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  • CHIME Telescope

    Scientists with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) Collaboration have assembled the largest collection of fast radio bursts (FRBs) in the telescope’s first FRB catalog.

    CHIME Telescope

    • CHIME is an interferometric radio telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia, Canada.
    • It consists of four antennas consisting of 100 x 20-meter cylindrical parabolic reflectors with 1024 dual-polarization radio receivers suspended on support above them.
    • The telescope receives radio signals each day from half of the sky as the Earth rotates.
    • While most radio astronomy is done by swiveling a large dish to focus light from different parts of the sky, CHIME stares, motionless, at the sky, and focuses incoming signals using a correlator.
    • This is a powerful digital signal processor that can work through huge amounts of data, at a rate of about seven terrabytes per second, equivalent to a few percent of the world’s Internet traffic.

    What are FRBs?

    • FRBs are oddly bright flashes of light, registering in the radio band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which blaze for a few milliseconds before vanishing without a trace.
    • These brief and mysterious beacons have been spotted in various and distant parts of the universe, as well as in our own galaxy.
    • Their origins are unknown and their appearance is highly unpredictable.
    • But the advent of the CHIME project has nearly quadrupled the number of fast radio bursts discovered to date.
    • With more observations, astronomers hope soon to pin down the extreme origins of these curiously bright signals.

  • [pib] All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20

    Union Education Minister has announced the release of the report of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20.

    This newscard provides useful data about the state of higher education in India on various parameters. Such data should not be missed while substantiating any point in answer writing.

    About AISHE

    • AISHE was established by the Ministry of HRD for conducting an annual web-based survey, thereby portraying the status of higher education in the country.
    • The survey is conducted for all educational institutions in India on many categories like teachers, student enrolment, programs, examination results, education finance, and infrastructure.
    • This survey is used to make informed policy decisions and research for the development of the education sector.
    • This Report provides key performance indicators on the current status of Higher education in the country.

    Highlights of the 2019-20 Report

    (1) Total Enrolment

    (2) Gross Enrolment Ratio

    (3) Gender Parity Index (GPI)

    • GPI in Higher Education in 2019-20 is 1.01 against 1.00 in 2018-19 indicating an improvement in the relative access to higher education for females of eligible age group compared to males.

    (4) Pupil-Teacher Ratio

     

    • TPR in Higher Education in 2019-20 is 26. In 2019-20: Universities: 1,043(2%); Colleges: 42,343(77%) and stand-alone institutions: 11,779(21%).

    (5) Enrolment in higher education

    • 38 crore Students enrolled in programs at under-graduate and post-graduate levels.
    • Out of these, nearly 85% of the students (2.85 crore) were enrolled in the six major disciplines such as Humanities, Science, Commerce, Engineering & Technology, Medical Science and IT & Computer.

    (6) Doctorate pursuance

    • The number of students pursuing PhD in 2019-20 is 2.03 lakh against 1.17 lakh in 2014-15.

    (7) Total number of teachers

    • The Total Number of Teachers stands at 15,03,156 comprising of 57.5% male and 42.5% female.

  • South Asia’s healthcare burden

    The article contrasts the public healthcare system in South Asian countries with that of their Southeast Asian peers and highlights the shortcomings.

    Subpar public healthcare system

    • Super spreader events, a fragile health infrastructure neglected for decades, citizens not following health protocols, and logistical mismanagement were the factors responsible for the destruction in the second Covid-19 wave.
    • What has exacerbated the situation is a subpar public healthcare system running on a meagre contribution of a little over 1% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
    • While the private medical sector is booming, the public healthcare sector has been operating at a pitiful 0.08 doctors per 1,000 people, World Health Organization’s (WHO) prescribed standard ois1:1000.
    • India has only half a bed available for every 1,000 people, which is a deficient figure even for normal days.
    • Bangladesh and Pakistan fare no better, with a bed to patient ratio of 0.8 and 0.6, respectively, and a doctor availability of less than one for every 1,000 people.
    • While ideally, out-of-pocket expenditure should not surpass 15% to 20% of the total health expenditure, for India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, this figure stands at an appalling 62.67%, 73.87% and 56.24%, respectively.

