Subject: Trivia

Note4Students

Any bilateral relationship between neighbouring countries should be considered in the larger matrix of regional development. India Myanmar relationship should be seen as the part of Act east policy, which would bolster the development of north eastern states. Recent Rohingya crisis poses grave threat to the regional security. So India Myanmar relationship is important for this year examination

Context

PM has recently Visited Myanmar. This will be the Second visit of PM modi To Myanmar.

Introduction

1. India shares a long land border of over 1600 Km with Myanmar as well as a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. Four north-eastern states viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram share boundary with Myanmar.
2. These geo-strategic realities encompass our broader interests in the Indian Ocean region. Both countries share a heritage of religious, linguistic and ethnic ties.
3. Further, Myanmar is the only ASEAN country adjoining India and, therefore, our gateway to South East Asia with which we are seeking greater economic integration through India’s ‘Look East’ and now ‘Act East’ Policy. Business opportunities that emerge from a surging economy in Myanmar also provide new vistas for engagement.

Analysis

Recent Developements

1. The landslide victory by Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) in November 2015 general elections and the formation of NLD government has provided opportunities to strengthen the engagement building on our previous efforts.
2. India expressed its “deep concern” about the situation in Rakhine State where security forces have been engaged in a bloody battle against Rohingya insurgents, forcing thousands of people to flee neighbouring Bangladesh and India.
3. New Delhi asked Myanmar to focus on the welfare of the civilian population as well security forces and underlined that it is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the State restored expeditiously.
4. India also refused to be a part of a declaration adopted at an international conference recently in Indonesia as it carried “inappropriate” reference to violence in Rakhine state from where Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh.

Why is Myanmar important for India? 

1) Geo-strategic Location

This is one of the most important factors in determining diplomatic ties with other countries.
Burma is located south of the states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. The Indo-Burmese border stretches over 1,600 kilometers.

With the expansionist policy of China and growing insurgency in North East states of India , it is very important for India that neighbors like Bangladesh and Myanmar co-operate India on issues regarding border-infiltration , money laundering , human trafficking and penetrating drug and fake currency through porous land borders shared with them.

2) India’s Look East Policy

India’s Look East policy represents its efforts to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to bolster its standing as a regional power and a counterweight to the strategic influence of the People’s Republic of China.

Two highways involving Myanmar play a vital role in improving connectivity in the South East Asian region.

3) India-Myanmar-Thailand Friendship Highway

India and Myanmar have agreed to a 4-lane, 3200 km triangular highway connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand. The route, which is expected to be completed by sometime during 2016, will run from India’s northeastern states into Myanmar, where over 1,600 km of roads will be built or improved.

4) Access to North-east

The Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project will connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Myanmar by sea; it will then link Sittwe seaport toLashio in Myanmar via Kaladan river boat route and then from Lashio on to Mizoram in India by road transport

Various Aspects of India –Myanmar Relationship

Defence& Security Cooperation

1. has strengthened over the years. Exchange of high-level visits,
2. signing of MoU on Border Cooperation, training, Army, Air Force and Naval Staff Talks are important indicators in this direction.
3. .In July 2017, Sr Gen Min Aung Hliang, C-in-C 3 Myanmar Defence Services visited India, in what was his second visit in as many years, giving an opportunity to further cement defence ties.
4. Myanmar side has provided assurances at the highest levels that it will cooperate with India in taking necessary action in preventing the use of Myanmar territory for anti-India activity.

