News Juice Monthly June Edition 2019 PDF

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Table of Contents
Polity & Governance .......................................................... 1
1. Madras High Court judgement on L-G role in Puducherry administration (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...................................................................................... 1
2. Justice Bobde panel gives clean chit to CJI in sexual harassment probe (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...................................................................................... 1
3. The in-house panel constituted to verify allegations against CJI resorted to its power at the
cost of fairness to the complainant (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity &
Governance).............................................................................................................................................................. 2
4. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo: Reuters journalists freed in Myanmar (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ....................................................................................................... 4
5. Supreme Court aiming to reach the full sanctioned judicial strength of 31 judges (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ......................................................................... 5
6. How EC evolved, what rules it follows in case of disagreement (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)............................................................................................................ 5
7. What is the case for the disqualification move against MLAs in Tamil Nadu? (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ................................................................................ 6
8. The Election Commission has invoked its powers under Art 324 to curtail campaigning in
West Bengal following violence in Kolkata. What powers does the Constitution give ECI;
how has SC interpreted Art 324? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity &
Governance).............................................................................................................................................................. 8
9. Questions on credibility of Election Commission (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II; Polity &
Governance).............................................................................................................................................................. 9
10. Voter turnout in various States & UTs (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity &
Governance).............................................................................................................................................................. 9
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11. Election Results 2019: Amid controversy over the movement of EVMs, a look at the EC
procedures for storing these machines, commissioning them for polls, and how they travel
from the strong room to the poll booth and back (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
II; Polity & Governance).................................................................................................................................... 10
12. Modi wins 2019 elections (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
..................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
13. Lok Sabha Election results 2019: Vote surge from 17 to 22 crore scripts BJP’s historic
victory (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ................................. 13
14. Supreme Court to reach its full sanctioned judicial strength of 31 judges after elevation of
4 judges (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) .............................. 14
15. Results of elections (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ........ 14
16. People are entitled to know whether or not the poll panel’s key decisions are unanimous
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)................................................. 16
17. What is the method followed in a Post-poll survey? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
II; Polity & Governance).................................................................................................................................... 17
18. Women’s representation in Lok Sabha rises to a record at 14.4% (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) .................................................................................................... 18
19. Why Uttar Pradesh's mahagathbandhan failed (Read only for understanding; Polity &
Governance)........................................................................................................................................................... 19
20. NSSO-CSO Merger: What Will the Centralisation of Indian Statistics Bring With It?
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)................................................. 20
21. P.S. Golay sworn in as Sikkim Chief Minister (Read only for understanding; Polity &
Governance)........................................................................................................................................................... 22
22. The merger of the NSSO into the Central Statistics Office is a cause for concern (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...................................................................... 23
International Organizations and Relations ............ 24

1. Japnese hereditary monarchy- longest surviving hierarchy of the world (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) .............................................................................................................................. 24
2. After the video, 3 questions about ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Relevant for GS
3. UN designates Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist (Relevant for GS

Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)................................................................................................................... 27
4. Masood Azhar has been listed as a terrorist, now India must work to ensure the
mandated sanctions (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) ..................................... 29
5. Multilateral negotiations frequently involve complex quid pro quos, and China is known
to wait and play the long game. Why has it chosen to allow the global terrorist listing of
Masood Azhar at this juncture? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)............ 30
6. Imran’s Iran outreach— evolution of a relationship, what it means for India (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)............................................................................................................... 32
7. India’s trade and diaspora with Africa (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
8. US and China account for half of world’s military spending (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper II; IOBR)....................................................................................................................................................... 35
9. Issues in India-US trade (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) ............................. 36
10. What is special about Bhutan and Bhutan PM (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)............................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
11. 180 nations agree to curb export of plastic waste (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper II; IOBR) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 40
12. How did the trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies (US and China)
start? What happens if their standoff escalates into a wider economic conflict? How can
India and the rest of the world be impacted? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)............................................................................................................................................................................................ 41
13. Pakistan to Get $6 Billion From IMF Over Three Years (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper II; IOBR) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 42
14. China imposes tariff hike on U.S. goods worth $60 bn in response to tarrif hike by US
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...................................................................................... 43

15. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s visit comes at a time when tensions have escalated
between Iran and the US. What is India's stake in this; what are the challenges it faces
diplomatically, and as an importer of Iran oil? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
II; IOBR) .................................................................................................................................................................................... 43
16. China blocks Wikipedia in all languages (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)............................................................................................................................................................................................ 45
17. Understanding Pakistan’s IMF bailout (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
18. Taiwan gay marriage: Parliament legalises same-sex marriage (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper II; IOBR) ................................................................................................................................................ 47
19. Sri Lanka has not done enough after end of civil war in 2009 to usher in reform and
reconciliation (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) .................................................... 47
20. UN on Jammu & Kashmir and Response of Indian Government (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper II; IOBR) ................................................................................................................................................. 48
21. Why Modi swearing-in invite to BIMSTEC leaders sends important signals to India’s
neighbours (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) .......................................................... 49
22. Sri Lanka, Japan, India sign deal to develop East Container Terminal at Colombo Port
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...................................................................................... 51
23. India Moves Up to Rank 43 in Competitiveness; Singapore Tops Chart (Relevant for GS
24. Guests at today’s swearing-in, what the PM Modi’s outreach signifies (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR) ............................................................................................................................. 53
Geography .......................................................................... 54
1. Powerful cyclonic storm heads for Odisha. Cyclones emerging over Bay of Bengal in
April-May are usually weaker, and often swerve away from India’s east coast. What
explains Fani’s unusual strength and route? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper I;
Geography) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 54
2. How Cyclone Fani got its name, why the next one will be Vayu (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper I; Geography) ...................................................................................................................................... 56

