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GS Paper: GS2

  • National Pension System (NPS)

    The National Pension System (NPS) will no longer compel investors to convert 40% of their accumulated retirement corpus into an annuity.

    An annuity is a long-term investment that is issued by an insurance company and is designed to help protect you from the risk of outliving your income. Through annuitisation, your purchase payments (what you contribute) are converted into periodic payments that can last for life.

    Why such a move?

    • Poor yields on annuities and high inflation are translating into negative returns.
    • Since annuities are taxable, deducting the tax and factoring in inflation means annuities are yielding negative returns.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)?

    (a) Resident Indian citizens only

    (b) Persons of age from 21 to 55 only

    (c) All-State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments

    (d) All Central Governments Employees including those of Armed Forces joining the services on or after 1st April 2004

    National Pension Scheme (NPS)

    • NPS is a government-sponsored pension scheme. It was launched in January 2004 for government employees.
    • It was extended to all citizens of Indian on a voluntary basis from May 2009 and to corporates in December 2011 and to Non-Resident Indians in October 2015.
    • PFRDA is the statutory authority established by an enactment of the Parliament, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the NPS and pension schemes to which this Act applies.
    • The scheme allows subscribers to contribute regularly in a pension account during their working life.
    • On retirement, subscribers can withdraw a part of the corpus in a lump sum and use the remaining corpus to buy an annuity to secure a regular income after retirement.

    Who can join NPS?

    • Any Indian citizen between 18 and 60 years can join NPS.
    • The only condition is that the person must comply with know your customer (KYC) norms.
    • An NRI can join NPS. However, the account will be closed if there is a change in the citizenship status of the NRI.
    • Now, any Indian citizen, resident or non-resident and OCIs are eligible to join NPS till the age of 65 years.

  • [pib] National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)

    The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has inaugurated three path-breaking initiatives for the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

    What is NIXI?

    National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a not-for-profit organization (section 8 of the Companies Act 2013) working since 2003 for spreading the internet infrastructure to the citizens of India through the following activities:

    1. Internet Exchanges through which the internet data is exchanged amongst ISP’s, Data Centers and CDNs.
    2. .IN Registry, managing and operation of .IN country-code domain and .भारत IDN domain for India.
    3. IRINN, managing and operating Internet protocol (IPv4/IPv6).

    Which are the three new initiatives?

    (1) IPv6 Expert Panel (IP Guru) (https://nixi.in):

    • IP Guru is a group to extend support to all the Indian entities who are finding it technically challenging to migrate and adopt IPv6.
    • In addition to this, the IPv6 expert group will help in identifying & hiring an agency that will help end customer by providing necessary technical support to adopt IPv6.
    • This panel will guide all such Indian entities and help in increasing IPv6 adoption.

    Note: An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.

    (2) NIXI Academy (https://training.nixi.in):

    • NIXI Academy is created to educate technical/non-technical people in India to learn and relearn technologies like IPv6 which are normally not taught in Educational Institutes.
    • NIXI academy comprises an IPv6 training portal which is developed with the help of various technical experts in order to provide mass training to the community.
    • The easy-to-use platform helps network operators and educators understand networking best practices, principles and techniques; manage Internet resources better; and use appropriate Internet technologies more effectively.

    (3) NIXI-IP-INDEX (https://ipv6.nixi.in):

    • NIXI has developed an IPv6 index portal for the Internet community.
    • NIXI-IP-INDEX portal will showcase the IPv6 adoption rate in India and across the world.
    • It can be used to compare the IPv6 Indian adoption rate with other economies in the world.
    • NIXI will populate this portal with web adoption in IPv6, IPv6 traffic etc. in the coming days.
    • This portal will motivate organisations to adopt IPv6, provide inputs for planning by technical organisations and research by academicians.

  • Navigation with permission

    The explains the issues involved in the recent incident in which US position on freedom of navigation under UNCLOS differed from India’s.

