Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Hepatitis
Mains level: Not Much
Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Which one of the following statements is not correct? (CSP 2019)
(a) Hepatitis B virus is transmitted much like HIV.
(b) Hepatitis B. unlike Hepatitis C, does not have a vaccine.
(c) Globally, the number of people infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses arc several times more than those infected with HIV.
(d) Some of those infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses do not show the symptoms for many years.
Hepatitis C Virus
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a bloodborne virus and causes liver diseases. It refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver.
- The novel virus caused several deaths in the 1960s and 1970s — but remained unknown until its discovery in the late 1980s.
What are other Hepatitis Viruses?
- Before the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, two other viruses were known to cause hepatitis in patients.
- The Hepatitis A virus was known to spread mainly through contaminated food and water and caused a relatively milder form of liver inflammation.
- Hepatitis B, discovered in the 1960s, was known to transmit mainly through infected blood and caused a more serious form of the disease.
- Incidentally, the discovery of the Hepatitis B virus too was rewarded with a Nobel Prize in Medicine, given to Baruch Blumberg in 1976. There are vaccines available for this disease now.
How Hepatitis C came to observation?
- The discovery and identification of the Hepatitis B virus facilitated the development of a diagnostic test to detect its presence in blood.
- Thereafter, only blood sanitized from this virus would be given to patients, but it was observed that even this sanitized blood was able to prevent only 20% of the blood-borne hepatitis cases.
- It was then that the search for the new virus began.
How is Hepatitis C treated?
- Presently there is no vaccine available for HCV. However, it can be treated with antiviral medication.
- Hepatitis A and B are preventable by vaccine.
Back2Basics:
In news: Nobel Prize
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Tax Sheltering
Mains level: Not Much
This newscard is an excerpt from an original article published in TH.
We can expect a statement based question comparing Tax Shelters and Tax Heavens.
What is a Tax Shelter?
- A tax shelter is a financial vehicle that an individual can use to help them lower their tax obligation and, thus, keep more of their money.
- It is a legal way for individuals to “stash” their money and avoid getting it taxed.
- A tax shelter is entirely different from a tax haven because the latter exists outside the country and its legality can, at times, be questionable.
- A tax shelter, on the other hand, is entirely legal and keeps all monies within an individual’s home country.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ketogenic Diet
Mains level: Not Much
Ketogenic or Keto Diet is popularly followed as a weight loss diet across the world.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Regular intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is recommended in the diet since they are a good source of antioxidants. How do antioxidants help a person maintain health and promote longevity? (CSP 2014)
(a) They activate the enzymes necessary for vitamin synthesis in the body and help prevent vitamin deficiency.
(b) They prevent excessive oxidation of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the body and help avoid unnecessary wastage of energy.
(c) They neutralize the free radicals produced in the body during metabolism.
(d) They activate certain genes in the cells of the body and help delay the ageing process.
What is Ketogenic Diet?
- The Keto Diet is one of the most popular weight-loss diets the world over.
- It consists of a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet.
- It helps in weight loss by achieving ketosis — a metabolic state where the liver burns body fat and provides fuel for the body, as there is limited access to glucose.
What constitutes a keto diet?
- A classic keto generally requires that 90 per cent of a person’s calories come from fat, 6 per cent from protein and 4 per cent from carbs.
- But there are many versions doing the rounds since this one was designed for children suffering from epilepsy to gain control over their seizures.
How does it impact the body?
- If we starve the body of carbohydrate, after burning out the glucose, the liver starts breaking down fats for energy.
- Ketosis is common in all kinds of fasting, but in a keto diet, when one is feeding it by giving a lot of fats from outside without carbs, it can become mildly toxic.
- It may lead to many nutrient deficiencies such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins (especially vitamin A, D, E, & K) and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, sodium.
- Extreme carbohydrate restriction can lead to hunger, fatigue, low mood, irritability, constipation, headaches, and brain fog, which may last days to weeks
What impact does it have on our kidneys?