3. Mt. Everest: learn from tragedy, tighten safety measures (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Geography) ...................................................................................................................................... 57
Economics ........................................................................... 59
1. RBI's reluctance to furnish list of wilful defaulters (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Economics) ....................................................................................................................................... 59
2. NSE fined ₹1,000 crore in co-location case (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III;
Economics) ............................................................................................................................................................ 60
3. New SBI rules link savings bank interest to repo rate: what has changed, why (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) ............................................................................................... 61
4. Pepsi vs Gujarat farmers: case, its withdrawal (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
III; Economics) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 62
5. Why has the Supreme Court given an ultimatum to the Reserve Bank of India on loan
defaulters? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) ........................................... 64
6. Chips at stake in the PepsiCo-farmers fight : Who has infringed on rights under the
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001? (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Economics) ....................................................................................................................................... 65
7. Reliance subsidiary acquires UK toy retailer Hamleys (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Economics) ....................................................................................................................................................... 67
8. Decline in automobiles sales signal Economic slowdown in India (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) ............................................................................................................... 68
9. RBI now uses divergence to compel banks to improve their loan-loss ratios (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) ............................................................................................... 68
10. Rising trade deficit of India on account of falling exports (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Economics) ....................................................................................................................................... 69
11. Why appeals are stuck at WTO, how India will be hit if process breaks down (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) .............................................................................................. 70
12. Higher education to get a boost with ₹1.5 lakh crore action plan (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) .............................................................................................................. 71
13. Draft export policy unveiled (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics) .. 72

14. US takes India off currency watchlist (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III;
Economics) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 73
Environment ....................................................................... 74
1. Steering away from diesel: What is the trend against this heavy polluter fuel in India?
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment) ................................................................. 74
2. One million species face extinction: Why biodiversity report matters (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment) ......................................................................................................... 77
3. Report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 80
4. Coastal Regulation Zone: How rules for building along coast have evolved (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment) ................................................................................................. 81
5. Carbon dioxide concentration in atmosphere hits a new high (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Environment) ................................................................................................................................. 83
6. Making of a conflict zone: humans vs tigers in a Maharashtra forest (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment) ........................................................................................................ 84
Science & Technology....................................................... 86

1. Shoebox satellite (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) .... 86
2. Why has Maruti decided to stop making diesel cars? How is the move linked to BS-VI
emission norms that kick in next year? What difficulties would continuance with diesel
present? What is the mood globally? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science
& Technology) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 87
3. What are microbots and what are their possible uses? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Science & Technology) ............................................................................................................................. 89
4. IIT Delhi 3D prints human skin (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science &
Technology) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 90
5. Where are driverless cars going? Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science &
Technology ............................................................................................................................................................................. 90

6. Why US has cleared dengue vaccine with conditions, where India stands (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology).............................................................................. 93
7. What Google is promising for greater privacy (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
III; Science & Technology) ............................................................................................................................................ 95
8. Why the country is targeting smaller vehicles in the quest to have 30% electric
transport by 2030 (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 96
9. What is the atlas of human body, and what is its importance? (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ............................................................................................................. 98
10. DRDO Successfully Conducts Flight Test of ABHYAS (Relevant for GS Prelims; Science &
Technology) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 99
11. Facial Recognition technology- Pros and Cons (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
III; Science & Technology) ......................................................................................................................................... 100
12. Skimming: how devices at ATMs can steal data, help criminals clone cards (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)........................................................................... 101
13. Why there are no Indian telcos in global list of 5G deployments (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ..................................................................................................... 101
14. New measure of kilogram (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science &
Technology) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 102
15. PSLV-C46 successfully launches RISAT-2B (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III;
Science & Technology) ................................................................................................................................................. 103
16. DRDO successfully test fires AKASH – MK -1S (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
III; Science & Technology) ......................................................................................................................................... 103
Internal Security ............................................................ 104

1. 15 jawans killed as Maoists trigger IED in Gadchiroli (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Internal Security)...................................................................................................................................... 104
2. Lesson from Kurkheda: no ‘open areas’ in a Maoist-hit landscape (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Internal Security).............................................................................................. 104

