MONTHLY NEWS DIARY - sosinclasses.com

MONTHLY NEWS DIARY NOVEMBER -2020

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MONTHLY NEWS DIARY

(MnD)

(FOR UPSC – PRELIMS)

JANUARY -2021

MONTHLY NEWS DIARY JANUARY-2021


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Dear Student,

Warm Greetings.

MnD aims to provide news analysis of monthly events in sync

with the UPSC pattern.

It is targeted at UPSC – Prelims

The articles are provided in the form of Newspaper articles

and additional information for comprehensive learning.

Enjoy reading.

THE HINDU - TH

INDIAN EXPRESS - IE

BUSINESS LINE - BL

ECONOMIC TIMES - ET TIMES OF INDIA - TOI



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PRELIMS

INDEX

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS:

1. Attack on Hindu temple in Pakistan………………………………………………………………………..04

2. US tariffs on French goods………………………………………………………………………………………04

3. Syrian war casualties……………………………………………………………………………………………….05

4. Anti-money laundering systems………………………………………………………………………………06

5. Iran – Uranium enrichment…………………………………………………………………………………….06

6. Vietnam buys Indian rice…………………………………………………………………………………………07

7. Afghan envoy to India……………………………………………………………………………………………..08

8. India as counterbalance to China…………………………………………………………………………….09

9. US relief package…………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

10. Open skies treaty…………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

11. Trade deficit with China………………………………………………………………………………………….12

12. Museveni wins 6th term………………………………………………………………………………………..…13

13. Cross border tunnel in Jammu…………………………………………………………………………………14

14. Indian gift to SriLanka……………………………………………………………………………………………..15

HISTORY, HERITAGE AND CULTURE:

1. Vasantha mandapam………………………………………………………………………………………………15

GEOGRAPHY:

1. Vanadium in Arunachal…………………………………………………………………………………………..16

2. Flash droughts…………………………………………………………………………………………………………17

POLITY & GOVERNANCE:

1. Affordable housing………………………………………………………………………………………………….18

2. Private hospitals role in COVID vaccination…………………………………………………………….19

3. CSIR staff virus exposure…………………………………………………………………………………………19

4. Vaccines to neighbours……………………………………………………………………………………………20

5. Village celebrates daughters……………………………………………………………………………………21

6. COVID curve flattened……………………………………………………………………………………….……22

7. Question hour…………………………………………………………………………………………………………22

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

1. Core sector shrinks……………………………………………………………………………………………….…23

2. EPFO interest rates…………………………………………………………………………………………….……24

3. Interest rate on PPF, NSC………………………………………………………………………………………..24

4. Sugar export……………………………………………………………………………………………………………25

5. New freight corridor…………………………………………………………………………………………….…26

6. Steep steel prices……………………………………………………………………………………………………27

7. Digital lending…………………………………………………………………………………………………………28



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8. Weak economy……………………………………………………………………………………………………….29

9. States’ borrowings……………………………………………………………………………………………….…29

10. Billionares wealth……………………………………………………………………………………………………29

11. Green tax for vehicles………………………………………………………………………………………..……30

12. Overseas investment by Indian firms………………………………………………………………………30

13. Gold demand in India………………………………………………………………………………………………31

14. Critical imports from China…………………………………………………………………………………..…31

ENVIRONMENT & BIODIVERSITY:

1. Sunderbans is home to 428 species of birds……………………………………………………………32

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

1. New corona strain…………………………………………………………………………………………………..32

2. Vaccines for emergency use……………………………………………………………………………………33

3. Banana grit……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..33

4. Limit for Transfats…………………………………………………………………………………………………..34

AWARDS & REPORTS:

1. World food price index……………………………………………………………………………………………35

2. Pollution of Gujarat rivers……………………………………………………………………………………….36

3. NITI Aayog index……………………………………………………………………………………………………..37

4. Best tableau award…………………………………………………………………………………………………38

5. COVID-19 performance index………………………………………………………………………………….38

MISCELLANEOUS:46

1. Siachen hero……………………………………………………………………………………………………..……39

2. Tejas fighters…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..40

3. Vacciantion drive…………………………………………………………………………………………………….41

4. Double ignomity……………………………………………………………………………………………………..42

5. Orvakal airport…………………………………………………………………………………………………..……42

6. Migratory birds…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…43

7. Gujarat and Dragon fruit…………………………………………………………………………………………44

8. Padma awards……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…44



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INTERNATIONAL EVENTS:

1. 26 held for attack on Hindu temple in Pakistan

At least two dozen people, including several Muslim clerics, were detained after a mob

attacked and set fire to a Hindu temple in northwest Pakistan.

Geography:

The temple is located in a remote village in Karak district, some 160 kilometres (100 miles)

southeast of Peshawar.

Hindus have not lived in the area since the partition of British-ruled India in 1947 when

Pakistan was created, but Hindu devotees occasionally visit the temple and the tomb of the

Hindu saint Shri Paramhans, who, according to Hindu faith, died in the village in 1919.

Shri Paramhans Dayal Maharaj Ji is also known as the "First Spiritual Master" of the [Shri

Paramhans Advait Mat]. He initiated the "Second Master", Shri Swami Swarupanand Ji

Maharaj in the early 1900s. He was born on the day of Rama Navami and was therefore named

as "Ram Yaad ".

2. More U.S. tariffs on French, German goods

The United States announced on that it will impose additional tariffs on French and German

products as part of a long-running dispute over subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus

and Boeing.

Background:

Boeing has continually protested over "launch aid" and other forms of government aid to

Airbus, while Airbus has argued that Boeing receives illegal subsidies through military and

research contracts and tax breaks.

WTO ruled in August 2010 and in May 2011 that Airbus had received improper government

subsidies through loans with below market rates from several European countries. In a

separate ruling in February 2011, WTO found that Boeing had received local and federal aid

in violation of WTO rules.



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News:

The tariffs are on “aircraft manufacturing parts from France and Germany, certain non-

sparkling wine from France and Germany, and certain cognac and other grape brandies from

France and Germany”, which will be added to the list of products taxed since 2019.

The move was in retaliation to tariffs imposed by the European Union which it considers

unfair. The decision is the latest twist in the 16-year trade battle over aircraft subsidies that

turned increasingly sour under the protectionist instincts of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The EU was authorised this year by the World Trade Organization to levy additional customs

duties on American products.

3. Syrian war casualties

The Syrian conflict claimed the lives of at least 6,800 people in 2020, the lowest annual death

toll since it began nearly a decade ago.

According to figures compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 10,000

people were killed in the conflict in 2019. The deadliest year was 2014, when more than

76,000 people died, according to the U.K.-based organisation, which has an extensive network

of sources on the ground.

The overall tally since the start of the conflict has crept up to 3,87,000, including 1,17,000

civilians.

The fighting, which erupted in 2011 after the brutal repression of anti-government protests,

largely abated in 2020 as a ceasefire was held in northwestern Syria and attention turned to

containing the COVID-19 pandemic.



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4. Anti-money laundering systems - FATF

With the global money laundering and terror funding watchdog expected to undertake a

review of India’s mechanisms to deal with suspicious transactions and financial crimes in 2021,

State Bank of India’s compliance head has stressed the need for financial institutions to raise

the bar on monitoring such activity.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had deferred its once-a-decade evaluation of India’s

anti-money laundering regime scheduled for this year, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, and

indicated that the onsite review to be conducted by global experts may now take place in early

2021.

The FATF undertakes peer reviews of each member on an ongoing basis to assess the

implementation of its recommendations and provides a detailed analysis of each country's

system for preventing criminal abuse of the financial system.

A major challenge in identifying suspicious transactions was the sheer volume in India’s

banking system. SBI itself has 43 crore accounts, so the number of transactions is 15 crore to

20 crore a day. The load is immense, so the quality of transaction monitoring does suffer.

Going forward, it is inevitable as technology develops, that we dig deeper so as to play a more

effective role against money laundering.

5. Iran steps up Uranium enrichment

Iran began enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-

flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in West Asia

between Tehran and the West.

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria fought between the Ba'athist

Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, along with domestic and

foreign allies, and various domestic and foreign forces opposing both the Syrian

government and each other in varying combinations.



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The announcement of enrichment at Fordo came as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized MT

Hankuk Chemi, alleging the vessel’s “oil pollution” sparked the move. However, hours earlier,

Tehran said a South Korean diplomat was expected to visit in the coming days to negotiate

the release of billions of dollars in its assets now frozen in Seoul.

