997 is


that under OALP, oil, and gas acreages will be available round the year instead of

cyclic bidding rounds as in NELP. Potential investors need not have to wait for the

bidding rounds to claim acreages.

Way Forward

● The successful implementation of OALP requires building of National Data

Repository on geo-scientific data.

● The Union government is contemplating a policy for production enhancement of

mature fields currently being operated by national oil companies by inducting

partners to infuse state of the art Exploration and production (E&P) technologies,

investments and best-in class management practices.

● We need global best practices and modern technologies to develop the sector. India

have to introduce landmark changes in the entire value chain of oil and gas sector.

3.4. Disruptive Changes To Alter Oil & Gas Industry Dynamics: ICRA Report

Although crude oil remains a dominant fuel in the global energy mix despite facing

troubles from oil wars and difficult geopolitical situations, its era seems set for a

structural slowdown leading to significant implications for different stakeholders in the

Oil and Gas industry.

Factors Causing This Disruption

1. Emergence of New Resources: The share of crude oil in global energy mix has

decreased over the past four decades to 30% now due to the emergence of other

energy sources notably natural gas. The emergence of new sources of energy such

as shale oil and tight oil led to material correction in crude oil prices in late 2014 and

early 2015.

Tight oil (also known as shale oil or light tight oil, abbreviated LTO) is petroleum that

consists of light crude oil contained in petroleum-bearing formations of low permeability,

often shale or tight sandstone

2. Electric Vehicles Threat To Crude Oil

Electric/battery-driven vehicles are a key threat for demand of auto-fuels. The

battery cost of an EV, accounting for almost one-third of the total cost of an EV

will remain a key determinant in the rate of acceptance of electric vehicles.


The sales of electric vehicles(EVs) - battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs -

registered a marked increase of 60%(year-on-year) in 2015 over 2014,

notwithstanding the free fall in global oil prices.

3. Environmental Concerns

With Paris climate accord and various initiatives at national level like NAPCC -

fossil fuels consumption are being cut down.

Increasing use of car-pooling, solar power and advent of e-rickshaws, e-bikes

and driverless cars. All these have long-term disruptive potential for oil

consumption levels.

4. Another major disruption in automotive sector could be LNG based commercial

vehicles like trucks and buses, which could help in reducing pollution from diesel

through use of cleaner LNG leading to lower operating expenses offsetting higher

capital costs. However, developing an LNG-based transport fuel market have its

own challenges, especially in building a network of fuelling stations to ensure the

supply of LNG, when most of the trucks and buses on the road are powered by

diesel or petrol engines.

5. Consistent fall in solar module prices leading to material fall in solar power tariffs

have led to material increase in competitiveness against power plants based on

liquid fuels, and the trend is likely to continue.

6. Replacement of diesel, FO, LSHS and naphtha by natural gas or LNG primarily for

backup power generation would also affect the demand of petroleum products.

Impact Of Disruption Over The Industry

● The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects the global oil demand to increase

with a mere 0.3% CAGR by 2040 with respect to 2016.

● Consequently, there has been a marked shift in the industry discussion from the

“threat of drying oil reserves” to “disruption in oil demand” in light of the changed

context following the US shale boom, technological innovation, and the need for

clean technology and climate change policy.

● The upstream crude oil producers would have a direct bearing if disruptions lead

to fall in demand or muted demand growth along with pressure on crude oil prices.

● As regards the downstream sector, auto-fuels (diesel and petrol) form around ~50

percent of total product volumes derived from every tonne of crude oil processed by

a refinery and form a much higher share (65 percent) in terms of value derived from

crude oil.


● Thus, any impact on demand of auto-fuels could have a significant bearing on the

demand growth of crude oil and gross refining margins (GRMs) of refineries. The

refining capacity expansions, especially greenfield projects, could find the task of

achieving meaningful returns a daunting challenge owing to high capital intensity of

refining companies, unless they get significant fiscal incentives to prop up the

returns.

● Gas utilities could gain from increasing use of natural gas a cleaner fuel

Conclusion

● Disruptions as discussed above could take anywhere from a few years to a couple of

decades to materialise and their impact on crude oil demand could be significant if

environmental concerns are prioritised by most of the countries.

● Considering this long term threat, most E&P(Exploration and Production) companies

have been keen to expand presence of natural gas and renewable in their portfolio.

● However, crude oil demand could continue to be supported by an increase in

economic activity and per capita income in emerging countries and their increasing

oil demand and sustained increase in petroleum products like aircraft turbine fuel or

various commodity polymers which may not have cheaper alternates.

● Moreover, electricity generation to fuel EVs would be required from sources cleaner

than crude oil or coal to help the cause of environment. In any case, the threat of

alternatives becoming cost competitive against crude oil may keep the pressure on

crude oil prices over the longer term.

● India has a window of opportunity to fulfill its energy demands in near future from

crude oil industry and then subsequently transform itself into a clean developmental

model.

● Farzad B gas field in Iran and projects like TAPI and IPI as well gas exploration

policies will now become strategic for meeting energy security in India.

3.5. Air Traffic: UDAN Takes Off, Hopes Of A Better Coverage

Context

● Recently 5 airlines have won bids to operate 128 routes, that will connect 70 airports

including 31 unserved ones under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).


● Passenger traffic flows in the Indian aviation market are heavily skewed, with nearly

90 per cent of the air traffic being concentrated in just 8 large metros and around 50

per cent restricted to just one trunk route — between Delhi and Mumbai.

● India is third largest aviation market in domestic traffic behind only US and China.

Domestic air traffic growth was 20-25% in 2015 and 2016.

UDAN(Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) - the RCS

● It is aimed at correcting the imbalance in the domestic aviation market.

● There is a combination of subsidies and fare caps to make the RCS commercially

viable.

o The money for the subsidy will be raised through a levy on flights operating

on major routes like Delhi and Mumbai.

o Airlines operating RCS flights will sell 50 per cent of the tickets at price not

exceeding Rs 2,500 for a one hour flights, while for the remaining 50 per cent

seats they are allowed charge market prices.

o The government is providing viability gap funding (VGF) to airlines to ensure

that 50 per cent of the seats are sold at air fares not crossing Rs 2,500 for

one hour flight.

o It also offers VGF to operators to fly smaller aircraft to small cities airports

which either do not have adequate infrastructure or do not have high

passenger traffic.

o Concession in airport charges(landing, parking charges) and on ATF for RCS

flights

● The amount of VGF provided to the airline is indexed to inflation, ATF price and

dollar-rupee exchange rate.

Advantages

● The scheme will foster regional connectivity, make businesses and trade more

efficient, enable medical services and promote tourism. Air connectivity to the

hinterland and strategic locations.

● The significant multiplier effects of aviation activity - new investments and

employment creation for the local economies.

● It is expected to lead to adequate utilisation of the airport infrastructure as 31

unserved airports and 12 under-served airports will get connected through regular

flights.


Challenges

1. Breakeven crucial for continuity

○ Though subsidies are offered to operate on RCS routes, CRISIL’s analysis indicates

a Passenger Load Factor(PLF) of 50-60% is required to breakeven

○ VGF bidding is a very crucial part of the scheme as it will determine the profitability of

the airline.

2. Infrastructure clouds connectivity

○ Only 14% of the airports and airstrips listed under the scheme are equipped to

handle small aircraft. Many airports requires upgradation of runway length and the

terminal buildings.

○ An investment of Rs 50-100 crore per airport for expansion/modernisation to facilitate

aircraft operations and passengers is needed.

3. There are fears that a flight from an UDAN location will be low priority for air traffic

controllers in big cities.

4. Training and Capacity building: Airports in many Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities do not

have big runways, so they can’t take regular aircraft. That means airlines will need to

induct smaller aircraft for short takeoffs and landings. Such aircraft needs specialised

crew. India produces 200 to 300 pilots every year, and training specialised crew will

take time.

Way forward

● The precious capital for airport development must be directed towards viable

projects.

o Airport development needs to be pursued with viability considerations in mind.

The greenfield airport at Durgapur in West Bengal, built with 100% private

capital, has struggled to attract commercial airline operators.

o Reliance’s investment in regional airports in Maharashtra, and IL&FS’s interest

in project in Karnataka have similarly not performed.

● The civil aviation ministry request to reduce taxation on the import of aircraft to 3%

from about 18% to the finance ministry should be approved.

● Subsidies critical - a continuous flow of subsidy will be crucial to make it all

feasible.


o Under these circumstances, grant of subsidies could encourage players to

invest in this project. Even China has been subsidising its regional air routes

since 2007.

o In India, the model has been modified to make it more competitive and

transparent by allocating subsidies through VGF bidding instead of direct

budgetary allocation as in the case of China.

● However, according to some experts subsidy is a deterrent for serious investors to

commit investment to such project. Rather than providing subsidy, the government

should provide incentives which will make the business attractive. The Government

should focus on ease of doing business and ease of operations. Subsidy is negative

for foreign investors as this may be discontinued at whims and fancy.

3.6. Facilitating Entrepreneurship To Foster Jobs And Growth

Context

● In a move that could increase the flow of financial resources into start-ups qualifying

under the Centre’s Startup India plan, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved

the commerce ministry’s proposal on Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which are

supported by a Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), investing at least twice the

amount of contribution received from FFS in start-ups.

● Startup India Action Plan consists of 19 items spanning across areas such as

handholding, funding support, incentives and an industry-academia partnership and

incubation plan.


Relevant Facts And Definitions

● Startup Definition (only for the purpose of Government schemes): Startup means an

entity, incorporated or registered in India :

o Not prior to five years,

o With annual turnover not exceeding INR 25 crore in any preceding financial

year, and

o Working towards innovation, development, deployment or commercialization

of new products, processes or services driven by technology or intellectual

property.

o Provided that such entity is not formed by splitting up, or reconstruction, of a

business already in existence. Provided also that an entity shall cease to be

a Startup if its turnover for the previous financial years has exceeded INR 25

crore or it has completed 5 years from the date of incorporation/ registration.

Provided further that a Startup shall be eligible for tax benefits only after it

has obtained certification from the Inter-Ministerial Board, setup for such

purpose.

● Startup India Action plan intends to build a strong eco-system for nurturing

innovation and Startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth

and generate large scale employment opportunities. The Action Plan is based on

the following three pillars:

o Simplification and Handholding

o Funding Support and Incentives

o Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation

● The incubator set up by the Centre could help with commercial and technical

development of the product, arrange for mentorship with industry veterans, provide

services to deal with issues such as taxation, legal, accounting, business

counselling, to begin with.

● FFS

o In order to fund support to start-ups, the government created the FFS in

June 2016, which is being managed by the SIDBI with a corpus of Rs

10,000 crore.

o The FFS, in turn, contributes to the corpus of AIFs for investing in equity and

equity-linked instruments of various start-ups at early stage, seed stage, and

growth stages.


o Since debt funding for start-ups is perceived as a high-risk activity, a Credit

Guarantee Fund for startups is being set up with a budgetary corpus of Rs

500 crore per year, over the next four years, to provide credit guarantee

cover to banks and lending institutions providing loans to startups.

Government Future Plan For Startups

● Apart from the funding aspect of an entrepreneurial venture, the Centre has also

drawn up plans to leverage private sector expertise for fostering start-ups across

the country;

● The Centre is also working on a policy framework for setting up incubators across

the country under a public-private partnership mode.

● Niti Aayog is also planning to create sector specific incubators under the Atal

Innovation Mission, along with 500 tinkering labs that would promote

entrepreneurship, provide pre-incubation training and a seed fund for high growth

start-ups as part of the Startup India Action Plan.

● Separately, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is also setting up

incubators along with educational institutions in the country. Under this scheme, the

ministry plans to incubate 50 early-stage startups and create at least five global

companies in the electronic systems design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector over

the next five years.

● State governments are also taking initiative to promote startup ecosystem

o Karnataka government has partnered with firms such as Amazon, IBM, BSNL

to encourage the startup ecosystem by promoting technological start-ups

under the state’s “booster kit for startups”.

o These companies have been brought on-board to offer subsidised and

discounted offerings for their services to start-ups registered with the state

administration. These include, cloud and web-hosting services, discounted

telecom offerings, among others.

● The Centre is considering proposals to amend the definition of ‘start-up’ in the policy

and looking to review applications seeking benefits of start-up policy which were

rejected.

o As many startups are not getting tax benefits .


o Industry is demanding to raise the revenue threshold in the definition of

startups.

Conclusion

● To build a strong eco-system for nurturing start-ups in the country requires a clarity

in policies regulating startups.

o The exact nature of the Centre’s incubator programme is not clear so far.

o There is need to establish a single window clearance for obtaining

approvals and licences from all departments.

o The frequency of filing under labour and tax laws should be reduced.

o Start-ups need access to funds through various stages of their life cycle. The

process of funding of start-ups by AIFs is long-drawn which needed to be

streamlined.

● Corporates need to support the entrepreneurial venture from aspects beyond

funding.

● In foreign countries, some technology start-ups have been absorbed by larger

business houses to support and augment their own value chains. Sector analysts

have suggested that bigger traditional firms in India as well could plan inducting

certain start-ups, which they back, into their own value chain.

3.7. Universal And Inclusive Social Security Coverage

Background

● The Union government has proposed an ambitious law to provide social security net

to the 47.41 crore-strong workforce of the country.

● The proposed code on ‘Social Security and Welfare’ intends to make a drastic shift in

the social security framework of the country from an employment-based approach to

a rights-based approach followed by some developing countries such as South

Africa.

● This means claiming social security benefits will become a right for everyone who

joins the workforce. When the draft code takes final shape in the form of a law, there

will be universal coverage of social security schemes guaranteeing equal treatment

to all the workers.


Current Scenario Of Social Security System

● Only about 8% of the informal sector is covered under any social security

scheme, according the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized

Sector (NCEUS).

● At present, 82.7% of the 47.41 crore workforce is in the unorganised sector and

does not have access to any kind of social security, according to the Labour and

Employment Ministry.

● At present, the social security setup in India is only restricted to the formal sector

where the employers make a contribution towards social security schemes such

as provident fund, insurance and pension of the workers.

● The existing social security schemes have a limited reach due to application of

thresholds based on income and number of workers in a factory. For instance, the

provident fund and pension contribution, administered by the Employees’

Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is mandatory only for factories employing

at least 20 workers.

● Informal workers increase: Even the proportion of wage workers covered under

any social security law declined from 32.6% in 1999-2000 to 28.6% in 2004-05

and further to 26.4% in 2009-10 due to increased casual workers entering the

workforce and a rise in informal sector.

Proposals In The Draft Code

● Factories employing even a single worker will have to contribute towards social

security benefits.

● Even households employing domestic help will have to contribute towards schemes

including provident fund and gratuity for the worker.

● Self-employed persons, including agricultural labourers, will also make contribution

towards the schemes on their own.

● Significantly, casual, part-time or self-employed workers earning less than the

stipulated minimum wages will not have to pay any contribution towards the social

security schemes but will be entitled to these benefits through a fund set up by the

government

● The draft code clearly states the entitlement of beneficiaries to benefits and any

denial of the same would justify recourse to legal remedies. It will become a right for

the claimant as it will be enforceable by law.


Flaws In The Present Social Security Framework Of The Country

● The International Social Security Association (ISSA) said that the social security

coverage in India is a patchwork as there is a total mismatch between the labour

market realities and the history of social security laws.

● Despite attempts over several years by Central and State governments to extend

social security coverage to marginalised groups of workers, the current state of

affairs is still wholly unsatisfactory, as revealed by evidence-based research,”

according to a report titled, ‘Social Security Reform in India’ submitted to the ILO.

● Only 1% of the agricultural workers have been provided social security cover

● Socially or economically deprived people had much less coverage than the others.

The wage workers in the unorganised sector had close to no social security benefit.

Challenges Ahead

● Social security cover for all, even informal workers, is an ambitious target for the

Centre but the proposed code have serious issues.

● Collection of contribution from the self-employed and the unorganised sector will be

a difficult task.

● The employers are not amused by the proposed law. According to them this draft law

will make situations worse as it will give rise to the informal sector.

● Providing social security to all workers with the present infrastructure will be a difficult

task. It would be difficult for small industries in India, which are mostly not covered

under social security law at present, to provide such security to all the workers.

● Households will be reluctant to register voluntarily towards the social security of the

domestic workers as a contribution towards social security will be a tax on them. Also

the moment you register them, the nature of employment becomes formal and in

some states households will have to provide the minimum wages to domestic helps.

● One of the major issues with the draft law is that workers in the unorganised sector

mostly are daily wage earners and providing monthly contribution towards their social

benefit schemes would be a big task.

Way Forward

1. The government should notify a different contribution period for certain sectors like

households and small industries. Providing flexibility will address the diversity of the

informal workforce.


2. The present social security system is already under tremendous pressure to increase

the coverage in the formal sector. The level of services provided by Employees’

State Insurance Corporation(ESIC) needs drastic improvement.

3. Implementation will be become better under the proposed framework of a National

Social Security Council which will be headed by the Prime Minister to streamline,

monitor and make policies.

4. The best social security measure that a country of our size can afford to provide is

formal jobs to the youth at a time when a million people are entering the workforce.

Hence, step towards formalization of the economy must be taken up in mission

mode.

3.8. Women Labour Force Participation

Context

● A recent ILO report stated that India and Pakistan have the lowest rates of women’s

labour force participation in Asia, in sharp contrast to Nepal, Vietnam, Laos and

Cambodia that have the highest, with richer nations like Singapore, Malaysia and

Indonesia falling in between.

