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GS Paper: GS3

  • What is Molnupiravir?

    A new drug called Molnupiravir has been shown to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in 24 hours.

    Must read:

    What is mRNA vaccine?

    Molnupiravir

    • Molnupiravir is an experimental antiviral drug which is orally active and was developed for the treatment of influenza.
    • It is a drug of the synthetic nucleoside derivative N4-hydroxycytidine, and exerts its antiviral action through introduction of copying errors during viral RNA replication.
    • Molnupiravir is being developed by the biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in collaboration with pharmaceutical firm Merck.
    • The research team repurposed MK-4482/EIDD-2801 against SARS-CoV-2 and tested it on ferrets.
    • This is the first demonstration of an orally available drug to rapidly block SARS-CoV-2 transmission and it can be a game-changer.

  • Why Surge in FPI in India?

    While emerging economies have been facing the crunch of foreign capital due to the pandemic, India is witnessing the surge of FPI: a sign of investors confidence in the economy. 

    Surge in FDI: Sign of trust India has built

    • In the September quarter, FDI doubled year-on-year to $28.1 billion dollars.
    • While foreign portfolio investor (FPI) inflows across emerging economies witnessed a decline due to the pandemic, India recorded a surge to $13.5 billion – a testimony to investor confidence in India’s growth story.
    • This surge in foreign funds amid the pandemic has been possible because of the continuous effort of the government, businesses, and agencies to make India a sought-after destination.

    Strategies used by the government

    Various steps described below signalled the government’s intention to open up the economy to investments.

    Such steps include the following:-

    • Allowing NRI’s to acquire up to 100% stake in Air India.
    • 26% FDI in the digital sector.
    • Permitting 100% FDI through automatic route in the coal mining sector.
    • 100% FDI for insurance intermediaries.
    • The National Infrastructure Pipeline, a ₹13 trillion project to open up avenues for infrastructure investment for global investors.
    • Apart from these steps, the more recent Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth an estimated ₹1.5 lakh crore is also a testimony to the government’s intention to encourage entrepreneurship and investment in the country.
    • Steps to skill-train 3 lakh migrant workers the country to realign the rural youth towards industry-relevant jobs is also a step in the right direction.

    Reducing dependency

    • The urgency the Indian government has shown to reduce dependency on China as a hub of the global supply chain.
    • Also, providing an enabling alternative environment has struck the right chord with the world as we see global biggies contemplating a move to India.

    Consider the question “India witnessed a steady flow of foreign capital while the world was battling pandemic. What are the factors responsible for this? What are the risks associated with such capital in the economy?”

    Conclusion

    While persisting with its efforts to attract the capital, the government also needs to focus on improving the productivity and export competitiveness of the economy.

    Back2basics: Difference between FDI and FII

    • FDI is an investment that a parent company makes in a foreign country.
    • On the contrary, FII is an investment made by an investor in the markets of a foreign nation.
    • While FIIs are short-term investments, the FDI’s are long term investment.
    • FII can enter the stock market easily and also withdraw from it easily. But FDI cannot enter and exit that easily.

  • Debate over Coding for Kids

    Various edutech startups have been in the news for the past several months over the debate on the right age for children to start learning to code.

    Q.The National Education Policy, 2020 proposal for “coding activities” reads like Macaulay’s minute for English education in the early 19th century. Examine.

    What is Coding?

    • Computers have their own language called programming language which tells them what to do.
    • Coding is the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave how you want it to.
    • In a broader sense, it is the process of designing and building an executable computer program to accomplish a specific computing result or to perform a specific task.

    In today’s digital age, most toddlers in their diapers, learn to swipe and click before they can speak apparently or walk. What an irony!

    Coding for children

    • In the age of digital revolution, India was able to produce a huge army of coders and programmers —essentially people who could create computer software.
    • As computing devices have taken over every aspect of life, the need for good programmers and coders has been increasing relentlessly.
    • This led to a trend to teach coding and programming to young students since their school ages.
    • In recent years, platforms and companies have started to claim that kids as young as those in elementary school must begin to learn to code.

    Proponents for coding

    • Leaders of technology companies around the world have pushed for coding to be included as a subject in middle or higher secondary school for students who may be interested to learn.
    • In 2018, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates wrote in a blog post that everyone could benefit from learning the basics of computer science.
    • The idea was to make coding as simple and accessible as the new age “mother tongue” for young children.