The dual incidents come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. in the waning

days of President Donald Trump’s term in office. During Mr. Trump’s tenure, the U.S. leader

unilaterally withdrew from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and set off

months of tense episodes that increasingly strained relations between the countries.

Iran’s decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike

targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal. A

resumption of 20% enrichment could see that brinksmanship return as that level of purity is

only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

6. Vietnam buys Indian rice

Vietnam, the world’s third biggest exporter of rice, has started buying the grain from rival

India for the first time in decades after local prices jumped to their highest in nine years amid

limited domestic supplies.

The purchases underscore tightening supplies in Asia, which could lift rice prices in 2021 and

even force traditional buyers of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to switch to India — the

world’s biggest exporter of the grain.



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Indian traders have contracted to export 70,000 tonnes of 100% broken rice for January and

February shipments at about $310 per tonne on a free-on-board basis.

Reasons behind:

Indian prices are very attractive. The huge price difference is making exports possible.”

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice is offered at about $500-$505 per tonne, compared to Indian prices

of $381-$387. Dwindling supplies and continued Philippine buying lifted Vietnamese rice

export prices to a fresh nine-year high.

In 2020 India exported a record 14 million tonnes of rice, provisional data from the trade

Ministry showed.

7. Delay in India’s acceptance of Afghan envoy

More than three months after Afghanistan announced its next Ambassador to India, New

Delhi has yet to grant its agrément, or acceptance of the Afghan government’s nominee,

officials in both capitals confirmed.

The delay, which follows the government’s decision not to accept two other names proffered

earlier, was raised by senior officials in Kabul who met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval

during a two-day visit to Afghanistan.

According to the sources, the name of Farid Mamundzay, who was a senior political adviser

to the Afghan National Security Council, and a former Deputy Minister of Policy and Technical

Affairs at the Independent Directorate of Local Governance, was proposed as the next

Ambassador in September 2020.

Background:

Afghanistan has not had a full-rank Ambassador in Delhi since September 2018, when

Ambassador Shaida Abdali resigned unexpectedly in order to stand for elections. Since then,

diplomat Tahir Qadiry assumed charge as Charge d’Affaires, but is ending his tenure this

month for another foreign assignment.

India had always sent “senior” envoys to Afghanistan and, therefore, expected that Kabul

would reciprocate. New Delhi had also requested that the Ambassador-designate have ties

with all political parties in Afghanistan and took into account India’s security sensitivities in

the region.



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While delays in providing agreement letters are not uncommon, it is extremely rare for a host

country to reject the names of one, let alone more suggested names of incoming diplomats,

especially when they are from a country with friendly ties, as Afghanistan and India share.

8. A strong India would act as ‘counterbalance’ to China

With days to go before its end, the Trump administration has declassified a sensitive

document on the U.S. strategic framework for the Indo-Pacific’ from 2018.

The 10-page document outlines objectives and strategies with regard to China, North Korea,

India and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Maintaining “U.S. strategic primacy” in the region and promoting a “liberal economic order”

while stopping China from establishing “illiberal spheres of influence” is the U.S.’s first

national security challenge, as per the document.

The other two challenges are ensuring that North Korea does not threaten the U.S. and

advancing U.S. economic leadership globally.

With regard to India, one of the ‘desired end states’ of the U.S.’s strategy is for the U.S. to be

India’s preferred partner on security issues and for the two countries to “cooperate to

preserve maritime security and counter Chinese influence” in South Asia, Southeast Asia and

other regions of “mutual concern”.

Border dispute

The U.S. aims to help India become a net security provider in the region, solidify a lasting

strategic partnership with India “underpinned by a strong Indian military able to effectively

collaborate with” the U.S and its regional partners.



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These objectives it plans to achieve via enhanced defence cooperation and interoperability;

working with India “toward domestic economic reform” and greater leadership roles for India

in the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.

Consequently, the U.S.’s to-do list has on it offers of support to India via military, diplomatic

and intelligence channels “to help address continental challenges such as the border dispute

with China and access to water, including the Brahmaputra and other rivers facing diversion

by China.”

Act-East policy

The U.S. aims to support India’s “Act East” policy and “its aspiration to be a leading global

power, highlighting its compatibility with the U.S., Japanese and Australian vision” of the Indo-

Pacific.

On Russia, it says the country will “remain a marginal player” in the region relative to the U.S.,

China and India.

On North Korea, a stated U.S. objective is to, “Convince the Kim regime that the only path to

its survival is to relinquish its nuclear weapons.”



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The official reason for the early declassification of the document, 20 years ahead of time, was

“ to communicate to the American people and to our allies and partners, the enduring

commitment of the U.S. to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open long into the future.

9. $1.9 trillion relief package

President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan to end “a crisis of deep

human suffering” by speeding up vaccines and pumping out financial help to those struggling

with the pandemic’s prolonged economic fallout.

Called the “American Rescue Plan,” the proposal would meet Mr. Biden’s goal of

administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of his administration, and advance his

objective of reopening most schools by the spring.

On a parallel track, it delivers another round of aid to stabilise the economy while the public

health effort seeks the upper hand on the pandemic.

Economic recovery

Mr. Biden proposed $1,400 cheques for most Americans, which on top of $600 provided in

the most recent COVID-19 Bill would bring the total to the $2,000 that Mr. Biden has called

for.

It would also extend a temporary boost in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on

evictions and foreclosures through September.

And it shoehorns in long-term Democratic policy aims such as increasing the minimum wage

to $15 an hour, expanding paid leave for workers, and increasing tax credits for families with

children. The last item would make it easier for women to go back to work, which in turn

would help the economy recover.

10. Open Skies treaty

Russia announced it was pulling out of the Open Skies treaty, saying that the pact, which

allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries, had been seriously compromised

by the withdrawal of the United States.



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The move, announced by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, comes days before U.S. President-elect

Joe Biden’s January 20 inauguration amid fears of a burgeoning arms race. Moscow’s last

major nuclear arms pact with Washington is set to expire next month.

The United States left the Open Skies arms control and verification treaty in November,

accusing Russia of violating it, something Moscow denied.

Russia said in a statement that Moscow had made specific proposals to other members to

mitigate against the impact of the U.S. exit but that those proposals were not backed by

Washington’s allies.

Moscow will formally notify other member states about its exit once it has completed

unspecified withdrawal procedures at home, it said. The exit process usually takes months to

be finalised.

Sharing of intelligence

Russia has raised concerns that despite leaving the treaty Washington could potentially retain

access to overflight intelligence gathered by allies who remain members in the treaty.

The Kommersant newspaper reported earlier that Moscow had tried to get guarantees from

other countries that they would not share such intelligence with the U.S. but had not been

given any assurances.

Open Skies Treaty

First proposed in 1955 by former US President Dwight Eisenhower as a means to

deescalate tensions during the Cold War, the landmark treaty was eventually signed in

1992 between NATO members and former Warsaw Pact countries following the demise

of the Soviet Union. It went into effect in 2002 and currently has 35 signatories along with

one non-ratifying member (Kyrgyzstan).

The OST aims at building confidence among members through mutual openness, thus

reducing the chances of accidental war. Under the treaty, a member state can “spy” on

any part of the host nation, with the latter’s consent. A country can undertake aerial

imaging over the host state after giving notice 72 hours before, and sharing its exact flight

path 24 hours before.



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11. Trade deficit with China

India’s exports to China, however, jumped 16% to a record high of $20.86 billion as Asia’s

largest economy consumed more iron ore.

India’s trade with China declined last year to the lowest level since 2017, with the trade deficit

narrowing to a five-year low as the country imported far fewer goods from its northern

neighbour.

Bilateral trade slid 5.6% to $87.6 billion, according to new figures from China’s General

Administration of Customs (GAC). India’s imports from China shrank by 10.8% to $66.7 billion,

marking the lowest level of inbound shipments since 2016.

India’s exports to China, however, jumped 16%, crossing the $20 billion-mark for the first time

to a record high of $20.86 billion.

The trade deficit, a source of friction in bilateral ties, shrank to $45.8 billion, the lowest level

since 2015.

India’s biggest import in 2019 was electrical machinery and equipment, worth $20.17 billion.

Other major imports in 2019 were organic chemicals ($8.39 billion) and fertilisers ($1.67

billion), while India’s top exports that year were iron ore, organic chemicals, cotton and

unfinished diamonds.

