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GS Paper: GS3

  • Gaps in draft regulations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

    Context

    In October, the Environment Ministry published draft regulations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), set to come into effect by the end of this year. These regulations denote a backslide, particularly with respect to integration of the informal sector.

    What is EPR?

    • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requires the manufacturer of a product, or the party that introduces the product into the community, to take responsibility for its life cycle.
    • An FMCG company should not only account for the costs of making, packing and distributing a packet of chips, but also for the collection and recycling/reuse of the packet.

    Shortcomings in the guidelines

    The guidelines fall short in three areas: people, plastics and processing.

    [1] Integration of informal sector is lacking

    • By failing to mention waste pickers or outlining mechanisms for their incorporation under EPR, the guidelines are retrogressive.
    • For decades, waste pickers, working in dangerous and unsanitary conditions, have picked up what we throw away.
    • Besides, by diverting waste towards recycling and reuse, waste pickers also subsidise local governments responsible for solid waste management.
    • Further, they reduce the amount of waste accumulating in cities, water bodies and dumpsites and increase recycling and reuse, creating environmental and public health benefits.
    • Between 1.5 and 4 million waste pickers in India work without social security, health insurance, minimum wages or basic protective gear.
    • Suggestions:  An effective EPR framework should address the issue of plastics and plastic waste management in tandem with the existing machinery, minimise duplication and lead to a positive environmental impact, with monitoring mechanisms including penalties for non-compliance.
    • EPR funds could be deployed for mapping and registration of the informal sector actors, building their capacity, upgrading infrastructure, promoting technology transfer, and creating closed loop feedback and monitoring mechanisms.

    [2] The scope of plastic covered need to be altered

    • The EPR guidelines are limited to plastic packaging.
    • There are other multi-material plastic items like sanitary pads, chappals, and polyester that pose a huge waste management challenge today, but have been left out of the scope of EPR.
    • Three categories of plastic packaging: Plastic packaging can be roughly grouped into three categories: recyclable and effectively handled by the informal sector, technologically recyclable but not economically viable to recycle, technologically challenging to recycle (or non-recyclable).
    • [1] Rigid plastics like PET and HDPE are effectively recycled.
    • Suggestion: The government could support and strengthen the informal recycling chain by bridging gaps in adequate physical spaces, infrastructure, etc.
    • [2] Typically flexible plastics like LDPE and PP bags are recyclable, but due to their contamination with organic waste, lightweight, and high volume, the costs of recycling are prohibitively expensive relative to the market value of the output.
    • Suggestion: Market value for these plastics can be increased by increasing the demand for and use of recycled plastics in packaging, thus creating the value to accommodate the current costs of recycling.
    • [3] Multi-layered and multi-material plastics are low weight and voluminous, making them expensive to handle and transport.
    • Since they are primarily used in food packaging, they often attract rodents, making storage problematic.
    • Even if this plastic is picked, recycling is technologically challenging as it is heterogeneous material.
    • The Plastic Waste Management Rules mandated the phase-out of these plastics.
    • However, in 2018, this mandate was reversed.

    [3] Processing technologies need to be closely evaluated

    • Not all processing is recycling.
    • Processes like waste-to-energy, co-processing and incineration have been proven to release carbon dioxide, particulate matter, harmful dioxins and furans which have negative climate and health impacts.
    • While the environmental impact and desirability of these processes continues to be debated, the draft regulations legitimise them to justify the continued production of multi-layered plastics.
    • Technologies like chemical recycling and pyrolysis are capital-intensive, yielding low returns and running into frequent breakdowns and technological problems.
    • They also release carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
    • These end-of-life processes are economically, environmentally and operationally unsustainable.
    • A number of gasification, pyrolysis and other chemical recycling projects have figured in accidents such as fires, explosions and financial losses.

    Way forward

    • Address issues of the informal sector: The consultation process should involve informal workers.
    • Alter the scope of plastics covered: The scope of plastics covered by the guidelines could be altered to exclude those plastics which are already efficiently recycled and to include other plastic and multi-material items.
    • Processing technologies should be closely evaluated: And end-of-life processing technologies should be closely evaluated, based not only on their health and environmental impacts, but also on the implications for continued production of low-quality and multi-layered plastics.