● Moreover, even this low rate of labour force participation seems to be declining. The

National Sample Survey found that while in 1999-2000, 25.9% of all women worked,

by 2011-12 this proportion had dropped to 21.9%.

● This is in stark contrast to worldwide trends. Of the 185 nations that are part of the

ILO database, since the 1990s, 114 countries have recorded an increase in the

proportion of women in the workforce, and only 41 recorded declines, with India

leading the pack.

What Could Be The Reasons For This Decline

● With rising income of households, women have the opportunity to escape harsh

labour in farms and on construction sites, and focus on their families.

● Rising income of the households and the patriarchal mindset has also forced women

to stay at home.

● With declining farm sizes, rising mechanisation, and consequently dwindling labour

demands in agriculture, women are being forced out of the workforce.

Some Facts and Analysis


● Women in India earn 25% less than men(Gender pay gap): Monster India survey

● Research has shown that when women have access to more work opportunities,

they gladly take them.

● The India Human Development Survey (IHDS) finds that the provision of work under

the MGNREGA has brought more rural women into wage labour. Among MGNREGA

workers in 2011-12, a whopping 45% were not in wage labour before the scheme

was initiated.

○ Increased availability of wage work under MGNREGA also enhances women’s

control over household decision-making.

○ Since NREGA work by itself cannot be expected to provide consistent stable

employment for women, it is imperative to explore other avenues.

● Impact of road infrastructure on women labor force participation - IHDS survey:

○ In villages where roads were constructed both men and women are more likely to

undertake non-agricultural work but this effect is greater for women.

○ Roads improves transportation services which facilitate movement of the rural

workforce, especially women, into non-agricultural work in neighbouring villages and

towns.

Challenges

● In view of shrinking farm work, there is need to create opportunities for women to

move from agricultural to non-agricultural manual work.

● There is need to foster a work environment that allows more women, especially

urban and educated women, to take up salaried jobs.

● There is a need to make it possible for educated women to continue to work even

while raising families .

● Long distances between the home and the workplace increase both commuting time

and work burdens, leaving workers with even less time for family duties.

● Another aspect of the skewed work-family equation for women in India is the demand

for investing in children’s education over professional achievement. This has led to

urban and educated Indian women dropping out of the labour pool.

● Poor work-life balance: Work structures in Indian companies and even in the

government are highly inflexible i.e, demands for extended work hours and

attendance on weekends.


○ Such workplace inflexibility makes for difficult choices, involving trade-offs

between investing in careers of husbands vis-à-vis those of wives, often resulting in

women taking a back seat and at times even dropping out of the workforce.

● Maternity benefits bill, 2016 has provision like 26 weeks paid leave and creche

facilities. However, this could lead to lesser hiring of women in corporates and

startups.

Way Forward

● Rigorous implementation of the Maternity Benefit bill 2016. Providing incentives to

factories and workplaces which are compliant to this law to eliminate the negative

consequences of the bill.

● Encouraging workplaces to become more responsive to family needs. Skill mapping

and skill training of women in accordance with the local economy so that they can

take up jobs near to their homes.

● Promoting sharing of household responsibilities between both genders — something

that Scandinavian countries have emphasised.Work-family balance requires

increased participation by men in household chores and caring for children.

● Increasing Gender Budgeting allocation in all governmental schemes

● Reservation: Bihar and now Punjab has provided reservation of women in

government services. Same could be emulated by other states and central

government.

● Focus upon self employment opportunities for women in current socio-economic

context would be a better strategy for increasing their labour force participation.

Conclusion

The Economic Survey 2016-17 expressed concern that the demographic dividend is

already receding, reducing the opportunity for the Indian economy to catch up with its

East Asian counterparts. However, the numeric consequences of reducing obstacles to

women’s full economic participation far exceed the demographic advantages of having a

larger pool of young workers. It is thus high time to talk of the

gender dividend rather than the demographic dividend.

3.9. Big Fertiliser Subsidy Reform Rollout In June


Context

● Moving ahead with reforms for better targeting of subsidies and plugging leakages,

the government plans to roll out direct benefit transfer for fertiliser subsidy from June

across the country.

● From kharif 2017 onwards, beginning June, the Rs 70,000-crore fertiliser subsidy

budgeted for 2017-18 will be disbursed to companies based on actual sales to

farmers captured on point-of-sale (POS) machines installed at nearly two lakh

retail points across India.

Current System

The firms are paid the subsidy on receipt of their fertiliser at the railhead point or any

approved godown of a district. Prior to this, till October 2012, they were getting the

subsidy on despatch of material from their respective factories.

The New System

● Subsidy-post-sale system - The disbursal of subsidy will take place only after sale

to the farmer. The farmer’s identity will be verified through Aadhaar-based biometric

authentication, voter ID or Kisan Credit Card.

● The sale transaction as well as buyer details would be captured in the POS machine

installed at the retailer’s end and connected with a central server.

● Fertiliser companies have been given a deadline of May 31 for procurement and

installation of POS machines at all the 1.98 lakh-odd registered outlets selling to

farmers. All transactions thereafter will have to be done through POS machines in

order to be able to claim subsidy.

● Further, the nutrient mix in the fertiliser will be based on the report of the soil health

card of the farmer.

Advantages Of Reforms In Fertilizer Industry

● The proposed system’s biggest advantage is that it can track actual purchases by

the final buyer. It is possible to record transactions at individual farmer-level.

● The results from pilot projects shows that direct cash transfer of fertiliser subsidy

along with neem coated urea and soil health cards can lead to significant savings.

Neem-coating has already helped check illegal diversion of a highly-subsidised

fertiliser towards non-agricultural use.

○ It will pave the way for implementation of the DBT system in this sector and could

save up to Rs 7,000 crore by plugging leakages.


● The linking of subsidy payment to data generated at retail sale point leaves virtually

no scope for diversion that is always possible from the godown or rail rake point. Nor

can fertilisers be smuggled from border areas to Bangladesh or Nepal, since there

will be no POS machines there for recording sales and claiming subsidy.

Challenges In Implementation

● The industry’s main apprehension is on the preparedness of retailers to accurately

record not just farmers’ details and quantities purchased, but also the company/unit

supplying the material in each case.

● The fact that fertiliser sales are also concentrated over just few months (June-August

and October-December) of the year only complicates matters further.

● The possibility of the POS device not working due to network connectivity or signal

strength problems, it could create chaos during the peak agricultural season.

● The industry is owed Rs 40,000 crore of unpaid subsidy bills carried forward each

year, entailing an annual interest outgo of Rs 4,000 crore for which there is no

reimbursement. If payment of subsidy will now happen only after actual sale of

material to the farmer, it will add to their working capital costs.

Future Plan Of The Government

Though it will take some more time for the government to directly transfer subsidies to

accounts of the end users (farmers), the June roll out will provide the government

enough data through point of sale (PoS) machines having Aadhaar-based authentication

system at retailers end to achieve its ultimate objective system of transferring benefits to

farmers possibly after mid-2018.

Way forward

● Under the proposed system, payment of subsidy is to be based on weekly settlement

of claims from actual sales data captured on POS machines. The government should

implement the payment schedules strictly.

● There should be a SOP in case of failure of network/POS devices so that farmers do

not suffer during agricultural season.

● Grievance redressal system and feedback mechanism should be instituted for the

farmers as well as industry to enhance the effectiveness of the new fertilizer subsidy

regime.

● The DBT of subsidy should gradually move into the bank accounts of farmers in due

course of time as per the plan.


3.10. Bitcoin Basics

Bitcoins are virtual currencies created in 2008 by an anonymous person calling himself

Satoshi Nakamoto. He created a system wherein these currencies could be created

(data mining) by those who could solve some complex algorithmic equations. Every

bitcoin transaction is recorded and verified in an open ledger called block-chains, thus

preventing counterfeiting or double spending.

How To Use Bitcoins?

One has to first acquire a bitcoin wallet through one of the sites buying and selling

bitcoins. Then one has to transfer funds from one’s bank to the wallet which can then

be used to buy bitcoins. The bitcoins can be stored in the wallets, on desktop or

mobile, or in the cloud until put to use.

Bitcoins can be used to buy products and services from various websites including

Microsoft and Dell. Many gift cards can be purchased with bitcoins that can, in turn,

be used on online retail stores such as Amazon, Walmart and Target.

Issues with the bitcoins

1. Faulty price discovery: Bitcoin prices are discovered through exchanges that are

unregulated with very lax KYC compliance process. Wash trades, front-running and

trading with insufficient funds is said to be common in many of these exchanges. The

value of bitcoin is determined largely by unregulated pools of investors.

2. Lack of regulation: The speed of money transfer and the lower cost of transaction

in bitcoins are mainly because there is no supervising authority. But with no

overseeing authority, instances of price manipulation is common.

a. There is no central authority giving the rights to set up or trade on the bitcoin

exchanges.

b. Regulators, including the RBI, have issued cautionary notices to users, highlighting

the risks they take in dealing with these currencies.

c. This lack of regulation had resulted in websites dealing in narcotic drugs and arms

smuggling using bitcoins in the past.

3. Price volatility In recent times, volatility has been acute. The main reason for this

volatility is that there is no underlying to which the value of the bitcoin can be

pegged. Its price is based just on the demand and supply in numerous unregulated

exchanges around the world.

4. The trading volume is shallow. It’s reported that 50 per cent of the bitcoins is held by

less than 1,000 people. Hoarding of bitcoins is also rampant.


5. In 2013 and 2014 with the revelation of a series of scams and nefarious activities

involving these currencies - the value of bitcoins had crashed; bitcoin exchanges

closed down and investors had forgotten about them.

6. Not much has changed with respect to the fundamentals of the bitcoins over the last

three years. They still remain highly unsuitable, both as medium of exchange and

store of value.

7. Another problem is that only 21 million bitcoins can be mined in all. Over two-third is

reported to be mined already. As the number of bitcoins mined reaches the upper

limit, the value is expected to shoot through the roof. Vendors facilitating transactions

through this currency will then stand to lose.

Way forward

● The block-chain revolution (Please refer February material for more details on

blockchain technology)The technology on which bitcoins are based — block-chains

— is growing in uses. It is an open ledger where users enter information, verified by

a set of people.It can greatly increase transparency and cut down costs. It’s already

used in the financial services industry and could grow in popularity in future.

● With coming up of quantum computing the security features of future virtual

currency will be much better. The central banks all across the world can come up

with a single virtual currency in future based upon quantum computing and

blockchain technology.

3.11. Digital Transactions Slowed Down

The surge in digital transactions during the demonetisation period is seeing a sharp

reversal in February 2017 showing an accelerated pace of decline in electronic

transactions.

Challenges

● Digital payment costs are a hindrance. For example the merchant discount rate

(MDR) levied on transactions done through credit and debit cards. Cash comes

without a cost, whereas digital has a cost attached to it. For this, some tweaking

of policy is required so that digital payments become a habit.

● Points of interconnection issue. For example between reliance Jio and incumbent

operators(e.g., Airtel)


● Interoperability (i.e. ability to move money from one platform to another) is not

seamless.

● Regulatory structures for digital transactions are a mess and needs standardisation.

Government itself is not role model for digital payments.

● Lack of financial and digital literacy. Even those who’re aware, not changing their

behavior because lack of incentives.

● Lack of internet connectivity and broadband connectivity in many parts of the country

especially in rural areas

● Lack of proper grievance redressal system once there is issues with a digital

transactions. Policy stances are not clear in cases of disputes.

Way forward

● Digital financial transactions are not sustainable unless the issues of cost,

convenience and confidence are addressed.

● India is a very cost-sensitive market. Hence, the cost of digital transactions should be

almost zero, if not negative, compared to cash. Additionally, if there is an incentive

compared to cash transactions, so much the better.

● Building confidence. Ensuring that all relevant software is tested for cyber-security

and other security risks.Security and interface certification will help build trust and

confidence in the minds of the citizens. Any major incidence of fraud will create a

setback for digital transactions.

● Fast implementation of digital and financial literacy as well as providing proper

network connections in remote areas

● Fast grievance redressal mechanism in case of faults and fraud in digital payments.

Conclusion

Financial institutions should incentivise digital transactions and not charge them. Digital

financial transactions and a less-cash India is critical to the growth of the country. It will

mean more liquidity, better tax-compliance and GDP growth. More importantly, it will

create a virtuous cycle of creating credit histories, availability of credit to poor at

reasonable interest rates and digital credit dispensation. This will lead to a truer and

deeper financial inclusion.

3.12. Miscellaneous News

Banks Charging Transaction Fee At Their Branches


● Banks are charging customers a transaction fee for cash withdrawals and deposits

(beyond 3-4 transactions) at their branches. Instruments like transaction fee may

lead to cash hoarding, put off potential customers and render financial inclusion an

even more difficult task

● The move to impose charges has been justified by these banks as a measure to

promote digital payments

● The move comes at a time when the latest RBI data shows a month-on-month

decline in electronic transactions in the months of February and January. A digital

economy is expected to further tax compliance and, in turn, higher revenues.

● Forcing people to switch to digital forms of payment might not be an optimal solution

in an economy, where the use of cash is still widespread and with a large unbanked

population and informal sector.

● The RBI, whose mandate extends to customer protection, and the government

need to step in and ensure the right balance between state policy and consumer

rights. RBI should ask banks to rethink decision to charge customers for cash

transactions at branch.

● A better way for banks to promote digital payments is to offer incentives to

consumers and firms to shift to digital platforms.

Digital Push: RBI Rationalises Debit Card Charge Structure

● The RBI move to incentivise both banks and customers to go digital in payments.

The RBI has decided to restructure Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on the basis of

merchant turnover rather than the present slab-rate based on transaction value.

● Further, the RBI has proposed a differential MDR structure for asset light card

acceptance infrastructure like QR Code

o The GST 4-tier structure will be incorporated appropriately for merchant

classification by RBI

o Special merchant categories for government transactions and other

transactions involving non-discretionary expenses.

o There is need for encouraging asset-light digital infrastructuresuch as

QR-code.

AI-Based Tech Holds Immense Potential For Indian Economy

● From Intelligent keyboards to voice-activated assistants, artificial intelligence based

applications are becoming very popular today. AI-based automation is capable of

impacting almost every sector of the economy


● National initiatives like Make in India, Skill India and Digital India will immensely

benefit from AI technology and the government should take both long-term and

short-term policy initiatives to promote AI in the country.

● Indian startups are already initiating development of conversational bots, speech

recognition tools, intelligent digital assistants and conversational services to be built

over social media channels.

● Researchers and paralegals are increasingly being replaced by systems that can

extract facts and conclusions from over a billion text documents a second. This has

the potential to save lawyers around 30% of their time.

● Online shopping portals have extensively been using predictive capabilities to gauge

consumer interest in products by building a targeted understanding of preferences

through collection of browsing and click-stream data, and effectively targeting and

engaging customers using a multichannel approach.

● Focus areas of AI: Data Science, Business intelligence, Health plans and patient

care, Computer vision, Speech recognition, Aerospace and defence, Natural

language processing, Entertainment etc.

Artificial Intelligence to Dramatically Impact Businesses: A Recent TCS Study

● AI, regarded as "essential" to competitiveness, will have a dramatic impact on

businesses by 2020, according to a study by TCS.

● IT: The Biggest Adopter - The biggest adopters of AI today are IT departments,

with two-thirds (67 percent) of survey respondents using AI to detect security

intrusions, user issues and deliver automation.

● The impact - By 2020, almost a third (32 percent) of companies believe AI's

greatest impact will be in sales, marketing or customer service, while one in five

(20 percent) see AI's impact being largest in non-customer facing corporate

functions, including finance, strategic planning, corporate development, and HR.

● Supplemental force - A cross-sector level of insight highlighted AI's workplace

impact as an important supplemental force for the next few years.Examples

include guiding customer service representatives to more quickly resolve customer

problems and anticipate future purchases, quickly and securely reconciling mass

overnight transactions for financial institutions, or giving time back to HR

professionals by managing the time consuming on-boarding processes for new

hires.


● Net reductions - Business executives in the study estimated net reductions in

each function by 2020 of between 4 percent and 7 percent.

● New Jobs - However, companies with the biggest revenue and cost

improvements from AI see the need for at least three times as many new jobs in

each function by 2020 because of AI, as compared to companies with the smallest

AI-related revenue and cost improvements

Big Data's Power Gaining Influence

● The 4th Industrial revolution is the growth of AI and Big Data

● Eric Schmidt of Alphabet said that big data is the future of businesses and it would

provide huge nation-state benefits. From making scientific discoveries possible,

predicting traffic patterns and helping fight crime, big data will gain importance not

only for enterprise businesses but also for nations and their citizens.

● Economic Survey 2016-17 used big data analytics for understanding the migration

pattern in India.

● Creation of data centres requires huge investment. Hence, government can take up

a multi-stakeholder approach towards building its own data centres for data

acquisition and analytics.

Hyperloop Programme Gathers Momentum

Context

The fifth mode of transportation — as envisaged by entrepreneur Elon Musk— is finding

initial traction in India with two companies eliciting interest in developing the Hyperloop

project here. They are also said to be in talks with the governments, of both the Centre

and the states. These two companies are Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT)

and Hyperloop One (HO). The route choices for India are:

1. Bengaluru-to-Chennai (334 km in 20 minutes),

2. Bengaluru-to-Thiruvananthapuram (736 km in 41 minutes),

3. Delhi-to-Mumbai via Jaipur and Indore (1,317 km in 55 minutes),

4. Mumbai-to-Chennai via Bengaluru (1,102 km in 50 minutes), and

5. Bengaluru to Chennai (334 km in 20 minutes).


What Is A Hyperloop?