The last 12 months saw a surge in demand for iron ore in China, as a slew of new infrastructure

projects aimed at reviving growth after the COVID-19 slump lifted consumption of steel. Total

iron ore imports in Asia’s largest economy rose 9.5% in 2020.



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The drop in India’s imports from China largely mirrored a decline in overall inbound shipments

last year as domestic demand slumped in the wake of the pandemic. That makes it difficult to

determine whether 2020 is an exception or marks a turn away from the recent pattern of

India’s trade with China, especially since there is, as yet, no evidence to suggest India has

replaced its import dependence on China by either sourcing those goods elsewhere or

manufacturing them at home.

The dip in exports to India bucked a strong year for Chinese exports, which surged 10.9% in

December and grew 4% in 2020, aided by the economic recovery in China while many

countries worldwide remained in various stages of lockdown.

China was “the world’s only major economy to have registered positive growth in foreign

trade in goods.

12. Museveni wins 6th term

Uganda’s Electoral Commission said that President Yoweri Museveni won a sixth five-year

term, extending his rule to four decades.

Polls:

The Electoral Commission said Mr. Museveni received 58% of ballots and Mr. Wine (the top

opposition) 34%, and voter turnout was 52%, in a process that the top U.S. diplomat to Africa

called “fundamentally flawed.” The vote followed the East African country’s worst pre-

election violence since the 76-year-old Mr. Museveni took office in 1986.

Mr. Wine has alleged voter fraud, which the government was quick to dismiss, while putting

him and several other leaders of his National Unity Platform under house arrest. The

government cracking down on the opposition is not new, but this time, there were widespread

reports of state repression of Mr. Wine’s movement in the run-up to the election.

Mr. Museveni’s government refused to accredit election monitors from the West, saying the

U.S., after its election crisis, did not have the authority to monitor the elections. Observers

from Africa have documented irregularities, including illegal opening of ballot boxes and

arrests of members of civil society groups observing elections.

Ugandan law:

According to Ugandan law, Mr. Wine has 15 days to prove election irregularities, which is

unlikely to happen as he is under house arrest and party offices have been raided by security

personnel.

It appears that Mr. Museveni, whose National Resistance Movement came to power by

waging a guerrilla war in the 1980s, seems determined to prevent Mr. Wine even coming close

to power. Uganda has long been torn by coups and violence before Mr. Museveni’s rise.

In 2005, Mr. Museveni amended the Constitution to remove the presidential term limits and

in 2017, signed a law scrapping the age limit of 75 for presidential candidates. He might

continue in office, but his greed for power and disregard for a fair electoral process and rights,

coupled with economic woes, have already left cracks in his support base.

13. Cross border tunnel in Jammu

The Border Security Force unearthed a 30-foot-deep and 150-metre-long cross-border tunnel

in Samba district in Jammu, the third such tunnel since last November.

On a specific intelligence input, the BSF troops detected a tunnel in the Bobiya area in Samba

sector. The tunnel has an opening of about 2-3 feet and is about 20 to 30 feet deep. The

direction of the tunnel is towards the International Border, which is about 150 metres long

from the point of incident.



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The origin of the tunnel is towards Pakistan territory.

Sandbags recovered had Karachi-made markings. The tunnel seems to be a bit old. This finding

was the direct result of BSF’s anti-tunnel drive. Whether this tunnel was used by militants to

infiltrate into this side is subject to investigation.

The BSF had unearthed 10 such tunnels since 2011 in the Jammu region.

14. An Indian gift helps Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 fight

Less than five years after its launch, an India-funded free ambulance service is playing a vital

role in Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 response, according to health sector officials.

“Over the last few months, the ‘1990 Suwa Seriya’ Emergency Ambulance service has doubled

its efforts, attending not just to medical emergencies, but also helping us transfer COVID-19

patients, including those with co-morbidities, to hospitals swiftly.

For this, the service coordinates with the Health Ministry, Public Health Inspectors, and the

Epidemiology Unit to ensure that COVID-19 patients are able to access treatment at the right

hospital, without losing time.

Background:

On Sri Lanka’s request, India provided a grant of $7.56 million for the Suwa Seriya [vehicle or

journey for good health] service, launched first in 2016, in Sri Lanka’s Western and Southern

Provinces, with 88 ambulances.

In the next couple of years, the ‘1990’ service was expanded to cover all nine provinces on the

island, with a fleet of 297 ambulances — Sri Lanka purchased them from Tata Motors — with

an additional Indian grant of $15.09 million. It is India’s second largest grant project in the

island, after the housing project of more than 60,000 houses, with a nearly $400-million grant.

HISTORY, HERITAGE AND CULTURE:

1. Work on Vasantha Mandapam to resume

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will soon resume the conservation work at the

Vasantha Mandapam of the later Chola-period Abathsahayeswarar temple-cum-fort in

Senthamangalam in Villupuram district.



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Senthamangalam fort is an important historical site — it was here that Chola King Rajaraja III

was imprisoned by one of his chieftains Kopperunjinga. Inscriptions found in Tiruvendipuram

confirm the incident.

Brief history:

Senthamangalam was the capital of Kadavarayas, who served as the chieftains of Cholas. The

temple and fort was constructed by Kadavaraya Kopperunjinga, the prominent [one] among

the Kadava chieftains.

The Kadavas began as small chieftains under the Cholas, but quickly established their

supremacy.

Mohan Alkkoli alias Kulottunga-sola-kadavarayan was the chieftain of the Pallava extraction,

who was in charge of policing in a small area near Tirumanikuli in South Arcot district, at

around 1136 AD.

These records reveal to us the beginnings of the feudatory family from which sprang the

celebrated Kopperunjinga whose boisterous career shook the Chola empire to its foundation

and hastened its downfall.

The Dakshinamurthy statue in the temple was unique since it was seated on the Rishabha

Vahana and the idol of Muruga had six heads and six hands instead of twelve hands. There is

also a gigantic stone musical horse capable of producing music

GEOGRAPHY:

1. Arunachal harbours a vanadium source

Natural resource:

Arunachal Pradesh, considered a sleeping hydropower giant, is likely to become India’s prime

producer of vanadium, a high-value metal used in strengthening steel and titanium.

Exploration being carried out by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has placed the eastern

Himalayan State on the vanadium map of the country, and geologists are confident of

identifying a deposit soon.



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Consumption:

India is a significant consumer of vanadium, but is not a primary producer of the strategic

metal. It is recovered as a by-product from the slag collected from the processing of

vanadiferous magnetite ores.

According to data provided by the GSI, India consumed 4% of about 84,000 tonnes of

vanadium produced across the globe in 2017. China, which produces 57% of the world’s

vanadium, consumed 44% of the metal.

Vanadium mineralisation in Arunachal Pradesh is geologically similar to the “stone coal”

vanadium deposits of China hosted in carbonaceous shale. This high vanadium content is

associated with graphite, with a fixed carbon content of up to 16%.

Distribution:

Geologists discovered two bands of about 7-metre thick carbonaceous phyllite for a length of

more than 6 km in the Depo area. This prompted the GSI to extend its search to other areas

of the State.

“Good prospects” of vanadium for a cumulative length of 15.5 km and an average thickness

of 7 m were found in the Deed, Saiya and Phop areas of Lower Subansiri district.

Vanadium content was also found in the Pakro area of Pakke-Kesang district, Palin-Sangram

in Kra Daadi, Kalamati in West Siang, Kalaktang in West Kameng and Kaying in Siang district.

The expected grade of vanadium mineralisation in Arunachal Pradesh is comparable to the

important vanadium deposits of the world. The largest deposits are in China, followed by

Russia and South Africa.

2. More flash droughts in India



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In 1979, India faced a severe flash drought, affecting about 40% of the country and taking a

toll on agriculture. An article published that year in the journal India International Centre

Quarterly noted that the big granaries of Uttar Pradesh and Andhra were affected, and the

country suffered a loss of about Rs.5,000 crores. A new study has now pointed out that India

could experience more such flash droughts by the end of this century.

Flash droughts

Flash droughts are those that occur very quickly, with soil moisture depleting rapidly.

Normally, developing drought conditions take months, but these happen within a week or in

two weeks’ time. Several factors including atmospheric anomalies, anthropogenic greenhouse

gas emissions play an important role.

The top five flash droughts based on the overall severity score occurred in 1979 followed by

2009, 1951, 1986 and 2005.

To predict the future flash droughts the team used a Community Earth System Model which

simulates the summer monsoon precipitation, sea surface temperature, role of El Nino

Southern Oscillation, and air temperature over India.