- Even the moderate increase in protein needs to be carefully monitored, especially in those who are already suffering from chronic kidney disease, as it could lead to kidney failure.
- One should get a thorough assessment and make sure they have normal kidney function before choosing this diet.
- This diet could lead to increased stress on the kidneys and result in kidney stones, as they are made to work overtime.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various social reformers
Mains level: NA
PM has paid rich tributes to revolutionary freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary.
Try this PYQ:
Q. The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a –
(a) Revolutionary association of Indians with headquarters at San Francisco.
(b) Nationalist organization operating from Singapore
(c) Militant organization with headquarters at Berlin
(d) Communist movement for India’s freedom with head-quarters at Tashkent
About Shyamji Krishna Varma
- SK Varma (1857–1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, a patriot, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and The Indian Sociologist in London.
- He was a noted scholar in Sanskrit and other Indian languages.
- He pursued a brief legal career in India and served as the Divan of a number of Indian princely states in India.
- He had, however, differences with Crown authority, was dismissed following a supposed conspiracy of local British officials at Junagadh and chose to return to England.
- An admirer of Dayanand Saraswati’s approach of cultural nationalism, and of Herbert Spencer, Krishna Varma believed in Spencer’s dictum: “Resistance to aggression is not simply justified, but imperative”.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness for Innovation (CEPI)
Mains level: Not Much
Translational Health Science And Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, has now been recognized by Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness for Innovation (CEPI) as one of the Global Network of Laboratories for centralized assessment of COVID 19 Vaccines.
Note: CEPI is neither a WHO subsidiary nor a UN body .
Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness for Innovation (CEPI)
- The CEPI is a foundation that takes donations to finance independent research projects to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases (EID).
- It is focused on the WHO’s “blueprint priority diseases.
- These diseases include the Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the SARS coronavirus 2 the Nipah virus, the Lassa fever virus, and the Rift Valley fever virus, as well as the Chikungunya virus and the hypothetical, unknown pathogen “Disease X”.
- CEPI investment also requires “equitable access” to the vaccines during outbreaks.
- CEPI was conceived in 2015 and formally launched in 2017 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IBC
Mains level: Paper 3- Impact of IBC
The article analyses the impact of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) on the insolvency resolution and on Indian economy.
Measures that will improve investment
1) IBC: transforming insolvency resolution
- IBC replaced inefficient bankruptcy law regime and has transformed insolvency resolution in India.
- The IBC has focused on time-bound resolution, rather than liquidation.
- IBC acts as an empowering tool to support companies falling within its ambit.
- It has successfully instilled confidence in the corporate resolution methodology.
- It has allowed credit to flow more freely to and within India while promoting investor and investee confidence.
- The IBC is both flexible and dynamic, which makes it impactful, given how forward thinking the concept of an omnibus legislation of its nature actually is.
- Through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), it has established an unprecedented organisation that both regulates and develops insolvency policy, and assesses market realities.
Impact of IBC
- According to the Resolving Insolvency Index, India’s ranking improved to 52 in 2019 from 108 in 2018.
- Further, the recovery rate improved nearly threefold from 26.5% in 2018 to 71.6% in 2019
- The overall time taken in recovery also improved nearly three times, coming down from 4.3 years in 2018 to 1.6 years in 2019.
2) Decriminalisation of minor offences
- Criminal penalties including imprisonment for minor offences act as major deterrents for investors.
- The Government of India is also working toward decriminalisation of minor offences.
- This will significantly reduce the risk of imprisonment for actions or omissions that are not necessarily fraudulent or an outcome of mala fide intent.
3) Other legislative measures
- Together with the IBC, following 3 reforms suggests major and multi-dimensional effort by the government.
- 1) The rolling out of the commercial courts.
- 2) Commercial divisions and the Commercial Appellate Divisions Act, 2015, to allow district court-level commercial courts.
- 3) Removal of over 1,500 obsolete and archaic laws.
Way forward
- There could perhaps be a look at institutionalising the introduction of a pre-packed insolvency resolution process.
