UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS...CM unveils Mumbai’s new flood warning system, calls it a boon.....29...

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KUKAN’s WISDOM IAS

UPSC

CURRENT AFFAIRS

(June - 2020) VOLUME - 6

MONTHLY HINDU SHORT NOTES AND IT’s INTERLINKAGES

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CONTENTS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ............. 5

.China gets set to build power project in PoK ......... 5

India-Australia meet strengthens ties .................... 5

Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie Road .................... 6

The e- diplomacy experiment ................................... 7

Trump targets ICC with sanctions over Afghanistan

war crimes case ......................................................... 9

Elections for Non-permanent Members of the UNSC

.................................................................................... 9

U.S. Bill to sanction China over Uighur rights ..... 10

India to take part in meeting of RIC grouping ..... 11

Tariff Exemption on Bangladesh Exports: China . 12

Senkaku Islands ...................................................... 13

China to Join UN Arms Trade Treaty ................... 14

Trump suspends H-1B visas till year-end ............. 15

ASEAN Summit : South China Sea Issue ............. 16

UN 75 Declaration .................................................. 17

India, Bhutan sign pact for first joint hydel project19

‘Israel’s annexation plans are illegal’ .................... 20

ENVIROMENT .......................................... 22

Poaching Increased During Lockdown .................. 22

Oil spill in Russia’s Arctic region ........................... 22

Sixth Mass Extinction ............................................ 23

Environmental Performance Index ....................... 24

Blowout in Gas Well ............................................... 25

Gujarat’s pride grows as it now hosts 674 Gir lions26

Lion census method outdated: experts .................. 27

New guidelines for import of exotic species .......... 28

CM unveils Mumbai’s new flood warning system,

calls it a boon ........................................................... 29

Samples from Lonar lake sent for testing ............. 30

Scientists find ancient mammal ‘stepping stone’ .. 30

Thriving in seclusion .............................................. 30

ECONOMY & AGRICULTURE,

SCHEMES ............................................. 33

Economy to contract 3.2% in FY21: WB ................ 33

Commercial coal mining ......................................... 33

Government puts off decision on States’ GST dues

till July ..................................................................... 35

‘₹50,000 crore scheme for migrants’ ....................... 35

Anti-dumping Duty on Steel Imports .................... 36

Country of Origin Made Mandatory on GeM ........ 37

Co-operative Banks Under RBI Supervision......... 38

Cabinet nod for agri marketing reforms ................ 39

SWADES: Skill Mapping Exercise for Returning

Citizens .................................................................... 41

TULIP: The Urban Learning Internship Program41

Van Dhan Yojana helps tribals beat odds ............. 42

Jal Jeevan Mission .................................................. 43

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,

SECURITY ............................................ 44

Now, more light on sun’s coronal heating puzzle .. 44

India’s solar ferry sails into a global contest ......... 44

Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

.................................................................................. 45

R&D Portal for Mining: SATYABHAMA .............. 45

With space reforms, private sector to get level

playing field ............................................................. 46

TikTok among 59 apps banned by the Centre ...... 47

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE, SOCIAL

ISSUES & HEALTH ............................. 49

Vamsadhara River Water Dispute ......................... 49

Secrecy of ballot is key to free and fair elections: SC

.................................................................................. 50

Panchayats to get ₹10 lakh cr. till 2026 ................ 51

Antifa in USA .......................................................... 52

Odisha plans mega educational complexes for tribal

students ................................................................... 53

QS World University Rankings 2021 ..................... 54

India Rankings 2020 ............................................... 55

Education gap widened: UNESCO ........................ 55

STARS Programme: World Bank ........................... 57

Global Vaccine Summit .......................................... 58

Dexamethasone Drug ............................................. 59

59


INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

.China gets set to build power project in PoK

China, under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, will set

up a power project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir despite India‘s objection to it.

An agreement has been finalised to implement the Kohala hydroelectric power

project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

It is a 1,124-megawatt power project.

The project will be built on the Jhelum River and aims at annually providing more

It is reported that this marks one of the largest investments of USD 2.4 billion in

an independent power producer (IPP) in the region.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):

The 3,000-km-long CPEC is aimed at connecting China and Pakistan with rail,

road, pipelines and optical cable fiber networks.

It connects China‘s Xinjiang province with Pakistan‘s Gwadar port, providing

access to China to the Arabian Sea.

The CPEC passes through PoK, over which India has conveyed its protests to

China.

India’s Stand:

India had protested Pakistan‘s plans to build a dam in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying

such projects in territories under Pakistan‘s illegal occupation was not proper.

India protested to Pakistan awarding a mega contract to build a dam in Gilgit-

Baltistan. More about it in 15th May 2020 CNA.

It has been asserted time and again that India‘s position is clear and the entire

territory of Jammu and Kashmir is part of India.

In the past too, India has opposed projects jointly taken up by Pakistan and China

in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

(CPEC).

India-Australia meet strengthens ties

India-Australia held a bilateral virtual summit.

It is the first time that the Indian Prime Minister held a ―Bilateral Virtual

Summit‖.

The virtual summit signifies the strengthening of ties with Australia and its

upward trajectory.

India and Australia raised their relationship to a ―Comprehensive Strategic

Partnership‖ after the virtual summit.

They concluded nine agreements including a Mutual Logistics Support

Agreement (MLSA).

MLSA will allow both militaries the reciprocal use of bases, humanitarian and

disaster relief cooperation, port exercises, and passage exercises.

They issued a joint declaration on a ―Shared Vision for Maritime Cooperation in

the Indo-Pacific.‖



Other agreements announced included a framework arrangement on cyber

technology, an MoU on mining and processing critical and strategic minerals

including Australian rare earth metals used for electronics, governance, vocational

training and water management.

The two countries agreed to increase the frequency of meetings between the two

Prime Ministers.

They also took the ―2+2‖ format of bilateral meetings to the level of Foreign and

Defence Ministers, who will meet to discuss strategic issues at least every two

years.

Both sides agreed to continue to deepen and broaden defence cooperation by

enhancing the scope and complexity of their military exercises and engagement

activities to develop new ways to address shared security challenges.

The statement issued after the summit said, ―Both India and Australia share a

vision of a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific region to support the

freedom of navigation, overflight and peaceful and cooperative use of the seas by

adherence of all nations to international law including the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and peaceful resolution of disputes

rather than through unilateral or coercive actions‖.

Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie Road

The Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road has been in the making for around

two decades and is expected to be completed by 2020.

The 255-km road from Darbuk traverses at an altitude of 14,000 feet and reaches

Shyok, the last Indian village in the region.



This road joins Leh to the Karakoram Pass, which divides Ladakh from China‘s

Xinjiang province.

Between Shyok and Karakoram Pass lies Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), a plateau at an

altitude of over 16,000 feet and the location of an Advanced Landing Ground

(ALG) used by the air force to drop supplies.

DBO is India‘s northernmost corner, which in army parlance is called Sub-Sector

North.

Background:

The road‘s construction was started in 2000 and was to be completed by 2012 at a

cost of Rs. 320 crore under the monitoring of the Prime Minister‘s Office (PMO).

However, the construction could not be finished as the road was aligned with the

Shyok riverbed that led to it being damaged every summer during flooding.

Later, major portions of the road were realigned, keeping them away from the

river.

In October 2019, the 430 m Colonel Chewang Rinchen Setu over Shyok river was

inaugurated that joins Durbuk to DBO in Eastern Ladakh.

Along with it, the Siachen Glacier area of Ladakh was declared open for tourists

by the Government of India.

India has decided to not stop road construction on its side of the Line of Actual

Control (LAC) despite the border confrontations and objections by China as it

does not want India to utilise the DSDBO road to its full potential.

Significance of the Road:

DBO is located only 9 km away from the LAC with China and the road will help

manage the border and the areas adjoining Aksai Chin, Chip Chap River and

Jiwan Nalla.

It will also ensure faster deployment of troops in the area.

Before the laying of the road, the only way to reach the area was via the ALG,

where heavy-lift aircraft can land.

From the DSDBO road, a road branches off towards Galwan Valley which had

prompted the stand-off in Galwan Valley.

Indian troops have been patrolling up to this area but they will have road access

and can be present there.

The e- diplomacy experiment

The first India-Australia virtual leaders‘ summit.

The Indian PM has engaged in a few multilateral ‗e-diplomacy‘ rounds since the

COVID-19 outbreak like the SAARC leaders‘ video conference, G20 Leaders‘

Summit via video link and the Non-Aligned Movement virtual summit.

E-summits are physically safer for leaders and also time-saving and economical.

Effectiveness:There is a danger that ‗e-diplomacy‘ will become less productive in

terms of deliverables, especially with respect to crucial sticking points.

With backroom negotiations by lower-level bureaucrats communicating remotely,

online summits may not be able to satisfy the broader political goals and bigger

objectives.



Threat of cyber security:In pre-COVID-19 times, summit venues used to be

thoroughly sanitised and debugged to prevent sensitive foreign policy content

from being spied upon or leaked. E-diplomacy is riskier and could be subject to

hacking of classified content.

With Australia and India trying to forge coalitions of middle powers in sustaining

the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, gaps in diplomatic summits can convey

weakening of collective resolve.

Key partners like India and Australia have to get on with diplomatic relations and

hold high-level meetings as part of their strategic signalling. Having online

summit is better than no summit at all.



Trump targets ICC with sanctions over Afghanistan war

crimes case

U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court employees.

International Criminal Court:

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has been set-up to prosecute

war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

It was established in 2002.

It has jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute

atrocities itself.

War crimes in Afghanistan:

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor wants to investigate possible

crimes committed between 2003 and 2014, including alleged mass killings of

civilians by the Taliban, as well as the alleged torture of prisoners by Afghan

authorities and by the U.S. forces and the CIA.

The ICC decided to investigate after prosecutors‘ preliminary examination in

2017 found reasonable grounds to believe war crimes were committed in

Afghanistan and that the ICC has jurisdiction.

The U.S. President has issued an executive order authorising sanctions against

individuals involved in an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into

whether U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

The order authorises economic sanctions and travel curbs against Court

employees. The order authorises the concerned authorities to block assets in the

U.S. of ICC employees involved in the probe, and also block their entry into the

U.S.

U.S. arguments:

Given the fact that the U.S. government has never been a member of the ICC, it

claims that its citizens cannot be prosecuted against without the consent of the

U.S. The U.S. administration claims that the probe threatens to infringe on U.S.

sovereignty by pressurizing American service members and intelligence officers.

Afghanistan, though a member of the ICC, has argued that any war crimes should

be prosecuted locally.

with the dubious objective of maligning the U.S. and accused Russia of having a

role.

Elections for Non-permanent Members of the UNSC

India’s Election:

India is standing unopposed as the nominee for the Asia-Pacific seat, for the

2021-22 term and needs the vote of two-thirds of UNGA members (129 votes) to

be confirmed. India got 184 votes and book a seat

In 2019, the candidature of India was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member

Asia-Pacific grouping, which also included China and Pakistan.



This would be India's eighth term in the UNSC which will begin from January

2021.

United Nation Security Council

The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations,

including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Article 23 of the UN Charter concerns the composition of the UNSC.

The UNSC has been given primary responsibility for maintaining international

peace and security to the Security Council, which may meet whenever peace is

threatened.