Rohingya crisis (refer the article of Rohingya crisis)

 Myanmar’s more dependence on China

1. Given that the visit will be taking place after the Doklam crisis, there will be a temptation in India to see the visit of the prime minister as an attempt to build a robust relationship in the neighbourhood to counter the growing Chinese presence in the region.
2. It should be noted that the Myanmar government today is more dependent on Chinese support than it was two or three years ago.
3. Its dependence on China characterised by a largely extractive relationship focused on natural resources and access to the Bay of Bengal where it already has an oil and gas terminal, concession to build a Special Economic Zone and seeks a possibly controlling stake in a natural deep sea harbour at Kyaukpyu that could form part of its ambitious BRI.
4. China has been a major player in the peace negotiations between the armed ethnic groups and the Myanmar government.
5. Further, because of the on-going conflict in the Rakhine state, the Myanmar government will be dependent on the support from China on various human right platforms including the Security Council.
6. Successive Indian prime ministers have refrained from assessing the relationship with Myanmar through the prism of China and instead focused on developing a comprehensive bilateral relationship.

Commercial Cooperation:

1. A bilateral Trade Agreement was signed in 1970. Bilateral trade has been growing steadily to reach US$2178.44 million (2016-17),
2. of which Indian exports amounted to US$1111.19 million and Indian’s imports to US$1067.25 million.
3. India is the fifth largest trading partner of Myanmar but trade remains below potential.
4. Agriculture sector dominates trade, particularly supply of beans & pulses to India ($ 809million, 2016-17) and timber ($ 156 million).
5. India’s exports to Myanmar include sugar ($ 424 million), pharmaceuticals ($ 184 million), etc. Border trade via Moreh and Zawkhatar reached to $ 87.89 million;
6. India is presently the tenth largest investor with an approved investment of US$ 740.64 million by 25 Indian companies (as of 30Jun 2017).
7. Most India’s investments have been in oil & gas sector. 100% FDI is allowed in select sectors. Indian companies have evinced interest in investing in Myanmar and major contracts have been won by Indian companies.
8. Besides normal trade, both sides have also taken steps to bolster trade across the land border. Cooperation in the banking sector is crucial for investment and trade. United Bank of India signed banking agreements with banks of Myanmar (MFTB, MICB, MEB, and 9 private banks) to facilitate bilateral trade
9. Myanmar is an important partner in our energy relations with other countries.MOS for Petroleum & Natural Gas,.

Development Cooperation:

1. We have extended development assistance on generous terms.
2. We are committed to provide grant-in-aid assistance amounting to almost Rs 4000 crore (of total commitment of approx. US$ 1726 million).
3. These include

• support for the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project;
• the Trilateral Highway Project, which is an East-West corridor connecting our Northeast with Myanmar and Thailand;
• the Rhi-Tiddim road;
• supply of Bailey bridges;
• assistance for border area development in the Naga Self Administered Zone by financing bridges, roads, schools and small health centres;

1. assistance in setting up institutions for higher learning and research,

• namely Myanmar Institute of Information Technology,
• Advance Centre for Agricultural Research and Education,
• Myanmar-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Myanmar-India Centre for English Language Training,
• Myanmar-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Myanmar-India Centre for English Language Training,
• India-Myanmar Industrial Training Centres,, Sittwe General Hospital etc.

Culture:

1. India and Myanmar share close cultural ties and a sense of deep kinship given India’s Buddhist heritage.
2. Building on this shared heritage India is undertaking some key initiatives:
3. Restoration of the Ananda Temple in Bagan and
4. GOI donation of a 16 foot replica of the Sarnath Buddha Statue which has been installed at the premises of Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon.
5. The ‘Samvad-II’ Interfaith dialogue was held on 6-7 August 2017, Yangon.
6. ICCR and Sitagu International Buddhist Academy organised an International Conference on Buddhist Cultural Heritage
7. We have responded to Myanmar’s interest in restoring and renovating two historic temples in Bodh Gaya built by Myanmar rulers King Mindon and King Baygyidaw. These temples and inscriptions will now be restored with the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India as a bilateral friendship project.

Indian diaspora:

1. The origin of the Indian community in Myanmar is traced to the mid-19thcentury with the advent of the British rule in Lower Burma in 1852.
2. The two cities Yangon and Mandalay had a dominating presence of Indians in civil services, education, trade and commerce during the British rule.
3. There are varying estt. of 1.5-2.5 million people of Indian origin living and working in various parts of Myanmar.

