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  • A different fight-back

    Context

    Coronavirus crisis is an opportunity for India to build on domestic technological capabilities in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, life sciences and health technology in the private sector.

    How a small tech company flagged Covid-19 outbreak?

    • What does it do? A small tech company in Canada — BlueDot — was among first outside China to spot a new epidemic spreading out from Wuhan last December.
      • BlueDot, founded in Canada by a medical scientist of South Asian origin, Kamran Khan, tracks the origin and transmission of infectious diseases around the world.
    • How could they detect the outbreak in China?  BlueDot did this by sifting through massive volumes of news reports and blogs by individuals, including health professionals flowing out of China.
      • Data analytics and medical expertise combined: BlueDot combines “public health and medical expertise with advanced data analytics to build solutions that track, contextualise, and anticipate infectious disease risks”.
      • Use of AI: BlueDot is one of the many technology firms leveraging artificial intelligence for business and policy purposes.
      • Many governments are reaching out to tech companies to cope with the corona crisis.
      • The state government of California has just hired BlueDot to help it deal with the challenge.

    The growing role of technology in dealing with coronavirus

    • Across the world, policymakers see a growing role for technology in identification, tracking, and treating the coronavirus.
    • Alibaba and Tencent’s help in China: In China, the Communist Party roped in big tech companies like Alibaba and Tencent in the battle against the virus.
    • Silicon valley’s help in the US: In the US, President Donald Trump has set aside his well-known distaste for Democrat-leaning Silicon Valley to tackle what he now calls a war-like emergency.
    • India will need all the science and technology it can get hold of in overcoming the crisis that is bound to escalate by the day.
    • An opportunity to do good: For the small tech startups in related areas, this is a moment to shine. For the large tech companies, this is a huge opportunity to deploy their immense capabilities to resolve the specific problems posed by the spread of the coronavirus.
      • In rising to the occasion, they could fend off a lot of the recent negative criticism of their business practices and demonstrate that their commitment to “doing good” is not just empty rhetoric.
    • A good business proposition: “Doing good” is also a sensible business proposition at this time.
      • As governments desperately seek solutions to the crisis, the tech startups and established companies leverage the moment to scale up many technologies, develop new uses and markets.

    How countries used technology to deal with the outbreak

    • How China used technology? In China, as the government moved decisively after the delayed initial response, it turned to-
      • the well-established mass surveillance system based on facial recognition technologies,
      • sensing technologies to identify those with fever in public places and
      • data from mobile phone companies to trace the people who might be infected, and limit the spread of the disease.
    • China also developed a Health Code that uses data analytics to-
      • identify and assess the risk of every individual in a targeted zone based on travel history and time spent in infected places.
      • The individuals are assigned a colour code (red, yellow, or green) which they can access via popular apps to know if they ought to be quarantined or allowed in public.
    • How Korea used technology? Many Asian democracies like South Korea have also turned to AI tools to contain the spread of the disease.
    • How the US used technology? As it copes with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the US had no option but to use surveillance to contain it.
      • Partners in dealing with outbreak: Unsurprisingly, the big tech companies in the US, based on collecting and monetising massive amounts of data from individuals, have inevitably become partners for Washington.
      • But the relationship between the government, corporations and individual citizens in the US is governed by a welter of laws.
      • There is mounting pressure now to tweak these laws to manage the corona crisis.
      • The US is also liberalising the regulations on the access to, and use of, patients’ health records.

    Growing collaboration between science and the state

    • The race between China and the US: Overarching these arguments is a race between the US and China to find new vaccines for the coronavirus.
      • And, more broadly, for the mastery of new scientific capabilities — from artificial intelligence to health technologies.
      • The competition, in turn, is promoting a more intensive alliance between science and the state in both nations.
    • Collaboration could accelerate the technological capabilities: The collaboration between science and the state during past crises led to a dramatic acceleration of technological capabilities.
      • World War precedents: During the Second World War, science and the state got together to move nuclear physics from the lab to the battlefield.
      • Cold War precedent: The Cold War between America and Russia promoted the development of space technology, microelectronics, communications and computing.
    • Role of private entities: What marks out the current technological race between the US and China is the role of private and non-governmental entities.
      • That might well be the missing link in India’s effort to beat the coronavirus.

    Conclusion

    • Opportunity for India: The current crisis, however, is also an opportunity for India to build on the existing domestic technological capabilities in the areas of artificial intelligence, big data analytics, life sciences, health technology in the private sector.
    • India needs stronger private sector in science: In India, the state has dominated the development of science and its organisation. That was of great value in the early decades after Independence.
      • Today, what Delhi needs is a stronger private sector in science and greater synergy with it in dealing with challenges like the corona crisis.