    Different positions

    • On April 7, the U.S.’s 7th Fleet Destroyer conducted a ‘Freedom of Navigation Operation’ inside India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
    • This exercise was conducted without requesting India’s consent.
    • Moreover, the U.S. 7th Fleet noted in its press release that India’s requirement of prior consent is “inconsistent with international law”.
    • However, India asserted that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) “does not authorize other States to carry out in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the continental shelf, military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal state”. 
    • The question is, can countries carry out military exercises in another country’s EEZ and if yes, subject to what conditions?

    UNCLOS Provisions for EEZ

    • UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) binds all its signatories and customary international law binds all states, subject to exceptions like the doctrine of persistent objector.
    • As per the UNCLOS, EEZ is an area adjacent to the territorial waters of a coastal state.
    • Under UNCLOS, a sovereign coastal state has rights and duties relating to management of natural resources; establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures; marine scientific research; and protection of the marine environment.
    • India is a party to the UNCLOS while the U.S. is not.
    • Article 87 provides for freedom of the high seas under which all states have the freedom of navigation. 
    • Apart from that, states enjoy the freedom of overflight and of the laying of submarine cables and pipelines as well as other internationally lawful uses of the sea.
    •  However, the freedom of navigation is subject to the conditions laid down under the UNCLOS and other rules of international law.
    • In addition to it, Article 58 (3) stipulates another qualification: “In exercising their rights and performing their duties under this Convention in the exclusive economic zone, States shall have due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal State and shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal State…”.

    So, what laws and regulation are adopted by India under Article 58 (3) of UNCLOS

    • The relevant Indian law in this regard is the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones of India Act, 1976.
    • Section 7 sub-section 9 of this Act recognises the freedom of navigation of the ships of all States but makes them subject to the exercise of rights by India within the zone.
    • Article 310 of the UNCLOS does permit states to make declarations in order to explain the relationship between the Convention and their own laws.
    • The declaration by India in 1995 also states that India “understands that the provisions of the Convention do not authorize other States to carry out in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf military exercises or manoeuvres.

    Way forward

    • Non-consensual military activities that hinder the lawful enjoyment of rights of coastal states need not be permissible.
    • Also, a coastal state is naturally concerned about military exercises and manoeuvres posing a risk to its coastal communities, its installations or artificial islands, as well as the marine environment.
    • Thus, any state which wishes to conduct such exercises must do so only in consultation with the coastal state since the coastal state is the best judge of its EEZ.
    • Both India and the U.S. should negotiate such concerns for the maintenance of international peace and security.

    Consider the question “What are the rights of coastal state on its Exclusive Economic Zone under UNCLOS? “

    Conclusion

    On a conjoint reading of Articles 58, 87 and 310, it can be argued that freedom of navigation cannot be read in an absolute and isolated manner.

  • Tackling second Covid wave

    The article suggests ways to deal with the second wave of Covid in India.

    What explains the bigger second wave

    • The size of any epidemic is a function of three things:
    • 1) The size of the pool of the susceptible population.
    • 2) The pattern of contact between the members of the population (frequency, mix, closeness and duration).
    • 3) Probability of spread during that contact (infectiousness of the agent).

    Let us have a look at these 3 factors in the current context

    • As many people have already been infected in the first wave, the pool of susceptibles should be smaller.
    • Serosurveys also support this as they found that about 25 per cent of people had already been infected nationally.
    • However, this is an average and hides significant variations by state, age and place of residence.
    • Populations with lower seroprevalence become the potential pool for the second wave.
    • Given India’s large population base, the actual number of people are sufficiently large to enable multiple waves till we achieve a more even spread of protected people.
    • The persistence of protectiveness of antibodies of those already infected and their cross-protectiveness to newer strains is not well established.
    • Vaccination would reduce the pool of susceptibles.
    • However, the current level of vaccination coverage is not sufficient to make a significant difference to this wave, given the fact that we are already riding it.
    • It is a good strategy to prevent the next wave, if we can achieve substantial coverage with it.
    • Vaccination also prevents severe disease, and hence reduces the death toll.
    • With the removal of most restrictions, the probability of contact between individuals has risen sharply.