    Why should children learn to code?

    • Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it is important for kids to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them.
    • It fosters creativity. By experimenting, children learn and strengthen their creativity. It enhances their problem-solving capability.
    • It helps children to be able to visualize abstract concepts, lets them apply math to real-world situations, and makes math fun and creative. Coding is present in many of today’s STEM programs.
    • Children who learn to code understand how to plan and organize thoughts.  This can lead to better writing skills that can be built upon as coding skills develop over time.

    Criticisms of early age coding

    • A metaphor that is often used is that children are being made to ride a bicycle before they have even learnt to walk.
    • There’s a reason why in mathematics addition is taught first, then subtraction, then multiplication, and then division.
    • It is necessary to learn several elements of mathematics and logical thinking before one can code.

  • Eco-ducts or Eco-bridges and their significance

    Ramnagar Forest Division in Nainital district, Uttarakhand, recently built its first eco-bridge for reptiles and smaller mammals.

    Q.Discuss how Eco-ducts or eco-bridges provide the best alternative for wildlife connectivity which is disrupted because of manmade highways. Also, discuss various challenges in building such bridges.

    What are Eco-bridges?

    • Eco-ducts or eco-bridges aim to enhance wildlife connectivity that can be disrupted because of highways or logging.
    • These include canopy bridges (usually for monkeys, squirrels and other arboreal species); concrete underpasses or overpass tunnels or viaducts (usually for larger animals); and amphibian tunnels or culverts.
    • Usually, these bridges are overlaid with planting from the area to give it a contiguous look with the landscape.

    Why need such bridges?

    • There are many roadkills on this route, especially of reptiles such as the monitor lizard.
    • The bridge is an awareness-building mechanism for this very congested tourist route.
    • These bridges are a way to see how we can preserve the ecosystem necessary for reptiles that feed on insects, for snakes that feed on reptiles, and for eagles that feed on snakes.

    Need of the hour

    • A 2020 study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) noted that nearly 50,000 km of road projects have been identified for construction over the next five to six years.
    • Many highways are being upgraded to four lanes.
    • The National Tiger Conservation Authority had identified three major sites that were cutting across animal corridors.
    • These including National Highway 37 through the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape in Assam, and State Highway 33 through the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.

    Some considerations

    • The span and distribution of eco-bridges should depend on animal movement patterns.
    • The bigger bridges will see sambar, spotted deer, nilgai, wild pig using them, while for tigers or leopards if the bridge is 5m or 500 m, it doesn’t bother them.
    • But some animals like the deers, which prefer closed habitats, need smaller bridges.

    Some successes

    • The observation on NH 44, which intersects Kanha-Pench and Pench-Navegaon-Nagzira corridors in various sections, is a success.
    • With five animal underpasses and four minor bridges on the 6.6-km road within the forests, it’s one of India’s success stories.

    Such bridges in news

    • One of the largest underpasses – 1.4km – for animal conservation in India is being built along the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border.
    • Other proposals include the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway, in the Hosur-Krishnagiri segment, near reserve forests for elephant crossings, and in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur, Maharashtra.

  • What is Havana Syndrome?

    Nearly four years after a mysterious neurological illness started to affect American diplomats in Cuba, China, and other countries, a report has found “directed” microwave radiation to be its “plausible” cause.

    Q.Microwave warfare is the new nuke. Discuss.

    The ‘Havana syndrome’

    • In late 2016, US diplomats in Havana reported feeling ill after hearing strange sounds and experiencing odd physical sensations in their hotel rooms or homes.
    • The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as “Havana Syndrome”.
    • Cuba had denied any knowledge of the illnesses even though the US had accused it of carrying out “sonic attacks”, leading to an increase in tensions.

    Possible factor: Microwave Weapons

    • “Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.
    • People exposed to high-intensity microwave pulses have reported a clicking or buzzing sound as if seeming to be coming from within your head.
    • It can have both acute and long-term effects — without leaving signs of physical damage.
    • These weapons are considered to be the cause of the “syndrome” whose symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties.

    How did researchers deduce that?