It is a system where magnetically levitating capsules are sent at high speeds through

low-pressure tubes, thereby potentially reducing transport time — of people and goods

— by more than 80%. Hyperloop uses special pods moving at high-speeds inside near-

vacuum tubes. Such a system is now being developed to connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Advantages

1. If approved, such plans would enable India to jump forward in its transport

infrastructure and could revolutionise the way business is conducted.

2. It is said to be two-to-three times faster than the fastest high-speed rail, and in India,

it would be possible for the pods to reach the peak speed of 1,100 km per hour on

certain routes.

3. Hyperloop departures could happen with a low frequency of a pod every 20 seconds.

4. Hyperloop would have a smaller civil engineering footprint, with no direct emissions

or noise.

5. Capital cost per mile of Hyperloop system is 60 per cent that of high speed rail and

would be less expensive to operate.

Conclusion

Businesses are likely to pay for the premium charged to be able to schedule meetings

and presentations cities apart, all in the same day. And this doesn’t even factor in the

potential benefits to the goods transport industry. But in a country like India, the flip side

of such a system is also clearly visible. At a time when railway infrastructure is abysmal

and the airline industry is priced beyond the abilities of most of the populace, can India

really afford another transport system only to be used by businesses and

businesspeople?

Public Procurement Needs To Be Opened Up In A Fair Manner

● To ensure greater competition and transparency in the system.

● Public procurement (procurement by government/its agencies for their own

consumption and not for commercial resale) in India is estimated to be about 30% of

the country's GDP, with sectors such as defence, railways and telecom — having

state-owned enterprises — accounting for a major portion of it.


4. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

4.1. Scottish Independence Referendum

Why In News

For the independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom Scottish lawmakers

voted 69-59 in favor of an independence referendum to be held in between autumn

2018 and spring 2019.

The Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said the Brexit vote is forcing Scotland out of

the EU against its will as 62% of Scots voted in June 2016 to remain in the EU bloc.

History Of How Scotland And Britain Got United

A succession crisis brought unrest to Scotland after the death of Alexander III.

England’s monarch, Edward I, believed he should be recognised as overlord of

Scotland and his troops marched north in a series of bloody sieges.

In 1707 The Act of Union brought Scotland even closer to Britain by creating a single

Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain at the Palace of Westminster.

The Act of Union between Scotland and England was signed on Jan. 16, 1707. It

came into effect on May 1 of that year, creating the United Kingdom of Britain. The

Scottish Parliament was dissolved and a single Parliament was created at

Westminster in London.

All political power moved to London but Scotland retained its own legal system,

churches and universities.

In the 1800s, Scotland's economy strengthened, its cities boomed and its citizens

took a leading role in the British empire. But proposals to give Scotland some form of

home rule within the UK have been live since William Gladstone's era as Liberal

leader in the 1880s.

After several failed attempts at Westminster, notably in 1913 and 1979, a Scottish

parliament was finally reestablished in 1999 in Edinburgh with wide-ranging policy

making and legal powers but dependent on a direct grant from London.

In May 2011, Salmond and the SNP unexpectedly won an historic landslide victory

giving the nationalists majority control of the Scottish parliament, enabling the first

minister to demand the independence referendum.

About Referendum


In May 2011 the nationalist Scottish National Party which had campaigned on a

promise to hold an independence referendum won by the majority in the Scottish

Parliament.

In October 2012, the UK and Scottish governments agreed that the referendum

would be held. The driving force for the vote was the widening gulf between the

policies pursued by the coalition UK government in Westminster led by the

Conservative Party under Cameron since 2010 and what the Scottish people want.

Many Scots are strongly opposed to the current Westminster government's attempts

to reform and a sense of self-government and Scottish identity has played a crucial

role in fueling the desire for independence.

The referendum for the independence was first held in 2014.In the 2014 in the

referendum for freedom the Scots voted against independence from U.K.

In the June 2016 referendumwas held for Britains exit from European Union. The

U.K. voted in favor of a Brexit. However, Scotland did not since 62.0% of Scottish

voters were against Brexit while only 38% were in favor.

Recently the Parliament of Scotland had voted in favour of another referendum for

the freedom of Scotland from U.K.

Why Scotland Wants Freedom From U.K.

For the autonomy in the decision making the proponents of independence want

Scotland to make its own decisions regarding its economy, finances , about how

resources are controlled and money is invested.

It is believed that Scotland's economy, its social policies and its creativity would

flourish if it had much greater autonomy.

In the June referendum for BREXIT the Scotland voted in favour of remaining in EU

but it is now forced to leave the bloc. This is also one of the important contemporary

reasons.

Impact

The question mark over Scotland's future is having a great impact on domestic and

international business.The division of the United Kingdom could undermine London's

standing as an international financial capital.

The British currency sank after the first poll that showed the "yes" vote in the lead. It

reflected uncertainty over the outcome of the referendum and an increased risk of

instability.


The UK's defense capability could be affected. The Scottish government says it

wants to remove nuclear weapons from Scotland as soon as possible namely, the

UK Trident nuclear submarine fleet based at Faslane.

Scotland would have to renegotiate its entry to both NATO and the European Union

if it votes for independence. EU leaders have signaled they would take a hard line

and make Scotland apply to join like any other independent nation. However, the

"yes" campaign says it could easily be done through amendments to existing

treaties.

4.2. Operation Raddul Fassad

In the backdrop of the rising terrorist attack, the Pakistani security forces launched a

counter terrorism operation called Operation Raddul Fassad (Elimination of Mischief)

against terrorists and extremists.

About The Operation

The operation envisages involvement of all wings of armed forces, paramilitary

organisations, civilian law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies.

Its four main elements are: operation in Punjab by Rangers; continuation of

operations in other parts of the country; border management and de-weaponisation

and explosive control.

The new operation is having an extended geographical spread and it is the first

urban counter terror operation.

As the operation is being led by armed forces which have track record of delivering,

there are reasons to believe that it would prove to be a remarkable success and lead

to complete elimination of terrorists and hard-core criminals.

The latest phase of operation includes use of land, air and naval forces to take care

of threats from all directions.

How It Is Different From Operation Zerb E Azb

In 2014, the Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in North Waziristan along the

Pakistan-Afghanistan border which was hugely successful and was appreciated

throughout the world for eliminating terrorism.

The big difference between Zarb-e-Azb and Raddul Fasaad is likely to be the nature

of counter militancy operations and its geographic spread.


The Zarb-e-Azb concentrated primarily on the tribal agencies and select districts of

Khyber Pakhtun region. Despite the expansion of terror attacks into Sindh, Punjab

and Balochistan, the Zarb-e-Azb remained focussed on North and South Waziristan,

Swat valley and Khyber Agency.

The lacuna in the previous operation was its targeted approach to the militants in the

tribal areas and the new operation has an extended geographical operational area.

The leaders of the terrorist organizations such as Tahreek e Taliban Pakistan

somehow managed to escape in Safe Havens. Hence this new operation also

included a collaborative approach with neighbor countries to eliminate terrorism.

Challenges In Front Of This Operation

A big challenge for Raddul Fasaad will be the expanded scope of counter militancy

operations. If it goes as envisaged perhaps this will be Pakistan’s first urban counter

terror offensive and that too in the heart.

If Raddul Fasaad has to succeed it has to face the sectarian militants of Punjab and

Sindh. In Punjab especially in its southern districts and also in rural and urban Sindh

(especially Karachi) the sectarian militants led by the Lashkar-e-Jhangi (LeJ) and its

factions were have strong presence.

An added challenge would be the support base for theses sectarian militants in

Sindh and Punjab. Ideologically the LeJ and other sectarian militants have the

support of mosques and their madrassa. More than the radical ideology, the support

and patronage for some of these sectarian militants come from established political

parties that have been ruling Punjab and Sindh.

The larger problem and the likely fallout of the Raddul Fasaad will be the role of

political establishments in countering terrorism. The operations will have to be led by

the security forces but the larger political objective and role of the elected

representatives at the provincial and federal levels will be crucial.

Perhaps Raddul Fasaad’s single most negative contribution will be to the social

fabric especially the ethnic relationship between the communities within Pakistan.

Already there has been a debate on pashtun discrimination especially in Punjab.

The pashtun community believes that in the name of military and combing operations

they are being specifically targeted. The provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

(KP) has already passed a resolution against this development.


4.3. Human Rights Issues: Sri Lanka

The United Nations Human Rights Commission critised the Sri Lankan government’s

effort to address the post civil war human rights issues.

About Sri Lankan Civil War

The Sinhalese (“lions”) are the largest ethnic group constituting 73.8 % of the

population while the Tamils (“tigers”) constitute 12 %and the descendants of the

Arab traders (“Moors”) constitute 9 %. The main religions are Buddhism, Hinduism

and Islam, respectively.

In the eighteenth century it became a British colony and hundreds of thousands of

ethnic Tamils were brought by the British from southern India to work in the tea,

coffee and coconut plantations.

The origin of the struggle between the two dominant ethnic groups, the Sinhalese

and the Tamils can be traced back to the British policy of divide and conquer.

Despite their numerical inferiority, under the British the Tamils held a

disproportionate number of positions in the public service and were over-represented

in government institutions.

In 1948, the island became a British Commonwealth Dominion with independent

control over foreign relations and defense. The Sinhalese majority sought to assert

its religion, its language and its culture on the entire country at the expense of the

Tamil minority.

The Ceylon Citizenship Act was passed, denying citizenship to the Tamil plantation

workers who had come from India. As a result, the Tamils began promoting the

establishment of a federal system with a Tamil autonomy.

In 1972, the island received independence from Great Britain and changed its name

from Ceylon to Sri Lanka. The new constitution continued the policy of discrimination,

making Buddhism the dominant religion in the country and establishing restrictions

on the number of Tamils attending universities.

As a result, many Tamil communities began migrating to the northern and

northeastern parts of the country. Although at a certain point more than 42 official

Tamil groups operated in Sri Lanka, there was no meaningful Tamil representation in

the political system. This vacuum was quickly filled by armed groups.

The Civil War


In 1976 Velupillai Prabhakara established the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

(LTTE). His charismatic and dictatorial leadership style allowed him to lead the

organization for over three decades.

In 1981, the conflict took the violent shape; the Sinhalese took to the streets in a

violent campaign against the Tamil minority and set fire to the Tamil public library in

Jaffna.

For several days, a retaliation campaign was carried out during which masses of

Sinhalese, with the aid of the army, raided Tamil homes, looted their property, and

killed thousands.

At the time following pressure from its Tamil citizens in the state of Tamil Nadu, India

offered support in negotiations between the rival groups.

It assisted in establishing training camps in Indian Territory and later sent its “peace

force” to oversee implementation of local ceasefire agreements.

The lack of external intervention allowed the LTTE to establish its position as the

dominant Tamil organization and the suicide attacks against military targets

expanded to assassinations of politicians and civilians.

In 2005, Mahinda Rajapakse was elected as the president of Sri Lanka and

continued the attempted dialogue with the LTTE. As a result of the continuing suicide

attacks and military raids, in 2008 the government in Colombo abandoned its

attempts to achieve a ceasefire and decided to strive towards a military strike.

The operation aimed at defeating the Tamil rebels took place between January and

May 2009. In January, the Tamil Tigers’ capital, the city of Kilinochchi in the north of

the island was captured.

The media, United Nations and human rights organizations were denied access and

websites affiliated with the LTTE were blocked (TamilNet being the most prominent).

As a result of heavy pressure from the international community, the government

established no-fire zones, calling upon civilians to move to these areas.

The army bombed these areas, ignoring the UN and human rights organizations’

pleas.

Later the army gained control of the last rebel strongholds and two days later

Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed and thirty years of civil war came to an end.

Due to civil war between 1972 and 2009, at least 100,000 people were killed in Sri

Lanka.


The major human rights problems were: attacks and harassment of civil society

activists, journalists and persons viewed as sympathizers of the Liberation Tigers of

Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist organization,; involuntary disappearances and a lack of

accountability for thousands who disappeared in previous years and widespread

impunity for a broad range of human rights abuses, particularly torture by police and

attacks on media institutions and the judiciary.

Current Situation

The island has made “worryingly slow” progress in addressing its wartime past,

warning this could threaten lasting peace and stability.

Reports of abuses including torture remain widespread in Sri Lanka eight years after

the end of a decades-long civil war.

Disappearances and killings continued to diminish in comparison with the immediate

postwar period. Nevertheless, attacks, harassment and threats by pro-government

loyalists against critics of the government were prevalent, contributed to widespread

self-censorship by journalists and diminished democratic activity due to the general

failure to prosecute perpetrators.

Authorities harassed journalists critical of the government and most major media

outlets were controlled by the government. Self-censorship by journalists was

widespread, and the government censored some news websites.

The island’s own Human Rights Commission’s acknowledged about the complaints

illustrating the routine use of torture by the police throughout the country as a means

of interrogation and investigation

4.4. Greece Bailout Issue

Due to uncertain financial health of Greece it is doubtful that the country is able to repay

its installment upto july 2017 of the 2015 bail out plan provided by European Union and

International Monetary Fund.

Causes of the Greece Crisis

The seeds of Greece financial crisis were sown back in 2001 when Greece adopted

the euro as its currency. Greece had been an EU member since 1981 but couldn't

enter the Eurozone. Its budget deficit had been too high for the Eurozone’s

Maastricht Criteria.


Initially Greece benefited from the power of the euro. It allowed lower interest

rates and an inflow of investment capital and loans.

In 2004, Greece announced it had hidden information to get around the Maastricht

Criteria. The EU imposed no sanctions on Greece because of three reasons :

o France and Germany were also spending above the limit at the time. They'd

be hypocritical to sanction Greece until they imposed their own austerity

measures first.

o There was uncertainty on exactly what sanctions to apply. They could expel

Greece but that would be disruptive and weaken the euro.

o The EU wanted to strengthen the power of the euro in international currency

markets. A strong euro would convince other EU countries like the UK,

Denmark, and Sweden, to adopt the euro.

Greece became the center of Europe’s debt crisis after Wall Street crisis in 2008.

With global financial markets still reeling, Greece announced in October 2009 that it

had been understating its deficit figures for years, raising alarms about the

soundness of Greek finances.

As a result, Greek debt continued to rise until the crisis erupted in 2009. Now, the EU

must stand behind its member. Otherwise, it will face the consequences of Greece

either leaving the Eurozone or defaulting.

To avert calamity the troika — the International Monetary Fund, the European

Central Bank and the European Commission issued the first of two international

bailouts for Greece which would eventually total more than €240 billion.

The bailouts came with conditions. Lenders imposed harsh austerity terms, requiring

deep budget cuts and steep tax increases. They also required Greece to overhaul its

economy by streamlining the government, ending tax evasion and making Greece an

easier place to do business.

In 2011, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) added €190 billion to the

bailout. The EFSF was another lending facility funded by EU countries

By 2012, Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio had risen to 175 percent, nearly three times the

EU’s limit of 60 percent. Bondholders finally agreed to a haircut, exchanging $77

billion in bonds for debt worth 75 percent less.

Why There Is Still A Crisis After Getting Bailout


The money was supposed to buy Greece time to stabilize its finances and quell

market fears that the euro union itself could break up. While it has helped, Greece’s

economic problems have not gone away. The economy has shrunk by a quarter in

five years and unemployment is about 25 percent.

The bailout money mainly goes toward paying off Greece’s international loans rather

than making its way into the economy. The government still has a staggering debt

load that it cannot begin to pay down unless a recovery takes hold.

The government will now need to continue putting in place deep economic overhauls

required by the bailout deal Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras brokered as well as the

unwinding of capital controls introduced after political upheaval prompted a run on

Greek banks.

Greece’s relations with Europe are in a fragile state and several of its leaders are

showing impatience, unlikely to tolerate the foot-dragging of past administrations.

Under the terms of the bailout Greece must continue to pass deep-reaching

overhauls many of them measures that were supposed to have been passed years

ago.

Another potential hurdle in Greece's rehabilitation is the possibility of early elections.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras no longer holds as much popular support as he did

when he took the government, when Greek voters were frustrated with austerity.

A new government led by a traditional establishment party could be well received by

the marketsbut any new government would want to renegotiate points of the bailout,

which could disrupt market conditions.

Impacts If Greece Leaves The Euro-Zone

The step would end the austerity measures. The Greek government could hire new

workers, reduce the 25 percent unemployment rate and boost economic growth.

It would convert its euro-based debt to drachmas (currency of Greece), print more

currency and lower its exchange rate versus the euro. That would reduce its debt,

lower the cost of exports, and attract tourists to a lower-cost vacation destination.

But foreign owners of Greek debt would suffer debilitating losses as the drachma

declined. That would debase the value of repayments in their own currency. Some

banks would go bankrupt.

Most of the debt is owned by European governments, whose taxpayers would foot

the bill.


Declining value of drachma could trigger hyperinflation as the cost

of imports skyrocket. Greece imports 40 percent its food and pharmaceuticals and 80

percent of its energy. Many companies refused to export these items to a country

that might not pay its bills.

The country couldn't attract new foreign direct investment in such an unstable

situation. The only countries that have signaled they would lend to Greece are

Russia and China. In the long run, Greece would find itself back to where it is now--

burdened with debt it can't repay.

Interest rates on other indebted countries might rise. The value of the euro itself

might weaken as currency traders use the crisis as a reason to bet against it.