    Consider the question ” The Environment Ministry published draft regulations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Examine the issues with the regulations and suggest the way forward” 

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, the government should redo the consultation process for the draft guidelines.

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  • Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India

    Six Maoists including four women cadres were killed morning in an “exchange of fire” with a joint team of Telangana and Chhattisgarh police in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

    What is Naxalism?

    • The term ‘Naxal’ derives its name from the village Naxalbari of district Darjeeling in West Bengal, where the movement originated in 1967 under the leadership of Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal.
    • It refers to the use of violence to destabilize the state through various communist guerrilla groups.
    • Naxalites are far-left radical communists who derive their political ideology from the teachings of Mao Zedong.

    History and evolution

    • Russian Revolution: Naxalism in India, like any other leftist movement around the globe draws its ideological basis from the Russian revolution.
    • Overthrowing Tsarist Regime: Lenin successfully fought against the Czarist Rule through a combination of peasant movement and an armed struggle.
    • Marxian ideology of class struggle: The prime intent was to bestow power in the hands of the exploited and marginalized and enforce societal control over governance and nation building.
    • Neo-Marxism: After the success of the Lenin-led revolution in Russia, the intellectual class in many countries got inspired. Prominent amongst them were Fidel Castro and Mao Zedong.

    Root cause of origin in India

    • Corporate exploitation: Since Eastern India is rich in natural resources including forests, minerals and mines, tribal face exploitation and harassment from government and corporate bodies targeting to extract those resources.
    • Tribal alienation: Tribal communities have been systematically alienated from their traditional rights over natural resources after independence.
    • Livelihood losses: Tribal livelihood is at stake due to depletion of natural resource base.
    • Forceful displacement: Forceful displacement from their homeland destroys their traditional governance system.
    • Absence of governance: In such exploited areas, the absence of governance becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy since the delivery systems are extinguished through killings and intimidation.
    • Foreign provocations: Many of LWE outfits are supported by external forces inimical to India and the Maoists consider such alliances as strategic assets.

    Other factors:

    1. Oppression and HR violations by Security Forces e.g. AFSPA
    2. Violation of Constitutional Protections under PESA and FRA
    3. Prevalence of Acute Poverty

    Impact of LWE

    • Romanticism without a cause: Some sections of the society, especially the younger generation, have romantic illusions about the Maoists, arising out of an incomplete understanding of their ideology of Class –Struggle.
    • Extreme violence: Their doctrine glorifies violence as the primary means to overwhelm the existing socio-economic and political structures.
    • Destruction of governance mechanism: LWEs aims at creating a vacuum at the grassroots level of the existing governance structures by killing lower-level government officials, police personnel of the local police stations and the people’s representatives of the PRIs.
    • Radicalization of youths: After creating a political and governance vacuum, they coerce the local population to join the movement.
    • Urban-Maoism: Many extremists have facilitated mass-mobilization in semi-urban and urban areas through ostensibly democratic means often led by well-educated intellectuals.

    Outcomes of perpetrating LWE

    The Leftist organizations skilfully use state structures and legal processes to further the Maoist agenda and weaken the enforcement regime through:

    1. Recruitment of ‘professional revolutionaries’
    2. Raising funds for the insurgency
    3. Creating urban shelters for underground cadres
    4. Providing legal assistance to arrested cadres and
    5. Mass- mobilization by agitating over issues of relevance/ convenience

    Govt initiatives for LWE affected areas

    • Aspirational Districts: The MHA has been tasked with the monitoring of the Aspirational districts programme in 35 LWE affected districts.
    • HRD measures: Building of schools under the Eklavya model.
    • Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RRP-II): This aims for improving road connectivity in LWE affected States. Under this, 9279 km of roads and 392 bridges are sanctioned.
    • Naxal Surrender Policy: It aims to wean away misguided youth and hardcore naxalites who have strayed into the fold of the naxal movement and cannot find a way back.