While other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to member

states, only the Security Council has the power to make decisions that member

states are then obligated to implement under the Charter.

Permanent and Non-Permanent Members

The UNSC is composed of 15 Members:

Five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United

Kingdom, and the United States.

Ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General

Assembly.

Selection of Non-permanent Members of Security Council

Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of ten

in total) for a two-year term. The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on a

regional basis:

Five for African and Asian countries.

One for Eastern European countries.

Two for Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Two for Western European and other countries.

U.S. Bill to sanction China over Uighur rights

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed legislation calling for sanctions over the

repression of China‘s Uighurs.

The Bill was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by

mandating sanctions against those responsible for oppression of the Muslim

minority.

The UN estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps

in the Xinjiang region.

The Uighur men are placed in concentration camps while the women are being

used by the Han community.

The Han community reasons these actions as the basis of providing better

integration among the community.

Who are Uighurs?

The Uighurs are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally

affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.

The Uighurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous

Region of the People‘s Republic of China.



They are considered to be one of China‘s 55 officially recognized ethnic

minorities.

The Uighurs have traditionally inhabited a series of oases scattered across the

Taklamakan Desert comprising the Tarim Basin, a territory which has historically

been controlled by many civilizations including China, the Mongols, the Tibetans

and the Turkic world.

An estimated 80% of Xinjiang‘s Uyghurs still live in the Tarim Basin. The rest of

Xinjiang‘s Uyghurs mostly live in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uighur

Autonomous Region (UAR), which is located in the historical region of

Dzungaria.

India to take part in meeting of RIC grouping

The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that India will participate in the

virtual meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping.

The Russian reiteration of support for dialogue between China and India came

even though Moscow‘s Foreign Minister had said bilateral issues were usually not

taken up at RIC.

The situation in Afghanistan and regional connectivity projects such as the

International North South Transport Corridor involving India, Russia and Iran are

expected to figure in the agenda.

Significance:

The Indian decision to go ahead with the ministerial level exchange has created an

opening for de-escalation of tension along the Line of Actual Control with the

Russian diplomatic sources indicating that they support constructive dialogue

over the tension in eastern Ladakh. Read more about the India-China military

standoff along the Line of Actual Control.

Russia can act as a bridge in the strained relations between India and China.

It can act as a platform to discuss and address the areas of cooperation and

understand mutual differences.

Russia-India-China trilateral grouping:

During the 2019 G-20 Summit in Osaka, Russia, India, and China (RIC) held the

latest iteration of a trilateral meeting between them.

RIC as a strategic grouping first took shape in the late 1990s under the leadership

of Yevgeny Primakov as a counterbalance to the Western alliance.

Primakov, a Russian politician and diplomat who was also the Prime Minister of

Russia from 1998 to 1999, is credited with the idea for RIC.

The group was founded on the basis of ―end[ing] its subservient foreign policy

guided by the U.S.,‖ and ―renewing old ties with India and fostering the newly

discovered friendship with China.‖

But the idea of meeting at the leader‘s level on a more sustained basis has only

surfaced over the past couple of years.

Importance of RIC:

RIC brings together three largest Eurasian countries.



It is a significant trilateral grouping as all three countries are nuclear powers.

Russia and China are permanent members of the UN Security Council, India

aspires to be one.

In the period of geopolitical transition, it is an effort to renew and rebuild some of

these old initiatives as a way to counter the U.S.-led world order.

Here, Russia becomes the bridge between India and China, since it enjoys strong

relations with both.

RIC can complement India‘s continental ambitions and bring about more balance

in its strategic autonomy.

Tariff Exemption on Bangladesh Exports: China

Bangladesh imports around $ 15 billion worth Chinese goods but its exports to

China have been very low in comparison.

The leaders of the two countries had discussed enhancing bilateral relation in the

background of the economic hardship triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a significant show of economic diplomacy in South Asia, China has announced

tariff exemption for 97 per cent of exports from Bangladesh covering fisheries

and leather products.

Bangladesh already receives tariff-exemption under the Asia Pacific Trade

Agreement (APTA). As a result of the latest announcement, more goods from

Bangladesh will now be exempted of Chinese tariffs.

Asia Pacific Trade Agreement

Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), previously the Bangkok Agreement, is a

preferential tariff arrangement that aims at promoting intra-regional trade through

the exchange of mutually agreed concessions by member countries.

Its current Members are Bangladesh, China, India, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR

and Sri Lanka.

Consequences:

This move is expected to help Bangladesh cushion the economic impact of the

pandemic and also emerge as a possible beneficiary alongside Vietnam and

Chile of the U.S.-China trade war.

This move is expected to strengthen the China-Bangladesh relationship thus

helping China expand its influence in the South Asian Region.

Concerns for India:

China‘s heavy investment in India‘s neighbourhood has increased its dominance

in the Indian Ocean.

Despite having cultural and historical relations with India, its neighbours are

siding with China on diplomatic issues.

Nepal is redrawing its map to include some Indian territories, presumably under a

nudge from China.

Earlier, Maldives and Sri Lanka have also expressed anti-India sentiment under

the influence of China.



Senkaku Islands

Recently, a local council in southern Japan has approved a bill to change the name

of an area containing Senkaku Islands from Tonoshiro to Tonoshiro Senkaku.

Senkaku Islands are known as the Diaoyus by China and Tiaoyutai by Taiwan.

The islands are disputed with China and Taiwan.

Japan's Stand:

Resolving Administrative Confusion: The name change is aimed at resolving

administrative confusion between a locale in downtown Ishigaki, which shares the

name "Tonoshiro" similar to the island.

Increased Chinese Presence: It is also done in response to the increased Chinese

presence in the waters close to the Senkakus. In a move to protect territorial

integrity, Japan has decided to change the name.

Support of the USA: The United States has a mutual defense treaty with Japan. If

Japanese territory is attacked by a foreign power, the United States is obligated to

defend it.

China's Stand:

China‘s Territorial Sovereignty: Bill by Japan is a serious provocation to China‘s

territorial sovereignty. The move is illegal.

Four-Principle Consensus: Urged Japan to abide by the spirit of the four-principle

consensus, avoid creating new incidents on the Diaoyu Islands issue, and take

practical actions to maintain the stability of the East China Sea situation.

A four-point principle on improving China-Japan ties was approved in 2014 to

develop a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.

Risk of a Crisis: Changing the administrative designation would only make the

dispute more complicated and bring more risks of a crisis

Taiwan's Stand:

It also protested the move and claimed that the islands are part of its territory, and

the sovereignty of Tiaoyutai islands belongs to the country and any move

attempting to alter this fact is invalid.



China to Join UN Arms Trade Treaty

China has decided to join the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN-ATT) to

regulate its arms sales.

China held that it has always strictly controlled the export of military products

and joining the treaty is an important step towards its efforts to enhance peace and

stability in the world and support multilateralism.

China said that it only exports military products to sovereign countries and not to

non-state actors.

Background:

China‘s move comes after the USA announced to pull out of the ATT in 2019.

The reason given was that the treaty amounts to international gun control, and is a

threat to USA's second amendment right to bear arms.

The USA also held that the treaty fails to truly address the problem of

irresponsible arms transfers because other top arms exporters like Russia and

China were not signatories to it that time (till now, Russia has neither signed it nor

made any announcement to sign it).

In May 2020, USA announced to exit the Open Skies Treaty (OST).

In August 2019, the USA along with Russia withdrew from the Intermediate-

Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, 1987.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its annual report

‗Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019‘ highlighted that China is the

second-largest arms producer in the world after the USA.

United Nations Arms Trade Treaty

The UN-ATT regulates the international trade in conventional arms, from small

arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships, and controls the flow of

weapons into conflict zones.

It entered into force on 24th December 2014.

The treaty requires member countries to keep records of international transfers of

weapons and to prohibit cross-border shipments that could be used in human

rights violations or attacks on civilians.



Trump suspends H-1B visas till year-end

The U.S. President has signed an executive order (EO) pausing new H-1B visas

effective June 24, 2020 through the end of the year.

H4 visas (H-1B dependents), L visas (intra-company transfers), as well as H-2B

(non-agricultural workers) and J visas will be on pause through the year-end.

H-1B visa is required to work in a specialty occupation. Requires a higher

education degree or its equivalent. Includes fashion models of distinguished merit

and ability and government-to-government research and development, or co-

production projects administered by the Department of Defence.

L1 visas allow companies to transfer highly skilled workers to US for a period of

up to seven years.

H-2B visas allow food and agricultural workers to seek employment in the US.

H-1B, H-2B, J and L visa holders, and their spouses or children already present in

the US shall not be impacted by the new worker visa ban.

The order was issued ostensibly to protect American jobs during the ongoing

pandemic.

It has been criticised by the tech industry as well as politicians on both sides of

the aisle as damaging to the U.S. economy.

The USA administration issues a certain number of visas each year to fill a vacuum

of highly-skilled low-cost employees in IT and other related domains. These visas

allow companies from outside the USA to send employees to work on client sites.

H-1B Visa: These are issued to skilled workers and the most popular among

Indian IT companies.H-1B is for people in Specialty Occupation and requires a

higher education degree or its equivalent.

H-2B Visa: These are issued to seasonal workers in the landscaping and

hospitality industries.

L-1 Visa: It allows companies to transfer highly skilled workers to the USA for a

period of up to seven years.

H-4 Visas: It is for dependents of H-1B visa holders.

J-1 Visas: It is for students on work-study summer programmes.

Why did the US suspend non-immigrant worker visas?

Since it was started in 1952, the H-1 visa scheme has undergone many changes

and revisions to allow or disallow certain categories of skilled workers in the US,

depending on the economic situation of the country.

The technology boom coupled with the arrival of the internet and low-cost

computers in developing nations such as India and China saw a large number of

graduates willing to work at relatively low costs in the US, a win-win situation for

both the employer and the employee.

However, it has since often been criticised for sending low cost workers to the US

at the expense of domestic workers.

In his executive order extending the ban, Trump said that while under normal

circumstances, ―properly administered temporary worker programs can provide

benefits to the economy,‖, the extraordinary economic contraction created due to

COVID-19 posed a threat to the US workers.

How does it impact Indian IT companies?



Indian IT companies are amongst the biggest beneficiaries of the US H-1B visa

regime, and have since the 1990s cornered a lion‘s share of the total number of

visas issued each year.

Indian IT companies also offer subcontracts to Indian nationals already present in

the US with valid H-1B visas.

As of April 1, 2020, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had

received about 2.5 lakh H-1B work visa applications, according to official data.

Indians had applied for as many as 1.84 lakh or 67 per cent of the total H-1B work

visas for the current financial year ending March 2021.

Apart from the suspension of these work visas, the executive order signed by

Trump has also made sweeping changes to the H-1B work visa norms, which will

no longer be decided by the currently prevalent lottery system.

The new norms will now favour highly-skilled workers who are paid the highest

wages by their respective companies.

This could result in a significant impact on margins and worker wages of Indian

IT companies which send thousands of low-cost employees to work on client sites

in the US.

However, as per research agency ICRA, the move will be mildly negative for the

Indian IT services sector considering their high dependence on such visas.

ASEAN Summit : South China Sea Issue

The Summit noted concerns over land reclamations and recent developments in

the South China Sea.

China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea but is also contested by

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Vietnam had also accused China of sinking its trawler. This incident had

prompted the USA to warn that China is trying to exploit the pandemic situations

of other states to expand its unlawful claims.