    Lack of investment in healthcare

    • Major public sector investments by the ‘big three’ of South Asia, i.e., India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, are towards infrastructure and defence, with health taking a backseat.
    • While India has the world’s third-largest military expenditure, its health budget is the fourth-lowest.
    • Indian government in this year’s budget highlighted an increase of 137% in health and well-being expenditure, a closer look reveals a mismatch between facts and figures.
    • In Pakistan, even amidst the pandemic, the defence budget was increased while the spending on health remained around $151 million.
    • Not too far behind is Bangladesh, with decades of underfunding culminating in a crumbling public healthcare system.
    • Major public sector investments by the ‘big three’ of South Asia, i.e., India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, are towards infrastructure and defence, with health taking a backseat.
    • A quick look at pre-pandemic sectoral allocations explains the chronically low status of human development indicators in the three countries.

    Learning from Southeast Asia

    • Southeast Asia has prioritised investments in healthcare systems while broadening equitable access through universal health coverage schemes.
    • Vietnam’s preventive measures focused on investments in disease surveillance and emergency response mechanisms.
    • Even countries like Laos and Cambodia are making a constant effort towards improving the healthcare ecosystem.
    • All have done much better than their South Asian peers.

    Conclusion

    Learning from the devastation unleashed by the pandemic, South Asian countries must step up investment in their public healthcare sectors to make them sustainable, up to date and pro-poor; most importantly, the system should not turn its back on citizens.

  • Holding states to account

    The article highlights the excessive focus on the Union government and the lack of scrutiny of the functioning of the States in various areas.

    Need for focus on the States

    • In discussions on reforms or debates about public expenditure, there is an excessive focus on the Union government.
    • This focus reflects our mindset that there is a “Centre”, though constitutionally, there is no “Centre”. There is the Union government.
    • There is not as much interest in State Finance Commissions and their recommendations as it is in the Union Finance Commission’s recommendations.
    • Alternatively, there is limited scrutiny of state-level expenditure, or fiscal devolution and decentralisation of decision-making within states, or tracking functioning of state legislatures.
    • Most factor markets we seek to reform are on the concurrent list or the state list.

    The Annual Review of State Laws 2020: Key findings

    • PRS Legislative Research published this report and it focuses on the legislative work performed by states in the calendar year 2020.
    • The annual review has been done in the pandemic year as 2020 saw the first wave of the pandemic.
    • It covers 19 state legislatures, including the Union territory of Delhi, which together accounts for 90 per cent of the population of the country.

    1) Low Productivity

    • As a benchmark, the Parliament met for 33 days in 2020.
    • Pre-2020, these 19 states met for an average of 29 days a year.
    • In 2020, they met for an average of 18 days.
    • When they met in 2020, States passed an average of 22 Bills (excluding Appropriation Bills).
    • Karnataka passed 61 Bills, the highest in the country.
    • The lowest was Delhi which passed one Bill, followed by West Bengal and Kerala, which passed two and three Bills respectively.

    2) States pass Bills without scrutiny

    • The report states that the State legislatures pass most Bills without detailed scrutiny.
    • In 2020, 59 per cent of the Bills were passed on the same day that they were introduced in the legislature.
    • A further 14 per cent were passed within a day of being introduced.
    • In Parliament, Bills are often referred to Parliamentary Standing Committees for detailed examination.
    • In most states, such committees are non-existent.

    3) Information not shared by the legislature

    • Information and data on state legislatures is not easily available.
    • While some state legislatures publish data on a regular basis, many do not have a systematic way of reporting legislative proceedings and business.”
    • Typically, information becomes available when countervailing pressure is generated.
    • Reports like this help to do that.

    Consider the question “In discussions on reforms, or debates about public expenditure, there is an excessive focus on the Union government. However, on reforms and public expenditures, we also need to focus on scrutinising the states”. Comment.

     

    Conclusion

    Scrutinising States on various areas of their functioning is important to hold them accountable. The availability of data from state legislatures is an opportunity to monitor them better.