  • What are Open Market Operations (OMOs) ?

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to infuse ₹10,000 crore liquidity in the banking system by buying government securities through open market operations (OMO).

    What are Open Market Operations (OMOs)?

    • OMOs are conducted by the RBI by way of sale and purchase of G-Secs to and from the market with an objective to adjust the rupee liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.
    • When the RBI feels that there is excess liquidity in the market, it resorts to sale of securities thereby sucking out the rupee liquidity.
    • Similarly, when the liquidity conditions are tight, RBI may buy securities from the market, thereby releasing liquidity into the market.

    How and in what form can government securities be held?

    • The public debt office (PDO) of RBI, acts as the registry and central depository for G-Secs.
    • They may be held by investors either as physical stock or in dematerialized (demat/electronic) form.
    • It is mandatory for all the RBI regulated entities to hold and transact in G-Secs only in dematerialized subsidiary general ledger or SGL form.

    Types:

    i) Physical form

    • G-Secs may be held in the form of stock certificates. A stock certificate is registered in the books of PDO.
    • Ownership in stock certificates cannot be transferred by way of endorsement and delivery.
    • They are transferred by executing a transfer form as the ownership and transfer details are recorded in the books of PDO.
    • The transfer of a stock certificate is final and valid only when the same is registered in the books of PDO.

    ii) Demat form:

    • Holding G-Secs in the electronic or scripless form is the safest and the most convenient alternative as it eliminates the problems relating to their custody, viz., loss of security.
    • Besides, transfers and servicing of securities in electronic form is hassle free.

    How are the G-Secs issued?

    • G-Secs are issued through auctions conducted by the RBI.
    • Auctions are conducted on the electronic platform called the E-Kuber, the Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform of RBI.
    • The RBI, in consultation with the Government of India, issues an indicative half-yearly auction calendar which contains information about the amount of borrowing, the range of the tenor of securities and the period during which auctions will be held.
    • The RBI conducts auctions usually every Wednesday to issue T-bills (Treasury Bills) of 91-day, 182-day and 364-day tenors.
    • Settlement for the T-bills auctioned is made on T+1 day i.e. on a working day following the trading day. Like T-bills, CMBs are also issued at a discount and redeemed at face value on maturity.
    • The tenor, notified amount and date of issue of the CMBs depend upon the temporary cash requirement of the Government. The tenors of CMBs are generally less than 91 days.

    What is meant by repurchase (buyback) of G-Secs?

    • Repurchase (buyback) of G-Secs is a process whereby the central government and state governments buy back their existing securities, by redeeming them prematurely, from the holders.
    • The objectives of buyback can be the reduction of cost (by buying back high coupon securities), reduction in the number of outstanding securities and improving liquidity in the G-Secs market (by buying back illiquid securities) and infusion of liquidity in the system.
    • The repurchase is also undertaken for effective cash management by utilising the surplus cash balances.
    • The state governments can also buy back their high coupon (high-cost debt) bearing securities to reduce their interest outflows in the times when interest rates show a falling trend.
    • States can also retire their high-cost debt pre-maturely in order to fulfil some of the conditions put by international lenders like Asian Development Bank, World Bank etc. to grant them low-cost loans.

  • What is Windrush Scandal?

     

    The British government has apologised for its treatment of Britons of Caribbean origin, which were wrongly detained or deported for being illegal immigrants, after the publication of a devastating official report.

    What is the scandal?

    • The Windrush scandal is a 2018 British political scandal concerning people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and, in at least 83 cases wrongly deported from the UK.
    • Many of those affected had been born British subjects and had arrived in the UK before 1973, particularly from Caribbean countries as members of the “Windrush generation”.
    • As well as those who were wrongly deported, an unknown number were wrongly detained, lost their jobs or homes, or were denied benefits or medical care to which they were entitled.
    • A number of long-term UK residents were wrongly refused re-entry to the UK, and a larger number were threatened with immediate deportation by the Home Office.
    • The scandal also prompted a wider debate about British immigration policy and Home Office practice.

    Windrush Generation

    • The Windrush generation is named after one of the many vessels that ferried some half a million people from the Caribbean islands to the U.K. in the late 1940s.
    • The “Empire Windrush” ship had brought one of the first groups of West Indian migrants to the UK in 1948.
    • The generation refers to migrants from the Caribbean Commonwealth who had come to the U.K. at a time when they had the right to remain indefinitely in Britain but had had their rights questioned under a toughened immigration regime.