    SAMADHAN doctrine: It encompasses the entire strategy of government from short-term policy to long-term policy formulated at different levels. SAMADHAN stands for-

    • S- Smart Leadership
    • A- Aggressive Strategy
    • M- Motivation and Training
    • A- Actionable Intelligence
    • D- Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas)
    • H- Harnessing Technology
    • A- Action plan for each Theatre
    • N- No access to Financing

    Way forward

    • Indian counterinsurgency has to work with a dual objective of defeating the insurgents militarily and fully quell the insurgent impulses. This will need institutional overhauls.
    • States must do more to synergize their efforts by launching coordinated operations, thereby denying Maoists any space for maneuverability.
    • On parallel grounds, it is also important to segregate the population from the insurgents both operationally and ideologically.
    • The conflict over the distribution of resources can be mended with economic development.

     

    With inputs from:

    https://www.mha.gov.in/division_of_mha/left-wing-extremism-division

     

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  • Status of 5G Rollout in India

    Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Pune will be the first places to get 5G services next year in 2022, informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] 5G Technology

    What is 5G technology?

    • 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
    • It’s a unified platform which is much more capable than previous mobile services with more capacity, lower latency, faster data delivery rate and better utilisation of spectrum.

    5G spectrum

    5G mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.

    (1) Low band spectrum

    • It has a great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange but the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
    • So Telcos can use and install it for commercial cell phone users who may not have specific demands for very high speed internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialized needs of the industry.

    (2) Mid-band spectrum

    • It offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
    • This band may be used by industries and specialized factory units for building captive networks that can be moulded into the needs of that particular industry.

    (3) High-band spectrum

    • It offers the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
    • Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G has been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (giga bits per second), while, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.

    Stipulated bands for roll-out

    • While the low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of Internet and data exchange, the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
    • This means that while telecoms can use and install it for commercial cellphone users who may not have specific demands for very high speed Internet.
    • However the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialised needs of the industry.
    • The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.

    Where does India stand in the 5G technology race?

    • Like other global players, India had, in 2018, planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, with an aim to capitalise on the better network speeds and strength that the technology promised.
    • India’s private telecom players have been urging the DoT to lay out a clear road map of spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands.

    Issues in roll-out

    • Monopoly: One big hurdle, however, is the lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with some players due to an existing monopoly.
    • AGR dues: There is an ongoing dispute between the telecoms and the government mainly over the definition of Adjusted Gross Revenue.
    • Device upgrade: As far as commercial smartphones are concerned, some newer devices in the market claim to be 5G-ready but are much costlier.

    Why is there early roll-out in big cities?

    • Services penetration: One of the reasons why the bigger cities were chosen for these trials is their telecom services penetration, making it easier to convince more people to upgrade from 4G.
    • Cost management: Since the costs for 5G services are initially going to be on the higher side, it would be wise to test the service in areas where more consumers would find them affordable.
    • Testing ground: A third reason is that cities provide all kinds of locations, such as walled complexes and open spaces, that are suitable for testing of various 5G bands.

    What is the global progress on 5G?

    More than governments, global telecom companies have started building 5G networks and rolling it out to their customers on a trial basis.

    • South Korea: Samsung, which had started researching on 5G technology way back in 2011, has taken the lead when it comes to building the hardware for 5G networks for several companies.
    • USA: In countries like the US, companies such as AT&T, T-mobile, and Verizon have taken the lead when it comes to rolling out commercial 5G for their users.
    • China: In other countries such as China, some of the telecoms such as China Unicom had started 5G trials as early as 2018, and have since rolled out the commercial services for users.

    What changes for consumers with 5G?

    • One of the major changes will be in terms of rich experiences on their phones and other connected devices.
    • For instance, users will be able to stream videos with multiple camera angles during sports matches or even play immersive video games using VR headsets or other accessories.
    • This next-generation telecom network will also enable a mesh of connected Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices and services with zero-fail rate, as in the case of connected cars.
    • 5G could also draw high-speed mobile broadband connectivity to replace existing broadband services, especially in locations where these services are constrained, provided there isn’t a huge price differential.