The USA is not a claimant to any territories in the South China Sea but has sent

its navy to patrol the area in support of freedom of navigation, while China had

slammed this move as an interference in regional affairs by an outside power.

Both Vietnam and Philippines lodged protests with China after it unilaterally

declared the creation of new administrative districts on islands.

Also, in April China has officially named 80 islands and other geographical

features in the disputed waters to which Vietnam and the Philippines also have

competing claims.

The Summit has also called on parties to refrain from escalating tensions and

abide by responsibilities under international laws.



Association of Southeast Asian Nations

ASEAN is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security

cooperation.

It was established in 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN

Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the founding fathers of ASEAN, namely

Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

It consists of ten members namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,

Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Chairmanship of ASEAN rotates annually, based on the alphabetical order of the

English names of Member States.

ASEAN countries have a total population of 650 million people and a combined

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.8 trillion.

The group has played a central role in Asian economic integration, signing six

free-trade agreements with other regional economies and helping spearhead

negotiations for what could be the world‘s largest free trade pact.

UN 75 Declaration

The Five Eyes (FVEY)— Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom

and the United States— along with India, objected to the use of a phrase ―shared

vision of a common future‖, which is associated with China.

The Five Eyes (FVEY) network is an intelligence sharing alliance between these

five countries.



75th United Nations Day

The United Nations (UN) will celebrate its 75th anniversary on 24 October 2020.

To mark its 75th anniversary in 2020, the UN is igniting a people‘s debate: UN75.

Through UN75, the UN will encourage people to put their opinions together to

define how enhanced international cooperation can help realize a better world by

2045.

Each year on 24th October, the UN celebrates its anniversary. UN Day marks the

anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter and the founding of the

Organization in 1945.

The name "United Nations" was coined by United States President Franklin D.

Roosevelt.

The main organs of the UN are:

the General Assembly,

the Security Council,

the Economic and Social Council,

the Trusteeship Council,

the International Court of Justice,

the UN Secretariat.

Demand of Reforms at United Nations

Security Council Reforms: In UNSC, the permanent member countries (P5) have

made the UN defunct in maintaining peace and order. Therefore, veto powers of

P5 and composition of UNSC must be made more representative of the current

world order.

The P5 countries include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the

United States.

Multilateralism: International relations today are characterized by the power

relationships of the United States, China, Russia, India and Europe.

A new model of the UN must be formulated, as current world order has changed

from bipolar to unipolar to multi polar today.

Democratisation of UN: Developing countries like India are proposing reforms

that seek to democratize the UN, such as UNSC reforms, UN peacekeeping

reforms.

Financial Reforms: This holds the key to the future of the UN. Without sufficient

resources, the UN's activities and role would suffer.



India, Bhutan sign pact for first joint hydel project

India and Bhutan took a major step forward for the construction of the 600

MW Kholongchhu project.

Kholongchhu project:

It is India-Bhutan‘s first hydropower joint venture project in Bhutan‘s less

developed eastern region of Trashiyangtse.

Kholongchhu project is one of four additional projects agreed to in 2008, as a part

of India‘s commitment to help Bhutan create a total 10,000 MW of installed

capacity by 2020.

It is the first time an India-Bhutan hydropower project will be constructed as a

50:50 joint venture, not as a government-to-government agreement.

Once the project is commissioned, the JV partners will run it for 30 years, called

the concession period, after which the full ownership will transfer to the Bhutan

government.

It is considered a milestone in the India-Bhutan partnership, under which four

hydropower projects have been built in the last 30 years totalling a capacity of

2,100 MW, and another two are under construction.

Road-blocks:

The inter-governmental agreement for the Kholongchhu project was signed after

prolonged negotiations on the structure of the joint venture, in April 2014, and the

foundation stone was laid when Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to

Thimphu.

Progress on preparing the site ground to a halt in December 2016 over India‘s

new power tariff guidelines (on Cross Border Trade of Electricity – CBTE), until

the government amended its guidelines after negotiations with the Bhutan

government.



However, according to the agreement finalised, the project would be completed in

the second half of 2025.

‘Israel’s annexation plans are illegal’

Israel‘s aim to annex parts of the occupied West Bank was clearly illegal, the

UN‘s human rights chief said, warning that the consequences could be

―disastrous‖.

Israel intends to kick-start plans to annex its West Bank settlements and the

Jordan Valley.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet urged

Israel to ―listen to its own former senior officials and generals, as well as to the

multitude of voices around the world, warning it not to proceed along this

dangerous path.‖

She urged Israel to shift course, warning that the shockwaves of annexation will

last for decades, and will be extremely damaging to Israel, as well as to the

Palestinians.

She warned that ―any attempt to annex any part of the occupied Palestinian

territory will not only seriously damage efforts to achieve lasting peace in the

region, it is likely to entrench, perpetuate and further heighten serious human

rights violations that have characterised the conflict for decades.‖

What are the West Bank settlements?

The West Bank is a patch of land that was captured by Jordan after the 1948

Arab-Israeli War.

Israel snatched it back during the Six-Day War of 1967 and has occupied it ever

since.

It has built some 130 formal settlements in the West Bank, and a similar number

of smaller, informal settlements have mushroomed over the last 20-25 years.



Over 4 lakh Israeli settlers — many of them religious Zionists who claim a

Biblical birthright over this land — now live here, along with some 26 lakh

Palestinians.

Are the Israeli settlements illegal?

The vast majority of the world‘s nations consider the settlements illegal.

The United Nations General Assembly, the UN Security Council, and the

International Court of Justice have said that the West Bank settlements are

violative of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), an occupying power ―shall not

deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it

occupies‖.

Under the Rome Statute that set up the International Criminal Court in 1998, such

transfers constitute war crimes, as does the ―extensive destruction and

appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out

unlawfully and wantonly‖.

Under the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, both Israel and the Palestinians agreed that

the status of settlements would be decided by negotiations. But the negotiations

process has been dead for several years now.

Israel walked into East Jerusalem in 1967 and subsequently annexed it. For Israel,

Jerusalem is non-negotiable.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Most of

the world‘s nations look at it as occupied territory.



ENVIROMENT

Poaching Increased During Lockdown

According to a report released by the TRAFFIC, there has been a significant

increase in reported poaching of wild animals during the lockdown.

The report was named as ‗Indian wildlife amidst Covid-19 crisis: An analysis of

poaching and illegal wildlife trade trends‘.

The analysis was carried out by comparing media-reported instances of poaching

during a six-week pre-lockdown period (February 10 to March 22) with those

from six weeks during the lockdown (March 23 to May 3).

TRAFFIC

TRAFFIC is a leading Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network and non-governmental

organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context

of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

It is a joint program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International

Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), created in 1976.

TRAFFIC focuses on leveraging resources, expertise and awareness of the latest

globally urgent species trade issues such as tiger parts, elephant ivory and rhino

horn.

World Wildlife Fund

It is the world‘s leading conservation organization and works in more than 100

countries.

It was established in 1961 and is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland.

Its mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the

diversity of life on Earth.

WWF collaborates at every level with people around the world to develop and

deliver innovative solutions that protect communities, wildlife, and the places in

which they live.

Oil spill in Russia’s Arctic region

Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000

tonnes of diesel oil leaked into the Ambarnaya River within the Arctic Circle.

The spill happened when a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian city of

Norilsk collapsed.

Ambarnaya River

It is a river in Siberia which flows in a northerly direction into Lake Pyasino.

It is heavily polluted by the mining industry of Norilsk.

How did the leak happen?

The thermoelectric power plant at Norilsk is built on permafrost, which has

weakened over the years owing to climate change.

This caused the pillars that supported the plant‘s fuel tank to sink, leading to a

loss of containment.

Oil Spill



The contamination of seawater due to an oil pour, as a result of an accident,

human error, or natural calamity, is termed as an oil spill.

Impact

The spill has contaminated a 350 sq km (135 sq mile) area.

Environmentalists have said the river would be difficult to clean, given its shallow

waters and remote location, as well as the magnitude of the spill.

An environmental oversight agency of the Russian government pegged the overall

damage at ―several dozen, perhaps hundreds of billions of rubles‖.

Aquatic species affected with this spill usually migrate.

How is oil spill controlled in general?

Skimmers: Once the oil is bounded by oil booms, it can be extracted or skimmed

easily with the help of skimmers or oil scoops. These skimmers are fitted onto

boats to remove the floating oil or greasy contaminants.

Sorbents: Materials that can absorb liquids are termed as sorbents. The use of

sorbents is a natural process of oil clean-up. The most common types of sorbents

are peat moss, vermiculite (straw), and hay.

In situ burning is the process of burning spilled oil where it is on the ocean. Any

burn operation includes careful air monitoring to ensure smoke or residue

resulting from the burn do not adversely impact people or wildlife.

Dispersion: Chemical dispersion is achieved by applying chemicals designed to

remove oil from the water surface by breaking the oil into small droplets.

Sixth Mass Extinction

Recently, the researchers have observed that the ongoing sixth mass extinction is

one of the most serious environmental threats to the existence of civilisation.

Mass extinction refers to a substantial increase in the degree of extinction or when

the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short

period of time.

Since life first evolved on the planet, a short geological period of time is defined

as less than 2.8 million years.

History of Mass Extinction

So far, the Earth has experienced five mass extinctions.

The five mass extinctions that took place in the last 450 million years have led to

the destruction of 70-95% of the species of plants, animals and microorganisms

that existed earlier.

All these extinctions were caused due to the catastrophic alterations to the

environment, such as massive volcanic eruptions, depletion of oceanic oxygen or

collision with an asteroid.

After each of these extinctions, it took millions of years to regain species

comparable to those that existed before the event.



Ongoing Sixth Mass Extinction:

It has been observed that the sixth extinction is human-caused and is more

immediate than climate destruction. Thus, the ongoing sixth mass extinction is

referred to as the anthropocene extinction.

Currently, only an estimated 2% of all of the species that ever lived are alive but

the absolute number of species is greater than ever before.

It is described as the most serious environmental problem since the loss of species

will be permanent.

The loss of species has been occurring since human ancestors developed

agriculture over 11,000 years ago. Since then, the human population has increased

from about 1 million to 7.7 billion.

Study Outcomes :

The study has described sixth mass extinction as the most serious environmental

problem.

The study analysed 29,400 species of terrestrial vertebrates and concluded that

over 515 of them are near extinction.

Most of these 515 species are from South America (30%), followed by Oceania

(21%), Asia (21%) and Africa (16%) among others.

It has also observed that the disappearance of these populations has been

occurring since the 1800s.

Impacts:

The extinction of the species causes tangible impact such as in the form of a loss

in crop pollination and water purification.

Further, if a species has a specific function in an ecosystem, the loss can lead to

consequences for other species by impacting the food chain.

When the number of individuals in a population or species drops too low, its

contributions to ecosystem functions and services become unimportant.

The effects of extinction are expected to worsen the genetic and cultural

variability which would change entire ecosystems.

When genetic variability and resilience is reduced, its contribution to human

welfare may be lost.

Environmental Performance Index

India secured 168th rank in the 12th edition of the Environment Performance

Index (EPI) 2020.

India‘s rank was 177th in 2018.