    Way forward

    • What can and should be avoided are super-spreader events like a crowded park, the Kumbh mela, election rallies, etc.
    • A much stronger community engagement with a robust communication strategy and lesser emphasis on “criminalising” inappropriate behaviour is required.
    • A nuanced communication campaign is the need of the hour and is conspicuous by its complete absence.
    • What is urgently needed is a robust evidence-based communication campaign.
    • Such a campaign would involve proactive serial assessment of the community perceptions and concerns, testing and refining messages through an evolving campaign.
    •  A district-specific strategy of “test, trace, treat” along with containment measures (isolation and quarantine) is still the best way to deal with the situation.
    • We also need to put a stop to political bickering; it erodes public trust and confidence.

    Conclusion

    Dealing with the second wave should be based on the experience drawn from dealing with the first wave and complemented by a better communication strategy.

  • All gold jewellery to bear hallmark

    The Centre will go ahead with its plan to mandate hallmarking of gold jewellery from June 1. The plan had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Note: Gold hallmarking is a purity certification and is voluntary at present.

    What is Hallmark Gold?

    • The process of certifying the purity and fineness of gold is called hallmarking.
    • Bureau of Indian Standards, the National Standards Body of India, is responsible for hallmarking gold as well as silver jewellery under the BIS Act.
    • If you see the BIS hallmark on the gold jewellery/gold coin, it means it conforms to a set of standards laid by the BIS. Hallmarking gives consumers assurance regarding the purity of the gold they bought.
    • That is, if you are buying hallmarked 18K gold jewellery, it will actually mean that 18/24 parts are gold and the rest is alloy.

    Here are the four components one must look at the time of buying gold (they are mentioned in the laser engraving of a hallmark seal):

    1. BIS Hallmark: Indicates that its purity is verified in one of its licensed laboratories
    2. Purity in carat and fineness (corresponding to given caratage KT)
      •     22K916 (91.6% Purity)
      •     18K750 (75% Purity)
      •     14K585 (58.5% Purity)
    3. Assaying & Hallmarking Centre’s mark
    4. Jeweler’s unique identification mark

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2017:

    Q. Consider the following statements:
    1. The Standard Mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes.
    2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Why such a move now?

    • As per the new rules, if jewellery or an artefact made of 14-, 18- or 22-carat gold is sold without the BIS hallmark, the jeweller could be penalized five times the cost of the object or imprisoned for up to one year.
    • About 40% of gold jewellery is sold with a hallmark.
    • Mandatory hallmarking would protect the public against lower caratage and ensure consumers did not get cheated while buying gold ornaments and got the purity as marked on the ornaments.

  • Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)

    An apex body of Naga tribes has asked the Nagaland government not to be hasty with the exercise to prepare the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), seen as a variant of Assam’s National Register of Citizens.

    Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)

    • The Government of Nagaland has decided to set up a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) with the aim of preventing fake indigenous inhabitants’ certificates.
    • The RIIN will be the master list of all indigenous inhabitants of the state.

    How will the list be prepared?

    • The RIIN list will be based on “an extensive survey”.
    • It will involve official records of indigenous residents from rural and (urban) wards and would be prepared under the supervision of the district administration.
    • The preparation of the list will start from July 10, 2019, and the whole process will be completed within 60 days from the start.
    • Designated teams of surveyors will be formed within seven days from the date of publication of the notification, and thereafter these teams will be sent across each village and ward.
    • The database will note each family’s original residence, current residence as well as the concerned Aadhaar

    What is the review procedure?

    • Respondents will be given an opportunity to make their case before the authorities.
    • Eventually, respective Dy. Commissioners will adjudicate on the claims and objections based on official records and the evidence produced.
    • This process will be completed before December 10, 2019.