    • The researchers have examined four possibilities to explain the symptoms — infection, chemicals, psychological factors and microwave energy.
    • The experts examined the symptoms of about 40 government employees.
    • The report concluded that directed pulsed RF (radio frequency) energy appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases among those that the committee considered.

  • How should India navigate future energy transition?

    The article is based on the book by Daniel Yergin, titled ” The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations”. The book throws some questions to countries dependent on oil and suggests the framework for their transition to renewable.

    Six broad themes underlying the energy transition

    • The first is the US shale revolution, which transformed the US from a major importer of oil and gas to a significant exporter.
    • The second is the leveraging by Russia of its gas exports to compel former members of the Soviet Union to stay within its sphere of influence and to embrace China into an energy partnership.
    • The third is China’s assertion of its rights over the South China Seas — a critical maritime route for its energy imports and the Belt and Road initiative;
    • The fourth is sectarian strife (Sunni/Shia) in the Middle East which, compounded by volatile and falling oil prices, has brought the region to the edge;
    • The fifth is the Paris climate summit and its impact on public sentiment, investment decisions, corporate governance and regulatory norms.
    • Sixth is the consequential impact of the manifold and impressive advancement of clean energy technologies.

    Questions for India

    • The ongoing transition in the energy world raises several questions for India.
    • How might they impact its objective to provide reliable, affordable, clean and universal access to energy?
    • Who will bear the costs of the transition — in particular, the costs of retrofitting industrial infrastructure and upgrading the power grids.
    • How can it prevent the “perfect storm” of high unemployment due to laid-off coal workers and stranded assets thermal power plants, slowed economic growth and environmental degradation?
    • How realistic is a green transition for an economy almost totally dependent on fossil fuels?

    Three policy initiatives for the government

    1) Securing favourable terms with oil suppliers

    • The government leverage its buyer strength to secure “most favoured” terms of trade for crude supplies.
    • In this regard, they bring out one development that plays to India’s advantage — the onset of “peak oil demand” (that is, demand will plateau before supply depletes).
    • However, there is no consensus on the timing of peak demand.

    2) Develop own systems for photovoltaics (PVs) and batteries

    • India must develop its own world-scale, competitive, manufacturing systems for photovoltaics (PVs) and battery storage.
    • Otherwise, India will not be able to provide affordable solar units unless it accepts the further deepening of dependence on Chinese imports.
    • Currently, China manufactures 75 per cent of the world’s lithium batteries; 70 per cent of solar cells; 95 per cent of solar wafers and it controls 60 per cent of the production of poly silica.
    • China is also looking to secure a chokehold over several strategic minerals (cobalt, nickel).

    3) Prepare a clean energy technology strategy

    • Technology is the answer to the energy transition.
    • That is what will bring the system to the tipping point of radical change.
    • China has placed clean energy R&D at the forefront of its “Plan 2025”.
    • The India strategy should identify relevant “breakthrough technologies”, establish the funding mechanisms and create the ecosystem for partnerships (domestic and international).

    Conclusion

    As an economy which is energy import-dependent, fossil-fuel-based India must balance between the rising demand for energy and an unhealthily strong linkage between this demand and environmental pollution.

  • Diversification of output to overcome the MSP trap

    The article analyses the state of agriculture in Punjab and the its dependace on the MSP regime and suggest the diversification as a solution to the MSP trap.

    Punjab’s role in Green Revolution

    • India was desperately short of grains in 1965, and heavily dependent on PL 480 imports from the US against rupee payments, as the country did not have enough foreign exchange to buy wheat at global markets.
    • The entire foreign exchange reserves of the country at the time could not help it purchase more than 7 MMT of grains.
    • It is against this backdrop that the minimum support price (MSP) system was devised in 1965.

     India’s current grains management system: Issue of excess grains

    • Today, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) stocks grains touched 97 MMT in June this year against a buffer stock norm of 41.2 MMT.
    • The economic cost of that excess grain, beyond the buffer stock norm, was more than Rs 1,80,000 crore, a dead capital locked in without much purpose.
    • That’s the situation of the current grain management system based on MSP and open ended procurement.

    Decline in Punjab’s economic level

    •  In 1966 Punjab had the highest per capita income.
    • Punjab’s position fell to 13th in 2018-19.
    • There are several reasons behind this deterioration, ranging from lack of industrialisation to not catching up even with respect to the modern services sector like IT, financial services.