- This will also help resolve matters expeditiously, outside of the formal court system, and allow resolution even during the COVID-19 altered reality.
Consider the question “Examine the impact of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) on the insolvency resolution procedure and suggest the further improvements in the IBC.”
Conclusion
The IBC has provided a major stimulus to ease of doing business, enhanced investor confidence, and helped encourage entrepreneurship while also providing support to MSMEs. Its further streamlining and strengthening will surely instil greater confidence in both foreign and domestic investors as they look at India as an attractive investment destination.
B2BASICS
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Narcoanalysis, Polygraph Test
Mains level: Not Much
Involuntary administration of narco or lie detector tests is an “intrusion” into a person’s “mental privacy,” a Supreme Court judgment of 2010 has held.
Try this question:
Q.What are the ethical issues associated with the Lie-detection tests?
Various Lie detector tests
(1) Polygraph Test
- A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological responses that are triggered when a person is lying are different from what they would be otherwise.
- Instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes are attached to the person, and variables such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions are put to them.
- A numerical value is assigned to each response to conclude whether the person is telling the truth, is deceiving, or is uncertain.
(2) Narcoanalysis
- Narcoanalysis, by contrast, involves the injection of a drug, sodium pentothal, which induces a hypnotic or sedated state.
- In such a state, the subject’s imagination is neutralized, and they are expected to divulge information that is true.
- The drug, referred to as “truth serum” in this context, was used in larger doses as anaesthesia during surgery and is said to have been used during World War II for intelligence operations.
Why these tests are so (in)famous?
- Investigating agencies seek to employ these tests in the investigation, and are sometimes seen as being a “softer alternative” to torture or “third degree” to extract the truth from suspects.
- These tests put into consideration the international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.
Legal status in India
- In ‘Selvi & Ors vs State of Karnataka & Anr’ (2010), a Supreme Court Bench comprising CJI ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered “except on the basis of the consent of the accused”.
- Those who volunteer must have access to a lawyer, and have the physical, emotional, and legal implications of the test explained to them by police and the lawyer, the Bench said.
- It said that the ‘Guidelines for the Administration of Polygraph Test on an Accused’ published by the National Human Rights Commission in 2000, must be strictly followed.
- The subject’s consent should be recorded before a judicial magistrate, the court said.
What was the latest Judgement?
- Involuntary administration of narco or lie detector tests is an “intrusion” into a person’s “mental privacy,” a Supreme Court judgment of 2010 has held.
- The consequences of such tests on “individuals from weaker sections of society who are unaware of their fundamental rights and unable to afford legal advice” can be devastating.
- It may involve future abuse, harassment and surveillance, even leakage of the video material to the Press for a “trial by media.”
- Such tests are an affront to human dignity and liberty and have long-lasting effects.
- “An individual’s decision to make a statement is the product of a private choice and there should be no scope for any other individual to interfere with such autonomy,” the apex court had held.
Legal status of its outcome
- The results of the tests cannot be considered to be “confessions”, because those in a drugged-induced state cannot exercise a choice in answering questions that are put to them.
- However, any information or material subsequently discovered with the help of such a voluntarily-taken test can be admitted as evidence, the court said.
- Thus, if an accused reveals the location of a murder weapon in the course of the test, and police later find the weapon at that location, the statement of the accused will not be evidence, but the weapon will be.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Conference on Disarmament (CD)
Mains level: Nuclear disarmament
India has supported the holding of negotiations on a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention at the Conference on Disarmament (CD). It reiterated its commitment to the disarmament of nuclear weapons in a step-by-step non-discriminatory process.
List out various factors which are preventing the nuclear disarmaments amongst the nations.
About the Conference on Disarmament (CD)
- The CD is a multilateral disarmament forum established by the international community to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements based at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
- The Conference meets annually in three separate sessions in Geneva.
- The Conference was first established in 1979 as the Committee on Disarmament as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community.
- It was renamed the Conference on Disarmament in 1984.
Recent developments from India
- India has not revised its key principles regarding the weapons in its arsenal.