Bilateral Cooperation in Regional/ Sub-regional context:

ASEAN: As the only ASEAN country which shares a land border with India, Myanmar is a bridge between India and ASEAN.

BIMSTEC: Myanmar is a signatory to the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement. Myanmar is the lead country for the energy sector. Myanmar trades mostly with Thailand and India in the BIMSTEC region. Myanmar’s major exports to India are agricultural products like beans, pulses and maize and forest products such as teak and hardwoods. Its imports from India include chemical products, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances and transport equipment.

Mekong Ganga Cooperation: Myanmar is a member of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) since its inception in November 2000. MGC is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries namely, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – for cooperation in the fields of tourism, education, culture, transport and communication. The chairmanship of MGC is assumed by member countries in alphabetical order.

SAARC: Myanmar was given the status of observer in SAARC in August 2008.

Conclusion

1. In India, we often say Myanmar is our “gateway” to the East. Against the rhetoric, the existing connectivity between the two neighbours remains much to be desired. With long land and maritime boundaries, surely, the neighbours are yet to take full advantage of geography.
2. Historically, India has been a major player in Myanmar’s socio-economic landscape till the 1960s. The advent of military dictatorship and its economic policies reduced India’s interactions with Myanmar.
3. As the political transition in Myanmar picks up momentum, it provides an excellent opportunity for Prime Minister to explore new avenues of cooperation.

Question:

“Bolstering relationship with Myanmar is important for sustainable neighbourhood”. Comment

Rohingya refugee crisis should be seen as security threat to the region. Analyse

Source:

Ministry of External affairs

Note4Students/Syllabus Mapping: GS2

There are no two opinions about vehicular emissions contributing a major part in the growing air pollution and its debilitating effects on the changing climate. The fact that India has been a playing a proactive role in global efforts of combating climate change, the recent initiative of improving Bharat Stage Emission standards is a step in the positive direction towards air pollution control. However, the ambitious target of transitioning from BS IV to BS VI also comes with its own challenges. Undoubtedly, this makes it a hot topic for 2017 CSE Mains in the context of environment pollution and India’s commitments towards the same.

 

What are Bharat Stage Emissions Standards?

1. These are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to normalize the productivity of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment.
2. The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change. Bharat Stage norms are based on European regulations.
3. India has been following the European emission standards but with a five-year time lag.

Background of Emission standards in India:

 

Transition to BS VI from BS IV: A Step UP!

1. The Centre’s decision to adopt Bharat Stage VI automotive fuels nationwide by April 1, 2020 is a key measure that can, if implemented properly, vastly improve air quality. It also fits in with commitments made at the Paris climate change conference.
2. The BS-VI compliant fuels have sulphur concentration of as low as 10 parts per million as compared to 50 parts per million (ppm) in BS-IV fuels. This means a lower level of harmful emissions and reduced incidence of lung diseases. Higher sulphur results in high volumes of fine respirable particulates measuring 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) being generated in emissions.
3. The switch to BS-VI norms will also reduce concentration of carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrous oxide and particulate matter from emissions.
4. With other developing countries such as China having already upgraded to the equivalent of Euro V emission norms a while ago, India has been lagging behind.
5. The experience of countries such as China and Malaysia shows that poor air quality can be bad for business. Therefore, leapfrogging to BS VI can put India ahead in the race for investments too.

Apprehensions/ challenges in Implementation:

1. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has informed that the economic burden for moving to BS-VI emission norms for automobile manufacturers would be very significant as many new technologies would have to be developed and these technologies would have to be used in vehicles for meeting the requirement of BS-VI emission norms.
2. The transition will involve overhauling the working dynamics of the automakers and will alter the cost structure forever.
3. There’s a time crunch and firms would have to develop and optimize the Diesel Particulate Filter  and Selective Catalytic Reduction systems in parallel, instead of doing it sequentially
4. To achieve a reduction in particulate matter by 82% and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by 68%, auto makers need a combination of technologies—one is the diesel particulate filter (DPF), a device designed to remove diesel particulate matter, or soot, from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine.
5. The shift to BS VI is set to shake up the auto component industry. He expects dominance of global auto component makers to increase, either directly or indirectly.
6. In a cost-sensitive market like India, the challenge is to design a system for India that would not just meet the stringent particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions of BS VI but also be cost-effective and robust to survive “the harsh use-case” conditions.
7. Being a new technology, manpower needs to be skilled at large which is a mammoth challenge as claimed by industry experts.
8. The climatic conditions, driving habits and road conditions, leave alone fuel conditions and maintenance practices, were significantly different in India compared to Europe.

Way forward:

BS VI is a challenge as well as an opportunity for the industry as none of the Euro 6 markets have bikes with small engines. Thus, though dirty air is a public emergency but it will not be easy to shift directly from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms. It is important that the concerns of all concerned stakeholders are kept in mind to achieve the basic objective of a cleaner air and to fulfill our international obligations.

 

Note4students

This technology can be seen as an example of ‘Make in India’. Also, it can help India to achieve massive heights in the field of space. Hence, it is important from the UPSC perspective.

What is Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology?

• RLV-TD(technology demonstrator) was successfully flight tested by the ISRO, validating the critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance & control, reusable thermal protection system and re-entry mission management.
• A reusable launch system (RLS, or reusable launch vehicle, RLV) is a system capable of launching a payload into space more than once.
• The model is 6.5 metres long and weighs about 1,750 kg and design is that of a delta-winged aircraft.
• The working RLV will be about 40 metres long and it will need a five km-long landing runway. It might be 2030 before it is fully operational.
• It demonstrated the success of hypersonic flight, re-entry aero thermodynamics, autonomous mission management and hot structures for thermal protection.

More about the RLV Technology

1. The cost of access to space is the major deterrent in space exploration and space utilization. RLV is the solution to achieve low cost, reliable and on-demand space access.
2. RLV-TD is part of a series of technology demonstration missions that have been considered as a first step towards realizing a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle.
3. The configuration of RLV-TD is similar to that of an aircraft and combines the complexity of both launch vehicles and aircraft.
4. A Winged RLV-TD has been configured to act as a flying test bed to evaluate technologies like hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air-breathing propulsion.
5. These technologies will be developed in phases through a series of experimental flights. The first in the series of experimental flights is the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX) followed by the landing experiment (LEX), return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX).

What is Hypersonic Technology and SCRAMJET Engine?

1. Hypersonic aviation technology involves speeds greater than 5 mach.
2. To fly at hypersonic speed a different type of engine such as a supersonic-combustion ramjet, or scramjet is required.
3. Unlike in a jet engine where the rotating compressor and turbine are used, in a scramjet engine air is compressed and expanded by complex systems of shockwaves under the front of the aircraft, inside the inlet and under the fuselage at the rear.
4. It uses oxygen from the atmosphere for fuel.
5. This makes it lighter and faster than fuel-carrying rockets, making it an alternative to rockets for putting satellites into space.
6. It will also help making air travel in earth’s atmosphere faster and cheaper.

Ultimate Aim & Advantages of the RLV

1. Ultimate Aim & Advantages of the RLV would be to send manned missions, including satellites into space and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere without extreme P and Heat condition (T)
   1. Successful launch of RLV will have a huge impact on launching cost – will slash it down by 80% – RLV aims to achieve a low cost, reliable and on-demand space access
   2. Future Moon and Mars missions, Inter-Planetary missions
2. Make India competitive Space player globally in terms of cheap affordable satellite launched (for LDCs), regular and periodic space missions and various space exercises like building its own Space Station in future similar to ISS, Tiangong-1
3. India will join select league of nations – Only USA (Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour, Atlantis), Russia (Soyuz) & China (Shenzhou) have their own Space flights. After successful induction of RLV, India will also have its own manned spacecraft capability.