  • [pib] How lipids play critical roles in infectious diseases

    A researcher from IIT Bombay is using biologically active lipid molecules as chemical biology tools to elucidate their biological disease-causing function.

    About the research

    • The research is focused to explore how lipids play critical roles in infectious diseases by intervening in cellular signaling, membrane trafficking, and protein function all of which are intimately involved in host-pathogen interplay.
    • The research works with lipids from Mycobacteria tuberculosis (Mtb), which synthesizes atypical lipids predisposed on its surface to interact with the human host membrane.
    • Using Mtb lipids as tools, the research elucidates a direct correlation between human host lipid membrane modification and modulation of associated signaling pathways by these exogenous Mtb lipids.

    What are Lipids?

    • A lipid is a biomolecule that is soluble in nonpolar solvents.
    • Non-polar solvents are typically hydrocarbons used to dissolve other naturally occurring hydrocarbon lipid molecules that do not (or do not easily) dissolve in water, including fatty acids, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E, and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, and phospholipids.
    • The functions of lipids include storing energy, signaling, and acting as structural components of cell membranes.
    • Lipids have applications in the cosmetic and food industries as well as in nanotechnology.

    Role of Lipids

    • Lipids are important components of living cells and are responsible for maintaining the integrity of our cell membrane, which allows nutrients and drugs to pass through the cell.
    • These are commonly breached during infection and in diseases.
    • Lipids play a major role in altering cell membrane properties modulating lipid and protein diffusion and membrane organization.
    • Thus, changes in membrane properties control the proper functioning of cells and are harnessed by pathogens for their survival and infection.
    • Lipids critically dictate the molecular interactions of drugs with membranes influencing drug diffusion, partitioning, and accumulation, thereby underpinning lipid-composition specificity.

  • [pib ] Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum

    Indian students will undertake a research internship at Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, LA, USA under the IUSSTF Program.

    What is IUSSTF?

    • IUSSTF is an acronym for the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum.
    • It is established under an agreement between the Governments of India and the USA in March 2000.
    • It is an autonomous bilateral organization jointly funded by both the Governments that promote Sci-Tech, Engineering and Innovation through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry.
    • The Department of Science & Technology, Governments of India and the U.S. Department of States are respective nodal departments.

    About Viterbi Program

    • The Viterbi Program of IUSSTF was developed between IUSSTF and the Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California (USC).
    • This program is a part of the Government’s endeavour to encourage research and development amongst the bright young Indian minds to create long-term, sustainable, and vibrant linkages between India and the US.

  • [Prelims Spotlight] Policies and Schemes Regarding Women/ Functions and Powers of Legislature

     

    Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

    20 March 2020

     