    What explains Punjab’s prosperity

    • Punjab’s agriculture is blessed with almost 99 per cent irrigation against an all-India average of little less than 50 per cent.
    • The average landholding in Punjab is 3.62 hectare (ha) as against an all-India average of 1.08 ha.
    • Punjab’s fertiliser consumption per ha is about 212 kg vis-à-vis an all-India level of 135 kg/ha.
    • The productivity levels of wheat and rice in Punjab stand at 5 tonnes/ha and 4 tonnes/ha respectively, against an all-India average of 3.5t/ha and 2.6t/ha.

    Assesing Punjab’s real contribution to income and agriculture

    • In Punjab, the total farm families are just 1.09 million, a fraction of the all-India total of 146.45 million.
    •  The overall subsidy, from just power and fertilisers would amount to roughly Rs 13,275 crores.
    • That means each farm household in Punjab got a subsidy of about Rs 1.22 lakh in 2019-20.
    • This is the highest subsidy for a farm household in India.
    • Let’s not forget that the average income of the Punjab farm household is the highest in India.[2.5 time’s the India’s average].
    • But to assess the real contribution of farmers/states to agriculture and incomes, the metric is the agri-GDP per ha of gross cropped area of the state in question.
    • This is an important catch-all indicator, as it captures the impact of productivity, diversification, prices of outputs and inputs and subsidies.
    • On that indicator, unfortunately, Punjab has the 11th rank amongst major agri-states.

    Way forward: Diversification of crops

    • States in south India like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have a much more diversified crop pattern tending towards high-value crops/livestock — poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables, spices, fisheries.
    •  If Punjab farmers want to increase their incomes significantly, double or even triple, they need to gradually move away from MSP-based wheat and rice to high-value crops and livestock, the demand for which is increasing at three to five times that of cereals.
    • Punjab needs a package to diversify its agriculture — say a Rs 10,000 crore package spread over five years.

    Conclusion

    Once farmers diversify their farm output and double their incomes, they will not be stuck in the MSP trap.

  • Rat Hole Mining in Meghalaya

    Rat-hole coal mining had sucked the life out of a village in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.

    Q.Despite a ban, rat-hole mining continues to prevail as an important practice in Meghalaya. What are the issues associated with it? Discuss. (150W)

    Rat Hole Mining

    • It is a primitive and hazardous method of mining for coal, with tunnels that are only 3-4 feet in diameter (hence, rat-hole), leading to pits ranging from 5-100 sq. mt deep.
    • It involves digging of very small tunnels in which workers, more often children, enter and extract coal.
    • Although the coal is of bad quality, people see it as a treasure chest.
    • In backward regions, where there is the loss of livelihood, lack of employment opportunities and under-education, people see rat-hole mines as an opportunity to earn daily bread.
    • A major portion of these employees are children, who are preferred because of their thin body shape and ease to access depths.

    Despite a ban

    The National Green Tribunal banned rat-hole mining in Meghalaya in 2014 on a petition that said acidic discharge from the mines was polluting the Kopili River. But the practice continues unabated.

    Threats of such mining

    • Water from rivers and streams in the mining area has become unfit for drinking and irrigation and is toxic to plants and animals.
    • Layers of rock above the coal removed during mining contain traces of iron, manganese and aluminium that get dissolved from mining sites through the acid run-off or are washed into streams as sediment.
    • There are several mishaps where workers get trapped to death due to the sudden collapse of such mines.

  • Himachal wants GI status for five products

    The Himachal Pradesh government is trying to obtain GIs for five products from the state – Karsog Kulth, Thangi of Pangi, Chamba Metal Crafts, Chamba Chukh, and Rajmah of Bharmour.

    Read more about GIs at:

    GI(Geographical Indicator) Tags

    Which are the five HP products?

