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Type: Prelims Only

  • Police Reforms – SC directives, NPC, other committees reports

    What is National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS)?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: NAFIS

    Mains level: Not Much

    The Union Home Minister has inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).

    What is NAFIS?

    • NAFIS is developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) at the Central Fingerprint Bureau (CFPB) in New Delhi.
    • The project is a country-wide searchable database of crime- and criminal-related fingerprints.
    • The web-based application functions as a central information repository by consolidating fingerprint data from all states and Union Territories.
    • In April this year, Madhya Pradesh became the first state in the country to identify a deceased person through NAFIS.

    Utility of NAFIS

    • It enables law enforcement agencies to upload, trace, and retrieve data from the database in real time on a 24×7 basis.
    • It would help in the quick and easy disposal of cases with the help of a centralised fingerprint database.

    How does it work?

    • NAFIS assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.
    • This unique ID will be used for the person’s lifetime, and different crimes registered under different FIRs will be linked to the same NFN.
    • The 2020 report states that the ID’s first two digits will be that of the state code in which the person arrested for a crime is registered, followed by a sequence number.
    • By automating the collection, storage, and matching of fingerprints, along with digitizing the records of fingerprint data, NAFIS will provide the much-needed unique identifier for every arrested person.
    • It will be included in the CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems) database as both are connected at the backend.

    Is this the first time that such an automation project is being attempted?

    • Upon the recommendations of the National Police Commission in 1986, the Central Fingerprint Bureau first began to automate the fingerprint database.
    • It began with digitizing the existing manual records through India’s first Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFI) in 1992, called Fingerprint Analysis & Criminal Tracing System (FACTS 1.0).
    • The latest iteration, FACTS 5.0, which was upgraded in 2007, was considered to have “outlived its shelf life”, according to a 2018 report by the NCRB and thus needed to be replaced by NAFIS.

    Since when has India relied on fingerprinting as a crime-fighting tool?

    • A system of fingerprinting identification first emerged in colonial India, where it was tested before it spread to Europe and beyond.
    • At first, it was used by British colonial officials for administrative rather than criminal purposes.
    • William Herschel, the chief administrator of the Hooghly district of Bengal, from the late-middle 1800s onwards, used fingerprinting to reduce fraud and forgeries.
    • It then aimed to ensure that the correct person was receiving government pensions, signing land transfer deeds, and mortgage bonds.
    • Anthropometry, the measurement of physical features of the body, was used by officials in India but was soon replaced with a system of fingerprints.

     

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    What is International Argo Program?

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Argo

    Mains level: Not Much

    argo

    The International Argo Program system to observe carbon concentration in the world’s oceans is extremely inadequate to meet the growing and urgent need for information on oceanic carbon, says a report.

    What is Argo?

    • Argo is an international program that uses profiling floats to observe temperature, salinity, currents, and, recently, bio-optical properties in the Earth’s oceans; it has been operational since the early 2000s.
    • The real-time data it provides is used in climate and oceanographic research.
    • A special research interest is to quantify the ocean heat content (OHC).
    • Each instrument (float) spends almost all its life below the surface.
    • The name Argo was chosen because the array of floats works in partnership with the Jason earth observing satellites that measure the shape of the ocean surface.
    • In Greek mythology Jason sailed on his ship the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.

    What are its aims?

    • The data that Argo collects describes the temperature and salinity of the water and some of the floats measure other properties that describe the biology/chemistry of the ocean.
    • The main reason for collecting these data is to help us understand the oceans’ role in earth’s climate.
    • For example, the changes in sea level (once the tides are averaged out) depend partly on the melting of icecaps and partly on the amount of heat stored in the oceans.
    • Argo’s temperature measurements allow us to calculate how much heat is stored and to monitor from year to year how the distribution of heat changes with depth and from area to area.
    • As ocean heat content increases, sea level rises, just like the mercury in a thermometer.

    How does it work?