     

  • Legalizing Bitcoin in El Salvador and takeaways for India

    El Salvador, a small coastal country in Central America, on became the first in the world to make Bitcoin, a digital currency, legal.

    Lessons for India

    While there are many precedents El Salvador sets for a global debate on cryptocurrency, we explore what this means in the Indian context.

    (1) Not a precedent for monetary policy

    • The development in El Salvador changes little in terms of Indian monetary calculations around cryptocurrencies.
    • The dynamic underpinning the whole move is that El Salvador has no monetary policy of its own and hence, no local currency to protect.
    • The country was officially ‘dollarized’ in 2001 and runs on the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve.
    • The move is in part motivated by loose and expansionary Federal Reserve policy.

    (2) Coexistence with USD

    • The dollar will continue to remain the dominant currency in the country and Bitcoin would exist side by side.
    • Indeed, some analysts have pointed out how bitcoinization might change nothing on the ground if “legal tender” is to be considered by its strict legal definition.
    • However, as a result of this development, El Salvador becomes a most interesting case study of how the dollar and bitcoin would coexist side by side, and how that would play out for Bitcoin adoption.

    (3) Not merely currency but technology

    • The overall use of Bitcoin appears less motivated by its use as a currency and much more by the image and investment boost this could give the country towards innovation.
    • El Salvador believes that this move will be good for luring “technology, talent, and new ideas” into the country.
    • The move into Bitcoin ties in with larger efforts to revive a stalling economy and bring back growth into the country post-Covid.

    (4) Potential shift in remittances

    • The impact Bitcoin has on these remittance inflows would be worth monitoring for India, which is home to the largest remittance market in the world.
    • Remittances make up close to 20% of El Salvador’s GDP with flows approximating $6 billion annually.
    • Many citizens lack a bank account and digital banking has low penetration.
    • In this scenario, there are multiple intermediaries in the remittance chain who take cuts of as high as 20%.

    (5) Impact on money laundering

    • The implication of this move for money laundering is unclear at the moment.
    • Currently, El Salvador is not considered deficient under the FATF money laundering requirements.
    • However, with large scale cryptocurrency inflows and outflows, it would be expected that El Salvador would comply with the 2019 FATF guidance on Virtual Currencies.

    Conclusion

    • The overall takeaway for India from the El Salvador case is not in the monetary sense at all.
    • This is the wealth that India has in spades and has barely protected with policy.
    • While deliberations continue in India on the monetary and financial regulations around cryptocurrency.
    • It is important that attention be paid to incentives for India’s developers working on key innovations in the space.

    Back2Basics: Bitcoin

    • Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency, without a central bank or single administrator, that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries.
    • Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain.
    • The cryptocurrency was invented in 2008 by an unknown person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto.
    • The currency began to use in 2009 when its implementation was released as open-source software.

  • [pib] QS World University Rankings 2022

    The Prime Minister has congratulated IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and  IISc Bengaluru for top-200 positions in QS World University Rankings 2022.

    QS World University Rankings

    • QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
    • It comprises the global overall and subject rankings (which name the world’s top universities for the study of 51 different subjects and five composite faculty areas).
    • It announces ranking for five independent regional tables (Asia, Latin America, Emerging Europe and Central Asia, the Arab Region, and BRICS).

    Highlights of the 2022 Report

    • IIT Bombay ranks joint-177 in the world, having fallen five places over the past year.
    • IIT Delhi has become India’s second-best university, having risen from 193 ranks in last year’s ranking to 185 in the latest ranking. It has overtaken IISc Bangalore, which ranks joint-186.
    • The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has been ranked the “world’s top research university.
    • The top three institutions globally are — Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Oxford, and Stanford University ranked at number one, two, and three respectively.

  • Places in news: Sardar Sarovar Dam

    The Sardar Sarovar Dam is providing irrigation water in summer for the first time in history.