Why Are Austerity Measures Needed

Long-term, the measures will improve Greece's comparative advantage in the global

marketplace. The austerity measures required Greece to improve how it managed its

public finances. It had to modernize its financial statistics and reporting. It lowered

trade barriers, helping exports to increase.

Most important, it required Greece to reform its pension system. That absorbs 17.5

percent of GDP higher than any other EU country. Public pensions are 9 percent

underfunded, compared to 3 percent for other nations. Austerity measures required

Greece to cut pensions by 1 percent of GDP.

It must also require a higher contribution by employees and reduce early

retirement. Greece could raise more revenue if it strengthened tax collection

and clamped down on tax evasion. It should also raise funds by selling off off state-

owned businesses, according to the OECD.

Germany, other EU leaders and bond rating agencies wanted to make sure Greece

wouldn't use the new debt to pay off the old.

Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Ireland, and Spain had already used

austerity measures to strengthen their own economies. Since they were paying for

the bailouts they wanted Greece to follow their examples.

4.5. ISIS And Uighurs

Why In News

The video released by ISIS has shown that the Uighur militants getting training by

ISIS and threatened Chinese establishment of terrorist attacks in China.


The ISIS video confirmed that the ethnic minority extremist group has connection

with the Islamic State.

Who Are Uighurs?

The Uighur is a Central Asian ethnic group of the former Soviet Union. In 1921 the

Uighur were officially recognized as a Soviet nationality during the All-Uighur

Congress in Tashkent.

An official Uighur district (raion ) was established in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Uighurs comprise the largest minority in China's Xinjiang Province.

The Uighur, with a population of 210,602 in 1979 were one of the smaller Soviet

Central Asian nationalities. In China however, with a population of approximately 7

million, the Uighur are the predominant Central Asian nationality.

China’s Uighur Crisis

Tensions between China’s Uighur population and the Han Chinese ethnic group

which comprises the majority of China’s total population in the Xinjiang region in

Western China have resulted in demonstrations and acts of violence and terrorism

since the 1990s.

Though Uighurs claim to experience brutal repression in China which fuels

extremism, Beijing denies that it propagates any cultural or ethnic discrimination. .

The Uighur struggle for self-rule arguably dates back to the 18th century, when

the Qing dynasty conquered the Xinjiang province and incorporated it into China.

Uighur nationalists organized several uprisings against the dynasty,which ruled

China until the early 20th century.

In 1949, Mao Zedong’s forces thwarted Uighur aspirations by imposing total control

over Xinjiang setting off the protracted tensions that have characterized the Uighur-

state relations to date.

Members of the Uighur diaspora contend that the Chinese government is committing

genocide against their people. For example, the U.S.-based Uighur Human Rights

Project which advocates for human rights in East Turkestan says close to 700

Uighurs were killed from 2013 to 2014.

In addition to the routine scapegoating for violence, the Uighur people have had their

civil rights seriously compromised.

The simplistic characterization of the Uighur struggle as a solely religious conflict

complicates their relations with China’s mainstream Muslim population. Given their


vastly different experiences with the Communist Party, the one-dimensional

portrayals perpetuate Uighur phobia, including among some Chinese Muslims.

The Muslim character of the conflict is but one aspect of the Uighur people’s long

struggle for freedom and autonomy.

ISIS Connections with Uighurs

Chinese officials say that members of the country's Muslim Uighur ethnic minority

have gone overseas to fight with Islamic State which controls sections of Syria and

Iraq and returned to take part in struggle for autonomy from China.

Xinjiang has seen repeated violence as Uighurs has bristled under what they say is

repressive Chinese government rule. Attacks blamed on Uighurs have also occurred

in other parts of the country.

The Islamic State organization has a huge international influence and Xinjiang can't

keep aloof from it and it has already been affected.

Beijing has previously blamed the violence on Islamic militants with foreign

connections who are seeking an independent state in Xinjiang but has offered little

evidence and ignored calls for independent investigations.

Uighur groups say police have used indiscriminate deadly force against people

protesting the government's policies in the region.

Predominantly Uighur separatist groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic

Movement (ETIM) reportedly founded by Hasan Mahsum a Uighur from Xinjiang

have committed acts of violence against both government officials and civilians.

The violence has generally intensified in the past two decades as many Han people

settled in Xinjiang.

Believed to have ties to al-Qaeda, ETIM has been sanctioned by the UN Security

Council’s al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee and by the United States, which both

require freezing assets and denying material support to individuals and organizations

with connections to terrorists. However, ETIM has not been officially designated a

foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.

A radicalized Uighur population poses direct terrorist risks to China and can

potentially bolster support for other terrorist groups that directly target the United

States.


Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have threatened jihad in Xinjiang in support of the

Uighurs and Chinese officials have estimated that three hundred Uighurs have

already joined the Islamic State.

The Islamic State is now actively trying to recruit more Uighurs by translating its

propaganda into the Uighur language.

4.6. China’s Neighbouring Base In Djibouti Worries U.S.A

Why In News

China is constructing its first military naval base in Djibouti which is near to the

American military base Camp Lemmonier.

Camp Lemmonier is one of the Pentagon’s largest and most important foreign

installations and hencethis step of China raises concerns among security forces of

USA.

Significance Of The Island Base

The Camp Lemmonier was established after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

It is home to 4,000 personnel. Some are involved in highly secretive missions

including targeted drone killings in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa and in

Yemen.


The base which is run by the Navy and borders Djibouti‘s international airport is the

only permanent American military installation in Africa.

Chinese View

The construction of naval base is for naval power expansion for protecting commerce

and China’s regional interests in the Horn of Africa.

Chinese officials informed that the naval basewould largely support antipiracy

operations that have helped quell the threat to international shipping once posed by

marauding Somalis.

The Chinese authorities confirmed that the support facility will be mainly used to

provide rest and rehabilitation for the Chinese troops taking part in escort missions in

the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, U.N. peacekeeping and humanitarian

rescue.

In addition to having 2,400 peacekeepers in Africa, China has used its vessels to

escort more than 6,000 boats from many countries through the Gulf of Aden, the

ministry said. China’s military has also evacuated its citizens caught in the world’s

trouble spots. In 2011, the military plucked 35,000 from Libya, and 600 from Yemen

in 2015.

The lack of a dedicated port in the region took a toll on personnel,forced to spend

long stretches at sea.

Concerns of USA

The base’s construction is a milestone marking Beijing’s expanding global ambitions

with potential implications for the United State’s long-standing military dominance.

The US base there supports highly classified operations by Joint Special Operations

Command, especially in and around Somalia, as well as a host of intelligence and

support functions for US and allied forces throughout the region.

For the first time, an important United States military base, one where a great deal of

highly classified communications, intelligence and operations occur, sits within a few

miles of a military competitor, China.


5. INDIA AND WORLD

5.1. India – U.A.E. Bilateral Investment Treaty Issue

In News

Due to resentment of tribal people of Andhra Pradesh, a Memorandum of

Understanding under India – UAE Bilateral Investment Treaty has been cancelled.

The UAE investors has initiated a claim against the Indian government in

International Trade Arbitration and asked for compensation because of violation of

Bilateral Investment Treaty.

What Is The Issue?

A bilateral investment treaty was signed between India and UAE (to enhance trade

and investment and to protect the rights of the investors).

The Andhra Pradesh government and Emirate’s investment authority (RAKIA- Ras Al

Khailmah Investment Authority) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to

provide Bauxite to the UAE’s company for an aluminum project.

The ANRAK refinery is a Joint Venture between the Governments of Andhra

Pradesh and Emirate’s Ras-Al Khaimah. It was built after a 2007 MoU.

State owned Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) had to

supply bauxite for the project from the Jerrela group of deposits in the Chintapalli

Reserve Forest (Eastern Ghats Andhra Pradesh).

During the negotiations for the investment the tribal rights were neglected. It has

been evidenced that for the sake of economic development the investment is often

prioritized over the tribal welfare.

After several protests by Tribal groups the Andhra Pradesh government had to

cancel the MOU.

The bauxite rich Eastern Ghats has given the state 18% of the country’s bauxite

reserves. But these Schedule VI areas are also governed by laws restricting mining

in thetribal areas.

About Bilateral Investment Treaty

Bilateral investment Treaties (BITs) are agreements between two Countries (States)

for the reciprocal promotion and protection of investments in each other's territories

by individuals and companies situated in either nation.


The following are the essential clauses covered under BITs:

1) Applicability.

2) Fair and Equitable Treatment and Full Protection & Security.

3) National treatment and Most-favored-nation treatment.

4) Expropriation.

5) Dispute settlement mechanisms both between States and between an investor

and a State.

BITs encourage foreign investors to invest in a nation and thereby contributing

towards overall developments and advancements of the economy.

India and BIT

In the mid 90s the Bilateral Investment Treaty’s were initiated by the Government of

India. The pretext was to offer favorable conditions and treaty based protection to the

foreign investors and investments.

Though it is difficult to quantify the benefits of BITs it invariably results in increased

investments inflows, encourages transfer of technology and modern management

skills.

One of the most noticeable features of the Indian BITs is that it does not give a right

to make investments in India. All rights can be exercised only after making

investments in India.

The Government of India formulated a Model BIT of India which promises to provide

favorable conditions to make investment in India.

It is important to note that the Indian government retains the freedom to determine

which sectors are open to foreign investments and under what terms and conditions

can those investments be made.

All investments made under BIT in India must be established or acquired in

accordance with the national laws of India.

Almost all the Indian BITs contain the Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) which is a

principle very strongly attached to the genesis of a BIT. The principle of FET creates

minimum standards of treatment which has to be followed by the host state.

Another principle is for Full Protection and Security (FPS) of the investors and their

infrastructure.


Probably, the most important factor that makes BIT very important in the eyes of

investors is that under a BIT an investor can directly initiate arbitral proceeding

against a State without approaching its own government.

In Indian BITs, the investors have an option of approaching ICSID (International

Court for the settlement of investment dispute) or initiating arbitration under the

UNCITRAL rules. (It is noteworthy that India is not a party to the ICSID convention

but even then arbitration can be done under the Additional Facility Rules of ICSID).

5.2. W.T.O. Dispute Between India-USA

India had lost the domestic content requirement (DCR) case related to the solar cell

manufacturing against U.S.A. in the dispute settlement system of WTO.

About Domestic Content Requirement Issue

The Appellate Body of WTO has declared that the domestic content requirement

(DCRs) in India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) violated the

provisions of WTO trade agreement.

In Aug 2015, the WTO disputes panel ruled that India’s subsidies for solar power

contravene WTO trade rules and India must remove the subsidies or face trade

sanction.

In 2013 the United States filed complaint in WTO andalleged that India’s subsidies

for the JNNSM discriminate against foreign suppliers of solar component.

The primary point of conflict is with regards to government entering into long term

electricity purchase contract with eligible solar power developers (SPDs), assuring

them guaranteed prices for 25 years.

This government procured electricity is then sold to distribution companies who in

turn sell it to consumers. However only those SPDs who source certain types of solar

cells and modules domestically are eligible.

Though in Phase I of National Solar Mission, the DCRs only covered solar cells and

modules,this was not challenged as US companies exported few solar cells and

solar modules to India.But in phase II to NSM,as India extended the DCRs to thin

film technologies that have traditionally dominated the Indian market by US imports

the US govt. felt that this may hurt them.

This caused the USA to act against India in the WTO appellate body.


Impact / Repucussions Of The Verdict On India

The verdict has affected the implementation of the Nationally Determined

Contributions of India which it declared under the Paris Climate treaty.

India has ratified the Paris Climate Deal and under the treaty India has committed to

30% of its energy requirements being met through renewable energy by 2030.

By 2022, India plans to have 100GW of installed solar capacity. The domestic

manufacturers are yet to establish their competitiveness Vis a Vis the imported solar

panels and modules. The specification of DCR was built in to provide support to this

nascent industry so that India would be able to fulfill the targets for renewable it had

set out to achieve. This now seems problematic.

This verdict also affected India’s goal of diversification of energy mix and impacted

India’s dependence on the fossil fuels adversely and plans to use more renewable

energy.

However Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has indicated that it is willing to

replace the DCR measures with subsidies to safeguard solar manufacturing.

India had claimed that the DCR should not be countered as it is a government

procurement programme which falls under Article III.8 of GATT that renders rules

against discrimination inapplicable to government procurement.

The WTO ruling signals once again that neoliberalism favours trade over

environment protection. The measure of India was to promote green energy. India

has also taken the lead in establishing International Solar Alliance which focuses on

exploiting the potential of solar power for fulfilling energy needs.

While the ruling does tie down government hand in promoting the domestic solar

panel manufacturers and is another instance where WTO has favoured a developed

country, the ruling per se would not impact India’s clean energy objectives.

o Because Indian manufacturing of solar panels etc has not developed fully,

those installing solar plants prefer to purchase foreign content which is

cheaper and subsidized.

o The government can continue with JNNSM by allowing the SPDs the free

choice to either import solar cells and modules or buy from domestic industry.

About Recent Case Against USA On The Same Issue Of DCR

Recently India has filed a new dispute case against the US at the World Trade

Organisation (WTO) challenging the domestic content requirements and subsidies

allegedly provided by eight American states.


India initiated a case against the US by submitting a request for consultation under

WTO's dispute settlement system regarding alleged Domestic Content Requirements

(DCR) and subsidies provided by eight US states of Washington, California,

Montana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware and Minnesota in the

renewable energy sector

India has complained to the WTO that the measures taken by the American

government around the DCR are inconsistent with the WTO's Trade-Related

Investment Measures (TRIMs) agreement and the agreement on Subsidies and

Countervailing Measures (SCM agreement) because they discriminate against

imported products as compared to domestic products, and because the subsidies

are contingent on the use of domestic over imported goods.

The consultations give the party 60 days to resolve the dispute without proceeding to

litigation, failing which the complainant may request a Dispute Settlement Body

(DSB) panel to adjudicate in the matter.

About Countervailing Measure of WTO:

The WTO Agreement on Countervailing Measures disciplines the use of subsidies

and it regulates the actions countries can take to counter the effects of subsidies.

Under the agreement a country can use the WTO’s dispute-settlement procedure

to seek the withdrawal of the subsidy or the removal of its adverse effects. Or the

country can launch its own investigation and ultimately charge extra duty

(“countervailing duty”) on subsidized imports that are found to be hurting domestic

producers.

About Dispute settlement body of WTO:

Dispute settlement is the central pillar of the multilateral trading system, and the

WTO’s unique contribution to the stability of the global economy.

The WTO’s procedure underscores the rule of law, and it makes the trading

system more secure and predictable.

The system is based on clearly-defined rules, with timetables for completing a

case. First rulings are made by a panel and endorsed (or rejected) by the WTO’s

full membership. Appeals based on points of law are possible.

However, the point is not to pass judgement. The priority is to settle disputes,

through consultations if possible.


The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

makes decisions on trade disputes between governments that are adjudicated by

the Organization.

5.3. Act East Policy Promoting Ties With Asia-Pacific Region

In News

The 4th India-CLMV( Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam) Business Conclave was

organised by the Department of Commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry

(CII). The commerce minister appreciated the Act East Policy for strengthening the

ties with Asia Pacific countries.

The minister highlighted that in economic relations India’s trade with nations of the

Asia Pacific region has grown ten times during the last decade.

Look East Policy to Act East Policy

Background

India’s Look East policy was initiated under the Narasimha Rao Government in the

early 1990s amid a worsening domestic economic and political situation.

The geopolitical tensions leading up to the 1991 Gulf War deeply affected India’s

economy, bringing about economic recession and an acute balance-of-payments

crisis by mid-1991.

This crisis drove India to search for economic opportunities in more dynamic parts of

Asia.

In addition, the Look East policy was driven by three specific factors. The collapse of

the Soviet Union created a strategic, economic vacuum resulting from these

circumstances and the end of Cold War bipolarity reduced the relevance of India’s

non-aligned stance.

China’s opening economy through the ‘Open door policy’ just over a decade earlier

prompted India to reach out to Southeast Asia to avoid falling into a subordinate

political and economic role in the region.

India was also driven by a desire to develop and stabilise its fragile Northeastern

states, which were in the midst of insurgency. As four of the Northeastern states

share a 1643km long land border with Myanmar they are critical to overland

connectivity with Southeast Asia.


India needed to integrate into the global economy and the dynamism of India’s

eastern neighbours made Southeast Asia an attractive place to start.

Two decades on, engagement with the Asia-Pacific has become an integral

component of Indian foreign policy with bipartisan support. Look East Policy has thus

developed into a multi-pronged strategy involving many institutional mechanisms at

multilateral and bilateral levels, economic links and defence engagement.

Act East Policy

Since coming to power in 2014, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

has lent India’s Look East policy even greater momentum, unveiling an upgraded

‘Act East Policy’ during the India-ASEAN Summit in Myanmar in November 2014.

This is more than just a rebranding. The message is that India is becoming

increasingly willing to play a more active and prominent strategic role, exemplified by

enhanced defence diplomacy in East and Southeast Asia.

China’s assertiveness is prompting Asia-Pacific nations to look to India to play a

balancing role.

India’s Northeastern states cannot be easily accessed from the mainland without

Bangladesh’s cooperation, so positive relations with India’s South Asian neighbours

will be crucial to enhancing its land connectivity with Southeast Asia.

In addition, Prime Minister has advocated a ‘Look East, Link West Policy’ pointing to

a broader Indo-Pacific conceptualisation of India’s region.