- Raksha Mantri has earlier hinted at a possibility of changing the No First Use (NFU) principle by declaring that ‘circumstances’ will determine the “No First Use” stance.
India stands committed
- India believes that nuclear disarmament can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework.
- India remains convinced of the need for meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons, for building trust and confidence.
- India also remains committed to negotiations regarding a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the CD on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator or CD/1299 which dates to March 24, 1995.
B2BASICS
India’s No first use doctrine
For India, Nuclear weapons are political weapons and not weapons of war and their sole purpose is to deter the use of nuclear weapons by India’s adversaries. India has nit only established itself as a responsible nuclear state, but guided the world about how to be a responsible nuclear state through No first use policy.
Features of India’s nuclear doctrine:
- Building and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent.
- A “No First Use” policy i.e. nuclear weapons to be used only in case of any nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere.
- Non use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states.
- Nuclear retaliatory attacks to be authorised only by civilian political leadership through the Nuclear Command Authority.
- Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage.
- India may retaliate with nuclear weapons to retaliate against attack with biological or chemical weapons.
- Strict controls on export of nuclear and missile related materials and technologies.
- A commitment to goal of nuclear weapon free world.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Atal Tunnel
Mains level: Significance of the Border Infrastructure
PM Modi has inaugurated the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang at an altitude of above 3,000 metres in Himachal Pradesh.
Refer this link to read more about Himalayan passes and rivers
https://www.civilsdaily.com/the-northern-and-northeastern-mountains-part-1/
Atal Tunnel
- The 9.02 km-long-tunnel, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), is the world’s longest highway tunnel and connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley.
- It provides all-weather connectivity to the landlocked valley of Lahaul-Spiti, which remains cut-off for nearly six months in a year as the Rohtang Pass is usually snow-bound between November and April.
- Before the tunnel construction, the Lahaul Valley used to remain closed for vehicular movement due to bad weather conditions.
- It reduces the distance by 46 km between Manali and Leh and the travel time by about 4 to 5 hours. It is expected to boost tourism and winter sports in the region.
- The tunnel, also significant from the military logistics viewpoint, will provide better connectivity to the armed forces in reaching Ladakh.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Shaurya Missile
Mains level: India's missile programme
A successful trial of the nuclear-capable Shaurya missile was conducted by India.
Shaurya Missile
- Shaurya is a land-based parallel of the submarine-launched K-15 missile.
- It is a land variant of short-range SLBM K-15 Sagarika, which has a range of at least 750 kilometres.
- These ballistic weapons belong to the K missile family — codenamed after late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam — which is launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines.
- Because these missiles are to be launched from submarines, they are lighter, smaller and stealthier than their land-based counterparts; the Agni series.
A look at what this family of missiles is their strategic importance as a nuclear deterrent and their recent tests.
K Family of missiles
- The K family of missiles is primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), which have been indigenously developed by DRDO.
- These are named after Dr Kalam, the central figure in India’s missile and space programmes who also served as the 11th President of India.
- The development of this naval platform launched missiles began in the late 1990s as a step towards completing India’s nuclear triad (land, sea and air-based).
Strategic importance of SLBMs
- The capability of being able to launch nuclear weapons submarine platforms has great strategic importance in the context of achieving a nuclear triad, especially in the light of ‘no first use’ policy of India.
- The sea-based underwater nuclear-capable assets significantly increase the second strike capability of a country and thus boosts its nuclear deterrence.
- These submarines can not only survive the first strike by the adversary but also can launch a strike in retaliation thus achieving Credible Nuclear Deterrence.
- The development of these capabilities is important in light of India’s relations with the two neighbours China and Pakistan.
Try this PYQ now:
What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news? (CSP 2018)
(a) An Israeli radar system
(b) India’s indigenous anti-missile programme
(c) An American anti-missile system
(d) A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Cannabidiol
Mains level: Not Much
These days, there are diverse opinions rising regarding the legalization of CBD oil in India after recent controversy rose after the alleged suicide of an actor.
What is CBD oil?
- CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant.