Environmental Performance Index

EPI is a biennial index prepared by Yale University and Columbia University

in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

It offers a scorecard that highlights leaders and laggards in environmental

performance and provides practical guidance for countries that aspire to move

toward a sustainable future.



This index was first published in 2002 designed to supplement the environmental

targets set forth in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

EPI 2020:

EPI Index 2020 measured the environmental performance of 180 countries.

The index considered 32 indicators of environmental performance and included

10-year trends in environmental performance at the national and global levels.

Denmark topped the index with a score of 82.5.

Blowout in Gas Well

Oil India Ltd (OIL), a PSU, reported that while carrying out workover operations

in the Gas Producing Well Baghjan-5 under Baghjan Oilfield in Tinsukia district

of Assam, the well suddenly became active on a day in May 2020 and a blowout

occurred.

The blowout led to uncontrolled flow of gas from the well.

OIL India sought support from ONGC, which immediately deployed their Crisis

Management Team (CMT).

OIL also mobilized a Singapore based firm for disaster control.

While the clearing operations were going on at the well site, the well caught fire

on 9th June 2020 around noon time, spreading the fire in an area of about 200

meters around the well site.

The cause of the fire has not been ascertained till now.

The fire in around 200 meters periphery has completely burnt about 15 houses,

while another 10-15 houses have been partially affected.

It is also reported that two firemen of Oil India Ltd have died.

The affected families will be given relief and compensation as decided by the

State Government of Assam.

It has been reported that except at the well plinth area, the fire around the site has

mostly extinguished.

However, the burning of gas at the well mouth will continue till the well is

capped.

Gas has been spewing uncontrollably from the Baghjan well since the blowout on

May 27.

The debris of burnt rig, fire engines and other material around the well site will be

removed before any operation can be started to cap the well.

Arrangements of continuous water supply will have to be made before activities

are undertaken at the site which is likely to take 5-6 days to make these

arrangements, and all the operations will take about 4 weeks to complete.

Around one thousand six hundred families had already been evacuated from the

nearby affected areas and are camped in relief camps set up at nearby safe areas.

OIL has decided to provide an amount of Rs. 30,000/- to each of the affected

families as an immediate relief.

The well is located in the vicinity of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri

Motapung Beel, a wetland.



OIL has engaged an accredited agency to carry out environment impact in and

around Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri Motapung Beel.

Due to seepage of crude, condensate and other chemicals from the gas well, there

has been large-scale damage to the ecology of the area, according to

environmentalists and various groups.

What is a Blowout?

A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil

well or gas well after pressure control systems have failed.

If not properly monitored, changes in pressure that can occur while the well is

being drilled can cause combustible hydrocarbons to flow unchecked and at high

pressures and flow rates.

If this flow of hydrocarbons is not stopped in time, the hydrocarbons can ignite

into a deadly firestorm called a blowout.

Because of the immense cost and danger associated with oil well blowouts, the

bulk of the well control industry revolves around the prevention and avoidance of

blowouts.

Unfortunately, because a blowout only takes a brief moment to occur, it is

necessary that there be methods in place to combat them when the need arises.

Blowouts are a hazard to life, the ecology and environment and also cause huge

economic losses. The oil well is also lost since the resource is burnt out.

How are blowouts controlled?

Most commonly, when a well is lost to a blowout, the drilling package will have

collapsed around the well, making proper assessment of the situation difficult.

Firefighters arrive as quickly as possible and use machinery to remove the

damaged rig and associated debris so they can assess the situation and choose the

best method to fight the blowout.

In the early days of fighting oil well fires, the most common technique to smother

a blowout was to snuff it with a dynamite blast.

The intention is to blast fuel and oxygen away from the flame, effectively

eliminating the fuel source, similar to snuffing out a candle.

Although the first instance of this method dates back to 1913, dynamite blasting

continues to be one of the most frequently employed methods.

Another common method employed by oil well firefighters involves drilling a

―relief‖ well or wells into and intersecting the blowing well. This intersection

gives the kill fluid a conduit to the surface, enabling what is called a ―subsurface

kill.‖

A more complicated method for bringing a blown-out well under control involves

carefully capping the well with a new blowout preventer, or ―BOP.‖

BOPs are essentially large valves on the surface of the well that quickly shut off

the well as a last ditch precaution to prevent a blowout from occurring.

Gujarat’s pride grows as it now hosts 674 Gir lions

Increase in population of Asiatic lions in the Gir forest region.



India has recorded a 29% increase in population of Asiatic lions, living in Gujarat

Gir forest, in the past five years — from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020.

The period also saw a 36% increase in the distribution area of the lions from

22000 sq. km in 2015 to 30000 sq. km in 2020.

Population estimation of Asiatic lions

It is conducted at an interval of five years.

The first Lion Census was conducted by the Nawab of Junagadh in 1936; since

1965, the Forest Department has been regularly conducting the Lion Census every

five years.

Unlike in previous years, this year‘s count was estimated not from a Census, but

from a population ―observation‖ exercise called Poonam Avlokan (full-moon

night estimation exercise).

Strategies and interventions implemented by State Forest Department

Community participation

Use of technology

Habitat management and increase in prey base

Human-lion conflict mitigation

Healthcare including import of vaccines after some lions were infected with

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV).

Lion census method outdated: experts

A few wildlife experts and scientists have expressed doubts over the reported

numbers based on the following arguments.

Outdated methodology:

The administration has used a 100-year-old method to count lions. This approach,

called the Direct Beat Verification or Block Count method, involves officials



from the State wildlife department observing the watering holes across the

animals‘ territorial range to count the animals.

Given the fact that lions can range as much as 700 sq. km, with the current

method, there is the possibility of both grossly under counting or over counting.

Availability of fewer resources:

In normal years, alongside the departmental forest officials, there would be

independent experts and observers from non-governmental organisations.

Normally, about 2,000 persons would be involved and the monitoring would be

done over two days.

This year, owing to travel restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, the process

involved only 1,400 personnel. This lack of adequate personnel may lead to

mistakes in the estimation.

CVD deaths:

Canine distemper virus (CDV) killed at least 36 lions in Gir, Gujarat in 2018 and

the spread does not seem to have ebbed in spite of the government inoculating

lions with an imported vaccine.

There have been reports of more deaths from the virus since January 2020 but no

data about these have been available.

New guidelines for import of exotic species

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has issued

an advisory saying people importing ―exotic live species‖ will have to make a

voluntary disclosure.

Exotic Live Species

It includes animal or plant species moved from their original range (location) to a

new one.

Several exotic species of birds, reptiles, small mammals, fishes and even some

plants are imported.

The Ministry has said ―exotic live species‖ shall be construed to mean only ―the

animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the Convention of

International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora‖.

CITES Appendix I, no trade happens

Appendix II, trade can happen with prior permission

Appendix III, there are a large number of animals and birds which can be traded

Guidelines

The advisory highlights a period of six months (from the date of the official order)

to be given for voluntary disclosure for persons in possession of exotic live

species in India. The disclosure needs to be made before the Chief Wildlife

Warden of each state.

For new ―exotic live species‖, the importer should obtain a no-objection

certificate from the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the State.



For existing species, stocks ―shall be declared by the owner/holder (stock, as on 1

January 2020) to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the concerned State or

UT‖.

The advisory also has provision of ―registration of progenies of imported

animals‖ to the respective CWLW within 30 days after their birth.

Forest officials will physically verify the submissions, check whether the facilities

where the species are being housed are safe, and issue online certificates to

owners within another six months from the date of disclosure.

Why was the decision taken?

The move comes as the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has raised global

concerns about illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases.

It will create a process where all imports will be screened.

Significance

It is a welcome step towards curbing illegal exotic wildlife trade in India.

These regulations will act as deterrents for both buyers and sellers.

CM unveils Mumbai’s new flood warning system, calls it a

boon

The unveiling of the IFLOWS-Mumbai system

Mumbai has been experiencing floods with increasing periodicity. The floods of

2005 and 2017 had wreaked havoc on Mumbai.

The fact that some areas in Mumbai are below the sea level increases the risk of

flooding. Such areas get flooded even during the high tide.

Details:

IFLOWS-Mumbai is a state-of-the-art flood warning system developed for

Mumbai.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has developed the system with in-

house expertise and coordination with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

(BMC).

IFLOWS-Mumbai will enhance the resilience of the city by providing early

warning for flooding, especially during high rainfall events and cyclones. Using

this, it will be possible to have an estimate of the flood inundation three days in

advance, along with immediate weather updates.

The Maharashtra State government was able to shift people to safer locations

when Cyclone Nisarga made landfall near Alibaug in Raigad district recently as

Maharashtra had received warnings about the cyclonic storm two to three days in

advance. This resulted in minimal loss of human life.

Doppler radars:

A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce

velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by bouncing a microwave

signal off a desired target and analyzing how the object‘s motion has altered the

frequency of the returned signal.



Samples from Lonar lake sent for testing

Lonar Lake was created by an asteroid collision with earth impact during the

Pleistocene Epoch some 50,000 years ago.

It is one of the four known, hyper-velocity, impact craters in basaltic rock

anywhere on Earth. The other three basaltic impact structures are in southern

Brazil.

Lonar Lake has a mean diameter of 1.2 kilometres.

Lonar lake has saline water and is a notified national geo-heritage monument.

National Geological Monuments are geographical areas of national importance

and heritage, as notified by the Government of India's Geological Survey of India

(GSI), for their maintenance, protection, promotion and enhancement of

geotourism.

Recently the colour of water in Lonar lake turned pink. Some experts have

attributed the change to the mixing of Dunaliella algae with halobacteria,

forming a beta carotine pigment and turning the water pink.

Scientists find ancient mammal ‘stepping stone’

Chilean and Argentine researchers have unearthed teeth belonging to a species

called Magallanodon baikashkenke.

This small sized mammal is believed to have lived in southern Patagonia during

the late Cretaceous era, alongside dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles and birds.

It is the southernmost record of Gondwanatheria, a group of long-extinct early

mammals that co-existed with dinosaurs.

This was found near Torres del Paine National Park, a remote area of Patagonia

famous for its glacier-capped Andean spires and frigid ocean waters.

The mammal has been described as an evolutionary stepping stone between egg-

laying mammals, like the platypus and marsupial mammals.

Thriving in seclusion

Hornbills:

The hornbills build nests on tree cavities. Though the birds are frugivores that

primarily eat fruits and berries, during breeding, the males also bring insects,

worms, owl kills, giant squirrels and rats to meet the high protein requirement of

the chicks.

The major species of hornbills found in India include the Malabar grey hornbill,

Malabar pied hornbill (both endemic to the Western Ghats), the Great hornbill,

Indian grey hornbill and the Narcondam hornbill.

Narcondam hornbill:

The Narcondam hornbill is an endangered species and is endemic to the

Narcondam Island in Andamans. The dormant volcanic island of Narcondam is a

protected habitat for the hornbills.



Threats:

Habitat destruction remains the biggest threat to hornbills around the world.

Narcondam hornbills faced the threat of extinction due to habitat loss and hunting.

Being endemic to an isolated, uninhabited island, the Narcondam hornbill faces

the threat of extinction in the event of a natural calamity causing a species wipe-

out.

Rare biological phenomenon spotted in dragonflies

The Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia), a species of dragonfly spotted in the

Kole wetlands, Kerala has exhibited a rare biological phenomenon referred to as

‗gynandromorphism‘.