     

    Try this question from CSP 2019:

     

    With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference/differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)?

    1. LTE ‘is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G.
    2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”nqicad1d3m” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

     

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  • Missionaries of Charity denied FCRA nod

    The Union Home Ministry has refused to renew the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) set up by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa.

    About Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

    • The FCRA regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security.
    • First enacted in 1976, it was amended in 2010 when a slew of new measures was adopted to regulate foreign donations.
    • The FCRA is applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations.
    • It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under the FCRA.
    • The registration is initially valid for five years and it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms.

    Why was FCRA enacted?

    • The FCRA sought to consolidate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by individuals, associations or companies.
    • It sought to prohibit such contributions from being used for activities detrimental to national interest.

    What was the recent Amendment?

    • The FCRA was amended in September 2020 to introduce some new restrictions.
    • The Government says it did so because it found that many recipients were wanting in compliance with provisions relating to filing of annual returns and maintenance of accounts.
    • Many did not utilise the funds received for the intended objectives.
    • It claimed that the annual inflow as foreign contributions almost doubled between 2010 and 2019.
    • The FCRA registration of 19,000 organisations was cancelled and, in some cases, prosecution was also initiated.

    How has the law changed?

    There are at least three major changes that NGOs find too restrictive.

    • Prohibition of fund transfer: An amendment to Section 7 of the Act completely prohibits the transfer of foreign funds received by an organisation to any other individual or association.
    • Directed and single bank account: Another amendment mandates that every person (or association) granted a certificate or prior permission to receive overseas funds must open an FCRA bank account in a designated branch of the SBI in New Delhi.
    • Utilization of funds: Fund All foreign funds should be received only in this account and none other. However, the recipients are allowed to open another FCRA bank account in any scheduled bank for utilisation.
    • Shared information: The designated bank will inform authorities about any foreign remittance with details about its source and the manner in which it was received.
    • Aadhaar mandate: In addition, the Government is also authorised to take the Aadhaar numbers of all the key functionaries of any organisation that applies for FCRA registration or for prior approval for receiving foreign funds.
    • Cap on administrative expenditure: Another change is that the portion of the receipts allowed as administrative expenditure has been reduced from 50% to 20%.

    What is the criticism against these changes?

    • Arbitrary restrictions: NGOs questioning the law consider the prohibition on transfer arbitrary and too heavy a restriction.
    • Non-sharing of funds: One of its consequences is that recipients cannot fund other organisations. When foreign help is received as material, it becomes impossible to share the aid.
    • Irrationality of designated bank accounts: There is no rational link between designating a particular branch of a bank with the objective of preserving national interest.
    • Un-ease of operation: Due to Delhi based bank account, it is also inconvenient as the NGOS might be operating elsewhere.
    • Illogical narrative: ‘National security’ cannot be cited as a reason without adequate justification as observed by the Supreme Court in Pegasus Case.

    What does the Government say?

    • Zero tolerance against intervention: The amendments were necessary to prevent foreign state and non-state actors from interfering with the country’s polity and internal matters.
    • Diversion of foreign funds: The changes are also needed to prevent malpractices by NGOs and diversion of foreign funds.
    • Fund flow monitoring: The provision of having one designated bank for receiving foreign funds is aimed at making it easier to monitor the flow of funds.
    • Ease of operation: The Government clarified that there was no need for anyone to come to Delhi to open the account as it can be done remotely.

     

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  • All you need to know about the New  Labour Codes

    India is likely to implement four new labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety by the next fiscal year beginning 2022.

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] New Labour Laws

    New Labour Codes

    The four codes likely to be implemented in FY23 are:

    1. Code on Wages
    2. Industrial Relations Code
    3. Social Security Code, and
    4. Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code

    Objectives of the Labour Code

    • The new labor codes are aimed at facilitating ease of doing business in the country and seek to replace 29 cumbersome laws.
    • The objective is to encompass over 500 million organized and unorganized sector workers—90% of the workforce which has been outside labour laws.
    • The idea is to ensure that they receive wage security, social security and health security, gender equality in terms of remuneration, a minimum floor wage, make the lives of inter-state migrant workers easier.