The analysis showed a considerable rise in the frequency of extremely dry and hot years in the

coming three decades. They also examined the role of greenhouse gas emissions, industrial

aerosols, and land-use/land-cover change.

The frequency of concurrent hot and dry extremes is projected to rise by about five-fold,

causing an approximately seven-fold increase in flash droughts like 1979 by the end of the

21st century.

This increased frequency of flash droughts can have deleterious implications for crop

production, irrigation demands and groundwater abstraction in India.

POLITY & GOVERNANCE:

1. Project for affordable housing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of six Light House Projects in six cities

as part of the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) initiative.

The aim of the programme is to build around 1,000 houses each in Indore (Madhya Pradesh),

Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow



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(Uttar Pradesh) over a period of 12 months. Modern construction practices from countries

such as France, Germany and Canada would be adopted.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has conceptualized a Global Housing Technology

Challenge - India (GHTC- India) which aims to identify and mainstream a basket of innovative

technologies from across the globe for the housing construction sector that are sustainable,

eco-friendly and disaster-resilient.

The Prime Minister declared the year 2019-20 as ‘Construction Technology Year’ while

inaugurating GHTC-India in March 2019.

3 Components of GHTC-India:

o Grand Expo and Conference: It is organized biennially to provide a platform to all stakeholders

associated with housing construction for the exchange of knowledge and business.

o Proven Demonstrable Technologies for the Construction of Lighthouse Projects: These

projects demonstrate the merits of the selected technologies and serve as live laboratories

for research, testing, technology transfer, increasing mass awareness and for mainstreaming

them in the country.

o Potential Future Technologies for Incubation and Acceleration Support: Potential future

technologies from India that are applicable to the housing sector will be supported and

encouraged through the ASHA (Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators) India program.

Another major initiative — the Central rental housing complex project — was conceived last

year, for migrant labourers. The project was being implemented in coordination with

industrialists and other investors.

2. Private hospitals keen on vaccine role

Private healthcare providers say they are keen on offering COVID-19 vaccination, with the

Union government stating that its priority now is to vaccinate the most vulnerable groups

immediately.



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Currently, the vaccine is not available in the private sector. The government is focused on

vaccinating its priority group with beneficiaries having to register with the government.

Senior health officials said the government could bring in measures to help a larger population

to get vaccinated.

3. 10% of CSIR staff exposed to virus

A first such pan-India survey tracking nearly 10,000 employees of the Council of Scientific and

Industrial Research (CSIR) on the prevalence of COVID-19 found that nearly 10% of the staff

were infected.

Key neutralising antibodies that protect against the virus waned after infection, but were at

“detectable levels” even after six months — a proxy for the period of effectiveness of future

vaccination and general immunity, the serology survey found.

About three-fourths of the respondents could not recall having experienced a single one of

the symptoms commonly associated with the disease, and a vegetarian diet and smoking

appeared to be “protective” against the infection.

An association between smoking and protection against SARS-CoV-2, or lower odds of

infection by the virus, has also been reported in studies in China and France. CSIR staff and

family members who volunteered to be part of the survey filled out questionnaires on their

lifestyle, food and disease histories. They were also tested with two different kinds of antibody

tests to study the kinds of antibodies that were produced following infection.



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It usually takes a week to a fortnight after being infected for antibodies to be detected in the

blood.

4. India to fly out vaccines to neighbours

India will begin to ship out lakhs of doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine to neighbouring

countries, with the first batches expected to reach Bhutan and the Maldives among several

countries by special planes as a grant or gift.

The External Affairs Ministry said shipments to Bhutan, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal,

Myanmar and the Seychelles would commence this week, while those to Sri Lanka,

Afghanistan and Mauritius were awaiting “necessary regulatory clearances”.

The release of the shipments is part of the government’s “Neighbourhood First” initiative, and

will make India the first country to reach COVID-19 vaccines in South Asia, ahead of China,

which has promised but not so far delivered, the World Health Organization and GAVI’s

vaccine alliance programme.

Bhutan will receive the first shipment of 1,50,000 Covishield vaccines. The government hopes

to ship about 1 million doses to Thimphu, the country it shares the closest ties with in the

neighbourhood.

Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said his government has decided to stockpile the

vaccines to roll out a mass vaccination programme for its targeted population of 5,33,000

people.

The only exception to India’s regional vaccine diplomacy would be Pakistan, which has cleared

the AstraZeneca vaccine for use, but has neither requested nor discussed any doses from India

yet.

5. Village celebrates its newborn daughters



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It’s celebration time in Haridaspur, a remote village in Telangana, whenever a girl is born.

What’s more, all girl children in the village located in Kondapur mandal of Sangareddy district

are going to have accounts of Sukanya Samriddi Yojana (SSY), a savings scheme being

implemented by the Union government.

As many as eight girl children of the village born last year and 49 girls born before that are

going to have the SSY accounts shortly.

The transformation

It all began on January 1, 2020 when Satyavati of the village gave birth to Bhavyasri on that

day. She was the third girl child in the family. There were issues in the family over the third

girl child.

Hearing about this, both Mr. Shafi and Mr. Kulkarni visited the family and counselled them

saying there was nothing wrong in giving birth to a girl child. They celebrated the birthday of

Bhavyasri and since then have been celebrating the birth of every girl child by distributing

sweets and lighting lamps.

About the place:

Haridaspur is a Village in Kondapur Mandal in Medak District of Telangana State, India. It

belongs to Telangana region . As part Telangana Districts re-organisation , Haridaspur Village

Kondapur Mandal re organised from Medak District to Sangareddy district. It is located 15 KM

towards South from District head quarters Sangareddi. 2 KM from Kondapur.

6. COVID-19 curve flattened

India has flattened its COVID-19 graph and 146 districts recorded no new cases in the last

seven days, 18 districts in 14 days, six districts in 21 days and 21 districts in 28 days.

Out of the total active cases, 0.46% were on ventilators, 2.20% in ICU and 3.02% on oxygen

support. As many as 165 cases of the U.K. variant were reported and the patients were under

supervised quarantine and surveillance.

112.4 lakh doses of COVID vaccines were distributed to States/UTs three days ahead of the

exercise. “Additional 115.6 lakh doses to States/UTs were completed on January 20 and

69,000 programme managers, 2.5 lakh vaccinators and 4.4 lakh other team members have

been trained so far.



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93,76,030 healthcare workers and 53,94,098 frontline workers were registered on the Co-WIN

portal.

Sixteen AEFI [adverse event following immunisation] hospitalisations out of 23 lakh

vaccinations so far translates to just 0.0007%, with no case of severe/serious AEFI or death

due to vaccination reported so far.

7. Budget session to have Question Hour

The Question Hour, which had been suspended by the government during the monsoon

session, will resume when Parliament meets for the Budget session from January 29.

The government had claimed that the suspension of the Question Hour, which gives the

Opposition an opportunity to hold the government accountable, was an additional

precautionary measure to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The suspension had been strongly criticised by the Opposition.

As during the monsoon session, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha will meet at alternate

sessions to ensure that all the three chambers — Rajya Sabha hall, Lok Sabha hall and the

Central Hall — were available for both Houses to seat members in keeping with the physical

distancing norms.

Between sessions

The Rajya Sabha will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Lok Sabha in the second half from 4

p.m. to 8 p.m. The two hours between the sessions will be used to sanitise the area.

Parliamentarians will sit in all the three chambers when President Ram Nath Kovind addresses

the joint session of Parliament at the start of the session.

Mr. Birla said all MPs will be requested to undergo a COVID-19 test before the start of the

Budget session. The Lok Sabha Speaker said all the arrangements had been made for RT-PCR

tests to be done near their residences too.

Mr. Birla said food served in Parliament canteens for MPs and visitors will cost more as the

subsidy allotted for it has been withdrawn, though he did not clarify the financial implications

of the move.

The subsidy on food supplied at the canteen cost nearly Rs.8 crore.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

1. Core sector output shrinks 2.6% in November

Output from India’s eight core sectors hit a three-month low in November, contracting 2.6%

in the festive month with coal, fertilizers and electricity the only sectors to record positive

growth on a year-on-year basis, suggesting the economy is still not out of the woods.



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The good news is that the Index of Eight Core Industries was revised upwards for both August

and October, based on updated data inputs received by the Office of Economic Adviser in the

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade that compiles the data.