India’s decision to upgrade its Look East Policy is a reflection of the longer-term

economic and strategic benefits of closer relations with the Asia-Pacific.

In this context the Government has devoted considerable diplomatic energy to

strengthening relations with key East and Southeast Asian partners with particular

emphasis on Japan, Vietnam, Australia, and ASEAN.

India’s Relationship With Asia-Pacific Region

On the political level there is a greater engagement with East and Southeast Asian

partners and greater diplomatic resourcing throughout the region.

There is need for more active involvement in relevant multilateral institutions such as

the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum and APEC to which India has applied

for membership.

On the economic front it can be expected that India’s trade engagement with existing

East and Southeast Asian partners will continue. But the extent to which India is


willing to liberalise its domestic restrictions to allow greater levels of foreign

investment will be a clearer indication of India’s commitment to strengthening

relations with the Asia-Pacific, particularly with regard to Japan.

The enhanced defence cooperation and assistance including joint exercises, defence

transfers and financial or technological assistance, sale of advanced weaponry to the

region and naval cooperation, particularly in trilateral arrangements is significant for

India and the Asia-Pacific region countries.

The policy which was originally conceived as an economic initiative, has gained

political, strategic and cultural dimensions including establishment of institutional

mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation.

We have upgraded our relations to strategic partnership with Singapore in

November, 2015. Thus we now have strategic partnership with Indonesia, Vietnam,

Malaysia, Japan, Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia, Singapore and Association of

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and forged close ties with all countries in the

Asia-Pacific region.

Further, apart from ASEAN, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and East Asia Summit

(EAS) we have also been actively engaged in regional fora such as Bay of Bengal

Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Asia

Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) and Indian Ocean

Rim Association (IORA).

In addition, various plans at bilateral and regional levels include steady efforts to

develop and strengthen connectivity of Northeast with the ASEAN region through

trade, culture, people-to-people contacts and physical infrastructure (road, airport,

telecommunication, power, etc.).

Some of the major ongoing projects include Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport

Project, the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project, Rhi-Tiddim Road

Project and Border Haats.

Q. Critically analyse the evolution of Look East Policy along with India’s growing

relationship with ASEAN.

5.4. India- U.S.A. Access To Medicine Issue

The information under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response has revealed

that the United States government had opposed the proposal by India made to

United Nations high level panel on access to medicines.


India’s proposals were aimed at reforming medical innovation regarding

enhancement of access of medicines by making them more affordable.

About The Issue

The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines released its

final report on the issue of promoting innovation and access to health technologies.

The Panel consisted of 15 members, drawn from various backgrounds having a

bearing on the health sector and was supported by an Expert Advisory Group. India

marked its presence through Yusuf Hameid, the non-executive director of Cipla.

The mandate given to the Panel, formed in November 2015, by UN Secretary

General was to review and assess proposals and recommend solutions for

remedying the policy incoherence between the justifiable rights of inventors,

international human rights law, trade rules and public health in the context of health

technologies.

The representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States

government opposed India's proposed agenda item on the United Nations Secretary-

General's High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines for discussion at the 140th WHO

Executive Board meeting.

The Indian government along with 11 South East Asian countries had proposed a

discussion on an ‘Access toMedicines’ report by the United Nations High Level Panel

that had recommended reforms in the funding of biomedical research and

development.

The agenda item, which was submitted for consideration of the Executive Board prior

to the release of the full high-level panel report, would have focused on the report in

the context of the "constitutional mandate of WHO on health R&D and access and its

central role in coordinating global efforts for the realization of health related

Sustainable Development Goals," according to an explanatory memoranda released

with the records.

US Govt and other experts involved in biomedical research (including the only two

Panel members from the research community) believe the Panel's recommendations

are likely to result in unintended negative consequences for biomedical research.

The High Level Panel report lacks a clear path forward and does not provide a useful

framework upon which WHO or Member States can build.

Reasons for US Opposition


The developing world has time and again allegated U.S. government for its policies

of blocking all reforms that leads to funding the R&D system in a way that it

prioritises diseases that kill millions of people in the developing world.

The U.S. government is not just a member-state of WHO but also is a big donorto

WHO this has resulted in high influence of USA in the WHO’s policies.

This is consistent with the U.S. policy to pressure countries like India to have more IP

barriers while blocking all attempts at reform.

What is FOIA?

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law in United States of America that

provides the right to access information from the federal government.

It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their

government.

5.5. BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs Meeting

The first meeting of National Security Chiefs of BIMSTEC Member States was hosted by

India in New Delhi in March 2017 in pursuance to the decisions taken at the BIMSTEC

Leaders’ Retreat held in Goa, Indiain October 2016.

Key Highlights

The military heads of BIMSTEC member countries were participated in the meeting

along with Secretary General of BIMSTEC. The meeting was chaired by Shri

AjitDoval, National Security Adviser of India.

The Meeting noted that BIMSTEC Member States face common security challenges

and underlined the necessity of addressing traditional and non-traditional security

challenges to harness economic prosperity and human security in the region.

The Meeting underscored the importance of recognizing the Bay of Bengal as

common security space and agreed to work out collective strategies for common

responses.

Given that terrorism continues to remain the single most significant threat to peace

and stability in the Bay of Bengal region, the Meeting recognised the need for urgent

measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and

radicalization.


It was decided to take concrete measures to enhance cooperation and coordination

among their law enforcement, intelligence and security organisations and enhance

capacity building.

BIMSTEC Member States were also invited for a Conference on Counter

Radicalisation to be hosted by India.

Noting with concern the emerging trends in cyber space that have security

implications, the Meeting decided to deepen cooperation among the respective cyber

institutions through a Joint Forum on cyber security.

The Meeting emphasised the importance of maritime security in view of the

significance of the Bay of Bengal for the well-being, prosperity, security and socio-

economic development in the BIMSTEC Member States and decided to examine

ways to further strengthen maritime security cooperation including Humanitarian

Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).

The Meeting discussed ways and means of harnessing emerging space technologies

for addressing security challenges.

The Meeting reviewed the progress made in BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes and its Sub-Groups and decided that

BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs/Advisers will oversee implementation of their

work.

The Meeting decided to establish a Track 1.5 BIMSTEC Security Dialogue Forum to

promote and encourage security dialogue among BIMSTEC strategic community.

In view of the inter-linkages between the Himalayan and the Bay of Bengal

ecological systems, the Meeting considered setting up of a BIMSTEC Himalayan

Science Council to bring together scientific institutions to study the health of the

ecological systems and their impact on human security.

In view of the importance of security cooperation as a means to achieve the

objectives of the BIMSTEC, it was decided to hold the meeting annually. The

Meeting welcomed Bangladesh's offer to host the next meeting.

[Please refer BIMSTEC Outreach Summit ( Section 6.4) discussed in October 2016 (Part

6) of Current Affairs Magazine]


6. SUMMITS AND ORGANISATION

6.1. World Bank CEO Visited India

World Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Kristalina Georgieva has visited India to take stock

of the bank-funded projects and meet policymakers including Finance Minister of India

and Reserve Bank of India Governor

Key Highlights

During the visit the World Bank CEO has lauded the economic stability of Indian

economy. She said that India is the biggest middle income client of the World Bank.

Its economic growth influences global growth. Its achievements in health and

education contribute to the world achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

She explained that the purpose of the visit is to learn more from the Indian economy

as India is a laboratory for the world to learn about what works in development and to

find new ways to collaborate.

In Mumbai the World Bank CEO took stock of the operations of the World Bank-

supported suburban rail system which transports about 8 million commuters every

day.

She also visited a school serving low-income households and children with special

needs as part of the Government of India’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program which is

also supported by the World Bank.

She also took interest to see how Mumbai’s administrators are striving to ensure that

basic services are delivered to all residents of the city of whom one-third are living in

slums.

About World Bank

The World Bank was established in 1944 Bretton Woods Conference.

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing

countries around the world. It is not a bank in the ordinary sense but a unique

partnership to reduce poverty and support development.

The World Bank Group has set two goals for the world to achieve by 2030:

o End extreme poverty by decreasing the percentage of people living on less

than $1.90 a day to no more than 3%.

o Promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom

40% for every country.

The World Bank Group consists of five organizations:

o The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development- The


International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) lends to

governments of middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries.

o The International Development Association - The International

Development Association (IDA) provides interest-free loans called credits

and grants to governments of the poorest countries. Together IBRD and IDA

make up the World Bank.

o The International Finance Corporation - The International Finance

Corporation (IFC) is the largest global development institution focused

exclusively on the private sector. It help developing countries achieve

sustainable growth by financing investment, mobilizing capital in

international financial markets and providing advisory services to businesses

and governments.

o The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency - The Multilateral

Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) was created in 1988 to promote

foreign direct investment into developing countries to support economic

growth, reduce poverty and improve people’s lives. MIGA fulfills this

mandate offering political risk insurance (guarantees) to investors and

lenders.

o The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes- It

provides international facilities for conciliation and arbitration of investment

disputes.

Jim Yong Kim is the President of the World Bank. He was appointed in 2012 after

Robert Zoellick.

Different Reports Published By World Bank

World Development Report

Ease Of Doing Business

World Development Indicators

Global Financial Development Report

International Debt Statistics

Global Economic Prospects

World Bank and India

India's involvement with the World Bank dates back to its earliest days. India was

one of the 17 countries which met in Atlantic City, USA in June 1944 to prepare the

agenda for the Bretton Woods conference and one of the 44 countries which signed

the final Agreement that established the Bank.

In fact the name International Bank for Reconstruction and Development [IBRD]


was first suggested by India to the drafting committee.

The Bank lending to India started in 1949 when the first loan of $34 million was

approved for the Indian Railways.

India is the single largest borrower of WB and IDA. India has claimed about 15% of

total World Bank lending—9% of WB and 28% of IDA commitments.

The Bank was influential in India's policy making right from the early years of

Independence. In 1949, the Bank sent its first Mission to survey the potentialities of

Indian economy.

The Indian private sector also benefited from World Bank lending.

6.2. World Conference On Environment 2017

In News

The ‘World Conference on Environment’ was organized by the National Green

Tribunal in New Delhi. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated

the conference.

The United Nations Environment Programme; Ministry of Environment, Forest and

Climate change; Asian Development Bank and Delhi Pollution Control Board were

the co-sponsors of the conference.

Objectives Of The Conference

To promote effective gathering and dialogue among those involved in research and

development activities in Sustainable development and inclusive development.

To make a bridge between government & non-governmental organizations

concerned for the protection of environment.

To create and disseminate the knowledge about the need to protect the environment

and continued growth and the sustainable practices which we should adopt along on

the path towards economic development.

To make a platform for scientists and other personnel to discuss issues and policies

related to Climate Change to protect environment.

Promote young researchers and scientists to carry forward more studies and

research on finding balance between growth and protection of the environment.

Key Highlights Of The Conference

The President of India inaugurated the Conference and signified the importance of

clean environment for the sustenance of life on the Earth.


President explained the importance of sustainable development and said that there

is no inherent contradiction between environmental protection and developmental

requirement if we can check our greed for appropriation beyond our requirement.

The Finance minister of India highlighted the needed balance between growth and

the protection of environment .He pointed out that the Indian society was at a critical

juncture with challenges like pulling out 25-30% of population from below the poverty

line, urbanization, creation of physical infrastructure across the country.

The Attorney general of India expressed concern over the absence of balance

between infrastructure development and conservation of biodiversity. He took the

example of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms introduced 25 years ago. He

highlighted that these regulations disabled creation of appropriate infrastructure

around the coasts, making neighbouring countries like Thailand, Vietnam more

tourism friendly than India.

He added that this is the need of the hour to ensure that there is no legacy of

challenge to every project but the sustainable approach should be followed while

development of the infrastructure.

The Chief justice of India J.S. Khehar explained the importance of environment and

said that judiciary’s interventionis needed when industrialisation was allowed without

adequate measures to protect the environment.

Constitutional and Environmental Law under different global jurisdictions were the

prime subjects for deliberation in the conference.

6.3. Indian Ocean Rim Association Summit

In News

The first ever Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) leader’s summit has been

organizedon 7 March 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The theme of the Summit was - Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful,

Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean.

Key Highlights Of The Summit

In the Summit, the Leaders of the 21 IORA Member States and its 7 Dialogue

Partners as well as other special invitees including the Republic of the Union

of Myanmar convened in Indonesia to deliberate upon issues of strengthening

maritime cooperation.


Member States issued the Jakarta Concord ‘Promoting Regional Cooperation for a

Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean’, which sets out a vision for a

revitalized and sustainable regional architecture.

The Summit was a game-changer for regional cooperation and a demonstration of

Member States and Dialogue Partners commitment to the Indian Ocean region.

The first IORA Action Plan was also released which sets out IORA's short, medium

and long-term flagship initiatives for 2017-2021.

During the summit, the ministers adopted the IORA Declaration on Preventing and

Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism which strengthens the shared

commitment to create a secure, prosperous and connected Indian Ocean region by

addressing the scourge of terrorism and extremism.

Along with the official meetings, IORA engaged with the private sector through a

Business Summit to deepen business cooperation in the region.

About IORA

Background

The Indian Ocean is the world's third largest ocean. It carries half of the world's

container ships, one third of the world's bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world's

oil shipments. It is a lifeline of international trade and transport. The region is woven

together by trade routes and commands control of major sea-lanes.

The Indian Ocean Rim is a region comprised of the states whose shores are washed

by the waters of the Indian Ocean.

The region is home to about two billion people. It is a region of much cultural

diversity and richness in languages, religions, traditions, arts and cuisines. The

countries of the Indian Ocean Rim vary considerably in terms of their areas,

populations and levels of economic development.

After the Second World War, the decolonisation process ended British hegemony in

the Indian Ocean. Superpower rivalry in the region escalated, due to the strategic

importance of the area.

This in turn rekindled an awareness of the centuries-old littoral economic, social and

cultural community that exists all along the shores of the Indian Ocean. Recent

changes in the international system demand that the countries of the Indian Ocean

become a single platform.

This is the sentiment and rationale that underpinned the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative

in March 1995 and the creation of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (then known as


the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation) two years later, in

March 1997.

Priority Areas

To promote the sustained growth and balanced development of the region and of the

Member States and to create common ground for regional economic co-operation, six

priority areas were identified at the 11th Council of Ministers, in Bengaluru:

i. Maritime Safety & Security,

ii. Trade & Investment Facilitation,

iii. Fisheries Management,

iv. Disaster Risk Management,

v. Academic, Science & Technology,

vi. Tourism & Cultural Exchanges.

China’s Presence in Indian Ocean

China is developing a Blue Water Navy they have their presence in Pacific Ocean

and Indian Ocean. The members of IORA want the peaceful rise of China.

China’s Maritime Silk route project is the tool through which it wants to dominate

the sea route and trade route.

During the colonial times when the colonial powers started coming to India via sea

route it was the colonial powers that benefitted because they had the technology,

shipping and they controlled the market.

In Sri Lanka for Hambantota port China gave $1billion as loan but there was no

revenue generated, so Sri Lankan government has given the port to china on

lease. So it could be a new way of colonisation.

It could be Chinese way of colonising small countries by first investing and when

those countries are unable to pay back, then trying to get control over that port and

inland facilities.

It is important that the countries who have embraced maritime silk route must

understand what is likely to happen. Countries like Maldives and Sri Lanka will not

be expected to export anything to China, rather it will only be Chinese goods which

will be using these ports to connect to Europe and Africa.


China does not adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the

Sea (UNCLOS).

India has been accepted as the net security provider in the Indian Ocean

Region and in many ways Indiais trying to project and enforce that role. Indonesia,

Vietnam, Philippines and many other nations has many difficulties with China on

issues like Nine Dash Line.

Q. What is Indian Ocean Rim Association and how it is important for India?

6.4. World Happiness Report

On World Happiness Day 20thmarch, the United Nations Sustainable Development

Solution Network released the World Happiness Report 2017.

Key Highlights Of The Report

The report evidenced that happiness is a result of creating strong social foundations

and healthy life.

The report is the fifth one since 2012, it continues to gain global recognition as

governments, organizations and civil society increasingly use happiness indicators to

inform their policy-making decisions.

In addition to the rankings this year’s report includes an analysis of happiness in the

workplace and a deeper look at China and Africa.

The report emphasized the importance of the social foundations of happiness by

comparing the life experiences between the top and bottom ten countries in this

year’s happiness rankings

The Rank 1 is acquired by Norway by displacing Denmark and becomes the world's

happiest country among the 155 countries surveyed. All of the top four countries rank

highly on all the main factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom,

generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance

The aim of the report was to provide another tool for governments, businesses and

civil societies to help their countries find a better way to well-being.

Bhutan which provides Gross National Happiness metric has never performed well

on the Happiness Report. Bhutan is ranked 97th this year falling 13 spots from 2016.

One possible reason for Bhutan's ranking is its relatively low GDP per capita

compared with Scandinavian countries that dominate the top 10.


The USA is a story of reduced happiness. In 2007 the USA ranked 3rd among the

OECD countries; in 2016 it came 19th. The reasons are declining social support and

increased corruption according to the report.

India ranked 122ndamong the155 countries ranked. It is behind Pakistan and Nepal in

the global list of the happiest countries.

Among the eight SAARC nations Pakistan was at 80th position, Nepal stood at 99,

Bhutan at 97, Bangladesh at 110 while Sri Lanka was at 120.