- The two main active substances in it are cannabidiol or CBD and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
- The high that is caused by the consumption of cannabis is due to THC.
- CBD, however, does not cause a “high” or any form of intoxication.
- CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant, then diluting it with a carrier oil like coconut or hemp seed oil.
What are the effects of Cannabidiol?
- Cannabidiol has effects on the brain, preventing the breakdown of a chemical that aggravates the pain and affects mood, and mental function. It can reduce pain and anxiety.
- It also reduces psychotic symptoms associated with conditions such as schizophrenia as well as epilepsy.
Is it legal in India?
- The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) outlaws the recreational use of cannabis.
- The NDPS Act, however, does not apply to the leaves and seeds of cannabis plants. In case the CBD is extracted from the leaves of the cannabis, then technically it is not illegal.
- CBD oil manufactured under a licence issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can be legally used.
- However, the use of cannabis as a medicine is not much prevalent in India.
Now try this PYQ:
Q. Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria. Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine?
A) Malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium
B) Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection
C) Vaccines can be developed only against bacteria
D) Man is only an intermediate host and not the definitive host
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kamchatka Peninsula
Mains level: Not Much
An ‘ecological disaster’ of sorts is unfolding on a black volcanic beach of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, according to a report.
Note the features of the map and surrounding seas.
About Kamchatka Peninsula
- The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometre-long peninsula in the Russian Far East.
- The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula’s eastern and western coastlines, respectively.
- Immediately offshore along the Pacific coast of the peninsula runs the 10,500-metre-deep Kuril–Kamchatka Trench.
- The Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands, and Karaginsky Island constitute the Kamchatka Krai of the Russian Federation.
- The vast majority of the 322,079 inhabitants are ethnic Russians, although about 13,000 are Koryaks (2014).
- The Kamchatka peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Why in news?
- Then, sea animals begin to die in large numbers, their bodies littering the beach.
- These included octopuses, seals, sea urchins, stars, crabs and fish.
- Examination of the seawater by the administration has shown that levels of phenols and oil compounds have spiked.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Madhuca diplostemon
Mains level: Not Much
A tree species, long believed extinct, has been rediscovered after a gap of more than 180 years from a sacred grove in Kollam district.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following statements:
- Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions.
- India has four biodiversity hotspots i.e., Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands.
Which of the above statements is/ are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Madhuca diplostemon
- Scientists have identified the tree as Madhuca diplostemon (family Sapotaceae), a threatened species of the Western Ghats whose specimen was first collected in 1835.
- In 1835, Robert Wight, a surgeon-botanist with the East India Company, had collected three specimens of the species.
- Only one mature tree has been found so far, which makes this remarkable rediscovery extremely valuable from a scientific, environmental and conservation point of view.
- Since the species is represented only by one specimen in a single locality, it is eligible to be categorised ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Jal Jeevan Mission , Margdarshika
Mains level: Water management
What is Jal Jeevan Mission ?
The Union Minister of Jal Shakti launched a special mission mode campaign to provide potable piped water supply in all schools and anganwadi centres across the nation within 100 days.
About Jal Jeevan Mission
- This mission was envisaged by the Prime Minister on 29th September, 2020 while releasing the ‘Margdarshika’ for Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
- Provisions have been made under Jal Jeevan Mission for ensuring safe water through tap water connection in schools, anganwadi centres, health care centres, etc.
- National Jal Jeevan Mission has reached out to States/ UTs to ensure that during this campaign, Gram Sabhas are convened at the earliest to pass a resolution for providing safe water in all schools, anganwadi centres and other public institutions in the village in the next 100 days.
- These facilities will be operated and maintained by the Gram Panchayat and/ or its sub-committee i.e. Village Water & Sanitation Committee or Paani Samiti.
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims at the universal coverage of provision of tap water connection to every rural home by 2024. Under the mission, special focus is on women and children.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Swachh Bharat Puruskaar, Gandgi se Mukt Campaign
Mains level: Efforts for sanitation and cleanliness
What are Swachh Bharat Puruskar ?