Gynandromorphs are chimeric individuals having both male and female tissues

and it is viewed by the scientific community as a genetic aberration.



Gynandromorphism, though common in some arthropod taxa such as Crustacea

and Arachnida, is very rare in odonates and only 30 individuals from seven

families have been reported with the condition worldwide.

The Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes dragonflies and

damselflies.

Odonates are aquatic or semi-aquatic as juveniles. Thus, adults are most often

seen near bodies of water and are frequently described as aquatic insects.

However, many species range far from water. They are carnivorous (or more

specifically insectivorous) throughout their life, mostly feeding on smaller insects.

Further research has to be undertaken to investigate the influence of

environmental factors on this phenomenon of Gynandromorphism.



ECONOMY & AGRICULTURE, SCHEMES

Economy to contract 3.2% in FY21: WB

World Bank has released its Global Economic Prospects (GEP) June 2020 report.

Global Economic Prospects:

Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group flagship report that examines

global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging

market and developing economies.

It is issued twice a year, in January and June.

The January edition includes in-depth analyses of topical policy challenges while

the June edition contains shorter analytical pieces.

Points:

Growth is forecast at 3.1% next year.

The world economy, as a whole, is set to witness its deepest recession since

World War II, with a forecasted contraction of 5.2% this year.

About 70-100 million could be pushed into extreme poverty.

Emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) are expected to contract

by 2.5% this year, and economic activity in advanced economies is forecast to

shrink by 7%, as domestic supply and demand, finance and trade have been

disrupted due to the pandemic.

Countries most reliant on global trade, tourism, external financing and commodity

exports are likely to be hit the hardest.

The downside scenario is more severe as the global economy could shrink in

2020-21 by as much as 8% (5% for EMDEs), followed by weak recovery at just

above 1% growth next year.

India:

India‘s growth is estimated to have slowed to 4.2% in FY 2019-20 (year ended

March 31, 2020).

Output is expected to contract by 3.2% (so growth is -3.2%) in FY2020-21, as the

impact of the pandemic (the restrictions on activity) will largely fall in this year,

despite the fiscal and monetary stimulus.

India is forecast to see some recovery next year and grow at 3.1%

Commercial coal mining

Government of India to launch auction for commercial coal mining on 18th June

2020.

The commercialisation of coal mining was announced in tranche 4 of the

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

The government had announced that it would remove the government monopoly

on coal mining by introducing commercial mining on a revenue sharing basis.

The private sector would be allowed to bid for 50 coal blocks. Private players

would also be allowed to undertake exploration activities.



The commercial coal mining auctions are completely different from the earlier

regime of restricted sectors, use and price. Now there are no such restrictions at

all.

The proposed auctions have terms and conditions which are very liberal allowing

new companies to participate in the bidding process, reduced upfront amount,

adjustment of upfront amount against royalty, liberal efficiency parameters to

encourage flexibility to operationalize the coal mines, transparent bidding

process, 100% FDI through automatic route allowed and reasonable financial

terms and revenue sharing model based on National Coal Index.

The Coal Ministry is developing a National Coal Index to fix the price of coal for

commercial mining, which would include a weighted combination of monthly

prices of coal in various channels of transaction.

The successful bidders also will have flexibility in coal production unlike in the

past and have provision for incentives for early production and coal gasification.



Government puts off decision on States’ GST dues till July

GST council meeting.

GST collections in the past two months have only reached 45% of the target

amount.

Under GST law, the Centre must pay the States full compensation for any

shortfall in revenue collections until 2022.

Compensation for the states:

Recently, the Centre has paid pending compensation dues for December 2019 to

February 2020 period. However, with revenues crashing since the lockdown,

alternative options may need to be explored for the payment of remaining

compensation to states.

The council will meet again in July to discuss the issue of compensation cess and

dues to the States, and the possibility of borrowing money from the market to

meet these dues.

Relief measures:

The Council approved a slew of measures to ease tax compliance, including a

reduction in late fees for past returns, and COVID-19 related relief for small tax

payers for the period between February and July 2020 provided returns are filed

by September.

The late fee waivers and an additional moratorium for smaller businesses is a

welcome move since with the current financial situation, smaller businesses have

been aggressively seeking stimulus.

A one-time extension is also being granted to those seeking to revoke cancelled

GST registrations.

Inversion of duties:

The GST Council also agreed that there is a need to correct the inversion of

duties, but postponed a decision on when to do so.

Inverted duty structure refers to the taxation of inputs at higher rates than finished

products which result in a build-up of credits and cascading costs for the

producers.

‘₹50,000 crore scheme for migrants’

The Finance Minister has announced that the Prime Minister will launch Garib

Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan to offer immediate employment opportunities to migrant

workers who have returned to their villages because of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Central and State governments have very meticulously mapped the skill sets of

the migrant workers who have returned in large numbers to the 116 districts in 6

States (Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan).

The first priority of the campaign is to meet the immediate requirement of work

for those who have gone back to their villages by providing them livelihood

opportunities.

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan:



This massive rural public works scheme has been launched to boost opportunities

for livelihood in rural India.

The districts will join this programme through the Common Service Centres and

Krishi Vikas Kendras (KVKs).

The campaign will be spread across 125 days and aims to work in mission mode

to help migrant workers.

It will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of

work to provide jobs and create infrastructure in rural regions.

Combined outlay of the programme would be Rs. 50,000 crore.

Workers will be employed in rural housing, rural connectivity including the

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, national highways, railway works,

community sanitation complex, gram panchayats, anganwadis, water

conservation, digging of wells, plantation and horticulture.

The scheme will see coordination between 12 different Ministries/Departments.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras

It is an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).

India has one of the largest national agricultural research systems in the world. It

consists of scientists, technical staff, administration support staff and auxiliary

staff.

Such a large number of research and other personnel are required because India is

blessed with a variety of agro-climatic conditions and it conducts research on all

aspects of agriculture to suit these diversified conditions.

The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry.

Aim: Assessment of location specific technology modules in agriculture and

allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations.

KVKs also produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-

agents, livestock) and make it available to farmers.

The KVK scheme is 100% financed by the Government of India and funds are

sanctioned to Agricultural Universities, Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR) institutes, related Government Departments and Non-Government

Organizations (NGOs) working in Agriculture.

These are crucial to fulfilling the target of doubling farmers‘ income by 2022.

Anti-dumping Duty on Steel Imports

Recently, India imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of certain types of steel

products from China, Vietnam and South Korea.

Dumping:

In international trade practise, dumping happens when a country or a firm exports

an item at a price lower than the price of that product in its domestic market.

Dumping impacts the price of that product in the importing country, hitting

margins and profits of local manufacturing firms.

Anti-dumping duty is imposed to rectify the situation arising out of the dumping

of goods and its trade distortive effect.

Imposition of Anti-dumping Duty:



The anti-dumping duty was imposed after the Directorate General of Trade

Remedies (DGTR), in its probe, found that the steel products imported in India

from these three countries were below its associated normal value, which resulted

in dumping.

The duty has been imposed for five years with a view to guard domestic

manufacturers from cheap imports from these countries.

Earlier, a provisional duty was imposed in October 2019 on these products from

these three countries, which expired in April 2020.

According to global trade norms, including the World Trade Organization (WTO)

regime, a country is allowed to impose tariffs on such dumped products to provide

a level-playing field to domestic manufacturers.

The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body,

such as DGTR, in India.

Different from Countervailing Duty:

Anti-dumping duty is different from countervailing duty. The latter is imposed in

order to counter the negative impact of import subsidies to protect domestic

producers.

Countervailing Duties (CVDs) are tariffs levied on imported goods to offset

subsidies made to producers of these goods in the exporting country.

CVDs are meant to level the playing field between domestic producers of a

product and foreign producers of the same product who can afford to sell it at a

lower price because of the subsidy they receive from their government.

Country of Origin Made Mandatory on GeM

Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry

of Commerce and Industry, has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the Country

of Origin while registering all new products on GeM.

GeM has taken this significant step to promote Make in India and Atma Nirbhar

Bharat initiatives.

Indication of the Local Content: GeM has enabled a provision for indication of

the percentage of local content in products.

Now, the Country of Origin as well as the local content percentage are visible in

the marketplace for all items.

Make in India Filter: This new filter has been enabled on the portal so that the

buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local

content criteria.

They can also switch on a new Make in India filter to see products that match

their preferences on local content.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

GeM is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online

procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Central and

State Government Departments/Organizations/Public Sector Undertakings

(PSUs).



It was launched in 2016 to bring transparency and efficiency in the government

buying process.

It operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The procurement of goods and services by Ministries and the Central Public

Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) is mandatory for goods and services available on

GeM.

It also provides the tools of e-bidding and reverse e-auction to facilitate the

government users achieve the best value for their money.

Significance of GeM:

Promotion of the ‗Make in India‘ Initiative: Since its inception, GeM has

continuously worked towards promotion of the ‗Make in India‘ initiative.

Entry of Small Local Sellers: The Marketplace has facilitated entry of small local

sellers in Public Procurement, while implementing ‗Make in India‘ and MSME

Purchase Preference Policies of the Government in the true sense.

Transparent and Cost-effective Procurement: GeM is enabling quick, efficient,

transparent and cost-effective procurement, especially when government

organizations require products and services urgently to fight against the Covid-19

pandemic.

Promotion of Atma Nirbhar Bharat: GeM has been promoting the Atma Nirbhar

Bharat policy, introduced in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, meant to

encourage self-reliance and boost small Indian manufacturers.

Co-operative Banks Under RBI Supervision

Recently, the Central government approved an Ordinance to bring all urban and multi-

state co-operative banks under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Reason:

The decision comes after several instances of fraud and serious financial

irregularities, including the major scam at the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-

operative (PMC) Bank in 2019.

Till now, all the co-operative banks came under dual regulation of the RBI and

the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, resulting in regulatory and supervisory

lapses at many of these banks.

The RBI had no powers to draw up an enforceable scheme of reconstruction of a

co-operative bank.

However, from now onwards the urban and multi-state co-operative will come

under the direct supervision of RBI.

Co-operative Banking

A Co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are

at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. It is distinct from

commercial banks.

They are broadly classified into Urban and Rural co-operative banks based on

their region of operation.

They are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act of the State concerned or

under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.

The Co-operative banks are also governed by the :



Banking Regulations Act, 1949.

Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.

Features of Co-operative Banks:

Customer Owned Entities: Co-operative bank members are both customer and

owner of the bank.

Democratic Member Control: These banks are owned and controlled by the

members, who democratically elect a board of directors. Members usually have

equal voting rights, according to the cooperative principle of ―one person, one

vote‖.

Profit Allocation: A significant part of the yearly profit, benefits or surplus is

usually allocated to constitute reserves and a part of this profit can also be

distributed to the co-operative members, with legal and statutory limitations.

Financial Inclusion: They have played a significant role in the financial

inclusion of unbanked rural masses. They provide cheap credit to masses in rural

areas.

Benefit:

The move will empower the RBI to regulate all urban and multi-state co-operative

banks on the lines of commercial banks.

Earlier, the Supreme Court pronounced that co-operative banks come within the

definition of ‗Banks‘ under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 for the purposes of

the Sarfaesi Act, 2002.

The Sarfaesi Act is an effective tool for bad loans (Non-Performing Assets)

recovery.

It will also provide more security to depositors.