3. How women differ from men in jihadi terrorism (Relevant for GS Mains Paper III;
Internal Security) ............................................................................................................................................................. 106
4. What is it about the Huawei company that continues to cause security concerns to
countries around the world? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Internal
Security) ................................................................................................................................................................................ 107
Disaster management ................................................. 109

1. The Odisha government has shown by example how to manage a natural disaster
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Disaster management) .......................................... 109
2. Fix accountability for Surat tragedy, and update the fire safety protocol countrywide
(Relevant for GS Mains Paper III; Disaster Management) ................................................................. 110
Culture .............................................................................. 111

1. ASI identifies Indian artefacts seized from smuggler Subhash Kapoor (Relevant for GS
Mains Paper I; Culture) ................................................................................................................ 111
Modern History ............................................................. 114

1. Humanist, feminist: Why Iswarchandra Vidyasagar matters (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper II; Modern History) ..................................................................................................... 114
Miscellaneous ................................................................. 115

1. 32-inch footprints in snow: Yeti, myths and fact (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................... 115
2. Explained: What Facebook’s vision of ‘privacy’ shows (Read only for understanding)
........................................................................................................................................................... 118
3. What the discharge of two police officers means for Ishrat Jahan case (Read only for
understanding) ............................................................................................................................. 120
4. Yogesh Chander Deveshwar passes away (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................. 122
5. First Apache Helicopter formally handed over to The IAF (Relevant for GS Prelims) . 122
6. What is a beluga whale? Why is it in news?(Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................ 122
7. India’s first fully underground metro system (Relevant for GS Prelims) ........................ 123

8. Trends in Under-5 mortality in India: Lancet study (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............. 125
9. SIMBEX-19 (Relevant for GS Prelims) ..................................................................................... 126
10. Why news of Google suspending business with Huawei is important (Read only for
understanding) ............................................................................................................................. 126
11. Pakistani fishing vessel caught with 200 kg heroin (Read only for understanding) .... 127
12. IIT-Madras alumnus, an ex-Google, Amazon employee, appointed new CTO of Walmart
(Relevant for GS Prelims) ........................................................................................................... 128
13. Indian writer Annie Zaidi wins $100,000 global book prize (Relevant for GS Prelims)
........................................................................................................................................................... 128

Polity and Governance

1. Madras High Court judgement on L-G role in Puducherry administration (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
L-G not to interfere in day to day administration

The Madras High Court ruled that the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) of Puducherry could not
interfere with the day-to-day administration of the Union Territory when an elected
government was in place. The court said incessant interference from the L-G would amount
to running a “parallel government.”
Rationale behind the judgement

High Court judge said: “The Central government as well as the Administrator [the term used
in the Constitution to refer to the L-G] should be true to the concept of democratic principles.
Otherwise, the constitutional scheme of the country of being democratic and republic would
be defeated.”
The judge made it clear that government secretaries were bound to take instructions from
the Ministers and the Council of Ministers, headed by the Chief Minister.
The court also disapproved of the alleged practice of government officials being part of social
media groups through which the L-G was issuing instructions to them for redress of public
grievances and reminded them that as per rules, they were bound to use only authorised
medium of communication when it came to issues related to administration.
Difference in administration of Delhi and Pudducherry

Madras High Court pointed out the significant differences in the powers conferred on the
legislatures of Puducherry and Delhi under Articles 239A and 239AA of the Constitution.
The court ruled that though Article 239AA imposes several restrictions on the legislature of
Delhi, no such restrictions had been imposed explicitly in the case of Puducherry under
Article 239A.
“The above Article symbolises the supremacy of the Legislature above the Administrator in
case of the Union Territory of Puducherry.”
(Adapted from The Hindu)
2. Justice Bobde panel gives clean chit to CJI in sexual harassment probe (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
Findings of committee
The Justice S.A. Bobde in-house committee has found “no substance” in the sexual
harassment allegations levelled by a former Supreme Court staff member against Chief
Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

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Report kept confidential

A statement issued by the Supreme Court said the committee’s report would be kept
confidential. As part of the in-house procedure, the report would not be placed in the public
domain, the court added.
It said copies of the report were given to Chief Justice Gogoi and the “next senior judge
competent to receive the report”, that is Justice Arun Mishra who is the fourth seniormost
judge.
Justice Ramana, the third seniormost judge, was not handed the report as he had recused
from the committee following allegations raised by the woman about his proximity to Chief
Justice Gogoi.
Official sources in the Supreme Court said the report would go no further than Justice Mishra
and Chief Justice Gogoi. There would be no Full Court meeting on the contents of the
“informal” proceedings.
Nature of inquiry
The inquiry was by nature purely preliminary, ad hoc and only for the purpose of getting
information. The report was “wholly confidential” and existed “only for the purpose of
satisfaction that such a report has been made”.
Reaction of complainant
“Today, my worst fears have come true, and all hope of justice and redress from the highest
court of the land has been shattered. In fact, the committee has announced that I will not
even be provided a copy of the report, and so I have no way of comprehending the reasons
and basis for the summary dismissal of my complaint of sexual harassment and
victimisation,” the former Supreme Court staffer reacted.
The complainant said she was “highly disappointed and dejected” to learn that the in-house
committee had found no substance in her complaint.
Basis of keeping report confidential

The Supreme Court on Monday quoted its reported decision of 2003 in Indira Jaising versus
Supreme Court of India, which had held that an in-house inquiry report was “discreet” and
“not for the purpose of disclosure to any other person”.
The 2003 decision, however, does not contemplate a situation when the Chief Justice of India
is himself under inquiry as in this case.
3. The in-house panel constituted to verify allegations against CJI resorted to its power
at the cost of fairness to the complainant (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
Polity & Governance)

Did Supreme Court fulfilled standards of fairness?