    What is the current status of the codes?

    • The central government has completed the process of finalizing the draft rules, state governments are in the process of drafting the same.
    • With labor being a concurrent subject, states are in the process of pre-publishing draft rules for these reforms.

    How many labour laws do Indian states have?

    • The simplification of 29 labour laws into the four labour codes is expected be a watershed moment for labour reforms.
    • India currently has a web of multiple labour legislations, over 40 central laws and 100 state laws involving labour.
    • The Second National Commission on Labour (2002) recommended simplification to bring about transparency and uniformity.

    What are the major goals in these codes?

    • Social security benefits: With organized sector workers being approximately 10% of the total workforce, the new codes may ensure that social security benefits are for all.
    • Take-home salary: As per the proposed labour codes, total allowances such as house rent, leave, travel etc. are to be capped at 50% of the salary, while basic pay should account for the remaining 50%.
    • Four days work: There could also be a permissible four-day work week of 12 hours per day.

    How will it affect ease of doing business?

    • Labour productivity: It is likely to improve with both employees and employers developing a sense of being partners in wealth creation.
    • Labour reform: A transparent environment in terms of workers’ compensation, clear definition of employee rights and employer duties.
    • Compliance un-burdening: Simplified labour codes making compliance easier are likely to attract investments.
    • Formalization of the economy: With more workers in the organized sector, leakage in terms of direct as well as indirect taxes may be plugged.

     

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  • Study of distant Magnetar reveals facets of the Exotic Star

    An international group of researchers has succeeded in measuring for the first time the characteristics of a flare on a distant magnetar.

    What is a Magnetar?

    • Magnetars are the most magnetic stars in the universe.
    • It is a rare compact type of neutron star teeming with energy and magnetism.
    • It is an exotic type of neutron star, its defining feature that it has an ultra-powerful magnetic field.
    • The field is about 1,000 times stronger than a normal neutron star and about a trillion times stronger than the Earth’s.
    • Magnetars are relatively rare objects, with only about thirty having been spotted within the Milky Way so far.

    What is the recent study?

    • The studied magnetar is about 13 million light years away, in the direction of the NGC 253, a prominent galaxy in the Sculptor group of galaxies.
    • Its flare spewed within a few tenths of a second as much energy as the Sun would shed in 100,000 years.
    • It was captured accidentally on April 15, 2020, by the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor instrument (ASIM) of the International Space Station.
    • This is the first study to characterize such a flare from so distant a magnetar.

    How do magnetars form?

    • During the course of their evolution, massive stars – with masses around 10-25 times the mass of the Sun – eventually collapse and shrink to form very compact objects called neutron stars.
    • A subset of these neutron stars is the so-called magnetars which possess intense magnetic fields.
    • These are highly dense and have breathtakingly high rotation speeds – they have rotational periods that can be just 0.3 to 12.0 seconds.

    What characterizes Magnetars?

    (1) Violent flares

    • The observed giant flare lasted approximately 160 milliseconds and during this time 1039 joules of energy was released.
    • The flare spewed as much energy in a tenth of a second that our Sun will radiate in 100,000 years.

    (2) Starquakes

    • Eruptions in magnetars are believed to be due to instabilities in their magnetosphere, or “starquakes” produced in their crust – a rigid, elastic layer about one kilometer thick.
    • This causes waves in the magnetosphere, and interaction between these waves causes dissipation of energy.

     

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  • India needs thoughtful legislation on digital currency

    Context

    The dramatic changes in technology have created new challenges for the law, lawmakers, courts and lawyers to confront.