In India, there are 1482 urban co-operatives banks and 58 multi-state co-operative

banks.

These banks have a depositor base of 8.6 crores, who have saved a huge amount

of Rs. 4.84 lakh crore with these banks.

Issues Involved:

The rural co-operative banks will continue to remain under the dual regulation of

RBI and Registrar of Co-operative Societies.

The rural co-operative banks face the same issue of misgovernance and fraud, like

urban co-operatives banks.

Cabinet nod for agri marketing reforms

The Union Cabinet has approved an amendment to the 65-year-old Essential

Commodities Act.

Cabinet also approved ordinances to remove restrictions on farmers selling their

produce outside notified market yards, as well as to facilitate contract farming and

allow farmers to engage in direct marketing.

The amendment will be made effective immediately via an ordinance, according

to the Agriculture Ministry.

The Essential Commodities Act (ECA) empowers government to impose curbs on

stocking of farm produce.



The amendment to the ECA, which has been under discussion for more than a

decade, will deregulate the production, storage, movement and distribution of

these food commodities.

By removing the private sector‘s fears of excessive regulatory interference, the

Centre hopes to increase private and foreign investment, especially in cold storage

facilities and the modernisation of the food supply chain.

According to the government, even as India has become surplus in most agri-

commodities, farmers have been unable to get better prices due to lack of

investment in cold storage, processing and export.

Adequate processing and storage facilities will reduce wastage and increase

income for farmers of perishable commodities.

The amendment would remove cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onions and

potatoes from the list of essential commodities.

However, to protect consumers, the amendment allows regulation during war,

famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity, while providing exemptions

for exporters and processors at such times as well.

Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance,

2020:

It aims to open up agricultural marketing outside notified mandis for farmers.

It will help in the creation of one agriculture market across the country wherein

farmers and traders will enjoy freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-

produce.

It will also allow for hassle-free inter-state and intra-state trade in agriculture

produce.

While both agriculture and markets are State subjects, the Centre is counting on

the fact that trade and commerce in foodstuffs is part of the concurrent list to push

through its ordinance.

Industry sources suggest that 60% of agricultural trade already takes place outside

the mandis through unregulated sales. By legalising and facilitating such sales, the

Centre hopes that farmers will benefit, rather than middlemen.

It is believed that allowing the farmer more choices will raise his income and also

reduce wastage and improve quality.

Not all States have been on board with these reforms, especially as State

governments will not be allowed to levy fees on these sales.

Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm

Services Ordinance, 2020:

It is aimed at facilitating contract farming, where a private buyer contracts to

purchase a crop at a certain price at the beginning of a season.

The ordinance empowers farmers to engage with processors, aggregators,

wholesalers, large retailers and exporters.

This would facilitate transferring the risk of market unpredictability from the

farmer to the corporate sponsor.

It would help attract private investments to the farm sector.

However, farmers groups have expressed concern that corporates will benefit

more than small farmers from such direct marketing measures.



SWADES: Skill Mapping Exercise for Returning Citizens

Government has launched an initiative 'SWADES - Skilled Workers Arrival

Database for Employment Support'.

The initiative, undertaken as part of the Vande Bharat Mission, aims at

empowering the returning citizens with relevant employment opportunities.

Vande Bharat Mission is an evacuation exercise to bring back Indian citizens

stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions.

It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship,

the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is supporting the

implementation of the project.

It aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skill sets and

experience to tap into and fulfil demand of Indian and foreign companies.

The collected information will be shared with the companies for suitable

placement opportunities in the country.

The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES Skills Card.

It will facilitate a strategic framework to provide the returning citizens with

suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders

including State Governments, Industry Associations and Employers.

National Skill Development Corporation

NSDC is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated under section 25 of

the Companies Act, 1956 (corresponding to section 8 of the Companies Act,

2013).

It was set up by the Ministry of Finance as a Public Private Partnership (PPP)

model.

The Government of India through the Ministry of Skill Development &

Entrepreneurship (MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC, while the

private sector has the balance 51% of the share capital.

It aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and

for-profit vocational institutions.

TULIP: The Urban Learning Internship Program

Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Housing & Urban

Affairs, and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have jointly

launched an online portal called The Urban Learning Internship Program

(TULIP).

Aim: The program aims to provide internship opportunities to 25,000 fresh

graduates in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Smart Cities across the country.

Concept: TULIP has been conceived pursuant to the Budget 2020-21

announcement under the theme ‗Aspirational India' which laid emphasis on

changing the approach of education from ‗doing by learning,‘ to ‗learning by

doing'.



Area of Work: The internship opportunities will be provided for ‗Smart City‘

projects which range from positions in urban planning, water supply, waste

management, slum improvement and digital governance among others.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Indian citizens who have completed their final

year of college within the last 18 months and have a degree of B. Tech, B

planning, B. Arch, BA, BSc, BCom, LLB.

Duration: Internship durations can range from eight weeks to one year.

Benefit: It would help enhance the value-to-market of India‘s graduates and help

create a potential talent pool in diverse fields.

TULIP would also benefit ULBs and smart cities. It will lead to infusion of fresh

ideas and energy with engagement of youth in co-creation of solutions for solving

India‘s urban challenges.

The TULIP‘s launch is also an important stepping stone for fulfilment of MHRD

and AICTE‘s goal of 1 crore successful internships by the year 2025.

Van Dhan Yojana helps tribals beat odds

1,205 tribal enterprises employing 3.6 lakh people through 18,000 self-help

groups have been set up under the Van Dhan scheme.

About ₹3.5 crore worth of sales have taken place through these platforms.

Van Dhan Yojana:

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing

Development Federation of India (TRIFED) launched the Van Dhan Yojana

in 2018 with an intention to improve the tribal income through value addition of

tribal products.

About Van Dhan Yojana.

Van Dhan Yojana was launched nationwide to ensure that ‗van dhan‘, or forest

wealth, stays in the hands of forest dwellers, by providing local platforms for

processing, value addition, marketing and sale of minor forest produce.

The products range from hill brooms, wild honey, candles and ointments made of

rock beeswax, bamboo bottles, aloe vera soaps and gooseberry wine in the north

east, to hawan [incense] sticks, moha laddu and, amla murabba [preserved

gooseberries] in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and tamarind blocks, dried tendu

leaves, processed mahua, lac bangles and eco-friendly leaf plates from

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.

The hill broom project is one of the biggest success stories of the Van Dhan

Yojana.

A few years ago, tribal communities in Langleng, one of Nagaland‘s poorest

districts, used to sell their unique hill broom grass for just ₹7 a kg.

Now, by making the brooms themselves with support from the Van Dhan Yojana,

they earn ₹60 a broom, making four or five brooms from a kg of grass.

Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) enabled people to start making the brooms

themselves.

A digital procurement platform is expected to be in place soon.



Jal Jeevan Mission

The Jal Jeevan Mission aims for providing piped drinking water to all rural

households by 2024.

The Jal Shakti Ministry is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the

scheme.

The Jal Shakti Ministry has directed various States that returning labour,

especially those working in the construction sector (skilled, unskilled and semi-

skilled), may be deployed to expedite the completion of works under the scheme.

It is an arrangement that could provide employment to the currently unemployed

workers.

The mission is being used as a way to ameliorate some of the effects of the mass

migration of inter-State workers back to their home States in the wake of the

Covid -19 pandemic.

Jal Jeevan Mission

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day

to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC)

by 2024.

JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the

local level.

Creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability measures as mandatory

elements, like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of

household wastewater for reuse, would be undertaken in convergence with other

government programmes/schemes.

The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive

Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.

JJM looks to create a jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone‘s priority.

Funding Pattern: The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10

for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for

Union Territories.

The total allocation to the scheme is over ₹3 lakh crore.



SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SECURITY

Now, more light on sun’s coronal heating puzzle

A group of scientists working at the Pune-based National Centre for Radio

Astrophysics (NCRA) has recently discovered tiny flashes of radio light

emanating from all over the sun, which they say could help in explaining the

long-pending coronal heating problem.

The three scientists have jointly written a paper on their discoveries titled ‗First

Radio Evidence for Impulsive Heating Contribution to the Quiet Solar Corona‘,

which was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

For more than a half-century, astronomers have tried to figure out what causes the

corona to be so hot. It is one of the most vexing problems in astrophysics.

One of the big questions of coronal heating has been: Is the corona heated

everywhere at once, or is heat delivered in discrete, bomb-like events?

The researchers state that these radio lights or signals result from beams of

electrons accelerated in the aftermath of a magnetic explosion on the sun.

They state that these weak radio flashes that they have discovered are ‗smoking

guns‘ or the evidence for magnetic explosions and hence bring us closer to

explaining the coronal heating problem.

Corona is the aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and other stars.

These observations are the strongest evidence till date that the tiny magnetic

explosions, originally referred to as ‗nanoflares‘ by eminent American solar

astrophysicist Eugene Parker, can indeed be heating up the corona.

While the phenomenon of coronal heating has been known for the last 70 years,

the availability of cutting edge data from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA)

radio telescope proved to be a game-changer.

India’s solar ferry sails into a global contest

India‘s first solar-powered ferry, Aditya, which became an icon on the Vaikom-

Thavanakadavu route in Kerala, has been shortlisted for the Gustave Trouvé

Award.

Operated by the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD), Aditya was

built by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, Kochi.

Gussies Electric Boat Awards were instituted in memory of Gustave Trouvé, a

French electrical engineer and pioneer in electric cars and boats.

The operating cost of Aditya is low and also has a negligible carbon footprint



Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

India joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) as a founding

member to support the responsible and human-centric development and use of AI.

India joined the league of leading economies including the USA, the UK, the EU,

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand,

Republic of Korea and Singapore to launch the Global Partnership on Artificial

Intelligence (GPAI or Gee-Pay).

About GPAI:

GPAI is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible

development and use of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity,

innovation, and economic growth.

This is also a first initiative of its type for evolving better understanding of the

challenges and opportunities around AI using the experience and diversity of

participating countries.

In order to achieve this goal, the initiative will look to bridge the gap between

theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied

activities on AI-related priorities.

In collaboration with partners and international organizations, GPAI will bring

together leading experts from industry, civil society, governments, and academia

to collaborate to promote responsible evolution of AI.

It will also evolve methodologies to show how Artificial Intelligence can be

leveraged to better respond to the present global crisis around COVID-19.

GPAI will be supported by a Secretariat, to be hosted by the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, as well as by two

Centers of Expertise – one each in Montreal and Paris.

R&D Portal for Mining: SATYABHAMA

The Ministry of Mines has launched a portal "SATYABHAMA (Science and

Technology Yojana for Atmanirbhar Bharat in Mining Advancement)" with an

aim to promote research and development in the mining and minerals sector.

The Portal has been launched to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the

Science and Technology Programme Scheme.

Under the Science and Technology Programme Scheme, the Ministry of Mines

promotes research in applied geosciences, mineral exploration, mining and allied

areas, mineral processing, optimum utilization and conservation of the mineral

resources of the country.

The Ministry of Mines provides funds to Academic institutions, universities,

national institutes and R&D institutions recognized with the Department of

Scientific and Industrial Research (under the Ministry of Science & Technology)

for implementing R&D projects.

This portal will allow online submission of project proposals along with

monitoring of the same and utilisation of funds.