Q.) ‘India is going after Reusable Launch Vehicle, even when Space Agencies like NASA have stopped using them.’ Discuss.

Source:

Wikipedia

Previous articles of Civils daily

Vision Ias

The Hindu

Note4Students

Fake news had incited violence among various communities.it also mislead the people into deep misunderstanding. Government has to take serious measures to contain fake news. So this discussion will help to understand various perspectives.

Introduction

• 1. Fake news is a threat to democracy in a way more perverse than most people appreciate.
  2. In these times of easy access to the ability to crunch large amounts of data, unstructured and in real time,
  3. it is possible for political parties or, more realistically, specialist troops employed by them, to profile individual voters and flood them with news, fake and real, that would accentuate perceived favourable political propensities or neutralise perceived hostile inclinations.

Recent Examples

1. Earlier this year a major news studio in the country doctored a video of a protest in JNU to raise doubts on the legitimacy of the educational institute. This video was further propagated by another mainstream news channel on primetime television without verification. This led to a national furore that culminated in a public thrashing of students inside court premises by lawyers and a gaping divide in public sentiment.
2. Hoaxes of GPS chips in the Rs 2,000 note did the rounds after the prime minister’s November 8 demonetisation speech. Spread by both media and WhatsApp messages (the latter being the source of numerous misleading stories in the country), it led to wide scale confusion among recipients of the new note.
3. fake photographs that have been used in facebook to inflame passions after the communal disturbances in Basirhat and Baduria in Bengal.
4. The face-swapping technology, Face2Face, developed in Stanford University, makes it increasingly easy to generate realistic videos that will allow a user to impersonate anyone she wants with amazing accuracy
5. The fake videos that are currently circulating in the Kashmir Valley (originating from both sides) showing gruesome attacks on the Army as well as inhuman repression of the civilians in order to rouse passion, may soon look like harmless pranks. With the arrival of the new and highly sophisticated fake videos, the situation can quickly go out of control.
6. The recent Election in US this has gained momentum to counter each other candidate’s arguments among public with social media.

How bad it is

1. People’s faith in social, print and electronic media reduces which could affect the benefits of these Media.
2. It can lead to violence between two or more communities thereby creating enmity and hatred between them.
3. It can disturb the social fabric of the society and tensions among communities persists for long times.
4. It reduces the tendencies of cooperation between different communities.
5. Political parties try to gain political advantages by polarizing the voter’s mind which further intensifies the tensions between different sections of society.
6. Politics of development takes back seat and communal tendencies emerge in politics.
7. In its purest form, fake news is completely made up, manipulated to resemble credible journalism and attract maximum attention and, with it, advertising revenue.
8. Political campaigning has progressed from mere appeals in the name of identity or loyalty or tall promises to something akin to psychological warfare. Parties that master the tools of such psych ops have a distinct edge over those stuck in the traditional mud. Fake news spreads on social media.

How to tackle it

1. The government must take the initiative to make all sections of the population aware of the realities of this information war and evolve a consensus to fight this war. It must also take strict action
2. News being spread using chatbots and other automated pieces of software should automatically be selected for special screening. Ordinary consumers of news can play a big role by, first, waking up to the reality that all they read on WhatsApp and Twitter is not the gospel truth, and then, by refusing to pass on what they cannot independently verify with other sources.
3. Websites that mimic well-known, credible media outlets in their name should be exposed with the vigour with which jokes are shared on social media.
4. An ombudsman deals with the credibility of news sources, it gains the privilege to ensure facts are reported
5. Government should have independent agency to verify the data being circulated in social and other media. The agency should be tasked with presenting real facts and figures.
6. Government should have mechanism for immediately issuing of notice against sites/people/agencies involved in spreading fake news.
7. There should be a provision of effective balances and check of filtering fake posts before it getting viral.
8. Social media websites should be made accountable of such activities so that it becomes their responsibility to have better controlling restricting the spread of fake news.
9. Government should take active measures for promoting awareness among people about fake news and their consequences.
10. Government should enlist penal provisions to perpetrators of fake news if it causes violence or deaths.
11. Government should make mandatory for Print and Electronic media to have internal mechanism for verifying incidents, facts and figures.
12. Public should verify the accuracy and of reliability of any news or data either from government or any independent agency specifically involved in such task.
13. Public should not blindly trust any sensitive news and should not forward it to others.
14. Public should inform concerned department about any fake post as soon as they come across. They should act as active vigilant for maintaining peace and harmony in the society.
15. NGO’s and other civil society groups can play important role in spreading awareness about the ill effects of fake news.