    Challenges posed by technological transformation

    • Technology has outpaced the law, and lawmakers are being challenged by how quickly “we the people” have embraced technological transformations.
    • Challenges of regulation: Challenges include regulation of digital media platforms, censorship of Over The Top (OTT) streaming services, fixing accountability for procuring and deploying spyware like Pegasus, dealing with the bias within artificial intelligence etc.
    • Regulation of cryptocurrencies: In probably no other area are lawmakers required to appreciate science and technology than in cryptocurrency.
    • With 10 crore users of cryptocurrency and crypto assets in India, this ever-expanding market is almost entirely unregulated.

    Practices or legislative models that have been adopted the other countries for regulation of cryptocurrencies

    • KYC, AML and CFT: Countries where cryptocurrencies and crypto-assets are legal have frameworks that mandate KYC (know your customer), AML (Anti-Money Laundering) mechanisms and demand adherence to CFT (Combating Financing of Terrorism) requirements.

    [1] How Singapore regulates crypto-currencies?

    • Singapore adopted the approach which favours strong regulation rather than ban.
    • Common law to regulate traditional and cryptocurrencies: Singapore has the Payments Services Act, 2020 that has streamlined both traditional and cryptocurrencies under one law.
    • Provision for licences: The law also provides a framework to obtain licences to operate crypto businesses.

    [2] How Switzerland regulates cryptocurrencies?

    • Switzerland has also favoured the strong regulation model overseen by an already established financial regulator.
    • Provision for licences: The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) that oversees the country’s financial markets mandates that all virtual asset service providers, including cryptocurrency exchanges must be licenced.
    • KYC, AML and CFT procedures must be strictly complied with. These are the checks on the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets that could facilitate criminal enterprise.

    [3] Approach adopted by the US

    • Crypto exchanges to be transmitters: The US does not consider cryptocurrency to be legal tender but defines cryptocurrency exchanges to be money transmitters.
    • Cryptocurrencies as property: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats cryptocurrency as property for US federal taxation purposes.
    • Exchanges must obtain requisite licences from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and implement the standard AML and CFT requirements that have become the norm in most jurisdictions that regulate cryptocurrencies.
    • Revenue potential: One of the most important lessons to absorb from the US is the revenue potential of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets.

    Conclusion

    In India, the need of the times is thoughtful legislation and rigorous regulation of cryptocurrencies and crypto-assets that are already here and being used.

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  • How James Webb Telescope seeks to unlock Universe’s Secrets

    Today, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built, will be launched from French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America on the European Ariane 5 rocket.

    James Webb Space Telescope

    • JWST is a space telescope jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
    • It is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission.
    • It will conduct a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including:
    1. Observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe such as the formation of the first galaxies
    2. Detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets

    How is it different from other telescopes?

    • JWST is much more powerful and has the ability to look in the infrared spectrum, which will allow it to peer through much deeper into the universe, and see through obstructions such as gas clouds.
    • As electromagnetic waves travel for long distances, they lose energy, resulting in an increase in their wavelength.
    • An ultraviolet wave, for example, can slowly move into the visible light spectrum and the infrared spectrum, and further weaken to microwaves or radio waves, as it loses energy.
    • Hubble was designed to look mainly into the ultraviolet and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
    • JWST is primarily an infrared telescope, the first of its kind.

    Special features of JWST

    (1) Time machine in space

    • Powerful space telescopes, like JWST or the Hubble Telescope, are often called time machines because of their ability to view very faraway objects.
    • The light coming from those objects, stars or galaxies, which is captured by these telescopes, began its journey millions of years earlier.
    • Essentially, what these telescopes see are images of these stars or galaxies as they were millions of years ago.
    • The more distant the planet or star, the farther back in time are the telescopes able to see.

    (2) Farthest from Earth

    • JWST will also be positioned much deeper into space, about a million miles from Earth, at a spot known as L2.
    • It is one of the five points, known as Lagrange’s points, in any revolving two-body system like Earth and Sun, where the gravitational forces of the two large bodies cancel each other out.
    • Objects placed at these positions are relatively stable and require minimal external energy to keep them there. L2 is a position directly behind Earth in the line joining the Sun and the Earth.
    • It would be shielded from the Sun by the Earth as it goes around the Sun, in sync with the Earth.