    Schemes and Policies for Women

           SCHEME       OBJECTIVES              SALIENT                                   FEATURES MINISTRY
    Nirbhaya Fund -Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by Government of India in its 2013 Union Budget.
    -According to the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, this fund is expected to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring the safety of women in India.
    -Nirbhaya (fearless) was the pseudonym given to the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim to hide her actual identity.    		 Earlier Ministry of Home Ministry, Now Ministry of Women & Child
    ICDS -To prevent and reduce young child under-nutrition
    (% underweight children 0- 3 years) by 10 percentage
    points,
    -Enhance early development and learning outcomes in
    all children 0-6 years of age,
    -improve the care and nutrition of girls and women and
    reduce anaemia prevalence in young children, girls and
    women by one fifth by the end of the 12th five-year plan.    		 -It is a centrally sponsored scheme
    -The engagement of the Anganwadi worker and helper from the same village
    -It is a universal and self-selecting scheme i.e. anyone can visit the Aanganwadi centre and
    enrol these services.
    -Package of six services i.e.
    o SNP – supplementary nutrition programme
    o Pre-school education
    o Health and nutrition education,
    o Immunization,
    o Health check-up and
    o Referral services to the beneficiaries
    AEC-cum-crèche, AWC-cum counsellor.    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    Mahila Police Volunteer It envisages the creation of a link between the police authorities and the local communities in villages through police volunteers who will be women specially trained for this purpose. Under this scheme, it is expected to have at least one such volunteer in every village whose primary job will be to keep an eye on situations where women in the village are harassed or their rights and entitlements are denied or their development is prevented. Joint initiative b/w Min. of WCD and Home Min. Ministry of Women & Child and Home Ministry
    UJJAWALA Yojana A comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation Ministry of Women & Child
    One-Stop centre scheme 1. To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof.
    2. To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of … support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women    		 1. These centres will provide immediate access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support to the victims.
    2. The OSC will support all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, also for girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 will be linked with the OSC.
    3. In addition to this, a single uniform number –181 will provide 24-hour emergency response to all women affected by violence, through referral (linking with appropriate authorities such as Police, OSC or hospital); funding thru’ Nirbhaya fund    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    Swadhar Grehs Homes for relief and rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances including survivors of rape/assault etc.
    Provision for food clothing, counselling. training, clinical and legal aid; long term    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    She-Box Online complaint Management System for women working in both public and private organizations to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act Ministry of Women & Child
    Universalization of Women Helpline Ministry of Women & Child
    The mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women : To achieve holistic empowerment of women through
    the convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/
    Department of Government of India as well as State
    Governments    		 -It aimed at improving the declining Child Sex Ratio; ensuring survival. & protection
    of the girl child; ensuring her education, and empowering her to fulfil her potentials social sector welfare schemes for care, protection and development of
    women.
    -It will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    Mahila Shakti Kendra -Mahila Shakti Kendras will converge all Govt. Schemes for women at National, State, District and Block level
    Skill Development, Employment, Digital Literacy, Health and Nutrition.
    -Through this scheme, the government plans to reach 115 most backward districts in the country with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra…    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    PRIYADARSHINI SCHEME(discontinued in 2016) Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme in the Mid Gangetic Plains Ministry of Women & Child
    Sabla -Enable the adolescent girls for self-development and
    empowerment
    -Improve their nutrition and health status.
    -Promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, adolescent
    reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) and family and child care.
    -To educate, skill and make them ready for life’s challenges    		 Nutrition provision
    – Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation
    – Health check-up and referral services
    – Nutrition & health education (NHE)
    -Counselling/guidance on family welfare, ARSH, child
    care practices and home management.
    -Upgrade home-based skills, life skills and integrate
    with the national skill development program (NSDP)
    for vocational skills.
    -Mainstream out of school adolescent girls into
    formal/non-formal education.
    -Provide information/guidance about existing public
    services such as PHC, CHC, post office, bank, police
    the station, etc.    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    Saksham Ministry of Women & Child
    Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana -Empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity,
    -Create and sustain agriculture-based livelihoods of rural women.    		 -a sub-component of the Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM)
    – Under the Pariyojana, projects are conceived in such a manner that the skill base of the women in agriculture is enhanced to enable them to pursue their livelihoods on a sustainable basis.
    -Under MKSP sustainable agriculture, 58 projects from 14 States have been sanctioned which will benefit 24.5 lakhs Mahila Kisans during the period.    		 Ministry of Rural Development
    Beti Bachao Beti Padhao 1.Prevent Female infanticide
    2.Ensure Every Girl Child is Protected
    3.Ensure every Girl Child is educated
    Enforcement of PC & PNDT Act, nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on Child Sex Ratio) in the first phase.
    -Under this scheme, there is a strong emphasis on mindset change through training, sensitization, awareness-raising and community mobilization on ground.    		 It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
    Sukanya samriddhi yojana 1.(Minor) bank account for girl child below the age of 10.
    2.She can withdraw 50% of the money after reaching the age of 18 e.g. for higher education. 18 years deadline will also help to prevent child-marriages.
    For initial account opening, minimum deposit Rs.1000 required.
    Later, any amount in multiples of 100 can be deposited, but maximum Rs. 1.5 lakh per year.
    Interest rate: 9.1% compounded annually.    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    Pocso-e Box 1, POCSO e-box is a unique endeavour by NCPCR for receiving an online complaint of Child Sexual Abuse directly from the victim.
    2. Through a well-defined procedure, complaints are directly followed up by a team which counsels the victim, providing further guidance for required legal action. Through a short animation film embedded in the e-box, it assures the victim not to feel bad, helpless or confused as it’s not her fault. With the e-box, it is easy to register a complaint through a step-by-step guided process.    		 The Ministry of Women & Child
    It is an initiative of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), for Direct online Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse.
    NARI Due to scattered information on various women-centric schemes/legislations, there is a lack of awareness
    among people regarding the same. To address this problem the government launched NARI portal as a single
    window access to information and services    		 Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
    e-samvaad Portal It is a platform for NGOs and civil society to interact with the Ministry of Women and Child Development
    (MWCD) by providing their feedback, suggestions, put up grievances, share best practices etc.
    • This will help in the formulation of effective policies and measures for the welfare of women and children.    		 Ministry of Women & Child
    Stree Swabhiman -It aims to create a sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women access to affordable sanitary products in rural areas.
    -Under this project, sanitary napkin micro manufacturing units (semi-automatic and manual process
    production unit) are being set up at CSCs across India, particularly those operated by women entrepreneurs.
    -The product will be sold under the local brand name and marketed by village-level entrepreneurs.
    -Each facility will employ 8-10 women and educate women of their society to overcome this social taboo.
    -It also has a menstrual hygiene related awareness generation component and is also expected to reduce
    drop-out rates in girls on reaching puberty.    		 Ministry of
    Electronics and Information
    technology (MeITY)
    PROGRAM TO TRAIN ELECTED WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES OF
    PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS    		 -The program aimed at capacity building of EWRs is being organized by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and
    Child Development (NIPCCD) of the MoWCD.
    -It is the first-ever initiative which will train approximately twenty thousand EWRs covering nearly 50 EWRs
    from each district (by March 2018) who will go out and administer the villages professionally.
    – It will help in creating model villages, ensure their effective participation in the governance process and help
    preparing women as political leaders of the future.    		 Ministry of women and Child
    Support to Training and Employment
    Programme for Women (STEP)    		 -To provide competencies and skill that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.
    -The scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16 years and above across the country.    		 Ministry of women and Child
    Rashtriya Mahila Kosh -RMK is a national credit fund for women under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
    -It was established in 1993 for socio-economic empowerment of women.
    -It aims to provide financial services with backward and forward linkages for women in the unorganized sector through Intermediary Micro Finance Organizations (IMOs) and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to augment their capacities through multi-pronged efforts.
    -RMK also extends micro-credit to the women in the informal sector through a client-friendly, without collateral and in a hassle-free manner for income generation activities    		 Ministry of women and child