    • Each Argo float (costing between $20,000 and $150,000 depending on the individual float’s technical specification) is launched from a ship.
    • The float’s weight is carefully adjusted so that, as it sinks, it eventually stabilizes at a pre-set level, usually 1 km.
    • Ten days later, an internal battery-driven pump transfers oil between a reservoir inside the float and an external bladder.
    • This makes the float first descend to 2km and then return to the surface measuring ocean properties as it rises.
    • The data and the float position are relayed to satellites and then on to receiving stations on shore.
    • The float then sinks again to repeat the 10 day cycle until its batteries are exhausted.

     

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  • Tourism Sector

    What is Ambedkar Tourist Circuit?

    Prelims Only | History | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Ambedkar Tourist Circuit

    Mains level: Not Much

    The Central government has announced a special tourist circuit encompassing five key sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

    Why in news?

    • Activists have urged that Mahad, located in Raigad District of Maharashtra, famous for Mahad Lake Satyagraha should also be included in the proposed circuit.

    Ambedkar Circuit

    • The five cities in the tourist circuit as announced are Mhow (his birthplace), London (where he resided and studied), Nagpur (also studied here), Delhi (where he passed away) and finally Mumbai (where he was cremated).
    • With a special AC train, the government is looking to trace the footsteps of Ambedkar in India by giving better connectivity to four of these spots.
    • The idea is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community, who mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage.
    • The journey will include meals, ground transportation, and entry to the sites.

    About the sites

    1. Janma Bhoomi– Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow
    2. Shiksha Bhoomi– the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK
    3. Deeksha Bhoomi– the place in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism
    4. Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi- the place of his demise in Delhi and
    5. Chaitya Bhoomi- the place of his cremation in Mumbai

    Back2Basics: Tourism Circuits

    • The government had identified 15 tourist circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15.
    • Besides the Ramayana and Buddhist Circuits, others include Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage, North East, Himalayan, Sufi, Krishna, Rural, Tribal, and Tirthankar Circuits.
    • In terms of train collaboration, the Ramayana, Buddhist, and North East Circuits are already active, while Ambedkar will be fourth.

     

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  • Capital Markets: Challenges and Developments

    New Account Settlement System for Stock Trading

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Account settlement, T+1

    Mains level: NA

    Beginning October 1, the new account settlement system for the stock broking industry will kick in under the new guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

    What is Settlement of Accounts?

    • The SEBI mandates stockbrokers to settle i.e., transfer the available credit balance from trading account to bank account, at least once in a quarter (90 days) or 30 days.
    • The process of transferring the unutilised funds back into the bank account is called ‘Running Account Settlement’ or ‘Quarterly Settlement of Funds’.
    • The funds are transferred back to the primary bank account of the customer that is linked to the trading account.
    • As per the latest guidelines, the settlement will now be done on the first Friday of the quarter or the month depending upon the option selected by the customer.

    What are SEBI’s new settlement guidelines?

    • On July 27, SEBI issued new guidelines on running accounts of client funds and securities lying with the broker.
    • As per the new guidelines, with effect from October 1, 2022, the settlement of running account of clients’ funds will be done by the trading members after considering the end of the day (EOD) obligation of funds.
    • In cases where the client has opted for a monthly settlement process, then the running account shall be settled on the first Friday of every month.

    How will it impact investors and traders?

    • Changes in settlement brought in by SEBI over the last few years have had the aim of protecting the investor and preventing the misuse as money lying in trading accounts of investors for long periods.
    • SEBI’s move will give certainty to investors and trading members.
    • It will help brokers develop a system just like banks, which credit interest in the accounts of their customers at the end of the quarter.
    • Another advantage would be that if a customer has more than one demat account with different brokers, having one settlement date for the entire industry will make it easier for her to keep track of her funds.

    Back2Basics: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

    • The SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity market in India under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance Government of India.
    • It was established on 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.

    Jurisdiction of SEBI

    • SEBI has to be responsive to the needs of three groups, which constitute the market:
    1. Issuers of securities
    2. Investors
    3. Market intermediaries

    SEBI has three powers rolled into one body: quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial and quasi-executive.