It was a test of great import that one of India’s great institutions failed. The main question
was whether the Supreme Court would live up to the standards of fairness it expects of all
authorities while inquiring into a former woman employee’s complaint of sexual harassment
and victimisation against the Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi.
What was the procedure followed to assess charges?

An ad hoc committee, following an informal procedure, has concluded that the allegations
have “no substance”, but the findings will not be made public. The report cannot be reviewed
judicially. No one else, not even the complainant, knows what evidence was examined and
who else testified apart from herself. All that is known is that she was heard, and questioned,
at two sittings.
She later withdrew from the inquiry, saying she was denied the help of a lawyer or a
representative, that she found the questions from a panel of three sitting Supreme Court
judges quite intimidating, and that she was not clear how her testimony was being recorded.
There is no doubt that the committee remained impervious to the power imbalance in the
situation. Perhaps she ought not to have pulled out from the probe, despite these grievances.
The panel’s conclusion would have been even starker had she been present to hear how
Justice Gogoi defended himself; and who among the court officials, if any, answered her
specific and documented charges about the administrative harassment she was put through
following the alleged incident of sexual harassment.
The most relevant parts of the complaint were the transfer orders and disciplinary inquiry
against her, the role of the court administration in dismissing her, and that of the Delhi Police
in arresting her on a complaint of alleged bribery and initiating disciplinary action against
her husband and his brother, both police personnel. It is not known if any of these officials
were examined.
What is the conclusion?

The manner in which the court dealt with the complaint on the administrative side has been
less than fair. It is true that the in-house procedure devised in 1999 envisages only a
committee of three judges to deal with allegations against serving Supreme Court judges.
The fact that a special law to deal with sexual harassment at the workplace is in force since
2013 appears to have made no difference. The court could not bring itself, even in the
interest of appearing fair, to adopt a formal procedure or allow the complainant to have legal
representation.
For all its judicial homilies on fairness, when it comes to dealing with its own the Supreme
Court has come across as a prisoner of procedure and displayed an alarming propensity to
mix up its institutional reputation with an individual’s interest. “The abuse of greatness is
when it disjoins remorse from power,” wrote Shakespeare. The decision by the ‘in-house
committee’ is an egregious instance of a hallowed institution abusing its own greatness by
letting its power speak, and not the compassion for which it is renowned.

4. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo: Reuters journalists freed in Myanmar (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar for their reporting on the Rohingya crisis have
been freed. Wa Lone, 33 and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29 were released after a presidential amnesty.
They spent more than 500 days in prison.
They had been convicted under the Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in jail
last September. Their jailing was seen as an assault on press freedom and raised questions
about Myanmar's democracy.
The journalists were released along with thousands of other prisoners as part of mass
amnesties that take place annually around new year in Myanmar (also called Burma).
The reporters won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for their work - had become "symbols" of
press freedom.
What were they investigating?

The journalists are Myanmar citizens. They had been collecting evidence about the murders
of 10 Rohingya men by the army in the village of Inn Din in northern Rakhine in September
2017.
They were arrested before the report's publication, after being handed some documents by
two policemen who they had met at a restaurant for the first time.
A police witness testified during the trial that the restaurant meeting was a set-up to entrap
the journalists.
The final report - a collaboration with other journalists - was considered extraordinary,
because it gathered testimonies from a range of participants, including Buddhist villagers
who confessed to killing Rohingya Muslims and torching their homes. Accounts from
paramilitary police also directly implicated the military.
The military had previously released its own investigation into allegations of abuse in
Rakhine, and exonerated itself of wrongdoing, despite large amounts of testimony from
Rohingya refugees describing atrocities.
Authorities later launched their own probe into the Inn Din killings, confirming the massacre
had taken place and promising to take action against those who had taken part.
Seven soldiers were sentenced to prison for their involvement in the killings.
The military said the soldiers would serve 10 years with hard labour for "contributing and
participating in murder".
(Adapted from bbc.com)

5. Supreme Court aiming to reach the full sanctioned judicial strength of 31 judges
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, recommended the
names of two more judges to the Supreme court and rejected the government’s disapproval
of the elevation of two others. These two names were sent earlier for elevation to the
Supreme Court.
If the four judges are elevated without delay, the Gogoi Court would reach the full sanctioned
judicial strength of 31 judges by the time it re-opens in July after the summer vacations. The
sanctioned judicial strength is mentioned under article 124 of Indian Constitution.
Government rejecting names of 2 judges sent earlier