Core sector output shrank by just 0.9% in October compared to an earlier estimate of 2.5%

contraction. The index had contracted 0.1% in September, while revised final numbers for

August reflect a 6.9% contraction compared to the original estimate of a far sharper 8.5%

contraction.

Electricity output rose for the third month in a row, albeit at a slower pace of 2.2%, while coal

production rose year-on-year for the fourth month in a row at 2.9%. Fertilizer production

continued to grow, rising 1.6% in November. Fertilizer remains the only sector to have

recorded growth in the first eight months of 2020-21, growing 3.8% between April and

November 2020-21.

On a cumulative basis from April to November, the eight sectors’ index has declined 11.4%

from the same period a year ago.

These sectors account for around 40% of the Index of Industrial Production or IIP.

Refinery products, natural gas and crude oil output continued to decline, falling 4.8%, 9.3%

and 4.9%, respectively. A fresh cause of concern, however, emerged in the steel and cement

sectors, where output collapsed by 4.4% and 7.1%, respectively, in November, after a fledgling

recovery.

2. EPFO starts crediting 8.5% interest

EPFO assists the Central Board in administering a compulsory contributory Provident Fund

Scheme, a Pension Scheme and an Insurance Scheme for the workforce engaged in the

organised sector in India. It is also the nodal agency for implementing Bilateral Social Security

Agreements with other countries on a reciprocal basis.



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The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has started crediting 8.5% interest for

2019-2020 to around 6 crore EPF subscribers.

Of the amount, the 8.15% came from debt income and 0.35% from capital gains from the sale

of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).

The EPFO had proposed in September to make the payment in two instalments of 8.15% and

0.35% after selling its investments in the ETFs. However, after the sale of the investments, it

was able to propose crediting the entire 8.5% interest in one go.

3. Interest rate on PPF, NSC unchanged for Q4

The government kept the interest rates on small savings schemes, including PPF and NSC,

unchanged for the January-March quarter amid moderating bank deposit rates.

Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National Savings Certificate (NSC) will continue to carry an

annual interest rate of 7.1% and 6.8%, respectively.

Interest rates for small savings schemes are notified by the Finance Ministry on a quarterly

basis.

The interest rate for the five-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme has been retained at 7.4%.

The interest on the senior citizens’’ scheme is paid quarterly. Interest rate on savings deposits

has been retained at 4% annually.

Girl child scheme

The girl child savings scheme Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana will offer a 7.6% rate during the third

quarter of the current fiscal. The annual interest rate on Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) has been

retained at 6.9%. Term deposits of 1-5 years will fetch an interest rate in the range of 5.5-

6.7%, to be paid quarterly, while the interest rate on five-year recurring deposit is pegged at

5.8%.



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4. 10 lakh tonnes of sugar set for export

Exporters have started entering into contracts for sugar exports and sugar has started moving

for shipments, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said. According to the association,

exporters are said to have entered into contracts for export of about 10 lakh tonnes of sugar

so far.

Considering that the world wants Indian sugar, and the fact that sugar production is lower in

Thailand, EU, etc., India should be able to export its targeted volume with the support of the

Rs.6,000 per tonne of export subsidy during 2020-2021 [sugar season].

As many as 481 sugar mills have produced 110.22 lakh tonnes of sugar in the current sugar

season that started in October 2020.

5. New freight corridor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the New Rewari-New Madar section of the

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor and flagged off the world’s first 1.5-km-long electrified

double stack long haul container train.

The section, which became operational after a hard work of five to six years, would be

beneficial to farmers, industrialists and businessmen in the National Capital Region, Haryana

and Rajasthan.



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The corridor would lead to the development of growth centres and points in several cities,

creation of job opportunities and conditions attracting more investments. It would give a new

fillip to the local industries and manufacturing units by providing them faster and cheaper

access to the national and international markets.

One more:

A portion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, the New Bhaupur-New Khurja section,

was started last month and through it, farm produce were being transported from Punjab and

coal from Jharkhand was being supplied to the National Capital Region, Haryana and Punjab.

Compared to the previous freight train average speed of 25 km/hour, the maximum of 90

km/hour had now been achieved.

In all, 133 railway stations in nine States would be impacted by the Dedicated Freight Corridor.

New multi-model logistic parks, freight terminals, container depots/terminals and parcel hubs

would be developed at these places. It would not only benefit villages, farmers, the poor and

the small businesses, but also attract big manufacturers, he said.

With the launch of the double stack long haul container train between New Ateli in Haryana

and New Kishanganj in Rajasthan, India had also entered the club of nations with such high

capabilities.



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6. Steep steel prices

With several automakers recently announcing price increases to offset input costs, steel prices

have come under the spotlight.

Steelmakers in turn have been impacted by surging global prices of iron ore, the main raw

material, as demand from China has soared. And with Indian iron ore production having seen

a dip in recent months, steel producers have been caught in a bind.

Reasons:

China’s focussed fiscal stimulus for the construction sector has led to a sustained and strong

uptick in steel demand there. Steel demand in China is expected to cross the 1 billion [tonnes]

mark for the first time [in 2020].

Indian iron ore exports had doubled to 40.7 million tonnes (mt) in 2020, from the previous

year’s 19.1 mt. Of this, China alone accounted for 38.1 mt versus the 16.6 mt that it imported

from India in 2019. Iron ore exports are attractive for Indian miners because global prices are

now at about $170 a tonne. “Earlier, iron ore touching $100 was news. $165-170 is a once-in-

a-lifetime price.

Australia is a major trading partner for China but bilateral ties have run into rough weather

after the former called for a probe into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian iron

ore has so far been spared from higher duties and customs delays, as 60% of China’s

requirements have traditionally come from the island nation.



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After record iron ore exports in October, Australia saw its figures dip 2.2% month-on-month

in November, ostensibly due to the cyclone season when Australian port activity tends to get

affected.

The other factor influencing iron ore supply and prices in India is a decline in production,

especially at mines in Odisha.

Iron ore output fell 30% from the year-earlier period to 92.1 mt in April-October 2020. The ISA

also urged a temporary ban on iron ore exports and cited frequent increases in domestic iron

ore prices by state-run NMDC as particularly impacting smaller steel producers – which

account for about 40% of India’s 140 mt steel capacity.

7. Working group on digital lending

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a working group on digital lending — including

online platforms and mobile apps — to study all aspects of digital lending activities in the

regulated financial sector as well as by unregulated players.

This is to ensure that an appropriate regulatory approach is put in place.

Significance of Digital Lending:

It helps in meeting the huge unmet credit need, particularly in the microenterprise and low-

income consumer segment in India.

It helps in reducing informal borrowings as it simplifies the process of borrowing.

Indians continue to borrow from family and friends, and moneylenders, sometimes at

unreasonably high interest rates, primarily because these loans are more flexible and

convenient.

It decreases time spent on working loan applications in-branch. Digital lending platforms have

also been known to cut overhead costs by 30-50%.

Issues with Digital Lending Platforms:

Growing number of unauthorised digital lending platforms and mobile applications as:

They charge excessive rates of interest and additional hidden charges.

They adopt unacceptable and high-handed recovery methods.

They misuse agreements to access data on mobile phones of borrowers.

The working group consists of both internal and external members.

Digital loan

It consists of lending through web platforms or mobile apps, by taking advantage of

technology for authentication and credit assessment. India's digital lending market has

seen a significant rise over the years.



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The working group will evaluate digital lending activities and assess the penetration and

standards of outsourced digital lending activities in RBI regulated entities; identify the risks

posed by unregulated digital lending to financial stability, regulated entities and consumers;

and suggest regulatory changes to promote orderly growth of digital lending.

It will also recommend measures for expansion of specific regulatory or statutory perimeter

and suggest the role of various regulatory and government agencies. It will also recommend

a robust fair practices code for digital lending players.

The group will submit its report within three months.

8. Indian economy ‘weak,’ credit growth bottoming out: BofA

The Bank of America Corporation is an American multinational investment bank and financial

services holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the second largest

banking institution in the United States, after JPMorgan Chase, and the eighth largest bank in

the world.

American brokerage BofA Securities said the Indian economy continues to be ‘weak,’ pointing

to activity indicators tracked by it.

The indicator fell by 0.6% in November on top of the 0.8% decline in October, and 4.6% drop

in the September quarter. This supports our call of GVA (gross value added) contractions of

1% in the December quarter and 6.7% in FY21.

On the positive side, the brokerage said credit demand is bottoming out and the real lending

rates, adjusted for wholesale price inflation, are falling.