     

     

     

    Functions and powers of the legislature

    Loksabha (house of people) + RajyaSabha (Council of states) + President

    LokSabha RajyaSabha
    Other names The lower house, house of people Upper house, the council of states
    Total strength (state+UT+nominated) 530+13+2 29 elected from states + 4 from UTs + 12 Nominated by president
    Maximum strength (state+UT+nominated) 530+20+2 238 +12
    Mode of election Direct election – First past the post Indirect by MLAs – proportional representation by a single transferable vote
    Life cycle 5 yr or until dissolved Continuing chamber (6 year of MP)
    Min. age to contest polls 25 30
    Presiding officer Speaker Vice President (Ex officio
    Who can be nominated 126 Constitutional Amendment Act removed nomination provision  for Anglo-Indians
    Special knowledge in Literature, art, science, social service

     

     

    LS RS
    Money Bill, certification and voting on it Introduced here, speaker certifies can vote and amend Can’t be introduced, can’t vote, can only send recommendation within 14 days
    Estimate committee members All 30 from LS No role
    Joint sitting presided by Speaker > deputy speaker Not by VP
    National emergency discontinuation Resolution by LS No role
    No confidence motion, censure motion adjournment motion Only in LS

     

    RS LS
    Parliamentary law on the state list Authorizes (Art 249)
    Creation of new AIS Authorizes (Art 312)
    Introduction of motion to remove VP Introduced here and passed by an effective majority LS – simple majority required

     

    Presiding officers

    Speaker of previous LS vacates post before the first meeting of new LS

    President appoints speaker Pro Tem – usually a senior-most member

    Presides over a first meeting, the oath to members, the election of the speaker

    Speaker is elected and pro tem cease to exist

    Speaker fixes the date for the election of deputy speaker

    Nominates panel of =<10 chairpersons to preside in his/ deputy’s absence

     

    Election and removal (Speaker, deputy and vice CP) and salary

    Election -By the members of particular house by a simple majority

    Removal – 14 days notice and the effective majority of the house

    Charged on CFI and thus non-votable

    Titbits:

    1. President is part of parliament but not the presiding officer of any house
    2. VP is not the part of parliament yet presiding officer and ex officio chairperson of RS
    3. President can not chair joint sitting even in the absence of the speaker and deputy speaker. Deputy CP chairs the sitting in such eventuality
    4. Being elector of the same state is not a requirement to contest the election of RS or LS (elector in any constituency in India)
    5. Bills introduced by ministers are public bills, those by other members (including members of the ruling party) are private bills.