    Unique identity through Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate

    • Based on the adjudication and verification, a list of indigenous inhabitants will be finalised and each person will be given a unique ID.
    • The final list or the RIIN will be created and its copies will be placed in all villages and ward.
    • Electronic copies of the list will also be stored in the State Data Centre. A mechanism or electronic and SMS-based authentication will be put in place.
    • All indigenous inhabitants of the state would be issued a barcoded and numbered Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate.
    • The process will be conducted across Nagaland and will be done as part of the online system of Inner Line Permit (ILP), which is already in force in Nagaland.

    Back2Basics: Inner Line Permit (ILP)

    • ILP is an official travel document required by Indian citizens residing outside certain “protected” states while entering them.
    • The ILP is issued by the Govt. of India and is obligatory for all those who reside outside the protected states.
    • With the ILP, the government aims to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India.
    • ILP’s origin dates back to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected the British Crown’s interest in tea, oil and elephant trade.
    • It prohibited “British subjects” or Indians from entering these protected areas.
    • After Independence, in 1950, the word “British subjects” was replaced by Citizens of India and the focus of the ban on free movement was explained as a bid to protect tribal cultures in northeastern India.

  • Sushil Chandra appointed Chief Election Commissioner

    The President has appointed Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra to take over as Chief Election Commissioner.

    Chief Election Commissioner

    • The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India heads the Election Commission of India.
    • The ECI is a body constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections to the national and state legislatures and of President and Vice-President.
    • This power of the Election Commission of India is derived from Article 324 of the Constitution of India.
    • CEC of India is usually a member of the Indian Civil Service and mostly (not necessarily) from the Indian Administrative Service.

    His/ Her Removal

    • It is very difficult to remove the authority of the Chief Election Commissioner once appointed by the president.
    • The two-thirds of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha need to present and vote against him for disorderly conduct or improper actions.

  • [pib] MANAS Platform

    The MANAS App to promote wellbeing across age groups was recently launched.

    Name, acronym and the purpose; thats all. The rest of the theory is of less importance.

    MANAS Platform

    • MANAS is an acronym for Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System.
    • It is a comprehensive, scalable, and national digital wellbeing platform and an app developed to augment the mental well-being of Indian citizens.
    • MANAS was initiated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and jointly executed by NIMHANS Bengaluru, AFMC Pune and C-DAC Bengaluru.
    • It was endorsed as a national program by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
    • It integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed/researched by various national bodies and research institutions.

  • NCAHP Bill 2020

    The article highlights the key aspects of NCAHP Bill 2020 which recognises the allied healthcare professionals and seeks to regulate and set the standards of education.

    Regulating allied health professions

    • The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020 (NCAHP) was passed by Parliament in March.
    • Global evidence demonstrates the vital role of allied professionals in the delivery of healthcare services.
    • They are the first to recognise the problems of the patients and serve as safety nets.
    • Their awareness of patient care accountability adds tremendous value to the healthcare team in both the public and private sectors.
    • The passage of this Bill has the potential to overhaul the entire allied health workforce by establishing institutes of excellence and regulating the scope of practice by focusing on task shifting and task-re distribution.

    What the Bill provides for

    • This legislation provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals and the maintenance of a central register of such professionals.
    • It recognises over 50 professions such as physiotherapists, optometrists, nutritionists, medical laboratory professionals, radiotherapy technology professionals, which had hitherto lacked a comprehensive regulatory mechanism.
    • This Bill classifies allied professionals using the International System of Classification of Occupations (ISCO code).
    • This facilitates global mobility and enables better opportunities for such professionals.
    • The Act aims to establish a central statutory body as a National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions.
    • The Bill has the provision for state councils to execute major functions through autonomous boards.

    Shift in perception and policy in healthcare delivery

    • There has been a paradigm shift in perception, policy, and programmatic interventions in healthcare delivery in India since 2017.
    • In the past, curative healthcare received substantially greater attention than preventive and promotive aspects.
    • Ayushman Bharat as a programmatic intervention, with its two pillars of Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), operationalised certain critical recommendations of the National Health Policy, 2017, emphasising wellness in healthcare.
    • With PMJAY, the neediest are protected from catastrophic expenditure and India took the first step towards delivering comprehensive primary healthcare with HWCs.