    • It drafts regulations in its legislative capacity, it conducts investigation and enforcement action in its executive function and it passes rulings and orders in its judicial capacity.
    • Though this makes it very powerful, there is an appeal process to create accountability.
    • There is a Securities Appellate Tribunal which is a three-member tribunal and is currently headed by Justice Tarun Agarwala, former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
    • A second appeal lies directly to the Supreme Court.

     

    Also read:

    SEBI introduces T+1 Settlement System

     

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  • International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

    NASA’s DART mission prepares for an asteroid Dimorphos collision

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: DART Mission, Didymos, Dimorphos

    Mains level: Not Much

    dart

    In the first-of-its kind NASA’s DART Mission is about to hit a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away.

    What is DART Mission?

    • The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course.
    • It is a suicide mission and the spacecraft will be completely destroyed.
    • The target of the spacecraft is a small moonlet called Dimorphos (Greek for “two forms”).
    • It is about 160-metre in diameter and the spacecraft is expected to collide when it is 11 million kilometres away from Earth.
    • Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for “twin”) which has a diameter of 780 metres.

    Why Dimorphos?

    • Didymos is a perfect system for the test mission because it is an eclipsing binary which means it has a moonlet that regularly orbits the asteroid.
    • It is observable when it passes in front of the main asteroid.
    • Earth-based telescopes can study this variation in brightness to understand how long it takes Dimorphos to orbit Didymos.

    Collision course

    • At the time of impact, Didymos and Dimorphos will be relatively close to Earth – within 6.8 million miles (11 million kilometers).
    • The spacecraft will accelerate at about 24,140 kilometers per hour when it collides with Dimorphos.
    • It aims to crash into Dimorphos to change the asteroid’s motion in space.
    • This collision will be recorded by LICIACube, or Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids, a companion cube satellite provided by the Italian Space Agency.
    • Three minutes after impact, the CubeSat will fly by Dimorphos to capture images and video.

    Why such mission?

    • Dimorphos was chosen for this mission because its size is relative to asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth.
    • The spacecraft is about 100 times smaller than Dimorphos, so it won’t obliterate the asteroid.
    • The fast impact will only change Dimorphos’ speed as it orbits Didymos by 1%, which doesn’t sound like a lot — but it will change the moon’s orbital period.

     

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  • Innovations in Sciences, IT, Computers, Robotics and Nanotechnology

    Dvorak Technique of Weather Forecasting

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Dvorak Technique

    Mains level: Weather forecasting

    Recently, the American meteorologist Vernon Dvorak passed away at the age of 100 who pioneered the widely used Dvorak Technique.

    Who was Vernon Dvorak?

    • Dvorak was an American meteorologist best credited for developing the Dvorak (read as Do-rak) technique in the early 1970s.
    • The technique helps forecast the tropical storm.
    • His technique has saved the lives of millions of people across the world and will continue to do so.

    What is the Dvorak technique?

    • The Dvorak technique was first developed in 1969 and tested for observing storms in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
    • Forecasters used the available satellite images obtained from polar orbiting satellites to examine the features of the developing tropical storms (hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons).
    • During day time, images in the visible spectrum were used while at night, the ocean would be observed using infrared images.
    • It was a cloud pattern recognition technique based on a concept model of the development and decay of the tropical cyclone.

    Why is technique still widely in use?

    • Unlike land, ocean observations in the 1970s were sparse.
    • Today, there continues to be an improved network of land-based meteorological observations, either in the form of taking manual observations, installing automatic weather stations or automatic rain gauges.
    • On the other hand, ocean observations still remain limited.
    • There are many vast regions across the four oceans that have not been fully examined with meteorological instruments.
    • Ocean observations are mostly taken by deploying buoys or dedicated ships, but the number of observations from the seas is still not sufficient across the world.
    • That is why meteorologists have had to depend more on satellite-based imageries, and combine it with the available ocean-data at the time of forecasting the intensity and wind speed of the tropical cyclones.