    (3) Engineering marvel

    • JWST has one large mirror, with a diameter of 21 feet (the height of a typical two-storey building), that will capture the infra-red light coming in from the deep universe while facing away from the Sun.
    • It will be shielded by a five-layer, tennis court-sized, kite-shaped sunscreen that is designed to block the heat from Sun and ensure the extremely cool temperatures that the instruments are built to operate at.
    • Temperatures on the sun-facing side can get as high as 110°C, while the other side would be maintained at –200° to –230°C.
    • The extremely cold temperatures are needed to detect the extremely faint heat signals from distant galaxies.
    • The mirror as well as the sunscreen is so large they could not have fit into any rocket. They have been built as foldable items and would be unraveled in space.

     

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  • Meendum Manjappai Scheme

    Tamil Nadu CM has launched the ‘Meendum Manjappai’ Scheme to promote the use of cloth bags by the public and discourage the use of plastic bags.

    Meendum Manjappai Scheme

    • This awareness campaign on using ‘yellow’ cloth bag or ‘manjapai’ as it is called in Tamil, is aimed at encouraging the people to return to the use of this eco-friendly bag and discard the plastic bags.
    • Manjal means turmeric in Tamil which has curative power. The manjapai was an integral part of daily life in the past.
    • Traditionally the manjapais were used for shopping, carrying books, ration and even cash.
    • The state government had enforced a ban on the production, use, storage, distribution, transportation or sale of 14 types of plastics with effect from January 1, 2019.

     

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  • What is Tokenization of Debit and Credit Cards?

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to defer the implementation of tokenization of debit and credit cards for online transactions by a further six months following representations from stakeholders.

    RBI decision

    • RBI has also extended tokenization of Card-on-File (CoF) transactions where card details are saved by merchants — and directed the merchants not to store card details in their systems from January 1, 2022.
    • A CoF transaction is one in which a cardholder has authorized a merchant to store his or her Mastercard or Visa payment details, and to bill the stored account.
    • E-commerce companies and airlines and supermarket chains often store card details.

    What is Tokenisation?

    • Tokenisation refers to the replacement of credit and debit card details with an alternative code called a ‘token’.
    • This token is unique for a combination of card, token requestor (the entity that accepts a request from the customer for tokenisation of a card and passes it on to the card network to issue a token) and the device.

    Benefits of Tokenization

    • Transaction safety: Tokenization reduces the chances of fraud arising from sharing card details.
    • Easy payments: The token is used to perform contactless card transactions at point-of-sale (PoS) terminals and QR code payments.
    • Data storage: Only card networks and card-issuing banks will have access to and can store any card data.

    How are the transactions currently processed?

    • There are many players involved in processing one card transaction today:
    1. Merchant
    2. Payment aggregator
    3. Issuing bank
    4. Card network
    • When a transaction happens on a merchant platform, the data is sent to the payment aggregator (PA).
    • The PA next sends the details to either the issuing bank or the card network.
    • Then issuing bank sends an OTP and the transaction flows back.

    Which companies dominate card transactions in India?

    Is the industry ready to implement this?

    • Not fully, that is why the RBI had to extend the deadline.
    • The industry currently can convert CoF into a tokenized number. However, the readiness to process the token is negligible.
    • About 90% of banks are ready with provisioning of token on Visa. Only 25-30% banks are ready on Mastercard.

    Impact on businesses

    If the industry isn’t ready, several business models would be impacted.

    • E-mandates (recurring payments) will stand ineffective from 1 July.
    • Card EMIs account for 25% of online e-commerce sales. That option will no longer be available.
    • Cashbacks/discount offers by banks will be impacted, too.
    • A user may not be able to use Mastercard saved cards on a merchant platform to make a transaction and will have to enter the card details every time a transaction is made.
    • This could be the same for some Visa cards.

    Way forward

    • The new system is a much bigger disruption to the way digital payments will henceforth be processed.
    • Integration of systems and the ability to process is one part.
    • The industry also needs to test the performance and success rate of the tokenization solution.

     

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