The portal has been designed, developed and implemented by the National

Informatics Centre (NIC).



The portal is also integrated with NGO Darpan Portal of NITI Aayog.

NGO-DARPAN is a platform that provides space for interface between Non-

Government organizations (NGOs)/Voluntary Organizations (VOs) in the country

and key Government Ministries/Departments/Government Bodies.

it is an e-governance application offered by NITI Aayog to electronically

maintain data and transparency regarding NGOs/VOs in the country.

The NGO-DARPAN was earlier maintained by erstwhile Planning Commission,

which has been replaced by the NITI Aayog w.e.f. 1st January, 2015.

With space reforms, private sector to get level playing field

The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of the Indian National Space

Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to provide a level playing field

for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure.

IN-SPACe Functions :

IN-SPACe will regulate and promote building of routine satellites, rockets and

commercial launch services through Indian industry and start-ups.

These activities had been largely the domain of the 50-year-old Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO) until now.

It will have its own chairperson and board.

IN-SPACe will have its own directorates for technical, legal, safety and security,

monitoring and activities promotion.

It is the second commercial arm of the Department of Space. (First being Antrix

Corporation Limited)

It will function autonomously and parallel to ISRO.

NSIL [NewSpace India Ltd], which was launched in 2019, will be strengthened

and empowered to work with IN-SPACe and enable industry consortia to take on

some of the activities of ISRO.

These include launch vehicles and satellite production, launch services and space-

based services.

Significance:

IN-SPACe is touted as the body that will ensure a level playing field for Indian

industry in a fast-growing global space sector.

Private companies will be provided level playing field in satellites, launches and

space-based services. Future projects for planetary exploration, outer space travel

will be open for the private sector.

The reforms in the space sector are aimed at tapping the potential of the entire

country for unlocking its potential by enabling private enterprises and start-ups to

undertake end-to-end space activities.

They are also aimed at mitigating the large investments required to set up

facilities for undertaking space activities through sharing of such existing

facilities under ISRO.

It is expected that a large number of jobs will be created.

According to the ISRO Chairman, this [restructuring] will allow ISRO to allocate

more time and resources for R&D endeavours while it continues to carry out its



present activities with greater emphasis on development of advanced technology,

human space flight missions and capacity building besides supporting private

endeavours in the space sector.

NISL:

New Space India Limited (NSIL) was incorporated to carry forward the industry

production of space systems and the ISRO‘s efforts in realising Polar Satellite

Launch Vehicles (PSLV) from industry.

It is the commercial arm of ISRO, which will be the interface to engage with

startups and private companies for new applications and use the space

infrastructure to build them

NSIL would endeavour to reorient space activities from a ―supply driven‖ model

to a ―demand driven‖ one, thereby ensuring optimum utilisation of the nation‘s

space assets.

New Satellite Navigation policy:

A new satellite navigation policy, which has a strategic military element to it, is

being proposed.

The older ones, namely Remote Sensing Data Policy and the SatCom Policy of 2000, are

being revised.

TikTok among 59 apps banned by the Centre

The Government of India banned 59 applications, most of them popular Chinese

applications citing threat to national security and sovereignty.

The move is seen as a retaliatory step amid the tense border standoff between

India and China.

The ban comes amid continuing tensions on the border between India and China.

The move was executed by the IT Ministry‘s Indian Computer Emergency

Response Team (CERT-In) and approved by the National Cyber Security

Coordinator (NCSC), who is a part of the National Security Council Secretariat.

It is said that the decision is a targeted move to ensure the safety and sovereignty

of Indian cyberspace.

What is the legal basis for India’s action?

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) invoked its

power under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the

relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for

Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

The move is taken in view of the information available that they are engaged in

activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of

India, security of state and public order.

Meity said that it received many complaints and reports about misuse of mobile

apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users‘ data in an unauthorised

manner to servers that have locations outside India.



The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to

national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the

sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern

that requires emergency measures.

How will the ban be enforced?

The notification is expected to be followed by instructions to Internet service

providers to block these apps.

While this will impact the apps that need a live feed to serve any purpose, users

might still be able to continue using apps that don‘t need an active Internet

connection to be used. But further downloads of these apps are likely to be

blocked.

What will be the impact of the ban?

Some apps on the banned list are very popular in India.

Most of these platforms have Indian creators, for many of whom this is the only

source of income. Many of these apps have offices and employees in India, and a

few thousand jobs could be at stake.



POLITY AND GOVERNANCE, SOCIAL ISSUES &

HEALTH

Vamsadhara River Water Dispute

Vamsadhara River

It is an east-flowing river which originates in Kalahandi district of Odisha, flows

in Odisha, along its boundary with Andhra Pradesh and finally joins the Bay of

Bengal at Kalingapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

It is the main river of north-eastern Andhra region and the Boddepalli Rajagopala

Rao Project was constructed on it to meet the irrigation needs of the region.

The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will hold talks to clear out all

differences with regard to the sharing of Vamsadhara river waters.

Andhra Pradesh wants to build the Neradi bridge across the river which will be

possible only after Odisha‘s consent.

Andhra Pradesh also wants to complete the inter-linking of its Nagavali river with

the Vamsadhara and expand the Madduvalasa Reservoir project soon.

Madduvalasa Project is a Medium Irrigation Project with a reservoir across

Suvarnamukhi river, a tributary of Nagavali river.

Agriculture is the only assured economic activity for the people living in the

backward region and in the absence of rapid industrialisation, there is a need to

concentrate on irrigation projects to make agriculture a viable activity.



Background:

In February 2006, Odisha sent a complaint to the Central Government under

Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956

regarding its water disputes with Andhra Pradesh pertaining to Inter-State River

Vamsadhara. It demanded for the constitution of an Inter-State Water Disputes

Tribunal for adjudication.

Grievances of Orissa:

Adverse effect of undertaking the construction of a canal (called a flood flow

canal at Katragada, Andhra Pradesh) taking off from the river Vamsadhara.

The flood flow canal would result in drying up the existing river bed and

consequent shifting of the river affecting the groundwater table.

Failure of Andhra Pradesh to implement the terms of the inter-state agreement

relating to use, distribution and control of waters of vamsadhara and its valley.

Odisha also raised the issue of scientific assessment of available water in

Vamsadhara at Katragada and Gotta Barrage, Andhra Pradesh and the basis for

sharing the available water.

Secrecy of ballot is key to free and fair elections: SC

Supreme Court judgment on rule of secrecy of ballot.

During the voting of a no-confidence motion in the zila panchayat of the

Panchayat Adhyaksha in Uttar Pradesh in 2018, it was found that some of the

panchayat members had violated the rule of secrecy of ballot. The Panchayat

members had either displayed the ballot papers or by their conduct revealed the

manner in which they had voted.

This was challenged in the Allahabad High Court, which had annulled the vote of

no confidence. This judgment of the Allahabad High Court was challenged in the

Supreme Court.



The Supreme Court has ordered a re-vote of the motion within the next two

months to be conducted by the secret ballot system. It ordered the Allahabad

District Judge or his nominee to act as the presiding officer.

The Supreme Court referred to Section 28(8) of the Uttar Pradesh Kshettra

Panchayat and Zila Panchayat Adhiniyam, 1961. This provision states that a

motion of no confidence shall be put to vote in the prescribed manner by secret

ballot.

Section 94 of the Representation of the People Act also upholds the privilege of

the voter to maintain confidentiality about her choice of vote.

Important observations:

Free and fair elections: The Court noted that even a remote or distinct possibility

that a voter can be forced to disclose for whom she has voted would act as a

positive constraint and a check on the freedom to exercise of franchise.

The Court held that the choice of a voter should be free and the secret ballot

system in a democracy ensures it. It held the secrecy of ballot as the cornerstone

of free and fair elections and the principle of secrecy of ballots as an important

postulate of constitutional democracy.

Voters’ privilege:The Supreme Court judgment notes that a voter can also

voluntarily waive the privilege of non-disclosure. The privilege of secrecy ends

when the voter decides to waive the privilege and instead volunteers to disclose as

to whom she had voted. No one can prevent a voter from doing so. Nor can a

complaint be entertained on this disclosure.

Panchayats to get ₹10 lakh cr. till 2026

For forming up its recommendations for the years 2020-21 to 2025-26, the

Finance Commission held a meeting with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR)

headed by the Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers‘

Welfare & Panchayati Raj.

The Panchayati Raj Ministry has pitched for a fivefold increase in Finance

Commission funding for rural local bodies.

The Ministry asked for ₹10 lakh crore to be allocated for the 2020-21 to 2025-26

period, in comparison to the ₹2 lakh crore allocated under the 14th Finance

Commission.

It noted that allocations had tripled between the 13th and 14th Commissions as

well.

An impact evaluation study showed a 78% utilisation rate for FC grants between

2015 and 2019.

Road construction and maintenance, as well as drinking water supply have been

the major projects carried out by panchayats using FC grants.

The 2.63 lakh panchayats across the country have 29 functions under their ambit,

according to the 11th Schedule of the Constitution.

Importance of Panchayats during the ongoing pandemic:

Panchayats have also gained importance as crucial nodal points in times of crisis.

Going forward, the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan will depend on panchayats to

generate employment for newly returned migrant workers.



Finance Commission

It is a constitutional body, that determines the method and formula for distributing

the tax proceeds between the Centre and states and among the states as per the

constitutional arrangement and present requirements.

Under Article 280 of the Constitution, the President of India is required to

constitute a Finance Commission at an interval of five years or earlier.

The 1st Finance Commission was set up in 1951 and there have been fifteen so

far.

The 15th Finance Commission was constituted by the President of India on 27th

November 2017, against the backdrop of the abolition of the Planning

Commission and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The 15th Finance Commission is headed by N.K. Singh.

In November 2019, the Union Cabinet approved the 15th Finance Commission to

submit its first report for the first fiscal year 2020-21 and to extend its tenure to

provide for the presentation of the final report covering Financial Years 2021-22

to 2025-26 by 30th October, 2020.

Antifa in USA

The USA is experiencing a ‗law and order‘ situation due to the violent nationwide

protests triggered by anger over racial inequities and excessive use of police

force.

The unrest began with peaceful protests over the death of a African-American

man in police custody in Minneapolis city of USA.

Subsequently, many cities across the USA remain under curfews at a level not

seen since riots following the 1968 assassination of civil rights activist Martin

Luther King Jr.

Blame for Ongoing Violent Protest :

The USA President has blamed an organisation namely, Antifa for the violent

protest that erupted in the country.

The antifa movement gained more visibility in 2017 after a series of events that

put a spotlight on anti-fascist protesters.

Declaration as Terrorist Organisation:

It has been also argued that the USA will be designating Antifa as a terrorist

organization in the future.

Although, the USA has no statute that permits designating violent domestic

groups terrorists, as it has for international groups like Islamic State or Al-Qaeda.

Antifa

The word ―antifa‖ was first used in 1946, Antifa stands for ―Anti-fascism‖.

The name comes from early 1930s Germany, where socialist "anti-fa" groups

attempted to stand up to the rise of Adolf Hitler's Nazis.

Antifa was started in the Rose City Antifa of Portland, Oregon (USA) in 2007 to

shut down a neo-Nazi skinhead music festival called Hammerfest.



The organisation covers a range of social justice issues. It believes in a world free

of fascism, racism, sexism, homo/transphobia, and islamophobia.