    Unique provisions

    1. Question hour and not Zero hours is the first hour of parliamentary proceeding.
    2. Indian innovation – Zero hour and Calling attention motion
    3. Not mentioned in the rule of the procedure – Zero hours (calling attention motion is in rules)
    4. Censure motion should state the reasons and can be initiated against the individual minister as well; no such requirement for the no-confidence motion, only against CoM
    5. Adjournment motion is an extraordinary device to draw attention to the urgent matter of public importance
    Ordinary Bill Money bill CAB
    Government approval No Required (introduced by minister only) No
    Introduction Either house Only LS Either house
    Passage Simple majority Simple Special
    Amendments Simple majority RS only recommends changes within 14 days Special majority
    Deadlock President can call Joint session after 6 month LS doesn’t have to accept recommendations, bill is passed as such No joint sitting
    Returning by President Can return once for reconsideration or withhold assent Can’t return, either assent or reject Shall assent

     

    Titbits:

    1. Only 3 joint sittings so far – dowry bill, banking services bill and POTA bill
    2. Only 14 private member bills have been passed so far, last bill (supreme court enlargement of jurisdiction bill )was in 1968
    3. Right of transgender persons bill was passed by RS (1st private member bill to get the nod of the upper house in 45 years)

    Budget (Annual Financial Statement, Article 112)

    1. Presentation of the budget by FM
    2. General discussion – discuss as a whole
    3. Scrutiny by departmental committees – for 3 to 4 weeks
    4. Voting on demand for grants – voting only in LS and only on non-charged expenditure (cut motions at this stage). On last day all remaining demands are put together and put to vote – guillotine
    5. The passing of appropriation bill – voted demands plus charged expenditure, no amendments can be moved here
    6. The passing of finance bill – financial proposals (taxes), amendments to reduce taxes can be moved
    Fund Consolidated fund Contingency Public accounts
    What comes All receipts and payments Money comes from CFI to meet unforeseen expenditure All public money except CFI (provident fund, remittances etc)
    Parliamentary approval Yes No. finance secretary on behalf of the president Not required, executive operates

    Titbits:

    1. Charged expenditure can be discussed but not voted
    2. Salary and allowance of SC judges, UPSC members, CAG, President, VP, Speaker, deputy, vice CP etc are charged on CFI
    3. Salaries and Expenditure of election commission is not charged on CFI
    4. Salary of high court judges is charged on CF of states while their pension in charged on CFI

     

    State legislative assembly (Vidhansabha)

    Vidhan Sabha is equivalent to LS and Vidhan Parishad to RS

    Differences are mentioned below

    Vidhan Parishad (legislative council): 7 states, Andhra, Bihar, J&K, K’taka, Maharashtra, Telangana, UP

    Creation and Abolition of Vidhan Parishad: Vidhan Sabha passes a resolution by the special majority and Parliament agrees to that resolution by a simple majority

    Titbits:

    1. Bill passed by Vidhan Sabha – Vidhan Parishad can amend w/i 3 months – Vidhan Sabha accepts or rejects amendments – Vidhan Parishad can hold the bill for 1 more month
    2. Bill passed by Vidhan Parishad – Vidhan Sabha rejects – the bill is killed
    3. No provision for joint sitting in states
    4. The maximum strength of Vidhan Parishad ⅓ of Vidhan Sabha, min 40
    5. ⅚ indirectly elected, ⅙ nominated

    Governor can reserve all the bills for presidential assent

    Once he reserves the bill, his role is over and the president can assent, hold back, reject or send the bill for reconsideration

    Situations where Parliament can pass a bill on state subject

    Condition Duration
    National emergency 6 months after the expiry of emergency
    President’s rule Indefinitely but legislature can repeal or modify
    International treaty/ agreement Indefinitely
    RS passes a resolution by ⅔ majority 1 year of resolution plus 6 months <resolution can be passed again>
    2 or more states pass the resolution <applicable only ti those states> Indefinitely

     

    Types of majority

    Eg. Total seats – 545

    Vacancies due to death and resignation – 10

    Absence – 20

    Total vote cast – 500 ( 15 present did not cast vote)

    Type Simple Effective Absolute ⅔ majority Special Absolute ⅔
    Definition 50% present and voting +1 50% of (total – vacancies) +1 50% of total + 1 ⅔ present and voting +1 Absolute and ⅔ simultaneously ⅔ of total +1
    Example (500/2) +1 (545-10)/2 +1 (545/2) +1 (⅔*500) +1 (⅔*545)
    Used Ordinary bill, a money bill Removal of the speaker, deputy speaker in LS, VP and vice Cp in RS No where Art 249, 312, 169 Art 368, removal of judges of the supreme court, high court, CAG Impeachment of president

     

    Parliamentary committees

    Committee Estimates committee Public accounts committee Departmentally related standing committees (24)
    Membership 30 (LS) 22 (15+7) 21+10
    Appointment Elected every year by proportional representation Elected every year by proportional representation Nominated by Speaker and CP
    Chairperson Ruling party member Opposition member from 1967
    Role Examine estimates included in the budget and suggest economies in expenditure Examines the audit report of CAG Demand for grants and bills

     

  • Breach of trust

    Context

    In bypassing established protocol to seek call details of citizens en masse, the government violates SC guidelines.