     

     

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  • Prime Minister’s Office : Important Updates

    Ratan Tata, KT Thomas appointed trustees of PM CARES

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Laws, Institutions & Bodies Constituted For The Vulnerable Sections

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: PM CARES

    Mains level: Issues with PM CARES

    The Union government has appointed veteran industrialist Ratan Tata, former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, and former Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda as trustees of the PM CARES Fund.

    PM CARES Fund

    • The PM CARES Fund was created on 28 March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
    • The fund will be used for combat, containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future.
    • The PM is the chairman of the trust. Members will include the defence, home and finance ministers.
    • The fund will also enable micro-donations. The minimum donation accepted is ₹10 (14¢ US).

    Some intriguing facts about PM-CARES fund

    • PM CARES has been created not by law, not by notification, but by the mere creation of a webpage, and set up last year in March to raise funds for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • The page lists its structure, functions and duties in an arbitrary manner.
    • The official appeals for funds are made under the national emblem.
    • The most significant lie of this sworn statement is that the Government has no control over the Fund.

    The other funds

    (1) National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)

    • The statutorily constituted NDRF was established under the Disaster Management (DM) Act of 2005.
    • The NDRF is mandated to be accountable, and answerable under the RTI Act, being a public authority, and auditable by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

    (2) Disaster Response Fund

    • The DM Act also provided for a Disaster Response Fund — state and district level funds (besides the national level).
    • It also collects and uses the donations at the local level, with mandatory transparency and audit provisions.

    (3) Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund

    • There is the PMNRF operative since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru. It was established with public contributions to assist displaced persons from Pakistan.
    • The resources are now utilised primarily to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities and to the victims of the major accidents and riots.
    • However, it has the President of India and the Leader of Opposition also as trustees.

    Issues over PM-CARES Fund

    • No defined purpose: It is deliberately ignored while a new, controversial, unanswerable, and ‘non-accountable vehicle is created; its character is not spelt out till today.
    • Non-accountable: The government seems to consider statutory provisions for enquiry and information seeking to be embarrassing obstacles.
    • Centralization of donations: It centralises the collection of donations and its utility, which is not only against the federal character but also practically inconvenient. The issue is seeming, the trusteeship of the fund.

    Questions and gaps

    • Law/statute: The PM CARES Fund was neither created by the Constitution of India nor by any statute.
    • Authority: If that is the case, under what authority does it use the designation of the Prime Minister, designated symbols of the nation, the tricolour and the official (gov.in) website of the PMO, and grant tax concessions through an ordinance.
    • Collection and dispensation: The amount received by the Fund does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India. If it goes to the CFI, it could have been audited by the CAG.
    • Uncontrolled: The This Trust is neither intended to be or is in fact owned, controlled or substantially financed by any instrumentality of the any govt even being chaired by the PM.

    Issue over tax benefits

    • Income tax: An ordinance was promulgated to amend Income Tax Act, 1961 and declare that the donations to the PM CARES Fund “would qualify for 80G benefits for 100% exemption”.
    • CSR Funds: It will also qualify to be counted as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure under the Companies Act, 2013.
    • Foreign donations: It has also got exemption under the FCRA [Foreign Contribution Regulation Act] and a separate account for receiving foreign donations has been opened.

    What can be inferred from all these?

    • The Centre now considers it as another obstacle and has created a new trust with the Prime Minister and his Ministers only.
    • The manner in which the PM CARES Fund was set up — with its acronym created to publicise the point that the PM cares for people — shows a bypassing of the statutory obligations of a public authority.

    Query and response: Again ironical

    • After initial denials, the Government has conceded it to be a public charitable trust, but still maintains that it is not a ‘public authority’.
    • The point is that the PMO operates the Fund, but says it cannot supply any information about the PM CARES Fund because it is not a public authority.

    Severe interpretations: Is it an Office of Profit?