Government rejected names of Jharkhand High Court and Gauhati High Court Chief Justices
Aniruddha Bose and A.S. Bopanna respectively. The Collegium recommended these names
on April 12 for elevation as Supreme Court judges.
Response of Collegium on rejection of names

The Collegium said the rejection by the government is inappropriate. There is nothing
adverse against the two judges’ conduct, competence or integrity. The government is bound
to appoint Justices Bose and Bopanna to the court.
2 more judges proposed for elevation

The Collegium also recommended Justice B.R. Gavai, a judge of the Bombay High Court, and
Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court Surya Kant for elevation to the Supreme
Court.
Justice Gavai superseded three judges in the Bombay High Court. However the collegium said
that though seniority was given due weightage, merit should be the “predominant
consideration”. Justice Gavai belongs to Scheduled Caste category. After his appointment,
Supreme Court will have a Scheduled Caste judge after a decade.
Procedure for appointment of Supreme Court judges

The collegium of judges recommends names to President who receives names on behalf of
the Government. The Government clears name. In case it disagrees, names are sent back to
Collegium for review.
(Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-collegium-recommends-justices-
gavai-surya-kants-names-for-elevation/article27076939.ece)
6. How EC evolved, what rules it follows in case of disagreement (Relevant for GS

While the Election Commission is supposed to transact its business unanimously as far as
possible, Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has dissented with the opinion of his colleagues in

some recent matters. Under what circumstances did the EC become a multi-member body?
What is its procedure when Commissioners disagree?
When and under what circumstances did the Election Commission of India (ECI)
become a three-member body?
Article 324 of the Constitution vests the “superintendence, direction and control of elections”
in an Election Commission consisting “of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number
of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix”.
From the commencement of the Constitution on January 26, 1950 until 1989, the ECI was a
single-member body, with only a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The ECI was expanded
just ahead of the elections to the ninth Lok Sabha and made three member body.
What is the procedure for disposal of matters that come before the Election
Commission of India?
Files are normally initiated at the level of the relevant sections/divisions in the Commission’s
secretariat, and they move upwards, going up to the Deputy Election Commissioners (DECs)
or Directors General (DGs) of the relevant divisions. The DECs/DGs then mark the files
needing the Commission’s decisions or directions to the ECs in order of their seniority. With
the observations of the ECs, the file ultimately goes to the CEC.
In some cases, where any of the ECs or CEC desire a matter to be discussed in person, that
matter is deliberated upon in the meetings of the full Commission, which are normally
attended by the concerned DECs and DGs as well. The decisions taken in those meetings are
then formally recorded in the file concerned.
What happens if any of the Election Commissioners dissent?

If some difference of opinion persists even after oral deliberations and discussions, such
dissent is recorded in the file. All opinions carry equal weight, which means the CEC can be
overruled by the two ECs. In normal practice, while communicating the decision of the
Commission, the majority view is conveyed to the parties concerned. The dissent remains
recorded in the file.
However, despite the existence of the provision to take decisions by majority since 1993,
very rarely has dissent been recorded. When a matter is deliberated upon by the three
Commissioners in a Commission meeting, they normally agree to a common course of action.
This does not, however, mean that there is no disagreement between the Commissioners —
there are certain instances in the past where a consensus could not be arrived at even at the
meeting.
(Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/an-expert-explains-how-election-commission-
evolved-what-rules-it-follows-in-case-of-disagreement-5720029/)
7. What is the case for the disqualification move against MLAs in Tamil Nadu?

On May 6, the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings initiated by Tamil Nadu Assembly
Speaker P. Dhanapal for the disqualification of three MLAs of the ruling All India Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — E. Rathinasabapathy (representing Aranthangi
constituency), V.T. Kalaiselvan (Virudhachalam) and A. Prabhu (Kallakurichi) under the anti-
defection law.
How did it come about?

It was alleged that MLAs associated with T.T.V. Dhinakaran, general secretary of the Amma
Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). Three days later, the Speaker issued show-cause
notices to them.
What is the justification given by MLAs?

The rebel MLAs made two arguments in the Supreme Court.
One, they accused the Speaker of having “acted in a partisan and biased manner”.
Two, they contended that Mr. Dhanapal should not act on the disqualification matter while a
motion of no-confidence was pending against him.
Have MLAs left AIADMK?

As on date, the three MLAs do not deny that their sympathies lie with Mr. Dhinakaran or, to
be precise, with V.K. Sasikala, confidante of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa
and now serving a prison term in Bengaluru after being convicted in a disproportionate
assets case. But the three maintain they are not members of the AMMK. Few days prior,
AMMK has applied to the Election Commission of India for registration as a political party.
The AIADMK’s plan was to establish that by supporting Mr. Dhinakaran, the three MLAs had
“voluntarily given up” membership of the party. It was the same ground on which 18 pro-
Dhinakaran MLAs were disqualified in September 2017.
Why does it matter?