Some Efforts To Contain Fake News

1. Facebook changes to its News Feed to reduce stories from sources that consistently posted clickbait headlines. Last month, Facebook announced another update so that misleading posts would be downgraded. Now, Facebook will take into account clickbait at the individual post level in addition to the domain and page level, in order to more precisely reduce clickbait headlines.
2. Now some websites like Altnews.in, media vigil and Debunked are doing the work to debunk the false news.

Conclusion

A more proactive measure would be to prosecute those who incite hatred and violence by spreading fake news and fake images. Traditional media has a big stake in discrediting purveyors of material that is not editorially validated. Fakery can harm both democracy and the media business. Eternal vigilance against it is, indeed, the price of liberty.

GS Paper 1: Geography

Q.1) What do you understand by the phenomenon of temperature inversion in meteorology? How does it affect the weather and the habitants of the place?

Temperature inversion, is a reversal of the normal behavior of temperature in the troposphere, in which a layer of cool air at the surface is overlain by a layer of warmer air. (Under normal conditions, temperature usually decreases with height).

Ideal Conditions For Temperature Inversion:

• Long nights, so that the outgoing radiation is greater than the incoming radiation.
• Clear skies, which allow unobstructed escape of radiation.
• Calm and stable air, so that there is no vertical mixing at lower levels.

Effects:

• Inversions play an important role in determining cloud forms, precipitation, and visibility.
• An inversion acts as a cap on the upward movement of air from the layers below. As a result, convection produced by the heating of air from below is limited to levels below the inversion. Diffusion of dust, smoke, and other air pollutants is likewise limited.
• In regions where a pronounced low-level inversion is present, convective clouds cannot grow high enough to produce showers.
• Visibility may be greatly reduced below the inversion due to the accumulation of dust and smoke particles. Because air near the base of an inversion tends to be cool, fog is frequently present there.
• Inversions also affect diurnal variations in temperature. Diurnal variations tend to be very small.

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GS paper 2: Polity & Governance

Q.2) In the light of recent Gorakhpur tragedy, Discuss the Key problems faced by the rural health sector in India. Also suggest measures for improvement.

Source: https://www.civilsdaily.com/op-ed-snap-on-rural-indias-health-systems-the-health-checklist/

Introduction:

• Health is of utmost importance for individual growth, community growth which contributes ultimately to the growth of the nation. Since Independence, India has achieved several milestones in health sector. However, rapidly increasing population and event of new diseases being discovered is shattering our health care sector. The most vulnerabilities are being faced in Rural areas where the facilities are less or not at all available.

Below discussed are some problems which our health sector is facing (Mostly Rural):

• The rural healthcare infrastructure is three-tiered and includes a sub-center, primary health centre (PHC) and CHC. PHCs are short of more than 3,000 doctors, with the shortage up by 200 per cent over the last 10 years to 27,421.
• While the private sector dominates healthcare delivery across the country, a majority of the population living below the poverty line (BPL) — the ability to spend Rs 47 per day in urban areas, Rs 32 per day in rural areas — continues to rely on the under-financed and short-staffed public sector for its healthcare needs, as a result of which these remain unmet.
• India’s existing infrastructure is just not enough to cater to the growing demand. Only 31.5% of hospitals and 16% of hospital beds are situated in rural areas where 75% of total population resides.
• Moreover, the majority of healthcare professionals happen to be concentrated in urban areas where consumers have higher paying power, leaving rural areas underserved.
• The tribal community is fighting hard against the health problems. The Under-5 mortality among the tribals is more than any other community in India.
• The health system of India depends almost on imported western models. It has no roots in the culture and tradition of the people. It is mostly service based on urban hospitals. This has been at the cost of providing comprehensive primary health care to all. Otherwise speaking, it has completely neglected preventive, pro-motive, rehabilitative and public health measures.
• In India shortage of medical personnel like doctors, a nurse etc. is a basic problem in the health sector. In 1999-2000, while there were only 5.5 doctors per 10,000 population in India, the same is 25 in the USA and 20 in China. Similarly the number of hospitals and dispensaries is insufficient in comparison to our vast population.
• The lowest budgetary allocations as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (1.6%) are a serious concern on the part of the government.