    • Karsog Kulth: Kulthi or Kulth (horse gram) is a legume grown as a kharif crop in Himachal Pradesh. Kulth grown in the Karsog area of Mandi district is believed to be particularly rich in amino acids.
    • Pangi ki Thangi: It is a type of hazelnut which grows in Pangi valley located in the northwestern edge of Himachal. It is known for its unique flavour and sweetness.
    • Chamba metal crafts: These include items such as metal idols and brass utensils which, historically, were made by skilled artisans in the courts of kings of Chamba. There are efforts to revive the trade, and a plate made from a brass-like alloy and having carvings of gods and goddesses is still popular.
    • Chamba Chukh: It’s a chutney made from green and red chillies grown in Chamba, and prepared in traditional and unique ways. The practice has largely declined in rural households of Chamba, but survives to some extent at the small-scale industrial level.
    • Bharmouri Rajmah: It’s more specifically called the Kugtalu Rajmah, since it grows in the area around Kugti Pass in the Bharmour region of Chamba district. It is rich in proteins and has a unique flavor.

    How many registered GIs does Himachal currently have?

    • They are eight in number.
    • It includes four handicrafts (Kullu Shawl, Chamba Rumal, Kinnauri Shawl and Kangra Paintings).
    • There are three agricultural products (Kangra Tea, Basmati and Himachali Kala Zeera) and one manufactured product (Himachali Chulli Oil).
    • Kullu Shawl and Kangra Tea were the first to be registered in 2005-06.
    • Basmati has been registered jointly from seven states of North India, including Himachal Pradesh.
    • Chulli (apricot) oil and kala jeera (cumin), mainly associated with Kinnaur and known for their medicinal properties, were the last to be registered in 2018-19.

    How does a GI tag help?

    • A GI tag provides a better market for these products and prevents misuse of the name.
    • A GI registration is given to an area, not a trader, but once a product gets the registration, traders dealing in the product can apply for selling it with the GI logo.
    • Authorised traders are each assigned a unique GI number. For example, Kullu shawl has 135 authorised traders. A shawl made in Ludhiana cannot be sold as a Kullu shawl.
    • If any unauthorised trader, even from Kullu, tries to sell a shawl under the name of Kullu shawl, he or she can be prosecuted under The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
    • GIs are also expected to boost or revive the items whose production has declined, as is being aimed in the case of Chamba Chukh and metal crafts.

    Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)

    • The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines a GI as “a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin”.
    • GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, handicrafts, industrial products, wines and spirit drinks.
    • Internationally, GIs are covered as an element of intellectual property rights under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
    • They are also covered under the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
    • Presently, there are 370 registered GIs in India.

  • RBI keeps repo rate unchanged

    The MPC decided on Friday to leave the Repo rate unchanged at 4%. However, the RBI faces a dilemma over the excess liquidity in the economy while tackling inflation.

    Limits of monetary  policy

    • Even though our economy slumped into a recession in the first half of 2020-21, there seems little further RBI can do with monetary policy to spur growth.
    • Its monetary decision to leave its main policy rate unchanged at 4%, the rate at which it lends money to banks, thus seems appropriate.
    • This is because retail inflation has hovered above its 6% upper tolerance limit for much of this year.
    • It is the first time its 2016-adopted price-stability framework looks poised for failure.
    • Meanwhile, it has announced wider coverage of an earlier scheme by which banks buy bonds issued by firms in specific stressed sectors–a way to ease credit.

    Poor credit demand

    • Supply-side measures have their limits of efficacy, with aggregate demand observed to be in a bad way and investments restrained by uncertainty.
    • Therefore, RBI’s focus had to shift to the inflationary effects of excess liquidity detected in the economy.
    • Oddly, this doesn’t seem to have happened.
    • With over ₹6 trillion still being parked daily by banks with RBI at its reverse repo window, a reflection of poor credit demand.

    Dilemma RBI faces in maintaining low interest rate

    • Plus, India has seen a large sum of dollars coming into India.
    • To keep the rupee’s global value stable and Indian exports competitive, RBI has been buying those dollars, thus raising our foreign exchange reserves and pumping more liquidity into the domestic arena.
    • Sterilizing the inflationary effect of this usually requires bonds to be sold, which increases their market supply and pressures yields up-a dilution of its stance on easy money.
    • This poses a dilemma that RBI may soon have to grapple with.
    • RBI’s core task as a central bank, of watching both the external and internal stability of the currency under its charge, may get more complex than ever if capital inflows stay high, global investors see an opportunity in ‘carry trade’ profits, and price trends don’t go by its expectations.

    Conclusion

    If India’s broad policy frame is being pushed by our covid crisis towards a major reset, with the Centre’s fisc granted a freer run and its debt burden to be partially inflated away over the years, then that would call for another debate.