    Sardar Sarovar Dam

    • The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam is a terminal dam built on the Narmada river at Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district.
    • Four Indian states, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, receive water and electricity supply from the dam.
    • The foundation stone of the project was laid out by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 5 April 1961.
    • The project took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme funded by the World Bank through their International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to increase irrigation and produce hydroelectricity
    • Called the ‘lifeline of Gujarat’, it usually has no water for irrigation during summers.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

     

    Dam/Lake River

    (a) Govind Sagar: Satluj

    (b) Kolleru Lake: Krishna

    (c) Ukai Reservoir: Tapi

    (d) Wular Lake: Jhelum

    A successful model of river water sharing

    • River Narmada is a classic case of Integrated River Basin Planning, Development, and Management, with water storage available in all major, medium, and minor dams on the main river and its tributaries.
    • Its water is shared amongst four party states – Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra — in the ratio stipulated by the 1979 award of the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal.

    How has it saved water for summers?

    • During the monsoon from July to October, the reservoir operation is well synchronized with the rain forecast in the catchment area.
    • The strategic operation of River Bed Power House (RPBH) ensures that minimum water flows downstream into the sea and maximum water is used during the dam overflow period, which is not calculated in the annual water share.
    • These measures help in maximizing the annual allocation of water share.
    • Similarly, in non-monsoon months, the measures for efficient use of the allocated share typically include minimizing the conventional and operational losses.
    • It includes: avoiding water wastage, restricting water-intensive perennial crops, adopting of Underground Pipelines (UGPL); proper maintenance and operation of canals on a rotational basis.

  • Dihing Patkai is Assam’s 7th National Park

    The Assam government has notified Dihing Patkai as a National Park, four days after creating the 422-sq. km Raimona National Park in western Assam’s Kokrajhar district.

    Dihing Patkai NP

    • Dihing Patkai, in focus a year ago for illegal coal mining in the vicinity, encompasses the erstwhile Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Jeypore Reserve Forest and the western block of the Upper Dihing Reserve Forest.
    • The 234.26-sq. km Dihing Patkai straddling eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts is a major elephant habitat and 310 species of butterflies have been recorded there.
    • The park has 47 species each of reptiles and mammals, including the tiger and clouded leopard.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Which one of the following National Parks has a climate that varies from tropical to subtropical, temperate and arctic?

    (a) Khangchendzonga National Park

    (b) Nandadevi National Park

    (c) Neora Valley National Park

    (d) Namdapha National Park

    NPs in Assam

    • Assam now has the third most National Parks after the 12 in Madhya Pradesh and nine in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
    • The five older National Parks in the State are Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa.
    • Kaziranga and Manas are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
    • They are also tiger reserves along with Nameri and Orang.

  • A clean, green future for Indian cities

    This year, the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is being launched, building towards the goals of this decade. In light of this, the article highlights the mitigating potentials of various missions undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

    A networked approach to achieving the SDG

    • The delicate balance between sustainable development and environmental protection is one of the core targets of the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
    • A networked approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals has been included in India’s policy and political discourse.
    • The motto of the 2030 agenda — “Leave no one behind” — very much embodies the essence of Gandhiji’s philosophy of sarvodaya through antyodaya.
    •  This guiding principle has long been a part of the execution of the national programmes and missions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

    Achieving SDGs through flagship missions of MoHUA

    • In 2014 the Swachhata movement was launched.
    • It was, in effect, the harbinger of a total transformation of our urban landscape.
    • In June 2015, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched flagship mission — Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Smart Cities Mission.
    • The SDGs are reflected in the core objectives of these missions.
    • They have achieved their set targets while ensuring that sustainable development is a non-negotiable part of them.

    Ensuring sustainable development

    1) Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)

    • It focuses on achieving an open-defecation-free India, building solid waste management capacity and bringing about behavioural change.
    • Cooperative and competitive federalism have become the driving force behind this citizen-led jan andolan.
    • It is estimated that the various initiatives under SBM-U can mitigate 17.42 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2022.

    2) Smart Cities Mission

    • The Smart Cities Mission is aiding technological advancements of our cities to improve governance, sustainability and disaster risk resilience.
    • Smart solutions are being implemented to improve energy efficiency and non-motorised transport capacity in urban centres.
    • The Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework has been adopted which aims to help cities adapt, collaborate and exchange best practices to achieve international standards for green, sustainable and resilient urban habitats.