 

There are, however, potential catalysts to improve the quality of healthcare in India which are as follows:

• Budgetary allocation should be increased with effective implementation of programs and policies and special focus should be given to rural areas for improving healthcare infrastructure.
• Watchdog machinery should be strengthened to have a strict vigilance on the implementation of programmes and policies and also to make health workers responsible and accountable to the people.
• Better infrastructure, modern equipments and facilities should be made available at rural hospitals. Doctors and Medical Personals should be given incentives for working in rural areas. At least two or three years timing should be made mandatory for Doctors to serve in rural areas.
• Medical research in the country needs to be focused on drugs and vaccines for tropical diseases which are normally neglected by international pharmaceutical companies on account of their limited profitability potential.
• Integrated approach with the help of AYUSH health outlets should be established at each hospital to tackle the diseases.
• Periodic study of epidemics and high level of facilities should be brought specially in rural areas to deal with the repeated illness and new invented diseases.

Conclusion:

• Use of Information Technologies can be promoted with effective communication with the rural areas.
• Recently launched ICT initiatives are good on this ground such as computer and mobile-phone based e-health and m-health initiatives: Swastha Bharat mobile application for information on diseases, symptoms, treatment, health alerts and tips; ANMOL-ANM online tablet application for health workers, e-RaktKosh (a blood-bank management information system) and India Fights Dengue.
• The government’s National Innovation Council, which is mandated to provide a platform for collaboration amongst healthcare domain experts, stakeholders and key participants, should encourage a culture of innovation in India and help develop policy on innovations that will focus on an Indian model for inclusive growth.

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GS Paper 3: Indian Economy

Q.3) Critically examine the key features of the recently released New metro policy?

Source:

http://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-the-new-metro-policy-4801052/

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/going-off-track-ppp-delhi-metro-rail-projects-4801809/

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/nowhere-in-the-world-has-ppp-in-metro-rail-fully-succeeded-says-e-sreedharan-4799989/

A good, reliable transportation system is a must to make a city livable and for its economic growth.  Metro rail is one of the most reliable urban transport systems today. China is galloping way ahead at 300 km of metro rail every year. But in India, all 12 such projects put together, only 20-25 km of new Metro rail is opened every year. In the backdrop of the above, the new Metro Rail Policy focuses on giving clarity on development of projects, collaborations, participation, standardizing norms, financing and creating a procurement mechanism so that the projects can be implemented effectively.

The important features of the new Metro Policy are:

• Metro rail projects will be approved and aided by the Central government only if there is private participation and the projects ensures last-mile connectivity for commuters.
• The policy allows respective states to formulate rules and regulations and it empowers them to establish permanent fare fixation authorities.
• The projects will now be cleared on the basis of best practice of economic internal rate of return of 14%, as contrary to current financial internal rate of return of 8%.
• The three models outlined in the policy are PPP with Central assistance, grant by Centre (whereby 10% of metro project cost by the Central government) and 50-50% equity sharing model taken between the Centre and state.