The credit growth for FY22 will come at 12%, it said. It can be noted that credit growth had

been declining for the last few years, in sync with a dip in the overall economic growth which

has been on a downward spiral since demonetisation in late 2016 as borrowers went slow on

expansion.

The real lending rates adjusted for WPI will be one of the prime reasons for the faster credit

growth estimate in financial year 2022.

9. Pandemic pushes States’ borrowings up by 82.5%

States’ borrowings during April-December 2020 were 82.5% higher compared with the

corresponding period of the previous year, on account of the pandemic, according to a study.

Till December 11, 2020, the States netted Rs.4.6 lakh crore through market borrowings.

The figure included Rs.36,000 crore borrowed by the Centre and passed on to the States to

meet the shortfall in revenue arising on account of the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

implementation, said the study carried out by the PRS Legislative Research, a New Delhi-based

independent and not-for-profit group.

The current financial year’s figure of borrowings pertained to net borrowings, which excluded

repayments, and this was compared with similar borrowings made in the previous year.

A perusal of data available on revenue receipts of 21 states reveals that while the states raised

only 37% of the full-year target during April-October 2020, they generated 52% of their annual

revenue in the corresponding period of 2019.

10. Billionaires’ wealth rose 35% during lockdown

Indian billionaires increased their wealth by 35% to Rs.3 trillion during the lockdown, ranking

them behind their counterparts in U.S., China, Germany, Russia and France, says the

“Inequality Virus Report” brought out by Oxfam, a non-profit organisation.

The rise in fortunes of the top 100 billionaires is enough to give every one of the 138 million

poorest Indian people a cheque for Rs.94,045, the report released on the opening day of the

World Economic Forum in Davos said.



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The wealth of just the top 11 billionaires during the pandemic could easily sustain the

MGNREGS or the Health Ministry for the next 10 years, it said underscoring the deepening

inequalities due to COVID-19 where the wealthiest escaped the worst impact of the pandemic

while the poor faced joblessness, starvation and death.

It recommended reintroducing the wealth tax and effecting a one-time COVID-19 cess of 4%

on taxable income of over Rs.10 lakh to help the economy recover from the lockdown.

According to its estimate, a wealth tax on the nation’s 954 richest families could raise the

equivalent of 1% of the GDP.

Poor access

According to the report, only 6% of the poorest 20% have access to non-shared sources of

improved sanitation, compared to 93.4% of the top 20%. As much as 59.6% of India’s

population lived in a room or less, which meant that protocols necessary to prevent the spread

of COVID-19 cannot be followed.

11. ‘Green’ tax mooted for personal vehicles

Owners of old vehicles will have to pay the government a ‘green’ tax as a penalty for polluting

the environment, which will be much steeper if you reside in one of the more polluted cities

in India.

Personal vehicles will be charged a tax at the time of renewal of Registration Certification after

15 years. The levy may differ depending on fuel (petrol/diesel) and type of vehicle. The

proposal will now go to the States for consultation before it is formally notified. It includes 10-

25% of road tax on transport vehicles older than eight years at the time of renewal of fitness

certificate.

The proposal on green tax also includes steeper penalty of up to 50% of road tax for older

vehicles registered in some of the highly polluted cities in the country.

The policy will come into effect from April 1, 2022.

In 2016, the Centre had floated a draft Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme

that aimed to take 28 million decade-old vehicles off the road. A panel of secretaries

suggested the scheme may combine a phased regulatory approach for capping the life of

vehicles along with stricter emission norms.

12. Overseas investment by Indian firms dipped

Overseas investment by domestic firms fell by over 42% to $1.45 billion in December 2020,

according to Reserve Bank data.

In the year earlier period, companies in India had invested $2.51 billion in their foreign firms

(joint ventures / wholly owned units).



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In November 2020, the total outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) was of $1.06 billion,

down by 27% from a month earlier.

Of the total FDI investment by the Indian companies during the month under review, $775.41

million was in the form of equity infusion and $382.91 million was in the form of loan.

Investment of $287.63 million was in the form of issuance of guarantee, as per the data.

Among major investors, ONGC Videsh Ltd. invested a total of $131.85 million in joint ventures

and wholly owned subsidiaries in Myanmar, Russia, Vietnam, Colombia, British Virgin Islands

among others.

Intas Pharmaceuticals invested $75.22 million in a wholly owned subsidiary in the U.K. and

Tata Consultancy Services invested $27.77 million in a wholly owned unit in Ireland.

13. India’s gold demand fell

Gold demand in India hit a 25-year low at 446.4 tonnes in 2020, compared with 690.4 tonnes

in 2019 due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown and on account of record high prices, the India

office of the World Gold Council said.

Total jewellery demand in India for 2020 was down by 42% at 315.9 tonnes compared with

544.6 tonnes in 2019. The value of jewellery fell 22% to Rs.1,33,260 crore, from Rs.1,71,790

crore in 2019.

Total investment demand for the calendar year was down by 11% at 130.4 tonnes in

comparison with 145.8 tonnes in the previous year.

“India’s gold demand dropped by over a third in 2020 settling at 446.4 tonnes, on the back of

COVID-induced lockdowns and lifetime high prices,” Somasundaram P.R., managing director,

India, World Gold Council, said.

14. China is still largest source of critical imports for India

China still remains the largest source of critical imports for India, from mobile phone

components to pharmaceutical ingredients, and India is working on a multi-pronged strategy

to reduce this reliance, which is a bigger concern than the imbalance in trade.

A mobile phone requires 85% content coming from one country. If China were to stop the

active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for penicillin, we would not be able to produce it in

this country. When somebody controls your production, that is a sentiment which raises

concern.

PLI scheme

India was working on a multi-pronged strategy to reduce this dependence, ranging from the

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost domestic manufacturing, a global effort

involving India’s foreign missions to find alternatives to China, and the use of free trade

agreements (FTAs) with other trading partners.



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COVID-19 had helped accelerate this change. When production in China was hit early in 2020,

although its economy would recover by the summer and become the only major economy to

avoid contraction last year, India shared with its foreign missions lists of items critically

dependent on China, following which the missions linked up with suppliers in their countries.

China still remained the biggest source of India’s imports, but imports last year fell 10.8%, the

lowest since 2016. Two-way trade in 2020 reached $87.6 billion, down by 5.6%, while the

trade deficit declined to a five year-low of $45.8 billion.

On the trade front with China, he said India’s exporters had struggled for years but made little

headway because of a number of non-tariff barriers. In 2018, both sides signed a number of

protocols, including for rice and tobacco, but “none of this materialised in substantial trade”.

India’s exports to China did, however, cross $20 billion for the first time last year.

ENVIRONMENT & BIODIVERSITY:

1. Sunderbans is home to 428 species of birds

The Indian Sunderbans, which is part of the largest mangrove forest in the world, is home to

428 species of birds, a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) states.

Authors of the publication said the book, with photographs of the males and females of

various species, is aimed to kindle interest and spread knowledge about birds among people

from all walks of life — from forest staff to tourists to amateur birdwatchers.

The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4,200 sq. km, also includes the Sunderban Tiger Reserve

of 2,585 sq. km — home to about 96 royal Bengal tigers (as per the last census in 2020). It is a

world heritage site and a Ramsar site (a wetland site designated to be of international

importance).

The scientists said of the 428 birds listed, some, like the masked finfoot and the Buffy fish owl,

are recorded only from the Sunderbans. The area is home to nine out of 12 species of

kingfishers found in the country as well rare species such as the Goliath heron and the spoon-

billed sandpiper.

India has over 1,300 species of birds and if 428 species of birds are from the Sunderbans, it

means that one in every three birds in the country is found in the unique ecosystem.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

1. India cultures new coronavirus strain

India has successfully cultured the new coronavirus strain, which was first reported in the U.K.

according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The ICMR claimed that no country had yet reported successful isolation and culture of the

new variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside

their natural environment.



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2. COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use

The Central Drugs and Standards Committee (CDSCO) formally approved COVID-19 vaccines

by Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India (SII).

This allows the vaccines — Covishield by SII and based on Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, and

Covaxin by Bharat Biotech — to be offered to healthcare workers and frontline workers in

India. The Health Ministry had said that 3 crore such personnel, considered at the highest risk

for COVID-19, would be given the vaccine for free. It isn’t yet known which vaccine will be

made available to these personnel though officials said roll-outs could begin in less than a

fortnight.