    3) AMRUT

    • Under AMRUT, water supply and management, energy efficiency and increased green spaces have been part of the goal in 500 target cities.
    • As of today, 1,831 parks over 3,700 acres have been developed, 85 lakh street lights have been replaced, resulting in energy saving of 185.33 crore units (kWh), and 106 water bodies have been rejuvenated.
    • The mission is likely to result in the mitigation of 48.52 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent of GHG emissions by 2022.

    4) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)

    • With 1.12 crore houses sanctioned, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) has focused on new construction technologies that are innovative, environmentally friendly and disaster-resilien.
    • The Prime Minister launched six Light House Projects on January 1, 2021.
    • These are already under construction.
    • Additionally, about 43.3 lakh houses are being constructed where fly ash bricks/blocks and concrete blocks are being used.
    • Overall, the mission has the potential to mitigate around 12 million tonnes CO2 equivalent of GHG emissions by 2022.

    5) Metro rail

    • An energy-efficient mass rapid transit system, is operational in 18 cities with over 720 km of line constructed.
    • Another 1,055 km of new lines is under construction in 27 cities.
    • This network is expected to mitigate around 21.58 million tonnes of CO2 eq GHG from 2015-2022.
    • Cumulatively, the national missions under the MoHUA are projected to mitigate GHG emissions equivalent to more than 93 million tonnes of CO2 by 2022.

    Conclusion

    A progressive track of urban development while keeping sustainability, disaster risk resilience and community building at its core has been the guiding principle of the government. It will help us preserve our environment, restore ecosystems and mitigate the risks posed by climate change in the coming decade.

  • Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) by the RBI

    The highlights of the Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) were recently released by the RBI pointing to some all-time lows.

    Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS)

    • The RBI conducts this survey every couple of months by asking households in 13 major cities — such as Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Guwahati, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram — about their current perceptions and future expectations on a variety of economic variables.
    • These variables include the general economic situation, employment scenario, overall price situation, own income and spending levels.
    • Based on these specific responses, the RBI constructs two indices: the Current Situation Index (CSI) and the Future Expectations Index (FEI).
    • The main variables of the survey are- Economic situation, Employment, Price Level, Income and Spending.
    • The CSI maps how people view their current situation (on income, employment etc.) vis a vis a year ago. The FEI maps how people expect the situation to be (on the same variables) a year from now.
    • By looking at the two variables as well as their past performance, one can learn a lot about how Indians have seen themselves fairing over the years.

    Why does it matter?

    • The CCS is a survey that indicates how optimistic or pessimistic consumers are regarding their expected financial situation.
    • If the consumers are optimistic, spending will be more, whereas if they are not so confident, then their poor consumption pattern may lead to recession.

    What was the main finding?

    • As Chart 1 shows, the CSI has fallen to an all-time low of 48.5 in May.
    • An index value of 100 is crucial here, as it distinguishes between positive and negative sentiment.
    • At 48.5, the current consumer sentiment is more than 50 points adrift from being neutral — the farthest it has ever been. It is important to note that even a year ago, the CSI had hit an all-time low.
    • The FEI moved to the pessimistic territory for the second time since the onset of the pandemic.

    What are the factors responsible for pulling down the CSI and FEI respectively?

    • The RBI states that CSI is being pulled down because of falling consumer sentiments on the “general economic situation” and “employment” scenario.
    • So, on the “general economic situation”, RBI finds that there has been a largely secular decline in both current consumer sentiment and future expectations since PM Modi’s re-election in 2019.
    • What is equally worse is that more people expect the employment situation to worsen a year from now — that is why the one year ahead expectation line is below the zero marks.

    Big takeaways

    • These data layout the tricky challenge facing the Indian economy.
    • If the government’s strategy for fast economic growth — expecting the private sector to lead India out of this trough by investing in new capacities — is to succeed, then consumer spending (especially on non-essentials) has to go up sharply.
    • But for that to happen, household incomes have to go up; and for that to happen, the employment prospects have to brighten; and for that to happen, again, companies have to invest in new capacities.