What Are The Reasons For Poor Ranking Of India

The huge disparity in the purchasing power of the Indian population and the high

incidenceof poverty is one of the major reasons of poor ranking.Nearly one-fourth of

the population still lives below the poverty line.

According to the World Bank report, India has the most number of poor people i.e.

about 224 million, in the world living below the international poverty line of $1.90.

Though economics are not the only indicator of happiness but it is a necessary

factor. Poverty also brings malnutrition and abysmal public health for a huge section

of the population.

Opportunities for development and acquiring knowledge and skills for gainful

employment are at the heart of happiness. India lags here too.

Access to education beyond higher secondary schooling is a restricted to a mere

10% among the university-age population in India.

The disparity exists across genders, socio-economic religious groups and

geographical regions.

There is a huge shortfall in public infrastructure for education.Fewer higher education

institutions necessitate fierce competition among scores of contenders inducing

undue amounts of stress on young students.

This combined with social perception of success and pressure to keeps a majority of

young individuals from reaching a place of satisfaction and stability.

Lack of safety and security to women is also a key factor to low societal happiness.

According to NCRB data crime against women grew by 34% from 2012 to 2015.

India also lacks in the aspect of personal liberties.Events like Supreme Court’s order

about National anthem in cinemas, the politicisation of universities or violence

against creative expression like movies contribute to this sense of insecurity.

While India has made significant strides in the public health sector since

independence, mental health care continues to be grossly underfunded and

neglected aspect. The government spends only 0.06% of its total health spending on

mental care while U.S. spends around 6%, UK 10% and Bangladesh 0.44 %.But at

least 7% of Indians suffer from mental health problems.


About World Happiness Report

The first World Happiness Report was published in April, 2012 in support of the UN

High Level Meeting on happiness and well-being.

Since then the world has come a long way. Increasingly happiness is considered to

be the proper measure of social progress and the goal of public policy.

The Sustainable Development Solution Network of United Nations released the

report based on the six parameters: real GDP per capita, social support,

healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and

perceptions of corruption.

Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

In 2012, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the UN Sustainable

Development Solutions Network (SDSN) to mobilize global scientific and

technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for sustainable

development including the design and implementation of the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing

institutions, the private sector and civil society for the sustainable development of the

world.

The organization and governance of the SDSN aims to enable a large number of

leaders from all regions and diverse backgrounds to participate in the development

of the network while at the same time ensuring effective structures for decision

making and accountability.


7. DEFENCE AND SECURITY

7.1. ISIS And India

Recently two suspected Islamic State associates were arrested in Gujrat and one of the

21 persons missing from Kerala, who were believed to join ISIS, was reportedly killed in

a drone attack in Afghanistan. These incidents revealed that the terrorist organization

ISIS is gaining ground in India.

Incidents Showing Signs Of ISIS Presence In India

In January 2017, a temple in Himachal Pradesh was defaced with “ ISIS coming

soon ” signs and similar slogans were smeared in that Army area which falls under

the Solan district of the state.

In July 2016 the Kerala CM had announced that 21 youths from the state had left the

country in order to join ISIS in Afghanistan. One of those youths was killed in a drone

strike February 2017.

In June of 2016 a Hyderabad module of the ISIS was busted by the NIA leading to

11 people getting arrested. They reportedly wanted to carry out attacks in Hyderabad

to proclaim the arrival of ISIS in the city.

In February 2016 a pro ISIS cleric Abdus Sami Qasmi was arrested by the NIA for

delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches in favor of the Caliphate.

Jammu & Kashmir, the most associated place with radicalization and dissent, has

also seen fair share of ISIS sympathizers. ISIS flags had first appeared in the state in

June 2014. Since then there were instances of flags flurried after Friday prayers.

In April 2015, the first ISIS module was interpreted in the city of Ratlam in MP after

the arrest of 5 reported operatives.

India’s Vulnerability

According to the goals of ISIS of establishing Caliphate, India looks vulnerable for

the terrorist organisation’s influence. India is part of the imagined Khorasan territory

of the ancient caliphate that ISIS seeks to recreate.

India has the third largest Muslim population in the world, the majority of them are

Sunni Muslim. Some fear this population is a fertile recruitment ground for

radicalization.

The US intelligence group informed about a video in which ISIS mocked Muslims

living in harmony with Hindus who worship cows, trees and the sunand urged them

to travel to ISIS held territories in the "Caliphate.


It is neither India’s northern region nor Kashmir is the site of a burning Islamic

insurgency where ISIS has found most appeal. The group’s unlikely recruiting ground

is Kerala one of India’s wealthiest, most diverse and best-educated states.

One of the reasons attributed to this influence of ISIS on Kerala’s youth is Salafism

(orthodox Islamic ideology). It is not new to southern India but an influx of Saudi

Arabian money in the past decades, partly detailed in Saudi diplomatic cables

released by WikiLeaks, has produced a harder-edged Islam in the region. It is a very

narrow, very rigid, very reactionary kind of ideology which attracted many

youngsters, especially students.

These youngsters have detached from their [orthodox Sunni] leaders and started

following the online Islam, the preaching and sermons of these Saudi and other

Salafi scholars. The ISIS indoctrinated many through the internet preaching.

The fault-line between Hindus and Muslim in India is a deep one and the symbolic

power of a successful attack could far outweigh any toll of casualties. This might

provide opportunity to ISIS to influences Muslim youth in India.

Why ISIS Is Not Able To Establish In India So Far

Though ISIS vows to wipe out the Shia Muslim and Hindu populations in the country,

till date no attack has taken place within India. The organisation has managed to

recruit only a handful of people in the country (fewer than ninety, according to

reports). And within India only 68 people have been arrested for having links to ISIS

or on suspicion of such ties.

The robust secular character of Indian democracy proves beneficial in preventing

influence of ISIS. Indian Muslims are reluctant to resort to extremism. This is

grounded in India’s historic roots of harmony, tolerance, mysticism and diversity.

In addition to strong family values, India has a very strong cultural and national

identity that cuts across religious beliefs, which has played an important role in

preventing radicalization.

Moreover, the majority of the Muslims in India have historically also followed the Sufi

strain of Islam which is liberal and spiritual, unlike the radical Wahhabi and Salafist

strains followed by members of ISIS.

Nearly 70,000 Indian Muslim clerics signed a fatwa against ISIS and other terror

groups, stating that they were not Islamic organisations.


The head of the Dargah Aala Hazrat shrine at Ajmer, Rajasthan where the fatwa was

issued stated that it was written in the Quran that killing one innocent person is

equivalent to killing all humanity.

Steps Taken To Curb ISIS Influence

The country has in recent years has taken important steps to improve India’s

prevention and response capacity to combat terrorism. The government has also

initiated a series of steps to check the spread of ISIS including the launch of a

counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation strategy. It strictly monitors social media

activity.

People with suspected links to ISIS have been put under surveillance and are being

observed by the authorities. The government is also setting up a war room with a

24/7 centre designed to continuously monitor social media.

Officials of Ministries of Home and Telecommunication and agencies like the

Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and

Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERTIn) are deliberating on

immediate measures to combat the growing use of cyber space for spreading

communal hatred.

On the political front, Muslims take part at different levels of administration and

governance.

Though globally India has been asked to play a more active role in the Middle East,

the government has chosen not to join the US-led coalition against ISIS.

The government is also trying to reach out to vulnerable populations.

Indian security agencies have studied other countries’ practices in dealing with

radicalised Muslim youth. The Home Ministry is implementing a counselling hotline

run by non-profit groups. Other efforts are aimed at tackling unemployment.

The country is paying special attention to sensitive areas like Kashmir and the North

East. The rise of ISIS may give a fillip to the jihadi forces in Kashmir and cross

border terrorism as there have been previous linkages between the group and

Pakistani terrorists.

Apart from strengthening security forces and surveillance measures, steps are being

taken at the grassroots levels to prevent radicalisation. The teachings of Islam to

young minds in madrasas and other religious institutions is monitored with mutual

respect and in proper consultation with religious clerics and leaders so as to not hurt

the sentiments of the Muslim society.


It is also important to educate unemployed youth who are at risk radicalization. For

this reason the ministry of minority affairs has been asked to implement various

welfare and employment-oriented schemes especially in the vulnerable pockets of

the country.

7.2. Joint Military Exercise

The joint military exercises Al-Nagah 2017 and Surya Kiran 2017were conducted

between Oman- India and Nepal – India respectively.

About Al- Nagah

Indo-Oman Joint Army Exercise AL NAGAH 2017 was conducted between the Indian

and Oman Army in the Dhauladhar Ranges at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.

The aim of this exercise is to acquaint both forces with each other’s operating

procedures, improve the interoperability in conducting joint operations in the

backdrop of counter insurgency/ counter terrorism environment as also to enhance

the existing military relationship between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of

Oman.

The Indian troops have undergone extensive training on rock craft, slithering,

Counter Terrorism or Low Intensity Conflict Operations, in addition to tactical drills of

close cordon and house intervention drills to fulfill the mandate of the joint exercise.

About Surya Kiran

The Surya Kiran series of military exercises are being conducted bi-annually,

alternatively in India and Nepal.

It is largest exercise in terms of troop’s participation in series of military training

exercises undertaken by India with various countries.

This was the eleventh edition of joint military exercise Surya Kiran 2017 between

India and Nepal held in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand. It was two-week long

battalion level joint exercise between armies of both countries. It focused on skills

required for natural disaster management, counter-insurgency and jungle warfare.

The Surya Kiran XI aims at training of both the troops in the area of various counter

insurgency operations over a prolonged period. It focused on other important aspects

such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and

environmental conservation.

Significance of Joint Military Exercises


In the domain of international relations, military diplomacy has in recent years

emerged as a major tool to further diplomatic interests of nations.

Participation in international level military exercises is an indication of the highest

level of trust and confidence between the member nations. It is a key confidence

building measure (CBM) and an indication of the faith reposed by India on another

nation or a group of member nations.

On the operational side, military exercises enable militaries to understand each

other’s drills and procedures, overcome language barriers and facilitate

familiarisation with equipment capabilities.

It also facilitates understanding and familiarisation with new technologies that other

countries may be utilising and enables on-the-job training of each other’s crews. This

is particularly useful in the event of joint operations whether in war or in operations

other than war (OOTW) such as humanitarian aid, disaster relief, anti-piracy, etc

when nations come together for a common cause.

The most important advantage of joint military exercises is ‘strategic signaling’. A

joint exercise with one or more nations serves the purpose of signaling to a third

country of the influence we have in the region and a demonstration of our resolve to

further our diplomatic objectives.

On the intangible side, military exercises promote brotherhood and camaraderie

between soldiers and militaries. Besides goodwill, it is a tool for projection of a

nation’s soft power – culture, language, customs, beliefs, food habits and lifestyle.

Soldiers all over the world have almost similar rank and organizational structures

which help establish a unique spirit of bonding and friendship between their

communities irrespective of the country of origin.

7.3. Missiles Launched

India has successfully conducted a flight test of its indigenously designed Advanced Air

Defense (AAD)/ Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor missile on Abdul Kalam Island off

the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengalon March 1.

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on March 11

successfully tested a supersonic BrahMos missile with an extended range (from 290

km to 450 km).

Advanced Air Defense (AAD)/ Ashvin Advanced Defense Interceptor Missile


The interceptor missile is in the form of a 7.5 meter-long single-stage rocket

propelled guided missile that is equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech

computer and an electro-mechanical activator.

It is capable of noting the location of the hostile objects with the help of tracking

radars. The system is part of double-tiered missile defense system that India’s

military hopes will provide a multi-layered defense system against any potential

ballistic missile strike.

The AAD missile system, initially guided by inertial navigation system (INS)

continuously got update of the target's position by the radar through a data link.

As for an ABM shield DRDO had conducted four endo-atmospheric (within the

atmosphere) and two exo-atmosphere (outside the atmosphere) missile interception

tests and that all six had been successful.

Endo-Atmospheric

Interceptor Missile

Exo-Atmospheric

Interceptor Missile

Range (Above Surface) 15-30 km, 50-80 Km

Known as Advanced Area Defence

(AAD)

Prithvi Defence Vehicle

(PDV)

Only a handful of countries like the US, Russia, China and Israel have effective BMD

systems.

However, no interceptor missile system is 100% full proof.

Ashwin is the advanced version of the low altitude supersonic ballistic interceptor

missile.

It is indigenously developed by DRDO and is capable of destroying any incoming

hostile ballistic missile.

During the test, it hit the target which was another ballistic missile: a modified version

of Prithvi weapon system. Long range radar and multifunction fire control radar

located far away successfully detected the missile from take-off and tracked it

through its entire path.

7.4. Micro Falcon UAV

Under the Make in India programme in defence sector Israel’s Innocon company and

Indian Defence Research and Development have collaborated to manufacture

Isarel’sMicro Falcon unmanned air vehicle for the Indian defence security apparatus.


About Micro Falcon UAV

The Micro Falcon is a small Miniature UAV produced by Innocon in Israel. The UAV

typically operates at altitudes of 500-2000 feet and speeds of 20-40 knots.

The Micro Falcon has a flight endurance of more than 3h and can be operated by

one person. This enhances the operability of the UAVs in the inaccessible areas.

With a maximum take-off weight of 5kg, the UAV carries a belly-mounted electro-

optical/infrared payload. It is recovered by a parachute that returns the air vehicle to

the ground on its back, to protect its sensor package.

The Micro Falcon is also equipped with a data link which enables a communication

range of 16nm (30km).

Significance Of UAVs In Security

For security& intelligence gathering UAVs provide an ideal platform for a wide range

of security applications including high definition video & photography to thermal

infrared imaging for effective day or night operations.

UAVs for security surveillance provide flexibility which cannot be possible on the

ground because of fenced, hazardous or potentially hostile locations, border and

coastal surveillance, police or highway surveillance, protection of sensitive sites or

infrastructures, monitoring of natural disasters.

With UAV technologies we can install sensors that detect chemical, biological,

radiological nuclear and explosives (CBRNE), allow command centers to better

inform teams what issues may be present on scene.

Having a mobile command center for drone deployment allows investigative or

response teams working in remote areas to take their entire communication system

with them. In urban areas, an aerial video provides actionable information so

commanders can make informed decisions at the incident.

They are significant in covert and overt surveillance of critical infrastructure and

perimeters to provide protection to staff, resources and assets.

The UAVs are important for the visual assessment of the suspicious object/package.

The rapid response to remotely identified security threats is also one of the major

advantages of the UAVs.


8. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

8.1. High Nitrogen Steel (HNS)

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a technology

transfer agreement with Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited (JSHL) for manufacturing

High Nitrogen Steel (HNS).

They are a new class of alloy which is martensitic (very hard form of steel crystalline

structure), austenitic (non-magnetic solid steel) with up to 0.9 mass% of Nitrogen in

solid solution.

They are used in stainless tools and bearings, in chemical engineering and for high

strength non-magnetic components.

Properties of HNS

HNS is corrosion resistant.

It is non-magnetic.

It provides exceptional ballistic and blast protection than the existing material at a

much-reduced thickness along with longevity which increases the fuel and mass

efficiency.

It exhibits higher energy absorption level, enhances crash worthiness to the entire

artillery system.

Applications in Defence Sector

All armored vehicles: This will include infantry combat vehicle (ICV), light speciality

vehicle (LSV), light armoured multi-purpose vehicle (LAMV), futuristic infantry

combat vehicle (FICV), main battle tank (MBT), future ready combat vehicle (FRCV),

aviation and naval systems.

Army bridges

Army corridors

8.2. ‘Swati’: Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) system

DRDO has formally handed over ‘Swati’ to the Army.

It is an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) system.


Swati provides quick, automatic and accurate location of all enemy weapons like

mortars, shells and rockets firing within its effective zone of coverage.

It can simultaneously handle multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at

different locations.

It is also capable of guiding fire from an artillery gun attached to it, meaning that the

radar can not only locate artillery guns on the enemy side but also ensure their

destruction.

Swati could be a great help to stop the adversary using heavy artillery fire from 50

km range.

8.3. Kalvari

Indian navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile from the first of indigenously

built Kalvari class submarines.

Kalvari is the first of the Scorpene submarines being built in India.

Kalvari is presently in an advanced stage of user trials.

It is scheduled to be commissioned into the Navy very soon.

Scorpene Submarines

Six Scorpene submarines are being built under Project P-75 by Mazgaon Docks

Limited (MDL) with technology transfer from France.

Scorpene submarines are advanced Diesel submarines with Air Independent

Propulsion System (AIP) technology.

Conventional diesel-electric submarines have to surface every few days to get

oxygen, but with AIP systems, they can stay submerged for much longer periods.

The state-of-art features of the Scorpene include superior stealth and the ability to

use precision guided weapons.

Attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube launched anti-ship missiles,

whilst underwater or on surface.

It can undertake many types of missions typically undertaken by any modern

submarine i.e Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, Intelligence gathering,

Mine Laying etc.


8.4. Lopinavir Syrup — a child friendly HIV drug

It is a lifesaving drug for children living with HIV (CLHIV). This drug ran out after

Cipla, the sole manufacturer of the drug, stopped manufacturing it over the issue of

non-payment from the Health Ministry.

Cipla is the dominant player in the Indian market across the HIV segment and has

stopped participating in government tenders after the Health Ministry failed to pay

Cipla for consignments sent in 2014.

Critical shortages are proving to be both tragic and embarrassing for India’s HIV

programme.