Yet to complete trials

Neither Covishield nor Covaxin has completed the crucial Phase-3 trial, under which a vaccine

candidate is administered to volunteers at multiple locations across the country. The approval

was based on a recommendation by a Subject Expert Committee which deliberated for two

days on granting approvals to the vaccines.

The minutes of the SEC meeting aren’t yet available. However, a Health Ministry statement

said the vaccine’s efficacy in Indian volunteers was “comparable” to that tested in overseas

trials.

3. Banana grit

Scientists at the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at

Pappanamcode in Kerala have come up with a new product, banana grit or granules,

developed from raw Nendran bananas.

Billed as an ideal ingredient for a healthy diet, banana grit can be used for making a wide range

of dishes, according to the NIIST. The product resembles to ‘rava’ and broken wheat.

The Institute added that years of research on the Nendran variety helped it open up a new

application for the starch-rich banana.

Generally consumed ripe, Nendran banana also finds use in typical Kerala dishes such as avial

and thoran. The granules can be used for making upma, or it can be mixed with banana

powder for porridge, with milk or coconut milk for use as a health drink. Banana powder can

be used for making cakes and breads, along with refined wheat flour.



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Developing new uses for Nendran also comes as a boon to farmers who have often been

struggling against falling prices, according to the scientists.

The technology had been transferred to Kochi-based Moza Organic and the product is

expected to be in the market soon.

4. FSSAI slashes limit for transfat levels in foods

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty

acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit

of 5% through an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction

on Sales) Regulations.

The revised regulation applies to edible refined oils, vanaspati (partially hydrogenated oils),

margarine, bakery shortenings and other mediums of cooking such as vegetable fat spreads

and mixed fat spreads.

Transfats are associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart

disease.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 5.4 lakh deaths take place each

year globally because of the intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids.

Changalikodan Nendran Banana or famously known as Changalikodan is a banana variety

originated and cultivated in Chengazhikodu village of Thrissur District in Kerala state of

India. Changalikodan, now are cultivated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river. It is

grown in Erumapetty, Wadakkancherry, Mundoor, Kaiparambu, Desamangalam and

Thayyur of Thrissur District.

The WHO has also called for global elimination of trans fats by 2023

Trans fats are found in two forms — natural, which occur in some animal products and

aren’t considered harmful, and artificial, which are hydrogenated vegetable oils and have

serious health consequences.



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While the regulation comes into effect immediately, industry players were made to take a

pledge back in 2018 that they would comply with the WHO’s call for action to reduce TFA by

3% by 2021 allowing them three years to comply with the latest norm.

It was in 2011 that India first passed a regulation that set a TFA limit of 10% in oils and fats,

which was further reduced to 5% in 2015.

AWARDS & REPORTS:

1. World food price index

World food prices rose for a seventh consecutive month in December, with all the major

categories, barring sugar, posting gains, according to United Nations food agency.

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly

changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 107.5

points last month versus 105.2 in November. For the whole of 2020, the benchmark index

averaged 97.9 points, a three-year high and a 3.1% increase from 2019.

It was still down more than 25% from its historical peak in 2011.

World Food Price Index

The FAO Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices

of a basket of food commodities.

It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices [cereal, vegetable,

dairy, meat and sugar], weighted with the average export shares.

The index has become a critical and timely monthly indicator of the state of

international food markets, gauging the change in food commodity prices over time

in nominal and real terms.



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Vegetable oil prices continued recent strong gains, jumping 4.7% month-on-month in

December after surging more than 14% in November. For the whole of 2020, the index was

up 19.1% on 2019.

The cereal price index posted a more modest 1.1% rise in December from the month before.

For all of 2020, the index averaged 6.6% above 2019 levels.

Export prices for wheat, maize, sorghum and rice all rose in December, moving higher in part

due to concerns over growing conditions and crop prospects in North and South America as

well as Russia, the Rome-based FAO said.

The dairy index climbed 3.2% on the month, however, over the whole of 2020, it averaged

some 1% less than in 2019. Bucking the rises in other indices, average sugar prices dipped by

0.6% in December. Last month, the FAO revised down its harvest forecast for the 2020 cereal

season for a third month running, cutting it to 2.74 billion tonnes from a previous 2.75 billion

tonnes.

2. Gujarat rivers remain highly polluted

The unchecked flow of untreated industrial effluent into rivers in Gujarat has led to increasing

pollution in the Sabarmati, Mahisagar, Narmada, Vishwamitri and Bhadar.

According to data from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), the Sabarmati is

among the most polluted rivers in the country.

Gujarat ranks fourth among the top five States with highly polluted rivers, with as many as 20

rivers in the critically polluted category. Recently, a thick froth on the Mahisagar, along a

stretch of several kilometres, raised serious concern, prompting the Gujarat Pollution Control

Board (GPCB) to constitute a high-level committee to study the rising level of pollution in the

river.

As per the official parameters, if the chemical oxygen demand (COD), which indicates organic

pollutant load, is higher than 250 mg per litre, then it should not be released into the rivers.

“Most of the Gujarat rivers where the effluents are dumped into, the COD level is in the range

of 700 to 1000 mg per litre. While Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level [indicating the health of a river]

in perennial rivers like Mahisgar should be in the range of 6 to 8 mg per litre, it is actually

below 2.9 mg per litre.



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3. NITI Aayog index

Karnataka retained its leadership position in the major States category in the second edition

of India Innovation Index released by NITI Aayog.

It was followed by Maharashtra, which moved past Tamil Nadu to occupy the second place.

Other States in the top 10 are Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar

Pradesh and Punjab. Barring Maharashtra, all other States in the top five are in the south.

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar scored the lowest on the index, which put them at the

bottom in the “major States” category.



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“Karnataka’s rank is attributable to its substantive number of venture capital deals, registered

Geographical Indications and information and communications technology exports. Its high

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow has also enhanced the innovation capabilities of the

State.

With the pandemic triggering an economic shutdown, the role of innovation to revitalise the

economy has never been more important.

4. Best tableau award

Uttar Pradesh was adjudged the best tableau among the 32 tableaux, 17 from States and

Union Territories (UTs), nine from various Ministries, departments and paramilitary forces and

six from Defence Ministry, that participated in the Republic Day parade, the Defence Ministry

said.

The tableau of Uttar Pradesh was based on the theme Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar

Pradesh. Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports and MoS, Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju

gave away the awards to the participants on Thursday. Tableau of Tripura and Uttrakhand

were adjudged the second and third best respectively.



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5. COVID-19 performance ranking

New Zealand and Vietnam were ranked the best performing countries in their response to the

pandemic, according to a COVID-19 “performance index” put together by the Lowy Institute,

an Australian think tank, which sought to assess the impact of geography, political systems

and economic development in assessing outcomes.

The index, which was based on six different indicators, including confirmed cases and deaths

per million people and the scale of testing, sought “to gauge the relative performance of

countries”, assessing 98 countries in the 36 weeks that followed their hundredth case.

Fewer reported cases and deaths, both in aggregate and per capita terms, point towards a

better response to the virus. “More tests conducted on a per capita basis reveal a more

accurate picture of the extent of the pandemic at the national level. Lower rates of positive

tests, meanwhile, indicate greater degrees of control over the transmission of COVID-19.”

Statistics:

India ranked 86 out of 98 countries, while the U.S. stood at 94 and Brazil at the bottom of the

index. Taiwan, Thailand and Cyprus were in the top five. Sri Lanka was the best faring nation

in South Asia, ranking 10, while the Maldives was at 25, Pakistan at 69, Nepal at 70, and

Bangladesh at 84.

China was not included due to a lack of publicly available data on testing.

Population size was one factor. Smaller countries with fewer than 10 million people

“consistently outperformed their larger counterparts throughout 2020”.

The level of economic development and regime-type were less significant than expected,

which it attributed to the relatively ‘low-tech’ nature of the health measures used to mitigate

the spread of the virus which may have created a more level playing field between developed

and developing countries.



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“In general, countries with smaller populations, cohesive societies, and capable institutions

have a comparative advantage in dealing with a global crisis such as a pandemic.

MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Col. ‘Bull’ Kumar, Siachen hero, passes away at 87

News: Colonel Narinder ‘Bull’ Kumar (Retd.), instrumental in the Army launching Operation

Meghdoot and securing the dominating heights of Siachen Glacier in 1984, died at the Army’s

Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital. He was 87 and had age-related ailments.

Operation Meghdoot:

Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces' operation to seize

control of the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir, precipitating the Siachen conflict.