    • If the PM CARES Fund is unconnected with the Government, then the Fund could become an office of profit.

    Conclusion

    • In order to uphold transparency, the PM CARES Fund should be declared as a Public Authority under the RTI Act, and all RTI queries answered truthfully.
    • The fund should be designated as a “public authority” under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.

     

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  • Electronic System Design and Manufacturing Sector – M-SIPS, National Policy on Electronics, etc.

    Government approves 50% incentive of project cost for setting up Semiconductor Units

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem

    Mains level: Read the attached story

    The Union Cabinet has approved a uniform incentive of 50% of the project cost for setting up semiconductor, display and compound semiconductor fabrication units.

    Why in news?

    incentive

    • Maharashtra is witnessing a political firestorm.
    • The Vedanta Limited shifted its decision to set up a $20 billion Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor manufacturing facility in neighbouring Gujarat, despite finalising its location near Pune (Mh).
    • Foxconn is a major chip supplier to Apple. It has suspended its operations in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen and is now shifting to India.
    • Bigger companies, such as Intel, TSMC, Samsung, etc., have announced such plans.

    Spats between states over the location of critical industries display the grim picture of competitive bidding in India. This portrays India’s negative image as against ease of doing business.

    About the Incentive Scheme

    • The scheme has been named the “Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem.”
    • Previously, the three schemes had an incentive range of 30-50%.
    • While incentives for setting up semiconductor fabrication were based on the size of the chip, for display fabrication and compound semiconductor fabs, the incentives were largely 30% of the total cost of the project.
    • This scheme aims to project India’s position as global hub for electronics manufacturing with semiconductors as the foundational building block.

    Why need such an incentive?

    • Huge Investments involved: Semiconductor Fabrication facility requires many expensive devices to function. Complex tools and equipment are required to test quality and move silicon from location to location within the ultra-clean confines of the plant.
    • Economy of scale:   In semiconductor fabrication, a high volume production is required to be maintain so as to meet the increasing demand of the marketplace, at the same time, a strong financial backing as Indian market is very much uncertain about financial fluctuations.
    • Requirement highly skilled labour:   Semiconductor fabrication is a multiple-step sequence of photolithographic and chemical processing steps during which electronic circuits are gradually created on a wafer made of pure semiconducting material. This actually requires high skills.
    • Scarcity of raw materials: From a value-chain perspective, it needs silicon, Germanium & Gallium arsenide and Silicon carbide which are not available in India and needs to be imported.
    • Uncertain Indian market: A semiconductor fabrication facility in India cannot independently rely on Indian customers for their entire sales structure. They have to maintain overseas customer base to balance inflections from Indian market due to market trends, government policies etc.
    • Disposal of hazardous waste: Many toxic materials are used in the fabrication process such as arsenic, antimony, and phosphorus. Hazardous impact on the environment by the industry may act as an impediment to India’s commitment to mitigate climate change.

    Other supportive initiatives in India

    • India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): It was announced with the aim to attract large-scale investments for manufacturing facilities in the midst of a global chip crisis.
    • Make in India: This aims to transform India into a global hub for Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM).
    • PLI scheme: In December 2021 the Centre sanctioned ₹76,000 crore under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage the manufacturing of various semiconductor goods within India.
    • DLI scheme: It offers financial incentives, design infrastructure support across various stages of development and deployment of semiconductor design for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and semiconductor linked design.
    • Digital RISC-V (DIR-V) program: It intends to enable the production of microprocessors in India in the upcoming days achieving industry-grade silicon and design wins by December 2023.
    • India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): The vision is to build a vibrant semiconductor and display design and innovation ecosystem to enable India’s emergence as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design

    Way forward

    • Policy framework: As foundry setup is highly Capital intensive, it must be supported with a solid long term plan and financial backing. This backing is required from the entrepreneur & the government both.
    • Fiscal sustenance: In text of Indian Government as tax holiday, subsidy, zero duty, financial investment etc. will play an important role in promoting the Fab along with the semiconductor industry in India; this will put further pressure on already large Fiscal Deficit.
    • Support Infrastructure: World class, sustainable infrastructure, as required by a modern Fab be provided, with swift transportation, large quantity of pure water, uninterrupted electricity, communication, pollutant free environment etc.