8.5. DNA COMPUTING

Scientists have successfully stored a computer operating system, a short movie and

other data in DNA, an advance that may usher in the next generation of ultra-compact,

biological storage devices, which will last hundreds of thousands of years.

About The Technology

This technology uses DNA, biochemistry, and molecular biology hardware, instead of

the traditional silicon-based computer technologies.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, can store vast amounts of information encoded as

sequences of the molecules, known as nucleotides, cytosine (C), guanine (G),

adenine (A), or thymine (T).

DNA molecules can be used to process information, using a bonding process

between DNA pairs known as hybridisation. This takes single strands of DNA as

input and produces subsequent strands of DNA through transformation as output.

DNA is considered an ideal storage medium because it is ultra-compact and can last

hundreds of thousands of years if kept in a cool, dry place.

8.6. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

A new clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is

exclusive to Kochi, has been identified.

The new clone, christened ‘t15669 MRSA’, is unique to seafood and the aquatic

environment of Kerala

What is MRSA


Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that is resistant to

many antibiotics.

MRSA can lead to diseases ranging from milder form of skin infections, boils,

furunculosis to life-threatening septicemia and bacteraemia from post-surgical

contamination.

Most MRSA infections occur in people who have been in hospitals or other health

care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. When it occurs in these

settings, it's known as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA).

8.7. India’s Largest Floating Solar PV Plant By NTPC

NTPC has installed India’s largest floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant.

It was indigenously developed as a part of ‘Make In India’ initiative, at Rajiv Gandhi

Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) in Kerala’s Kayamkulam district.

Solar panels mounted on floating boards that hold them in place saves land usage

and has been found to be efficient than the ones installed on land. It has various

benefits like :

o Conserving water through reduction of evaporation

o Increased generation due to cooling effect on the panels

o Reduced installation time

8.8. Divyanayan

It is a reading machine for visually challenged, developed by CSIR.

It Scans any script and read it aloud for visually challenged to understand.

The portable device is based on the principle of contact scanning of a printed

document and converting it into speech.

'DivyaNayan' has an internal storage of 32 GB with run time of upto 3 hours and

weighs 410 grams.

The device is equipped with WiFi and Bluetooth interface that helps to connect with

Internet. It also can be connected to a monitor and use as a mini computer with

screen reader utility.


8.9. Three Parent Baby

Britain’s fertility regulator granted doctors the first U.K. licence to create babies using

a three-parent IVF technique designed to prevent inherited genetic diseases.

Mitochondrial diseases are rare set of diseases which affects small number of

children in early childhood and become worse as child grows. The parts of the body

that need most energy i.e. Mitochondria is worst affected.

What Is This Technique

Mitochondrial diseases has no solution in current medical practices and Mitochondrial

transfer passes on genetic changes from one generation to another. Mitochondrial

replacement therapy does one simple thing: replace a single strand of the mother’s DNA

with third-party mitochondria from a healthy egg donor, as mitochondrial DNA is passed

down from the maternal line.

8.10. GRAPES-3 (Gamma Ray Astronomy PeV EnergieS phase-3) Experiment

The GRAPES-3 experiment at TIFR’s Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ooty is getting

upgraded.

The telescope made news when it detected the effect of a solar storm that hit the

earth in June 2015.

About The Project

It is a collaboration of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India

and the Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.


It is designed to study cosmic rays with an array of air shower detectors and a large

area muon detector.

GRAPES-3 has an important role in understanding the propagation of storms from

the L1 point to its impact on the Earth.

L-1 Point

The sun is at a distance of 150 million kilometres from the earth, and satellites have

been placed at a distance of nearly 1.5 million kilometres, at the so-called L1 point,

where they orbit the Sun along with the Earth.

Only NASA and Europe's ESA have successfully placed satellites at the L1 point as

of date.

The latest Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), launched in 2015, began

orbiting L1 in June 2015 to study the solar wind and its effects on Earth.

ISRO's Aditya-L1 mission will be inserted at L1. The project is approved and the

satellite will be launched during 2019 – 2020.

8.11. Nanotech To Prevent Steel Corrosion

New Discovery

A group of marine researchers from Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT),

Kerala is attempting to combat corrosion of steel used for making fishing boats,

using nanotechnology.

Scientists, have successfully tried applying nanomaterials like nano iron oxide, zinc

oxide, cerium oxide and titanium oxides on steel surfaces under lab conditions.

These nanomaterials have high surface area and increased adhesiveness (stick to

the surface).

The boat-building steel coated with nanomaterials showed about 40% less corrosion

under marine environments.

Conventional methods

Corrosion-protection methodologies usually employ organic or inorganic-based

coatings on steel.


These conventional methods of coating of steel materials with ceramic, polymeric

and electro-deposition are effective only to a limited extent.

The major disadvantages shown by these coatings are poor adhesion, coating

defects, poor scratch resistance, vulnerability to abrasion etc.

Even the recently introduced nanomaterial-incorporated polymer coatings have their

own set of challenges — they tend to develop pinholes and pores, which could lead

to the penetration of corrosive agents into the matrix followed by corrosion.

8.12. Third Largest Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

Where: Commissioned at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

Indigenously developed

Uses

A wind tunnel is used to study the effects of air flowing past a solid object—in ISRO's

case, space vehicles. With the space agency lining up big missions like the ‘Reusable

Launch Vehicle’ (RLV), ‘Two Stage to Orbit’ (TSTO) rockets, air breathing propulsion

systems, and the human space flight programme for the future, the aero-thermodynamic

modelling of such vehicles in a hypersonic environment is vital for optimal designs.

Need For This

Aerospace vehicles fly at high speed, often greater than the speed of sound. Their

re-entry through the atmosphere is at high Mach numbers, the modelling of which is

intricate

Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and Shock Tunnel facilities are used to simulate the aero-

thermal environment where characterisation of vehicles is carried out. Facilities

existing in the country are smaller in size and have limited simulation capabilities

8.13. Technology & Prevention of Power Theft

India has high rates of transmission and distribution losses in India (up to 60% in some

states). A key reason behind the non-technical losses in electricity distribution is due to

‘hooking’ or theft using a hook on the cable and the resulting diversion of electricity. To

address the challenges, various companies have begun operations in this sector.

Tamper Detection Sensor


A company named Omron has been developing a tamper-detection sensor that can

be integrated with meters, allowing the detection of any sort of tampering, be it

physical (when the consumer jolts it in the hope that the meter reading will pause) or

electromagnetic (where the consumer applies a charge in the vicinity of the meter,

which renders it temporarily dysfunctional.

The sensors can be clamped onto low-tension distribution lines and can detect load

imbalances.

The sensor uses GSM technology to transmit the data to the distribution company’s

central server, so that the utilities can gauge that something is wrong.

These sensors assume importance in a country like India, which has about 4 lakh

kilometres of distribution lines.

Challenges

A key problem in bringing this sensor technology to India is the variety of utility

service providers and the actual physical locations of the meters themselves.

To connect the smart meter and bring the data to the control centre, there has to be

an effective, reliable and secure communications system.

Another concern is the slow pace at which India is adopting modern technology that

could greatly increase the efficiency of operations in the electricity sector.

Smart Meters

Angelique International has developed a smart meter that seeks to address the

issue.

Smart meters communicate meter readings directly to electricity distributors,

eliminating the need for someone to come out and read meters.

Smart meters cannot be bypassed, and can be read with the help of a remote

device.

To run this system, a communication cable will be needed that can be controlled and

operated through a central department.

8.14. A New Frontier For Active TB Diagnosis

A rapid blood test that relies on two proteins for diagnosis and quantification of the

severity of active TB has shown promise.

Disadvantage Of Current Method


The current methods for active TB diagnosis are based on the presence of live bacteria

in sputum samples and are more time consuming. Current method of sputum sample

has disadvantages:

Obtaining sputum samples is not always easy and is particularly difficult in the case

of little children.

Even Gene Xpert, introduced a few years ago to improve sensitivity and specificity,

relies on sputum samples, and as per a 2014 WHO updateXpert has very low quality

evidence for Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis diagnosis.

New Diagnostic Technique

This test accurately detects minute levels of two biomarkers that TB bacteria release

only during active infections.

It is a biological characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an

indicator of normal biological or pathological processes, or a response to a

therapeutic intervention. The biomarkers are: CFP-10 and ESAT-6

The two peptides that are actively secreted by virulent Mycobacterium help in early

diagnosis of active TB.

The test was able to diagnose both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB cases with

high sensitivity of over 91% in the case of culture-positive pulmonary TB (PTB).

In the case of HIV coinfected cases, the sensitivity was 87.5% for PTB and 85.7% for

EPTB cases.

8.15. INLCU L51

Indian Navy's latest surveillance ship was commissioned recently.

It is First of the Eight ships of the LCU Mk IV Class.

It has been built by M/s Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Ltd, Kolkata.

The ship has been built to assist in amphibious operations by carrying out beaching

operations and has an endurance of 1500 nm.

This will also play a key role in carrying out maritime surveillance of Andaman &

Nicobar Islands for preventing anti-poaching, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, human

trafficking, poaching and other illegal activities.

It will also enhance the capabilities of the Andaman and Nicobar Command

in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.


9. ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

9.1. Madras HC Orders TN Government To Enact Law To Remove Seemai

Karuvelam Trees

Context Of The Issue

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has ordered Tamil Nadu government to

enact a law with prohibitory and penal clauses to eradicate Seemai Karuvelam trees

within two months.

In December 2016, HC had directed state government to completely uproot this tree

species from public as well as private lands in 13 districts under its territorial

jurisdiction by mid February 2017.

The HC gave orders on the basis of a batch of petitions seeking directions to remove

the Seemai Karuvelam trees.

Public Interest Litigations (PILs) have claimed that these trees are harmful to the

environment and agriculture.

About Seemai Karuvelam tree

Seemai Karuvelam tree species are native to West Africa. It was brought to Tamil

Nadu in 1960s as fuel wood.

Seemai Karuvelam is invasive species of tree harmful to the environment as it sucks

lot of water ultimately affect the environment and agricultural activities.

It disrupts the local ecosystem of its habitation by soaking in all the ground water near

it

It has infiltrated the water bodies and dry lands of Tamil Nadu.

9.2. World Wildlife Day: March 3

The World Wildlife Day is observed on 3rd March every year to celebrate and raise

awareness about the world’s wild fauna and flora.

On this day in 1973 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of

Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed.

Significance of Day

It focuses on creating awareness and encouraging people across the globe to

protect endangered species.


It also aims at taking up urgent steps to fight wildlife crime which has wide-ranging

environmental, economic and social impacts.

It aims to empower and engage the youth in conservation issues.

The World Wildlife Day was designated by United Nations General Assembly

(UNGA) at its 68th session on 20 December 2013.

On this day in 1973, CITES was adopted.

About CITES)

CITES is international agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild

animal and plant species.

Its aim is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of the

species in the wild.

It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of

the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).It entered into force in July

1975.

CITES is legally binding on parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt

their own domestic legislation to implement its goals.

Classification: It classifies plants and animals according to their threat perception.

o Appendix I: It includes species that are in danger of extinction.It prohibits

commercial trade of these plants and animals except in extraordinary

situations for scientific or educational reasons.

o Appendix II species:Includes species that are not threatened with extinction

but might suffer a seriously if trade is not restricted. Their trade is regulated

by permit.

o Appendix III species: They are protected in at least oneCITES member

country which has petitioned others for help in controlling international trade

in that species.

In addition CITES also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals,

be it food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs.

9.3. A Development Plan For The Andamans

In News


Centre has prepared a plan for the Andamans Titled ‘An Approach Paper on

‘Prospects of Island Development - Options for India.

NITI Aayog recently approved the plan for the promotion of high-end tourism in four

islands—Smith, Ross, Avis and Long.

About The Plan

Plan focuses less on strategic and defence-related projects and more on economic

activities such as rail construction, port and petrochemical complex development,

special economic zones (SEZ) and the tourism industry.

Plan articulates the need for economic, social, ecological and cultural sustainability in

development strategy.

Concern Areas

However it ignores the historical, social, ecological and legal context of the unique

island system.

Of particular relevance here is the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal

Tribes Regulation (ANPATR) that was promulgated in 1956.

Significant areas of the islands have been protected under this regulation for

indigenous communities like the Jarawa and the Onge.

The Approach Paper does not mention of ANPATR even as it proposes a number of

projects that will impinge directly on the lands and rights protected by the regulation.

Background

In 1965, the Ministry of Rehabilitation had prepared a similar proposal which was in

fact a blueprint for the ‘colonisation’ of the islands.

According to it the forests on the islands, inhabited by the Onge and the Jarawa,

were referred to as ‘Jarawa infested’ and the forests had no value but for their

timber.

Similarity in Plans of 1965 and 2016

Both plans focus on Little Andaman Island, the roughly 730 square kilometres that is

home to the indigenous Onge community.

The 1965 plan suggested the clearance of 60,000 acres of forests, the settling in of

12,000 families from the mainland, and the establishment of an integrated industrial

complex that would include timber and sugar industries.


The 2016 vision includes the island’s transformation into an integrated tourism

complex through long-lease or a PPP model, development of an international airport,

and the construction of a new harbour at Dugong Creek for inter-island connectivity.

How The Plan Ignores Ground Reality

Latest plan completely ignores the changes that have taken place in the legal and

policy framework of the country, apart from matters of geology and ecology.

520 sq. km. of Little Andaman is protected as the Onge Tribal Reserve and that

Dugong Creek, where the harbour is proposed, is located deep inside the Reserve

and has the most important settlement of Onge tribes.

The plan does not account for realities such as the fact that drinking water is a big

challenge in many of the islands.

The islands are located in Seismic Zone V, part of the world’s most active seismic

regions, where earthquakes are regular occurrences.

It also ignores that the 2004 tsunami was caused by an earthquake not far from the

Nicobar Islands, and that tourism will be the first and the worst affected in case of

calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones.

Since there will be a greater thrust on development plans, with tourism being given

top priority it will have a negative impact on forests, biodiversity and the Onge

community.

Onge Tribes In Danger

In 1965, the entire island was a tribal reserve, the forests unexploited, and the Onge

the sole residents on the island they have inhabited for thousands of years.

As of 2016, the Onge Reserve is roughly 30% smaller (more than 200 sq. km of

forest has been handed over for settlements, plantations, and agriculture), the

remaining forests are under increasing pressure, and for every Onge on Little

Andaman there are now about 200 individuals from outside.

9.4. WCCB’s Operation Thunderbird And Operation Save Kurma

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has conducted and coordinated Operation

Thunder Bird from January 30 to February 19, 2017 in a successful manner.

Focus of the operation was to end poaching of India’s wildlife animals.


It also convened Operation Save Kurma, a species specific operation on turtles

between 15 December 2016 and 30 January 2017. It helped the enforcement

agencies to focus on the existing trade routes and major trade hubs in the

country, which will be continued in future.

About Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

WCCB is statutory multi-disciplinary body under the Union Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to combat organized wildlife crime in

the country.

It was established in June 2007 by amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA),

1972, a special Act to protect the wildlife and fauna in the country.

Functions

It collects and collates intelligence related to organized wildlife crime and

disseminates it to states and other enforcement agencies for immediate action.

It assists foreign authorities and international organizations concerned, to facilitate

co-ordination and universal action for wildlife crime control.

It focuses on capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for

scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assiststhe states to

ensure success in wildlife crimes prosecutions.

It advises Centre on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and

international ramifications, relevant policy and laws.

It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments

of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM

Policy governing such an item.

9.5. Government Launches First Ever Across-The-River Survey To Figure Out

Aquatic Life

About the News

The Union Government has launched the first ever across-the-river survey in River

Ganga to determine the population of aquatic life, including that of the endangered

Gangetic dolphin.

The survey will create a baseline scientific data for the government to take suitable

measures to improve quality of the Ganga’s water.


Key Facts

The first of its kind survey is being conducted by National Mission for Clean Ganga

(NMCG) through Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under Namami Gange programme.

The first leg of the census has been launched on March 1, 2017 from Narora to

Bijnor (covering nearly 165 km distance) in Utter Pradesh to establish the number of

the Gangetic dolphin, national aquatic animal.

In next phase will cover the Allahabad to Varanasi stretch (close to 250 km in length)

in Uttar Pradesh.

It will find out stretches where dolphin is habituating, the conditions of habitations

and the level of threat the long-snouted species is facing in a particular belt.

The study to figure out fish species composition in the in the 2525 km-long stretch of

River Ganga also been started from Harshil in Uttarakhand.

Significance

Gangetic dolphins, one of the four freshwater dolphins in the world, are threatened

from the river stretch in Narora to Kanpur due to pollution.

Besides populace count, it will help know distribution pattern of aquatic life in river,

extent of threat level faced by them and their habitat conditions.

It will also ascertain number of ghariyals and turtles.

This will be for the first time a comprehensive and scientific study will be conducted

to determine the population of aquatic life in River Ganga.

Earlier all the surveys carried out were conducted in bits and pieces or were rapid.

About Gangetic Dolphin

Ganges River Dolphins prefer deep waters, in and around the confluence of two or

more rivers.

They share their habitat with crocodiles, fresh water turtles and wetland birds.

The distribution range of the Ganges River Dolphins in India covers seven states

namely, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and

West Bengal.

The Gangetic Dolphins are generally blind and catch their prey in a unique manner.

They emit an ultrasonic sound which reaches the prey. The dolphin then registers

this image in its mind and subsequently catches hold of its prey.


Threats And Conservation

Direct killing, habitat fragmentation by dams and barrages, indiscriminate fishing and

pollution of the rivers.