Apprehensions about the new Metro policy:

• The PPP model for metro rail:  The construct and maintain PPP model with mandatory private investment for metro rail has been a failure across the globe as remarked by E Sreedharan.
• The capital-intensive nature of such projects does not allow private players to get a return on their investments unless they hike their fares steeply. PPP in India was tried out in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and the Airport line of Delhi. All three are a failure.
• The Centre is trying to reduce its role in financing and put the entire burden on the state governments through the new policy.
• This entails that the states will now have to come up with innovative ways to raise funds through means like value capture finance tools.
• They will also have to issue corporate bonds for metro projects for enabling low-cost debt capital.
• One of the key aspects of the policy is the last mile connectivity which requires the government to provide feeder services like feeders, walkways, pathways and para- transport means.

As Indian cities expand, the metro will be an important constituent of the transport mix. The government will do well to learn from past successes and failures in planning for this mode of transport. The JV model, with funding from the Centre and states, has worked very well so far. Metro is way more capital-intensive as it requires everything from land acquisition to civil works, signaling, and rolling stock. The government has to ensure affordable public transport and hence it must invest in it.

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GS Paper 4: Ethics & integrity

Q.4) India is a country of traditions and festivals having their roots in religion. The District Magistrate along with the Superintendent of Police of the district is supposed to take care of law and order, safety and security of large number of people assembling at such occasions to celebrate. In such a gathering people throng on the river banks for holy bath, competitive burning of the crackers and approaching the deities in a temple from close proximity which often leads to confusion and chaos and sometimes big accidents.

A festival is being organized on a large scale in a big temple in your area. After hearing cases of stampede at religious places and the increasing number of casualities in such cases you are worried about the situation. So you decide to make a prehanded preparedness in order to come out of the situation.

Present a brief map of action and programmes which must be put in place before the day of celebration so that celebration is managed without any obstruction and untoward event.

Answer Structure:

Today, the religious places have been important areas which witness a large crowd on various occasions. So maintaining law and order and ensuring safety and security of people is important. The organisers of such events should be more responsible and accountable. Tradition or not, they must be made to follow the rules and make fool-proof arrangement for every festive gathering which draws huge crowds. Preparation cannot simply be perfunctory; it involves human lives. The devotees and visitors should also be made aware of basic precautions.

Those involved in administration must also ensure that pre-hand preparedness is carried out. There must be proper planning to ensure the safety of people. The preparations which must be put into place to manage the celebration without any untoward happening can be discussed as:

1. Every civil servant in bigger responsibility must learn fast about the demography, culture and tradition of the particular region where s/he is posted.
2. S/he should keep a ready reference to calendar of events that may be happening according to according to the culture and tradition of the area.

iii.                Before any event takes place with high mass turn out, the civil servant should prepare a plan for (a) law and order (b) transport and communication (c ) shelter and stay (d) safety and security (e) preparedness for accident, disaster or any other untoward event.

1. Coordination between different government departments that may be involved for smooth celebration of cultural or traditional event.
2. To understand the events or celebration being organized and make preparations better for them the civil servant in charge should involve the stake holders in advance and develop a system where the government agencies and civil society work in tandem for success of the events.
3. Last but not the least; nothing should be permitted in the name of culture and tradition which causes a big threat to life and property of the people.

GS Paper 3: Indian Economy

Q.3) Critically examine the key features of the recently released New metro policy?

Source:

http://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-the-new-metro-policy-4801052/

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/going-off-track-ppp-delhi-metro-rail-projects-4801809/

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/nowhere-in-the-world-has-ppp-in-metro-rail-fully-succeeded-says-e-sreedharan-4799989/

GS Paper 1: Geography

Q.1) What do you understand by the phenomenon of temperature inversion in meteorology? How does it affect the weather and the habitants of the place?

how to get CD monthly current affairs compilation ?

Need PDF copies.

Sir, I have done my graduation in civil engineering b.tech.
I have had biology background in junior college.
I want to opt for agriculture optional for cse ,should I go on or it is a bad path???

GS PAPER 1 INDIAN HISTORY

Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present

Q.1) The Battle of Buxar was a war of circumstances rather than intentions. Comment.