Presently, there are 22 vacancies in Tamil Naidu Legislative assembly. The elections are due
for the vacant seats.
AIADMK has 114 MLAs including the Speaker. If the Supreme Court had not stayed the
disqualification proceedings, the Assembly’s strength would be down to 231. In that case,
the AIADMK would need only 116 members, just two more than its present strength.
What are the rules on disqualification?

As per Paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution, a Member of Parliament or
Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council can be disqualified on two grounds: if the
member voluntarily gives up membership of the party on whose ticket he or she got elected;
or, if the member votes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction of such
party.
However, disqualification may be avoided if the party leadership condones the vote or
abstention within 15 days. The procedure for disqualification is laid down in the Members
of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules,
1986. Each State has similar rules.
What lies ahead?

After the Supreme Court’s notice is served on the Assembly Speaker and his office, the
normal practice is that the Assembly Secretary will file a response.
The results of the by-elections to 22 Assembly constituencies will also have a bearing on
what happens from now on. If the ruling AIADMK wins a comfortable number of seats, it
won’t mind if the motion against the Speaker is taken up first. This will have the effect of
rendering redundant one of the arguments of the rebel legislators: the Speaker facing a
motion for his own removal should not adjudicate disqualification issues. There are at least
two more MLAs against whom the party may initiate action for going against the AIADMK
leadership.
If the DMK wins in all 22 seats, there can be a regime change, which may be followed by the
election of a new Speaker. In that case, the disqualification proceedings may not be pursued
at all.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/trial-in-
the-assembly/article27106167.ece)
8. The Election Commission has invoked its powers under Art 324 to curtail
campaigning in West Bengal following violence in Kolkata. What powers does the
Constitution give ECI; how has SC interpreted Art 324? (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
The Election Commission of India passed an unprecedented order, ending the campaign in
West Bengal at 10 pm on May 16 instead of 5 pm on May 17 as was notified earlier, and is
the norm. It also removed the state’s Home Secretary, and a senior police officer.
Why was decision taken?

The decisions were taken under Article 324 of the Constitution, in response to street violence
in Kolkata between cadres of the BJP and Trinamool Congress.
Just a month earlier, on April 15, the ECI had told the Supreme Court that its powers to
discipline politicians who sought votes in the name of caste or religion were “very limited”.
ECI’s powers
Article 324 vests “in an Election Commission” the “superintendence, direction and control of
elections”. Parliament enacted The Representation of the People Act, 1950 and The
Representation of the People Act, 1951 to define and enlarge the powers of the Commission.
The Supreme Court in Mohinder Singh Gill & Anr vs The Chief Election Commissioner, New
Delhi and Ors (1977) held that Article 324 “operates in areas left unoccupied by legislation
and the words ‘superintendence, direction and control’ as well as ‘conduct of all elections’
are the broadest terms”. The Constitution has not defined these terms.

Article 324, the court said, “is a plenary provision vesting the whole responsibility for
national and State elections” in the ECI “and, therefore, the necessary powers to discharge
that function”.
Importantly, however, the court underlined that powers by ECI have to exercised in
accordance with laws made by Legislatues
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/article-324-and-role-of-election-
commission-india-5731889/)
9. Questions on credibility of Election Commission (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II;

1. The election dates for 17th general elections were announced on March 10, and the first
phase of polling took place on April 11. The entire process took 11 weeks to complete; polling
itself was spread over six weeks. The compulsions on the Election Commission of India to
stretch the exercise into a painfully long-drawn process are unclear. Given the absence of a
rationale for such a prolonged schedule, doubts were raised whether it was designed to help
Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaign in the widest possible manner.
2. EC has shown reluctance to hold Mr. Modi to standards set in the past. There have been
allegations that Mr. Modi have violated model code of conduct.
3. The process of decision-making in the three-member commission itself was called into
question, with one member notifying the others that he would not participate in meetings
on complaints regarding violations of the Model Code of Conduct unless his dissent, when
made, is recorded in the final order.
Nature of Election campaigning

Some self-reflection is called for as the country concludes a bitterly fought election during
which boundaries of civil public debate have been crossed and norms breached. What makes
2019 unprecedented is that inappropriate words were used and misinformation was spread.
In the 2019 campaign, the leaders of the government preempted a fact-based debate on its
performance of five years by blocking or contaminating official data on job generation and
other parameters, and successfully pushed electioneering into a fact-free zone filled with
emotive and divisive issues. This was a double whammy for democracy. On the one hand,
informed discussions have become difficult, and on the other, social tensions have risen.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/count-on-
democracy/article27179337.ece)
10. Voter turnout in various States & UTs (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;