    What is the issue?

    • Departure from stringent protocol: The Cellular Operators Association of India has reported mass requests from the government for mobile call detail records (CDRs).
      • Which is a serious departure from the stringent protocol established by the UPA government following an uproar in 2013 after prominent politicians were found to be under unauthorised surveillance.
    • Records of all customers: Records have been sought for all consumers on certain dates in parts of Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
      • In the case of Delhi, records were sought for the last three days of campaigning before assembly elections, while the anti-CAA protests were at their peak.
    • How the data was requested? Requests were delivered by local offices of the Department of Telecommunications, taking advantage of a condition in licences granted to operators, which permits the DoT to inspect their CDRs, which go back one year.

    Breach of many requirements and norms

    • A serious breach of privacy: These requests depart from established protocol and international expectations on multiple counts, and amount to a serious breach of privacy.
    • What is the protocol for requesting CDR information? A CDR request is supposed to be sanctioned by the home secretary and handled by a police officer of the rank of SP or above,
      • But in this case DoT offices were used.
    • The requirement of informing magistrate was not fulfilled: The requirement to report CDR requests on a monthly basis to the district magistrate was not complied with.
    • No reason was offered: Most importantly, no reason was offered for snooping on the traffic of citizens.
    • Surveillance must be specific and purposive: It is generally understood that communications surveillance must be specific and purposive, and must not trespass on the privacy of the innocent.
    • Invasion of privacy of all citizens: Indiscriminate mass surveillance of communications invades the privacy of all citizens to the detriment of public trust. In this case, it was for purposes which are not verifiably honourable, since the government has chosen not to reveal them.

    Why the CDR data matters if it is metadata only?

    • Combining CDR with other data gives more information: CDRs are all metadata and no content. They do not reveal any words uttered or messaged.
      • But combining the metadata with phone location data reveals a lot about connections between specific people and the actions that they take.
    • Multi-dimensional map of human activity: If data is available at scale, as was the case here, it is possible to build a multi-dimensional map of human activity, and correlate it with real events.
    • This would disturb the balance of information power between the citizen and the state, and amount to a breach of privacy.

    Conclusion

    If the government needs CDR data for a legitimate purpose, it should have no objection to following the rule-book scrupulously. And if there is a reason for sidestepping protocol in a sensitive matter, it should explain why.

  • 19th March 2020 | Nikaalo Prelims Quiz- Arts and Culture

    [WpProQuiz 411]

  • Get ready for the upcoming 2nd Full Length Prelims Test (covering International and National Organizations, Reports, Indices, etc) on 21st March – sample questions highlighting our methodology

    Click here to enroll for the Prime Prelims TS

    Dear students,

    31st May 2020 is the D-day for all civil service aspirants.

    “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”

    This quote by Abraham Lincoln sums up how one should prepare for that day. So before entering the battlefield alone should have enough practice. Our Prime Prelims Test series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2020, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

    Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

    The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

    Nothing speaks more than the facts itself rather than a mere jargon. Here is a list of 5 sample questions from the upcoming test which will help you in identifying the standards and approach we follow. (you can skip this if you want to attempt these directly in the test). 

    Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

    Q.1) Consider the following pairs:

    1. Global Economic Prospects — EU
    2. World Economic Situation and prospects — World Bank
    3. Government e-Payments Adoption Ranking (GEAR) — Economics Intelligence Unit
    4. ECOWRAP — State Bank of India
    5. Reinvigorating Trade & Inclusive Growth Report — Joint Report of WB, IMF & WTO

    Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?

    a. 3, 4 and 5 only

    b. 1, 2 and 5 only

    c. 1, 2, 4 and 5 only

    d. All of them

     

    Q.2) With reference to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), consider the following statements:

    1. India is a member country of OECD.
    2. It was established under the Marshall Plan.
    3. Most OECD members are located in the Asia & Africa continent.
    4. ITF, International Energy Agency are established under the OECD framework.