- he Swachh Bharat (2020) Awards were conferred to the best performing States/UTs, districts, blocks, GPs and others in various categories marking six years of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) launch.
- The awards were given by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).
- Top Awards were conferred upon Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab& others.
- Gujarat was felicitated with the first prize in the state category; Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu as best district; Khachrod, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh as best block; and Chinnaur, (Salem) as the best Gram Panchayat for Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shauchalaya (SSSS) campaign organized from 1st Nov 2019 to 30th April 2020.
- For the week-long Gandagi Se Mukt campaign launched by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on 8th August 2020, Telangana received the top award for maximum Shramdaan participation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Wildlife week
Mains level: Conservation of wildlife
Celebrating Wildlife Week
- Wildlife Week is celebrated every year in India between October 1 and 8.
- The annual theme of the campaign is to promote the preservation of fauna – i.e. animal life.
- Wildlife Week was conceptualized in 1952 with the overall goal of raising awareness to serve the long-term goal of safeguarding the lives of wildlife through critical action.
- In addition, the Indian Government established an Indian Board of Wild Life which works to improve awareness towards the preservation of wildlife.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Net Zero
Mains level: Climate change commitments
Context- Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping made two promises that came as a welcome surprise to climate change watchers.
What has China announced ?
- First, Xi said, China would become carbon net-zero by the year 2060.
- Net-zero is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorptions and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
- Absorption can be increased by creating more carbon sinks such as forests, while removal involves application of technologies such as carbon capture and storage.
- Second, the Chinese President announced a small but important change in China’s already committed target for letting its emissions “peak”, from “by 2030” to “before 2030”.
- That means China would not allow its greenhouse gas emissions to grow beyond that point.
- Xi did not specify how soon “before 2030” means, but even this much is being seen as a very positive move from the world’s largest emitter.
How significant is China’s commitment?
- China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It accounts for almost 30% of global emissions, more than the combined emissions in the United States, the European Union and India, the three next biggest emitters.
- Getting China to commit itself to a net-zero target is a big breakthrough, especially since countries have been reluctant to pledge themselves to such long term commitments.
- So far, the European Union was the only big emitter to have committed itself to a net-zero emission status by 2050.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Research and development is medical science
Context- Earlier this week, late actor Irrfan Khan’s wife Sutapa Sikdar made an appeal to legalise CBD oil in India for its potential to treat cancer. Her appeal followed the criticism of actor Rhea Chakrabaorty after it was reported that she had administered CBD oil, used as a pain reliever for some, to Sushant Singh Rajput when he was alive.
About CBD oil ?
- CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant. The two main active substances in it are cannabidiol or CBD and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
- The high that is caused by the consumption of cannabis is due to THC. CBD, however, does not cause a “high” or any form of intoxication.
- CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant, then diluting it with a carrier oil like coconut or hemp seed oil.
- Cannabidiol can reduce pain and anxiety. It also reduces psychotic symptoms associated with conditions such as schizophrenia as well as epilepsy.
- There is not enough robust scientific evidence to prove that CBD oil can safely and effectively treat cancer.
- CBD oil manufactured under a license issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can be legally used. However, the use of cannabis as a medicine is not much prevalent in India.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Labour Code Bills
Mains level: Paper 2- Issues with the labour laws
Increase in the jobs without employment security
- Between 2004-05 and 2017-18, the share of salaried workers outside agriculture without any written contract increased from 60 per cent to 71 per cent.
- Even in private and public limited companies, this share increased from 59 per cent to 71 per cent.
- In the government and the public sector the share of such workers increasing from 27 per cent to 45 per cent over the period.
- Many of the wage jobs in the organised sector came through contractors.
- In organised manufacturing, the reported share of contract labour increased from 13 per cent in 1995-06 to 36 per cent in 2017-18.
Policy response
- A policy to deal with the problem of employment security was much needed.
- The response came in the form the three revised labour Code Bills — on Industrial Relations, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, and Social Security.
- These were introduced in Parliament in the Monsoon Session, and approved on September 23.