10
11. Election Results 2019: Amid controversy over the movement of EVMs, a look at the
EC procedures for storing these machines, commissioning them for polls, and how
they travel from the strong room to the poll booth and back (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
22 Opposition parties approached the Election Commission over reports of supposedly

suspicious EVM movements, while the EC dismissed allegations of EVMs being switched. A
look at the arrangements made by the EC to secure the journey of an EVM from the strong
room to the polling station and back:
During non-election period

All available EVMs in a district are normally stored in a treasury or a warehouse under the
direct control of the District Electoral Officer (DEO). Exceptions can be made in case of
unavailability of storage space, but the designated treasury or warehouse should not be
below the level of tehsil. The warehouse is secured by a double lock, guarded round the clock
by policemen or security guards, and is also under CCTV surveillance. During a non-election

11
period, EVMs cannot be moved out of the warehouse without specific instructions from the
Election Commission. The first-level check of the EVMs by engineers is done here, in the
presence of representatives of political parties.
During poll season

Closer to the election date, EVMs are allocated randomly to various Assembly segments (in
a Lok Sabha seat) through a software in the presence of party representatives. If the
representatives are absent, then a list of allocated EVMs and VVPAT machines for each
Assembly segment is shared with the party office. From this point, the Returning Officer (RO)
of the Assembly segment takes charge of the allocated machines and stores them in
designated strong rooms.
Here, the second round of randomisation takes place. EVMs are commissioned to specific
polling stations in the presence of party representatives. In fact, candidates are advised by
the EC to share the machine numbers with their respective polling agents so that they can
verify these before polling begins.
After all machines are prepared with the setting of candidates and fixing of ballot papers, and
then commissioned, the strong room is sealed in the presence of party representatives who
can, if they wish, also put their own seal on the locks. The strong room is guarded round the
clock under the charge of a senior police officer, not below the rank of a Deputy
Superintendent of Police. It can also be guarded by central police forces, wherever possible.
Once sealed, the strong room can only be opened on a fixed date and time when the machines
have to handed over to the polling parties to be delivered to their designated polling stations.
All candidates and their election agents are informed beforehand about the date and time of
opening of the strong rooms.
Apart from the machines allocated to specific polling stations, some reserve EVMs are also
taken from the strong rooms and stored in a central place in the Assembly segment, so that
defective machines can be replaced with as little delay as possible.
This year, in view of last year’s controversy over the movement and storage of unused EVMs
during the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, polled and unused machines are being
transported only in GPS-enabled vehicles so that their movement can be tracked by the DEO
and CEO.
From booth back to strong room

Once voting ends, EVM are not dispatched to the strong rooms right away. The Presiding
Officer is required to prepare an account of votes recorded in the machines. An attested copy
of this is provided to each candidate’s polling agent. After this, the EVM is sealed. Candidates
and their agents are allowed to put their signatures on the seals, which they can check for
any signs of tampering. Candidates or their representatives travel behind vehicles carrying
EVMs from the polling station to the strong room, preferably located close to the counting
centre.

12
Reserve EVMs should also be returned at the same time when the polled EVMs are returned.
Once all used EVMs have arrived, the strong room is sealed and the candidate or her
representative is permitted to put their own seals or locks as well. They are also allowed to
keep a watch on the strong rooms round the clock.
Once sealed, the strong room cannot be opened until the morning of counting day. If the
strong room has to opened before that for an unavoidable reason, it can only be done in the
presence of the candidate or his representative, who will be allowed to put their seals or
locks again after the room is closed.
Security forces are deployed in three layers around storage rooms with Central Armed Police
Forces guarding the inner ring. On the day of the results, counting begins only after the
candidate or her polling agent has checked the machine number and whether the seal is
unbroken.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/evm-machine-tampering-hacking-
election-commission-electronic-voting-machines-5741250/)
12. Modi wins 2019 elections (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity &
Governance)
Making major gains in West Bengal and Odisha while holding his own in northern India,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cruised to a second term in office, with the BJP alone looking
set to win just over 300 seats in the seven-phase Lok Sabha election.

13
Opposition badly defeated

Decimating the Opposition alliances in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the BJP ensured that the
Congress, which hovered around a tally of 50, would not be able to claim the official position
of the Leader of the Opposition for the second time running.
Southern states: An exception

The Congress-led UDF notched up impressive numbers at the expense of the Left in Kerala,
winning 19 of the 20 seats, while the DMK-led coalition demolished the AIADMK-BJP alliance
in Tamil Nadu, winning in 37 out of 39, including the lone seat in Puducherry.
Seats secured by NDA

Its major NDA allies — Shiv Sena (18), JD (U) 16, LJP 6 and Akali Dal 2 — took the alliance
tally to a staggering 345.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/india-gives-modi-a-high-
five/article27227770.ece)
13. Lok Sabha Election results 2019: Vote surge from 17 to 22 crore scripts BJP’s
historic victory (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
Vote share of BJP

The jump in the vote share and the absolute addition of votes over 2014 reveals the
magnitude of BJP’s win. BJP’s total vote share increased by a significant 6.5 percentage points
compared to 2014. Of the 60.37 crore total votes polled in this election, more than 22.6 crore
were for BJP. The total number of votes for BJP rose by 32 per cent or 5.5 crore compared to
17.1 crore votes it had got five years ago.
Vote share of Congress