     

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  • Urban Transformation – Smart Cities, AMRUT, etc.

    What is the Dharavi Redevelopment Project?

    Prelims Only | Indian Society | Mains Paper 1: Urbanization, Their Problems & Remedies

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Dharavi

    Mains level: Slum rehabilitation

    The Maharashtra government gave the go-ahead for fresh tenders in the Dharavi redevelopment project, almost two decades after it was first proposed.

    About Dharavi

    • Dharavi, infamous as one of the world’s largest slums, is located in the heart of India’s financial capital – Mumbai.
    • A city within a city, it is one unending stretch of narrow dirty lanes, open sewers and cramped huts.
    • While the land (area of 535 acres) is owned by the government, the houses are maintained by individuals.
    • The Dharavi slum came into being in 1884. It was originally inhibited by fisherfolk when the area was still creeks, swamps.
    • It became attractive to migrant workers from South Mumbai and others when the swamp began to fill in due to natural and artificial causes.
    • The area grew as poor rural Indians migrated to urban Mumbai.
    • Today, an estimated 600,000 to 1 million people live crammed in Dharavi.

    Economic significance of Dharavi

    • Dharavi stands near to India’s richest business district, the Bandra-Kurla Complex, where commercial office premiums are among the highest in the country.
    • The slum sprawl, spread over 2.8 sq.km. is home to an informal leather and pottery industry which employs over a lakh people.

    What is the Dharavi Redevelopment Project all about?

    • The state had envisaged this sprawl be transformed into a cluster of high-rises with improved urban infrastructure.
    • It entailed resettling 68,000 people, including slum dwellers and those with commercial establishments.
    • The state was to provide 300-sqft houses for free to residents with proof that their slum structure was in existence before January 1, 2000.
    • The project was initially mooted in 2004, but never got off the ground due to various reasons.

    When redevelopment was first proposed?

    • In 1999, the government first proposed to redevelop Dharavi.
    • Thereafter, the government of Maharashtra in the year 2003-04 decided to redevelop Dharavi as an integrated planned township.
    • An action plan for redevelopment was approved by issuing a government resolution.
    • It was decided to develop Dharavi by using land as a resource to cross-subsidie the cost of development through a sale component on the basis of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme.
    • The government also decided to notify the whole of Dharavi as an undeveloped area and to appoint a Special Planning Authority for its development.
    • In 2011, the government cancelled all tenders and drew up a master plan.

     

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  • Animal Husbandry, Dairy & Fisheries Sector – Pashudhan Sanjivani, E- Pashudhan Haat, etc

    Explained: Lumpy Skin Disease in India

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Economics Of Animal-Rearing

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Lumpy Skin Disease

    Mains level: Read the attached story

    lumpy

    The Mumbai Police have ordered the prohibition of cattle transportation in the city to prevent the spread of the lumpy skin disease (LSD).

    What is the Lumpy Skin Disease?

    • Lumpy skin disease is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the genus capripoxvirus, a part of the poxviridae family.
    • Smallpox and monkeypox viruses are also a part of the same family.
    • The LSDV shares antigenic similarities with the sheeppox virus (SPPV) and the goatpox virus (GTPV) or is similar in the immune response to those viruses.

    How does it spread?

    • It is not a zoonotic virus, meaning the disease cannot spread to humans.
    • It is a contagious vector-borne disease spread by vectors like mosquitoes, some biting flies, and ticks and usually affects host animals like cows and water buffaloes.
    • Infected animals shed the virus through oral and nasal secretions which may contaminate common feeding and water troughs.
    • Thus, the disease can either spread through direct contact with the vectors or through contaminated fodder and water.
    • Studies have also shown that it can spread through animal semen during artificial insemination.