- These three labour codes, along with the Code on Wages approved earlier, touch the lives of every Indian worker.
“Fixed term” worker
- In 2018, the government amended the Standing Orders on Employment Act and introduced the category of “fixed term” worker.
- That category creates a permanent cadre of temporary workers, with no prospects of career growth and job security.
Changes and issues with the Bills
- 1) Government had rationalised fixed-term employment by arguing that industries had resorted to the third-party engagement of contract labour to get around the rigidities in firing workers.
- But that has not stopped the Codes from further liberalising the provisions relating to employment of contract labour and making their regulation applicable only in establishments employing 50 or more workers, instead of 20 or more.
- 2) The key provisions which regulate the employment of inter-state migrant workers have been further diluted and made applicable only to establishments employing 10 or more such workers, compared to five earlier.
- 3) Along with the provisions of retrenchment, the applicability of the Standing Orders, which regulate the categorisation as well as the terms of employment of workers in establishments, has also been raised from 100 to 300 workers.
- 4) The threshold for factories has now been doubled — from 10 to 20 workers with power — thereby eliminating a large number of important regulatory provisions for the smaller factories.
- 5) Relevant governments have been given much more leeway in exempting establishments from the applicability of a whole range of provisions in the Code.
- 6) Inspection provisions have been diluted in all the Codes and will no longer even be complaints based.
- 7) The changes have also made legal industrial action a virtual impossibility, and the presence of unions less possible.
Conclusion
Informality contributes to inequality and to conditions which make sustainable growth impossible, and economic recovery more difficult. It also creates conditions in which employers under-invest in workers’ capacities and workers are not invested in a company’s future — leading to low productivity and lack of competitiveness.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: APMC Act, Companies Act, ECA 1955
Mains level: Paper 3- Reforms in various sectors of economy
The article discusses the issues faced by the various sectors of the economy and how the reform measures introduced by the government could help these sectors.
Exploitation of farmers and consumers
- The Indian farmer has bee treated as captive sources of producing cheap food grain while living at subsistence levels.
- There was no freedom to choose the point of sale for his produce, he could not decide the price of his product and had no say in selecting the buyer.
- The end consumer was equally short-changed with frequent cycles of persistent high inflation.
- The only beneficiaries of this perverse system were middlemen who thrived under political protection.
How reforms will help farmers
- The stifling nature of the Essential Commodities Act and the APMC Act have both been removed.
- Contract farming is now nationally enabled, allowing private investment to come in.
- Private investment will bring in technology, modern equipment, better seeds, know-how for in-between-season crops, improved yields, better logistics and freer access to national and international markets.
- The Indian farm sector will now finally begin to see the benefits of economies of scale.
Need for the reforms in various sectors
- There were 44 different labour laws with more than 1,200 sections and clauses that demanded compliance if one even thought of becoming an entrepreneur.
- Different inspectors and departments administered these laws and this stunted many entrepreneurs.
- The Companies Act of 2013 completely paralysed risk-taking and quick decision-making among the private wealth creators.
- There were a large number of organisations that called themselves “banks” but were completely outside the ambit of RBI regulation.
- The politicians who controlled these banks were the primary obstacles in introducing any reforms in these sectors.
- Indian mainstream banks, contrary to international norms, had a peculiar practice of “grossing” their bilateral liabilities rather than “netting”.
- As per estimates, this locked anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 crore funds.
Reforms made by the government
- In place of the 44 central labour laws, the Parliament has now put in place four labour codes that are much simpler — the Code on Wages, the Industrial Relations Code, the Social Security Code and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.
- The bilateral banking netting law has been passed and a large corpus of unproductive capital has been freed to be deployed in the market.
- Cooperative banks will now be regulated by the RBI and its customers will have the same protections as those of other regular banks.
- The problematic sections of the Companies Act 2013 have been done away with and the fear of criminal prosecution gone.
Conclusion
The reforms in various sectors of the economy are bound to help the faster recovery of the economy as well as help the farmers realising their full potential.
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