IUCN has listed them as 'endangered'. They are also placed in Schedule-I of the

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

A Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Programme was initiated by the centre in

collaboration with WWF in 1997 to build a scientific database of the population status

of the species and study the habitat quality of the dolphins' distribution range.

9.6. HCFC Phase Out Management Plan Stage II Launched by India

Government i.e. (Environment Ministry) has decided to launch the Stage II of HCFCs

Phase out Management Plan (HPMP). It covers the period 2017-23.

Objective

It aims to phase out the use of Hydroclorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which are harmful

ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

This will be achieved by switching over to non-ozone depleting and low global

warming potential technologies.

Details of HPMP-II

India has secured $44.1 million from Multilateral Fund for implementation of Montreal

Protocol for phasing out 8,190 MT of HCFC consumption between years 2017- 2023.

This will help India to meet targets under the protocol for 2020.

More than 400 enterprises, including MSMEs in foam manufacturing sector and 6

large air-conditioning manufacturing enterprises will be supported for conversion to

non-HCFC technologies from HCFCs.

Energy efficiency, development building codes, cold chain development with non-

HCFC alternatives and development of standards for new non-ODS and low GWP

alternatives will be promoted.

Adequate attention to synergize the Refrigeration and Servicing (RAC) sector

trainings will be given with the Skill India Mission, in order to multiply the impact of

skilling and training.


Nearly, 16, 000 service technicians will be trained under HPMP-II. It will result in net

direct CO2-equivalent emission reductions of about 8.5 million metric tonne annually

from 2023.

About HCFCs

Under the Montreal Protocol, the accelerated phase out of Hydrochlorofluorcarbons

(HCFCs) is underway with an aim to complete phase out by 2030.

These are the chemicals that result in ozone depletion and aid global warming.

At present, HCFCs are used in various sectors like refrigeration and air conditioning

(RAC), polyurethane foam manufacturing and cold chains sectors etc.

These sectors are directly related to urban development, agriculture through cold

chain, and industrial development.

India is undertaking phase-out of HCFCs through the implementation of HPMP. The

Stage-I of HPMP has been already implemented in the country and has successfully

met all the ODS phase-out targets, including those of HPMP Stage-I.

About Montreal Protocol

It seeks to cut the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS)

in order to protect the earth’s fragile ozone layer. It also aims at phase out HCFCs by

2030.

It came into force in 1989 and has been ratified by 197 parties making it universally

ratified protocol in UN history.

It is also highly successful international arrangement, as it has phased-out more than

95% of the ODS so far as per its main mandate in less than 30 years of its existence.

9.7. No Firm Decision On Western Ghats Issue By The Centre

The Environment Ministry has failed to bring into force a law that aims to keep about

56,825 sqkm of the ecologically-rich Western Ghats out of bounds for industrial

development.

Original Proposal

The recent draft notification of government specified certain land areas in various

coastal States encompassing the Western Ghats to be earmarked as practically-

inviolate.


The notification allows the Centre to create an Ecological Sensitive Area (ESA) in the

Western Ghats.

Regions declared as the ESA will not be allowed to host mining and quarrying

projects and building thermal power plants.

Gadgil Committee

Government had appointed an expert committee headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil

in 2011.

It recommended that all of the Western Ghats be declared as the ESA with only

limited development allowed in graded zones.

Kasturirangan Committee

A committee headed by K. Kasturirangan, former ISRO chairman, recommended

that only about 60,000 sq km or about 37% of the WG be declared as ESA.

This was a significant reduction from that of the Gadgil committee.

Importance of Western Ghats

Western Ghats are 1,500 km ecologically-rich strip along the west coast spanning

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

They are one of the two biodiversity hotspots in India other being Eastern Himalayas.

They are also considered to be one of the most important natural heritage sites in the

world.

It is considered to be one of the most important bio-geographic zones of India, as it is

one of the richest centres of endemism.

The extent of endemism is high amongst amphibian and reptile species.

Due to varied topography and microclimatic regimes, some areas within the region

are considered to be active zones of speciation.

Rare fauna of the region include – Lion Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Nilgiri Tahr,

Flying Squirrel, and Malabar Gray Hornbill.

Western Ghats support “the single largest population of endangered Asian elephants

and vulnerable Indian bison.

Threats Faced By Western Ghats


According to the report, ‘Protecting people through nature,’ prepared by the

World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN), Western Ghats face threats like -

Ecological destruction due to harmful industrial activities such as mining. It includes

oil and gas exploration and extraction, mining, illegal logging and large-scale

constructions.

The harmful industrial development poses a threat to these ‘ecosystem services and

the communities that depend on them. These are known as“extractive threats”.

9.8. Four States Come Together For Elephant Census

For the first time in India, four states Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and

Jharkhand will conduct a synchronised elephant census in May 2017.

These four states have the maximum number of human-elephant conflict-prone

regions in India.

Key Facts

These states will conduct the census based on an identical set of rules using the

direct and indirect counting methods.

The direct counting method is based on sighting of elephants while the indirect

method uses the elephant ‘dung decay’ formula, in which the analysis of dung is

used to estimate the population. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have used the indirect

method.

As per the 2015 census, Odisha has 1,954 elephants while Jharkhand has 700,

Chhattisgarh and West Bengal had approximately 275 and 130 elephants,

respectively.

About Human-Elephant Conflict

According to the environment ministry data, 391 people and 39 elephants died in

2014-15 across India, as a result of the man-elephant conflict.

Of the 391 people, West Bengal recorded the highest number of death at 89,

followed by Assam, which recorded 54 deaths.

Unable to find enough resources to sustain in their old habitats, Elephants venture

out close to human settlements and damage farms and property, and attack people.


To save themselves, people try to chase away the wild animals with drums, sticks,

spears and fire-torches.

Some even resort to poisoning and electrocuting them.

Reasons

Rapid loss of dense forests

Infrastructure projects falling in elephant habitats

Increasing frustration of villagers due to loss of property and lives has contributed to

it.

Deforestation and encroachment of reserve forests by humans is also shrinking the

habitats of Elephants.

Immediate measures

Awareness drives

Increased patrolling along the 29 elephant corridors near railway tracks

Set up anti-depredation squads.

Bio-fencing

Long Term Measures

Afforestation drives

Capturing of wild elephants and training them for various tourism

Anti-poaching related activities would help reduce the conflict in the years ahead.

9.9. World Bank approves funding for India's ambitious National Hydrology

Project

About the Project

The World Bank has approved $175 million for India's National Hydrology Project as

a central sector scheme with a total outlay of Rs 3679 crore.

It also includes the establishment of the National Water Informatics Center as a

repository of nation-wide water resources data.

The entire project will be implemented by 2023-24. The World Bank will provide

financial assistance for nearly 50% of its total cost.


Background

The National Hydrology Project, approved by the World Bank Board will build on the

success of India's earlier projects - Hydrology Project-I and Hydrology Project-II.

These projects had led to real-time flood forecast systems integrated with weather

forecast in two large river systems (Krishna in South India and Satluj-Beas in north-

west India) to give reservoir managers an accurate picture of the water situation in

their region.

This national project will now scale up the successes achieved under HP-I and HP-II

cover the entire country, including the states of Ganga, and Brahmaputra-Barak

basins.

Objective

The Project is aimed at improving the extent, quality, and accessibility of water

resources information, decision support system for floods.

It will also help basin level resource assessment/planning and strengthen the

capacity of targeted water resources professionals and management institutions in

India.

Importance of the Project

In the context of climate change, advanced flood management and enhanced river

basin planning are essential for building livelihoods and sustaining economic growth.

This project has the potential to help communities to plan in advance to build

resilience against possible uncertainties of climate change.

The Project is meant to help the states monitor all the important aspects of the

hydro-meteorological cycle and adopt the procedures laid out in the earlier projects.

The project will also help new states to better manage water flows from the

reservoirs.

This will strengthen the capacity of existing institutions to assess the water situation

and equip them with real-time flood forecast systems across the country.

The move will help in reducing the vulnerability of many regions to recurring floods

and droughts as absence of real-time ground information for the entire country

creates difficulties in issuing alerts on time.


9.10. Uttarakhand HC Recognise Ganga And Yamuna Rivers As Living Entity

In News

The Uttarakhand High Court has recognized and declared the Ganga and Yamuna

Rivers as living entities. It is for the first time any court in India has taken such a

unique step.

The two rivers are sacred in Indian culturefor the Hindus apart from sustaining

millions of people in the country.

However over the years they have been degraded due to unsustainable human

actions. The HC gave a landmark judgment while hearing a Public Interest Litigation

(PIL) in this respect in 2014.

About HC Order

Ganga and Yamuna along with their tributaries and streams have been declared as

legal persons carrying living status in order to protect the recognition and the faith of

society.

They will have the status of a legal person with all corresponding rights, duties and

liabilities of a living person in order to preserve and conserve them.

What Court Has Asked?

Central government must constitute Ganga Management Board to handle the issue

of cleaning and maintaining these rivers.

The Director, NamamiGange project and the Chief Secretary and the Advocate

General of Uttarakhand have been have been made accountable for these rivers. In

other words, they have been appointed to serve as "parents" for Ganga and

Yamuna.

What Does It Means?

Recognizing these rivers as a living entity, grants them new legal identity and all

rights laid out in the Constitution of India.

By declaring the rivers as a legal person like a minor, the caretakers will be held

accountable and responsible for ensuring the rivers are not misused, abused or

misappropriated for personal use.

Thus they have the right to be legally protected and not be harmed and destroyed.

They also can be parties to disputes as their rights can be used to protect the

interests of the rivers.


It also means that if someone pollutes these rivers, the law will see it equal to

harming a human being.

Interesting Facts

Earlier in March 2017, New Zealand Parliament passed a bill declaring 145km long

Whanganui River as ‘legal person’, making it first river to get this status.

Ecuador was first country to recognize Rights of Nature in its Constitution adopted

in September 2008.

Ecuador’s Constitution includes a Chapter: Rights for Nature.

9.11. World Water Day

About News

World Water Day is observed globally on 22nd March every year. It is to mark the

importance of water to human civilisation and nature.

The United Nations organisation sets a theme each year. Theme for this year:

wastewater.

Objective

World Water Day is part of a global mission with an aim to provide safe water for all. It

focuses on people’s learning and involvementby taking action for global conservation.

Background

The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22 as World Water Day in

1993 following a resolution taken in Rio, Brazil in 1992.

This is the 24th year, and it’s organised by UN Water in collaboration with

governments and partners.

Message by UN

United Nations in its report has emphasised that recycling wastewater is a key to solving

water crisis. This will help in environmental protection.

Why The World Faces Water Crisis?

For decades, people have been using fresh water faster than nature can replace it.

UN Environment Programme forecasts that water demand — for industry, energy

and an extra billion people — will increase 50 percent by 2030.


Global warming has already increased droughts in many areas, and warming will

become more severe throughout the century.

Wastewater — runoff from agriculture, industry and expanding cities, especially in

developing nations — is a major part of the problem.

That is especially true in poor countries where very little, if any, wastewater is treated

or recycled.

What is The Impact

Two-thirds of humanity currently lives in water scarcity zones at least one month a

year. Half of those people are in China and India.

Water crisis contributes in some regions to hunger, disease, conflict and migration.

More than 800,000 people die every year due to contaminated drinking water, and

not being able to properly wash their hands.

Water-related diseases claim nearly 3.5 million lives annually in Africa, Asia and

Latin America.

Chemicals and nutrients from factories and farms create deadzones in rivers, lakes

and coastal waters, and seep into aquifers.

Solution by UN Report

Policy Initiatives should focus on –

removal of contaminants from waste water flows

Reduce, recycle and reuse of wastewater

Recovering useful byproducts thus reducing the pollution at source.

9.12. World Forestry Day or International Day of Forests

It is celebrated worldwide every year on 21st of March at the international level.

Theme- “Forests & Energy”.

Objective: It focuses on increasing the public awareness among communities about

the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on

the earth.

Background


The World Forestry Day was established in the year 1971 at the 23rd General

Assembly of European Confederation of Agriculture.

It was decided to be celebrated as an annual event celebration on 21st of March by

the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

International Day of Forests was first established on 28th November 2012 to be

celebrated on 21st of March every year.

United Nations General Assembly united the two international commemorations;

the World Forestry Day and Forest Day.

Importance of Forests

Forests fulfil the demands of the human beings by providing shadow, shelter,

refreshment including clean air and water.

Forest is major source of raw material, local employment as well as the national

income source.

Wood fuel provides 40% of today’s global renewable energy supply – as much as

solar, hydroelectric and wind power combined.

Forests plays great role in gathering and releasing the water on the earth and

maintain the flora and fauna habitat balance.

Its role in minimising carbon emissions by acting as a natural carbon sequestration

mechanism is unmatched.

It plays a key role in water conservation, prevention of soil erosion and groundwater

recharge apart from reducing pollution.

It maintains the heat and water budget of the earth keeping the atmospheric

temperatures within limits.

Threats

In the modern world of growing global population increases the demands of forest

products so the forests are at big risks of deforestation and degradation.

According to the UNEP reports there is an annual loss of around 13 million hectares

or 32 million acres of the forests.

Loss of the forests enhances the loss of inhabitant plant and species to the forest. It

also eliminates the genetic diversity. Deforestation disturbs the balance of natural

climate.


This has led to the global warming by increasing the CO2 and decreasing the O2

percentage all across the world.

Opportunities

Forest has a key role in mitigating climate change and fostering sustainable

development.

Globally, forests hold energy content approximately 10 times that of the world’s

annual primary energy consumption.

They thus have significant potential as renewable resources to meet global energy

demand.

Optimal urban living and lower energy bills.Strategically placed trees in urban areas

can cool the air by between 2 to 8 degrees C.

Use of clean and efficient wood stoves can give millions more people in developing

countries access to cheap, reliable and renewable energy.

9.13. Green Nod For Neutrino Project Suspended by NGT

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has suspended the

Environmental Clearance (EC) granted to the India-based Neutrino Observatory

(INO) that was to come up in Theni.

Reason for suspension: The Tribunal observed that the Mathikettan Shola National

Park in Idukki district of Kerala was just about 4.9 km from the proposed project site

and the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border was just a kilometre away, making it a Category

‘A’ project in Environmental Impact Assessment.

What Is The Issue

The Union Environment Ministry had categorised INO project as a Category ‘B’

project, for which an EIA is not necessary.

But, as per EIA Notification, 2006, any project specified in category ‘B’ will be treated

as category A-

if it is located in whole or in part within 10 km from the boundary of protected areas

notified under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and inter-State boundaries.

NGT Ruling

INO is a category ‘A’ project, which meant EIA study has to be done by an accredited

agency.


Since the project was near a national park, INO needs to get a clearance from the

National Board for Wildlife.

It also needs to get necessary clearance from the Kerala government as well.

About INO

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project is a multi-institutional effort

aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover of

approximately 1200 m for non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics

research in India.

When completed, the main magnetised iron calorimeter (ICAL) experiment include

the world’s most massive magnet, four times larger than the 12,500-tonne magnet in

the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

9.14. New Water Management Policy by Railways

Introduction

News Indian Railways, the lifeline of the country, carrying 23 million passengers

every day is the largest passenger carrying system in the world.

It is also the single largest consumer of natural resources.

The water management policy of Indian Railways covers all aspects of water use. It

lays a special emphasis on recycling, conservation and recharge of groundwater.

It focuses on motivating field units to recycle and save water through creative means.

Objective

Aims at improving water use efficiency by setting up Water Recycling Plants, Rain

Water Harvesting Plants, Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent Treatment plants on

Railway Land.

Another forward looking provision is participation of private players for recycling

water for non-potable usage on BOOT basis.

Green Co Certificates to Railway Workshops

Green Co Rating System, developed by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is

the first of its kind framework in the world, aimed at catalyzing green practices in

Indian industry.


The objective is to define and assess “How Green a company is” and facilitate the

way forward for further improvement and promote world class competitiveness

through Green strategies. The framework adopts life-cycle approach while evaluating

the activities of a unit/facility on green front.

Three Units of Indian Railways which have got the GreenCo Certificates: Diesel

Locomotive Works, Varanasi and Perambur Carriage Workshop, Chennai

and Lallaguda Carriage Workshop Hyderabad have got the Green Co certification.

9.15. Environment Ministry Official To Chair Animal Welfare Board Of India

Government has notified that Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory

advisory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change

(MoEF) will now be permanently chaired by a senior MoEF official.

Recently, new Board of 18 members, chaired by Sharad Singh Negi, Special

Secretary and Director-General (Forests), MoEF has been constituted for three years

term.

Background

AWBI in its 55-year history has always been chaired by non government

functionaries, like veterinarians, animal welfare activists or retired judges.

However in recent times due to differences between AWBI and MoEF&CC,

especially on the conduct of the Jallikattu, Central Government decided to put its

own functionary in the management of the organisation.

About Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

The AWBI is a statutory advisory body established in 1962 under Section 4 of The

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

It makes rules to ensure the humane treatment of animals everywhere. It puts

emphasis to have stricter laws to prevent the harassment and torture of animals.

Initially it was within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Later in

1990, the subject of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was transferred to the

MoEF&CC.

Well-known humanitarian and former parliamentarian (late) Rukmini Devi Arundale

was instrumental in setting up the board and was its first chairperson.


The Board consists of 28 Members, with the tenure of 3 years. Its headquarters is

located at Chennai,Tamil Nadu.

Several government organisations, along with animal rights activists and

parliamentarians, are represented on the Board.

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