    Conclusion

    Caring for patients with mental conditions, the elderly, those in need of palliative services, and enabling professional services for lifestyle change related to physical activity and diets, all require a trained, allied health workforce. The NCAHP is not only timely but critical to this changing paradigm.

  • BIMSTEC

    More than two decades after its formation, BIMSTEC still remains a work in progress. And it has many obstacles to overcome. The article highlights challenges and progress made so far.

    Background of BIMSTEC

    • The foreign ministers of BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) met virtually on April 1.
    • It was established as a grouping of four nations — India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — through the Bangkok Declaration of 1997 to promote rapid economic development.
    • BIMSTEC was expanded later to include three more countries — Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
    • It moved at a leisurely pace during its first 20 years with only three summits held and a record of modest achievements.

    Growing significance

    • BIMSTEC suddenly received special attention when India chose to treat it as a more practical instrument for regional cooperation over a faltering SAARC.
    • The BIMSTEC Leaders’ Retreat, followed by their Outreach Summit with the BRICS leaders in Goa in October 2016, drew considerable international limelight to the low-profile regional grouping.
    • At the fourth leaders’ summit in Kathmandu in 2018, a plan for institutional reform and renewal that would encompass economic and security cooperation was devised.
    • It took the important decision to craft a charter to provide BIMSTEC with a more formal and stronger foundation.
    • The shared goal now is to head towards “a Peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region”.

    Why the recent summit is important

    • In the recent virtual summit, the foreign ministers cleared the draft for the BIMSTEC charter.
    • They endorsed the rationalisation of sectors and sub-sectors of activity, with each member-state serving as a lead for the assigned areas of special interest.
    • The ministers also conveyed their support for the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity.
    • Preparations have been completed for the signing of three agreements:
    • 1) Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
    • 2) Cooperation between diplomatic academies.
    • 3) The establishment of a technology transfer facility in Colombo.

    Lack of progress on trade

    • In the recent deliberation, there was no reference to the lack of progress on the trade and economic dossier.
    • A January 2018 study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry had suggested that BIMSTEC urgently needed a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement to be a real game-changer.
    • Ideally, it should cover trade in goods, services and investment; promote regulatory harmonisation; adopt policies that develop regional value chains, and eliminate non-tariff barriers.
    • Also lacking was an effort to enthuse and engage the vibrant business communities of these seven countries.
    • Over 20 rounds of negotiations to operationalise the BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Framework Agreement, signed in 2004, are yet to bear fruit.

    Achievements

    • Much has been achieved in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and security, including counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and coastal security cooperation.
    • India has led through constant focus and follow-up.
    • While national business chambers are yet to be optimally engaged with the BIMSTEC project, the academic and strategic community has shown ample enthusiasm through the BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanks and other fora.

    Challenges

    • A strong BIMSTEC presupposes cordial and tension-free bilateral relations among all its member-states.
    • However, there has been tensions in India-Nepal, India-Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh-Myanmar ties in recent years.
    • Second, uncertainties over SAARC hovers, complicating matters. Both Kathmandu and Colombo want the SAARC summit revived, even as they cooperate within BIMSTEC, with diluted zeal.
    • Third, China’s decisive intrusion in the South-Southeast Asian space has cast dark shadows.
    • Finally, the military coup in Myanmar and the continuation of popular resistance resulting in a protracted impasse have produced a new set of challenges.

    Consider the question “What are the challenges BIMSTEC faces in emerging as an alternative to the SAARC? What are its achievements?”

    Conclusion

    The grouping needs to reinvent itself, possibly even rename itself as ‘The Bay of Bengal Community’. It should consider holding regular annual summits. Only then will its leaders convince the region about their strong commitment to the new vision they have for this unique platform linking South Asia and Southeast Asia.