    How does it affect the animal?

    • LSD affects the lymph nodes of the infected animal, causing the nodes to enlarge and appear like lumps on the skin, which is where it derives its name from.
    • The cutaneous nodules, 2–5 cm in diameter, appear on the infected cattle’s head, neck, limbs, udder, genitalia, and perineum.
    • The nodules may later turn into ulcers and eventually develop scabs over the skin.
    • The other symptoms include high fever, sharp drop in milk yield, discharge from the eyes and nose, salivation, loss of appetite, depression, damaged hides, wasting of animals, infertility and abortions.

    Do it kills the animal?

    • The incubation period or the time between infection and symptoms is about 28 days according to the FAO, and 4 to 14 days according to some other estimates.
    • The morbidity of the disease varies between two to 45% and mortality or rate of date is less than 10%.
    • However, the reported mortality of the current outbreak in India is up to 15%, particularly in cases being reported in the western part (Rajasthan) of the country.

    What is the geographical distribution and how did it spread to India?

    • The disease was first observed in Zambia in 1929.
    • Subsequently it got spread to most African countries, followed by West Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia, and more recently spreading to South Asia and China in 2019.
    • As per the FAO, the LSD disease is currently endemic in several countries across Africa, parts of the West Asia (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic), and Turkey.

    Lumpy in India

    • The spread in South Asia first affected Bangladesh in July 2019 and then reached India in August that year, with initial cases being detected in Odisha and West Bengal.
    • The long porous borders between India, Nepal and Bangladesh allow for a significant amount of bilateral and informal animal trade, including cattle and buffaloes.
    • This may have contributed to the spread of LSD in July-August 2019 between Bangladesh and India.
    • While the 2019 outbreak later subsided, the recent spread in India began in June this year.

    Is it safe to consume the milk of affected cattle?

    • Studies say that it has not been possible to ascertain the presence of viable and infectious LSDV virus in milk derived from the infected animal.
    • However, that a large portion of the milk in Asia is processed after collection and is either pasteurised or boiled or dried in order to make milk powder.
    • This process ensures that the virus is inactivated or destroyed.

    Economic implications of Lumpy on Dairy Sector

    • Milk reduction: Lumpy leads to reduced milk production as the animal becomes weak and also loses appetite due to mouth ulceration.
    • Animal wasting: The income losses can also be due to poor growth, reduced draught power capacity and reproductive problems associated with abortions, infertility and lack of semen for artificial insemination.
    • Impact of trade ban: Movement and trade bans after infection also put an economic strain on the whole value chain.

    Why India is at higher risk?

    • India is the world’s largest milk producer at about 210 million tonnes annually.
    • India also has the largest headcount of bovines
    • In Rajasthan, which is witnessing the worst impact of LSD, it has led to reduced milk production, which lessened by about three to six lakh litres a day.
    • Reports indicate that milk production has also gone down in Punjab owing to the spread of the disease.
    • According to FAO, the disease threatens the livelihoods of smaller poultry farmers significantly.
    • Notably, farmers in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have incurred losses due to cattle deaths and are seeking compensation from their State governments.

    How bad is the current spread in India?

    • Lumpy has infected over 16 lakh cattle in 197 districts as of September 11.
    • Of the nearly 75,000 cattle that the disease has killed, more than 50,000 deaths, mostly cows, have been reported from Rajasthan.

    Remedies available in India

    • The Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying informed that the ‘Goat Pox Vaccine’ is very effective against LSD.
    • It is being used across affected States to contain the spread.

    Way forward

    The FAO has suggested a set of spread-control measures for LSD, which involves:

    • Vaccination of susceptible populations with more than 80% coverage
    • Movement control of bovine animals and quarantining
    • Implementing biosecurity through vector control by sanitising sheds and spraying insecticides
    • Strengthening active and passive surveillance
    • Spreading awareness on risk mitigation among all stakeholders involved, and
    • Creating large protection and surveillance zones and vaccination zones

     

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