Executed in the morning of 13 April 1984, this military operation, launched in the highest

battlefield in the world, was the first offensive of its kind.

The operation preempted Pakistan's impending Operation Ababeel (which was intended to

achieve the same objective as Operation Meghdoot) and was a success, resulting in Indian

forces gaining control of the Siachen Glacier in its entirety.

About Bull Kumar:

Colonel Narendra Kumar was an Indian soldier and mountaineer. He is known for his

expeditions across various mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and Karakorams, and

respective subranges such as the Pir Panjals and Saltoro Mountains. His reconnaissance efforts

on the Siachen glacier were key to the Indian Army's reclamation of the forward posts of the

glacier in Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the deputy leader of the first successful Indian

Mount Everest expedition in 1965.



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Col. Kumar was awarded Padma Shri in 1965. He was decorated with Param Vishisht Seva

Medal, Kirti Chakra and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. He is a recipient of the Mac Gregor Medal

awarded to armed forces personnel for military reconnaissance. The battalion headquarters

on the glacier close to an altitude of 16,000 feet is named “Kumar post” in his honour.

2. Tejas fighters

In the biggest indigenous defence deal, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved

the manufacture of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL)

for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of around Rs.47,000 crore.

The Cabinet met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister in New Delhi on January 13 and

has approved procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1

trainer aircraft at the cost of Rs.45,696 crore along with design and development of

infrastructure sanctions worth Rs.1,202 crore.

40 modifications

The MK-1A would have over 40 modifications over the MK-1 variant, including some major

ones like an electronic warfare system, advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radar,

beyond visual range (BVR) missiles and a network warfare system comprising software

defined radio (SDR). The modifications would be incorporated on the LCA concurrently along

with the production once the deal is signed.

The Cabinet also approved infrastructure development by the IAF under the project to enable

them to handle repairs or servicing at their base depot so that the turnaround time is reduced

for mission critical systems, which would lead to increased availability of aircraft for

operational exploitation.

The first LCA MK-1A is expected to roll out 2023-24 onwards, after which HAL plans to ramp

up the production rate to 16 aircraft a year.

While a second line had been set up, production on both lines has been kept at eight aircraft

a year to keep the assembly running due to limited orders.

For the MK-1A, HAL is outsourcing significant work share to the private industry while it will

act as a ‘system of systems integrator’. HAL has has over 550 vendors for the LCA, which

includes five companies manufacturing the structures.

3. World’s largest vaccination programme begins

The world’s largest vaccination programme will begin at a total of 3,006 session sites across

all the States and the Union Territories, which will be connected virtually throughout the



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exercise. Nearly 100 beneficiaries will receive the vaccine at each of the session sites on the

first day.

Dedicated call centre

A dedicated 24x7 call centre — 1075 — has been set up to address queries related to the

pandemic and the vaccine roll-out, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said adequate doses of both the vaccines — Covishield

and Covaxin — had been delivered across the country. He reviewed the functioning of the

CoWIN system, the online digital platform that will be used to drive the vaccination

programme.

The vaccination drive, where the beneficiaries currently will not have a choice between the

two vaccines, has been planned in a phased manner after identifying the priority groups.

Healthcare workers, both in the government and private sectors, including Integrated Child

Development Services workers, will receive the vaccine in the first phase.

4. Double ignominy

Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump has entered the record books for being the only

American President to be impeached twice.

The moment of ignominy came after the House of Representatives passed a motion of

impeachment against him, this time for “incitement of insurrection,” following the assault on

the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 by a violent pro-Trump mob.

His first impeachment, in September 2019, was for “abuse of power” and “obstruction of

justice” over his dealings with Ukraine and attempts by Congress to investigate the same, yet

he survived in office owing to a Senate acquittal.

On this occasion, not only did the House vote resoundingly, by a margin of 232-197, to

impeach him but it passed with an unprecedented margin of bipartisan support after 10

Republicans crossed the aisle.



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Only three U.S. presidents have been formally impeached by Congress—Andrew Johnson, Bill

Clinton and Donald Trump. One of those presidents, Donald Trump, was impeached twice

during his single term. No U.S. president has ever been removed from office through

impeachment.

In addition to Johnson, Clinton and Trump, only one other U.S. president has faced formal

impeachment inquiries in the House of Representatives: Richard Nixon. Many other

presidents have been threatened with impeachment by political foes without gaining any real

traction in Congress.

5. Orvakal airport

The Orvakal airport on the outskirts of Kurnool city in Andhra Pradesh has got the approval of

the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after completion of all the mandatory safety

inspections and creation of infrastructure.

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body both makes and decides upon legal charges

against a government official. National legislations differ regarding both the definition and the

consequences of impeachment.

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office

on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.



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Orvakal is a village and a Mandal in Kurnool district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It

also forms a part of Kurnool Urban Development Authority.

6. Migratory birds flock to Punjab wetland

Winter migratory water birds using the central Asian flyway have started making a beeline to

Punjab’s Harike wetland, offering a delight for bird lovers.

Birds such as the Eurasian coot, greylag goose, bar-headed goose, gadwall and the northern

shoveler are the prominent ones that could be sighted at Harike. Among others species,

common pochard, spot-billed duck, little cormorant, pied avocet, great cormorant,

ferruginous pochard and common teal have been spotted.

“On an average, the number has been anywhere between 92,000 and 94,000 over the years.

The average number has been stable,” Geetanjali Kanwar, Coordinator - Rivers, Wetlands and

Water Policy, WWF-India, told The Hindu. But the number of some species, including northern

lapwing, Pacific golden plover, black-bellied tern and cotton pygmy goose, has dwindled, she

noted.

7. Gujarat and dragon fruit

The Gujarat government has decided to rename the dragon fruit as ‘kamalam’. According to

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, the fruit’s outer shape resembles a lotus, which is also the election

symbol of the BJP.

Farmers in Kutch, Navsari and other parts were growing the fruit and it should, therefore, have

a local name too. “Though it is known as dragon fruit, it does not sound appropriate. The word

‘kamalam’ is a Sanskrit word and the shape of the fruit does resemble the lotus flower,” the

chief minister said, adding that the renaming had nothing political about it.

Another reason Mr. Rupani cited for renaming the fruit was that the word dragon reminded

one of China.



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Cultivation in India:

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.), a herbaceous perennial climbing cactus, widely known as Red

Pitaya, has recently drawn much attention among the Indian growers, not only because of its

attractive red or pink color and economic value as fruit, but also valued for its high antioxidant

potential, vitamins and minerals content.

Being a native of Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, dragon fruit was introduced in

India during the late `90s and still the area under its cultivation is gradually increasing.

Farmers in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa,

West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have already taken up its

cultivation, and the estimated total area under Dragon fruit cultivation in these regions may

be less than 400 ha. Majority of the dragon fruits presently available in Indian markets are

imported from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

8. Padma awards – 2021

Padma Bhushan

S.No. Name Field State/Country

1. Krishna Nair Shantakumari

Chithra Art Kerala

2. Tarun Gogoi (Posthumous) Public Affairs Assam

3. Chandrashekhar Kambara Literature and

Education Karnataka



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4. Sumitra Mahajan Public Affairs Madhya

Pradesh

5. Nripendra Misra Civil Service Uttar Pradesh

6. Ram Vilas Paswan

(Posthumous) Public Affairs Bihar

7. Keshubhai Patel (Posthumous) Public Affairs Gujarat

8. Kalbe Sadiq (Posthumous) Others- Spiritualism Uttar Pradesh

9. Rajnikant Devidas Shroff Trade and Industry Maharashtra

10. Tarlochan Singh Public Affairs Haryana

Gallantry medals:

Mahavir Chakra

1. Col Bikumalla Santosh Babu, 16 Bihar (Posthumous)

Vir Chakra

1. NB Sub Nuduram Soren, 16 Bihar (Posthumous)

2. Hav K Palani, 81 FD Regt (Posthumous)

3. Hav Tejinder Singh, 3 Med REGT

4. NK Deepak Singh, AMC, 16 Bihar (Posthumous)

5. Sep Gurtej Singh, 3 Punjab (Posthumous)

Kirti Chakra

1. Sub Sanjiv Kumar, 4 Para (SF) (Posthumous)

Shaurya Chakra

1. Maj Anuj Sood, Guards, 21 RR (Posthumous)

2. RFN Pranab Jyoti Das, 6 Assam RIF

3. PTR Sonam Tshering Tamang, 4 PARA (SF)

MONTHLY NEWS DIARY - sosinclasses.com

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