It also focusses on countering the resurgence of neo-nazi and white supremacist

groups.

It is also only one activist movement that has come together in the past few years

to oppose the far right.

Odisha plans mega educational complexes for tribal students

The Odisha Government is coming up with three mega educational complexes

exclusively for tribal students, where both academic and sporting skills will be harnessed.

Odisha’s tribal population:

According to the 2011 Census, Odisha‘s tribal population constitutes 9.17% of the

country‘s tribal population. In Odisha, tribal population is 22.85% of the state‘s

total population.

With 62 tribal communities, Odisha has the most diverse tribes in India. In terms

of tribal population, Odisha occupies the third position in India.

Out of a total of 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups in India, 13 reside in

Odisha.

The proposed educational complexes will be established in tribal dominated

districts such as Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj.

Santal and Bhuyan are two dominant tribal groups living in Keonjhar,

Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts.

The campuses will have state-of-the-art facilities to improve educational and

sporting skills of tribal students from Standard I to XII. Skill development centres

will be an integral part of the projects.

Funds required for the project will be sourced from Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas

Development Corporation (OMBADC), which was formed for focused

development of mineral rich districts. Incidentally, most mineral rich districts are

tribal-dominated.

Keonjhar, where other tribes such as Sounti, Ho, Juang, Kharwar, Mahali, Oraon

Kolha and Kora reside, is the most mined district of the State.

Keonjhar district itself contains more than 70% of the iron ore reserves of Odish



QS World University Rankings 2021

QS World University Rankings 2021 shows a decline in the rankings of the Indian

Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Only the newer IITs in Guwahati and Hyderabad have shown some improvement.

QS World University Rankings

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a leading global career and education network for

ambitious professionals looking to further their personal and professional

development.

QS develops and successfully implements methods of comparative data collection

and analysis used to highlight institutions‘ strengths.

The ‗QS World University Rankings‘ is an annual publication of university

rankings which comprises the global overall and subject rankings.

Only three educational institutes from India, the IIT Bombay (172), IISc

Bengaluru (185) and IIT Delhi (193) feature in the top 200 list.

Despite the Centre's flagship Institutes of Eminence (IoE) scheme to boost the

Indian presence in these global rankings, the total number of Indian institutions in

the top 1,000 global list has fallen from 24 to 21.

In private universities, BITS Pilani and the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)

have dropped out of the top 1,000 list, but OP Jindal Global University has

climbed to the 650-700 band in the rankings.

Out of the six parameters, Indian institutions get zero scores on the ratio of

international faculty and students while scoring well on research impact,

measured through citations per faculty.

India also scores poorly on faculty-student ratio because of counting only full-

time faculty whereas American universities include PhD students who are

teaching or are research assistants.

Indian academics have focused on that if a parameter comparing the cost of

education to students is introduced, Indian institutions would be among the

world‘s top 50.

Earlier in 2020, IITs jointly decided to boycott the World University Rankings

released by the Times Higher Education (THE) questioning its methodology and

transparency.

Institutions of Eminence Scheme

It is a government's scheme to provide the regulatory architecture for setting up or

upgrading of 20 Institutions (10 from public sector and 10 from the private sector) as

world-class teaching and research institutions called ‗Institutions of Eminence‘.

Objectives:

Excellence and Innovation: To provide for higher education leading to excellence and

innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate,

graduate and research degree levels.



Specialization: To engage in areas of specialization to make distinctive contributions to

the objectives of the university education system.

Global Rating: To aim to be rated internationally for its teaching and research as a top

hundred Institution in the world over time.

Quality teaching and Research: To provide for high quality teaching and research and

for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination.

Benefits:

Autonomy: Institutes with IoE tag will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide

fees, course durations and governance structures.

Grant: The public institutions under IoE tag will receive a government grant of Rs 1,000

crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.

India Rankings 2020

Union HRD Minister virtually releases ―India Rankings 2020‖ for Higher

Educational Institutions.

The rankings are released annually based on the National Institutional Ranking

Framework (NIRF).

This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country.

The methodology draws from the overall recommendations and broad

understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the

broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.

The parameters broadly cover ―Teaching, Learning and Resources,‖ ―Research

and Professional Practices,‖ ―Graduation Outcomes,‖ ―Outreach and Inclusivity,‖

and ―Perception‖.

Ranks are assigned based on total sum of marks assigned for each of these five

broad groups of parameters.

Besides sourcing data on various parameters from applicant institutions, third

party sources of data have also been used, wherever possible.

In 2020, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has been ranked the number 1

institute in the ‗overall‘ category.

The top ranked university is the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

Education gap widened: UNESCO

According to a UNESCO‘s 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report,

COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in education systems across the

world.

Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report

Developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO, the Education

For All Global Monitoring Report published from 2002–2015, aimed to sustain

commitment towards Education for All.



It published 12 Reports from 2002 until 2015.

It was then renamed, and re-launched under a new mandate as the Global

Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, UNESCO, whose principal role is to

monitor progress towards the education targets in the 2030 Sustainable

Development Agenda.

In line with its mandate, the 2020 GEM Report assesses progress towards

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education and its ten targets, as

well as other related education targets in the SDG agenda.

The Report also addresses inclusion in education, drawing attention to all those

excluded from education, because of background or ability.

The Report is motivated by the call to ensure an inclusive and equitable quality

education in the formulation of SDG 4, the global goal for education.

The Report also explores the challenges holding the world back from achieving

this vision and demonstrates concrete policy examples from countries managing

to tackle them with success.

These include differing understandings of the word inclusion, lack of teacher

support, absence of data on those excluded from education, inappropriate

infrastructure, persistence of parallel systems and special schools, lack of political

will and community support, untargeted finance, uncoordinated governance,

multiple but inconsistent laws, and policies that are not being followed through.

Findings:

About 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries have not supported

learners at risk of exclusion during this crisis, such as the poor, linguistic

minorities and learners with disabilities.

The report noted that efforts to maintain learning continuity during the pandemic

may have actually worsened exclusion trends.

During the height of school closures in April 2020, almost 91% of students

around the world were out of school.

While India has also used distance learning solutions for educational continuity,

the digital divide lays bare the limitations of this approach.

School closures have also interrupted support mechanisms from which many

disadvantaged learners benefit.

For poor students who depend on school for free meals or even free sanitary

napkins, closures have been a major blow.

The report highlighted that, cancellation of examinations in many countries,

including India, may result in scoring dependent on teachers‘ judgement of

students instead, which could be affected by stereotypes of certain types of

students.

Higher drop-out rates are also a concern.

During an earlier Ebola epidemic in Africa, many older girls never returned to

school once the crisis was over.



STARS Programme: World Bank

Recently, the World Bank has approved the Strengthening Teaching-Learning and

Results for States (STARS) Programme.

It will improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states

of Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and

Rajasthan through the Samagra Shiksha.

Expected Beneficiaries: Around 250 million students (between the age of 6 and

17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit from this USD

500 million programme.

Objectives: STARS will help improve learning assessment systems, strengthen

classroom instruction and remediation, facilitate school-to-work transition and

strengthen governance and decentralized management.

STARS will support India‘s renewed focus on addressing the learning outcome

challenge and help students better prepare for the jobs of the future, through a

series of reform initiatives, which include:

Providing Customised Solutions:Focusing more directly on the delivery of

education services at the state, district and sub-district levels by providing

customized local-level solutions towards school improvement.

Addressing Specific Demands:Addressing demands from stakeholders, especially

parents, for greater accountability and inclusion by producing better data to assess

the quality of learning.

Giving special attention to students from vulnerable sections, with over 52% (as a

weighted average) of children in the government-run schools in the six project

states belonging to vulnerable sections, such as Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled

Tribe (ST) and minority communities.

Delivering a curriculum that keeps pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the job

market.

Equipping Teachers:Equipping teachers to manage this transformation by

recognizing that teachers are central to achieving better learning outcomes.

More Investments:Investing more in developing India‘s human capital needs by

strengthening foundational learning for children in classes 1 to 3 and preparing

them with the cognitive, socio-behavioural and language skills to meet future

labour market needs.

STARS will support India’s renewed focus on addressing the ‘learning outcome’

challenge and help students better prepare for the jobs of the future – through a

series of reform initiatives. These include:

Focusing more directly on the delivery of education services at the state, district

and sub-district levels by providing customized local-level solutions towards

school improvement. This will help strengthen governance and decentralize

management.

The program will support individualized, needs-based training for teachers that

will give them an opportunity to have a say in shaping training programs and

making them relevant to their teaching needs.

Investing more in developing India‘s human capital needs by strengthening

foundational learning for children in classes 1 to 3 and preparing them with the



cognitive, socio-behavioral and language skills to meet future labour market

needs.

SDGs: It is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal for education (SDG 4)

and will help produce better data on learning levels by improving the National

Achievement Survey (NAS).

PISA: STARS will assist India in participation in the Programme for International

Student Assessment (PISA).

PISA is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations.

It measures 15-year-olds' ability to use their reading, mathematics and science

knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.

Global Vaccine Summit

Prime Minister of India addressed the virtual Global Vaccine Summit.

The Summit was hosted by the United Kingdom (UK). Almost 50 countries

including the business leaders, UN agencies, civil society, government ministers,

Heads of State and country leaders participated in the Summit.

The Summit was intended to urge nations around the world to pledge funding for

vaccinations to protect the world from future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The Summit was aimed at raising USD 7.4 million to immunise a further 300

million children in the world's poorest countries by 2025.

India’s Contribution:

India has pledged USD 15-million as India's contribution to the Global Alliance

for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI).

GAVI is an international organisation which brings together public and private

sectors to create equal access to vaccines for children.

India had also mentioned that it has shared its stocks of medicines with over 120

countries in the wake of the pandemic.

India is the world‘s foremost producer of vaccines and contributes to the

immunisation of about 60% of the world‘s children.

India has also added six vaccines to its Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)

to expand protection of vaccination in the country.

Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) was launched by the government in

1985, to prevent mortality and morbidity in children and pregnant women against

12 vaccine-preventable diseases.

Under UIP free of cost vaccination is provided against twelve vaccine-preventable

diseases i.e. Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B,

Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles,

Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea.



Dexamethasone Drug

Recently, scientists administering the World Health Organisation‘s RECOVERY

trial have reported that dexamethasone reduced Covid-19 deaths in severe

patients.

Dexamethasone is a cheap and widely available steroid drug.

Highlights:

The drug was given either orally or through an IV (intravenous).

After 28 days, it had reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment

with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen.

The drug is not helpful for less ill patients and for those who do not need

respiratory support.

According to the estimates, this drug can prevent one death for every eight

patients treated while on breathing machines and one for every 25 patients on

extra oxygen alone.

Mechanism:

Multi-system Inflammatory State is a Covid-19 related illness that causes

inflammation of the blood vessels leading to low blood pressure, affecting the

entire body as it causes a build-up of fluid in the lungs and other organs.

The inflammation can be fatal so steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs are

used to reduce it.

Dexamethasone is not an anti-viral but works to modulate the immune response of

the body when confronted by a viral infection such as Covid-19.

Benefits:

The survival benefit is clear and large in severe patients.

It is highly affordable, easy to make, can be scaled up quickly and only needs a

small dosage.

It is a cheaper option than tocilizumab, an injectable, which is also being tested.

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