    Which among the above statements are NOT correct? Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

    a. 1 and 4 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 1 and 3 only

    d. None of them

     

    Q.3) Which among the following statements is correct about ‘Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’?

    a. Financial Action Task Force (FATF) works under the aegis of the UN.

    b. It aims to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

    c. Its recommendations are binding in nature.

    d. None of the above

     

    Q.4) If a wetland of international importance is brought under the ‘Montreux Record’, what does it imply?

    a. Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference.

    b. The country in which the wetland is located should enact a law to prohibit any human activity within five kilometers from the edge of the wetland

    c. The survival of the wetland depends on the cultural practices and traditions of certain communities living in its vicinity and therefore the cultural diversity therein should not be destroyed

    d. It is given the status of ‘World Heritage Site’

     

    Q.5) Which among the following is NOT part of ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’?

    a. India

    b. Bhutan

    c. Myanmar

    d. Malaysia

  • Time for a powerful display of humanity

    Context

    India is unprepared for dealing with the outbreak of coronavirus.

    Is India really faring better than the other countries?

    • 45 days for first 100,000: Globally, it took roughly 45 days for the first 100,000 cases. It is likely to take nine days for the next 100,000.
    • Death count: The global death count is now doubling every nine days and stands at 8,248, with 207,518 confirmed cases.
    • That is how epidemics work — they gather steam as infected individuals go on to infect even more people. Confirmed cases in India, as of today stand at 169.
      • It is much lower than in small countries such as Iceland (around 250). Could this really be the case that we have fared better than everyone else?
    • Probably India is not performing better: Testing in India remains abysmally low. Only about 10 in a million people in India have been tested, compared to say nearly 120 in a million in Thailand or 40 per million in Vietnam.
    • Why testing in not being done in India? The stated explanation is that the limited number of test kits are being conserved for when they are truly needed but when is the need greater than right now?
      • There are probably shortages even in being able to procure adequate supplies given that many countries are seeking to buy the limited stocks.
    • Importance of testing: Testing is the most important thing we could be doing right now.
      • As the Director-General of the World Health Organization, said recently about the need for more testing, “You cannot fight a fire blindfolded.”

    Avoiding undercounting

    • Timely identification is essential to prevent secondary infection: We need to identify coronavirus-infected patients in a timely manner in order to increase our chances of preventing secondary infections.
      • There is no shame in saying that we have far more cases than what we have detected so far.
    • K.’s admitted undercounting: Even the United Kingdom, which has a far better health system than India, has admitted that it is probably undercounting its true infections by a factor of 12, and is likely have about 10,000 cases.
      • Is it possible that India with 20 times their population has only 169 cases?
    • Preparedness to deal with a higher number of cases: If widespread testing were to commence in India, the number of confirmed cases would likely climb to the thousands very quickly. This is something we have to be prepared for without panic or fear-mongering.
    • Positive action: This is how epidemics move and the real numbers should spur us into positive action.
    • Strict measures by the government: At some stage, it is possible that the government may have to put in place very strict measures on quarantining and closures, much like what China had to do to control the epidemic in Wuhan.

    How prepared is India?

    • There is not an easy answer to how worst things could go.
    • Mutation or sensitivity of virus: If we escape the worst, either because this virus mutates to a less virulent form or because there is something about its temperature or geographical sensitivity that we know nothing about, then we should count our blessings.
      • Viruses do mutate and generally to be less lethal.
    • Projection from Europe: If the projections from Europe are applicable in India, our ‘namastes’ and clean hands notwithstanding, the prevalence in India would be upwards of 20%.
    • In other words, we should expect to see about 200-300 million cases of COVID-19 infections and about four and eight million severe cases of the kind that are flooding hospitals in Italy and Spain at the moment.
    • More importantly, these cases are projected to appear in just a two to the four-month window.
      • In the current scenario, we are not ready.
    • India has somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 intensive care unit beds and probably a smaller number of ventilators.
      • That is simply inadequate.
    • What should be done? The next two weeks should be spent on planning for large, temporary hospitals that can accommodate such numbers. If we are lucky, we will not need them.

    Unprepared for pandemics

    • Catastrophic event with highest probability-Pandemic: This all sounds doomsday-like. But we have known for decades now that of all catastrophic events to befall humanity, between an asteroid hit and a nuclear war, a disease pandemic has always been the highest on our list of impact and probability.
    • Not enough changes in preparedness: There were some changes after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) but not nearly enough.
      • Pandemic preparedness always took a backseat to the crisis of the moment.
      • And in fairness, there is truly no amount of preparation that can fully mitigate such an occurrence.

    Conclusion

    Things are about to get a lot worse. Let us hope that this brings out the best in us, and not the worst. Whether we know this or not, these events are just a dress rehearsal for the more challenging events such as climate change that are likely to be with us this century. And if we take care of each other, we will survive both these challenges with our humanity intact.

     

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