In contrast, the Congress vote share jumped marginally from 19.3 to 19.6 per cent. In
aggregate terms, party added 1.17 crore votes from its 10.69 crore votes in 2014.
The states that had the largest share in BJP’s swollen vote share include 17 states/UTs where
the party got more than 50 per cent of the total votes this time. The only place where the
BJP’s votes came down is in Andhra Pradesh where it has fallen by 7.5 percent.
Issues on which elections were fought

For the Opposition, too, the victory was stunning. Clearly, its narrative of rural distress,
effects of demonetisation, depressed commodity prices, joblessness, sluggish private
investment and sliding consumption pattern failed to strike chords with voters across caste,
class and geography. Instead, the BJP succeeded in making national pride and Modi’s
popularity an issue for electoral choices. The verdict also marked the lowest ebb for Left
parties which shrunk to their historic low.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/elections/lok-sabha-election-results-vote-surge-bjps-
historic-victory-pm-modi-amit-shah-5745571/)

14
14. Supreme Court to reach its full sanctioned judicial strength of 31 judges after
elevation of 4 judges (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
The Centre has cleared four names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for
elevation as judges of the apex court. With their appointment, the Supreme Court will reach
its full sanctioned judicial strength of 31 judges.
Initial disagreement between Government and Collegium

The Centre has cleared the names of Jharkhand High Court and Gauhati High Court Chief
Justices Aniruddha Bose and A.S. Bopanna. On April 12, Collegium recommended the names
of these two judges for elevation. Government requested the Collegium to reconsider the
name of these judges. On May 8, the Collegium refused the government’s request to
reconsider its recommendation.
The Collegium had reiterated its recommendation of Justices Bose and Bopanna in the face
of the government’s initial reluctance. It re-sent the files of the two judges to the government
saying there was nothing adverse found in their conduct, competence or integrity. This had
made it binding on the government to clear their appointments.
Appointment of other 2 judges

The government also approved Collegium’s May 8 recommendation of Justice B.R. Gavai, a
judge of the Bombay High Court, and Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Surya
Kant for elevation.
Basis of elevation of Justice Gavai

The Collegium had explained its recommendation of Justices Gavai and Kant as an attempt
to provide “due representation”, as far as possible, to all High Courts and to all sections of
society including those belonging to the SC/ST/OBC categories, women and minorities.
Justice Gavai superseded three judges in the Bombay High Court. The Collegium reasoned
that though seniority ought to be given due weightage, merit is the “predominant
consideration”. Representation for the SC/ST category seems to have played in the mind of
the Collegium while recommending his elevation.
Controversy over Justice Kant appointment

Justice Kant had been the subject of controversy over a letter written by Justice (now retired)
A.K. Goel to then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. Justice Goel, then an apex court judge,
had disagreed with the proposal to elevate Justice Kant as Chief Justice of the Himachal
Pradesh High Court. However, the Misra Collegium, in a notification dated October 3, went
ahead with his elevation.
(Source;https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/centre-clears-names-of-
four-judges-to-sc/article27213007.ece)
15. Results of elections (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity &
Governance)
15
Odisha : Naveen Patnaik is likely to be sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the fifth time.
16
Andhra Pradesh: YSR Jaganmohan Reddy will replace Chandrababu Naidu as CM after
winning 152 of 175 seats. Naidu’s TDP is virtually wiped out. YSR Jaganmohan Reddy is the
son of the former Congress Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who
died in plane crash. When Jaganmohan was not allowed to become Chief Minister by
Congress party hogh command, after his father’s death, he launched his own party.
Arunachal Pradesh: BJP has secured 41 out of 60 seats. It is expected to form government
again under CM Pema Khandu.
Sikkim: In a huge upset, CM Pawan Chamling’s SDF (part of NDA) loses. SKM leader Prem
Tamang likely to be the new chief minister.
(Source.www.ndtv.com)
16. People are entitled to know whether or not the poll panel’s key decisions are
unanimous (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
Overall, EC rejected the demand of one of the Election Commissioners, Ashok Lavasa that
dissenting opinions on violation of the Model Code of Conduct be recorded in the orders
passed by the three-member Election Commission on.
Why demand of Election Commissioner seems to be justified?

There was indeed a strong case for acceding to the demand of Ashok Lavasa at least in regard
to complaints against high functionaries such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The EC has
been rightly widely criticised for giving a series of ‘clean chits’ to the PM, despite some
questionable remarks that appeared to solicit votes in the name of the armed forces.
Added to the widespread unease was the unexplained delay of several weeks in disposing of
complaints against Mr. Modi.
It is in this context that Mr. Lavasa’s dissenting opinion may have been relevant enough to
merit inclusion in the EC’s orders. After all, the public is aware of the allegedly offending
actions and remarks, and is entitled to be informed if the decision was not unanimous. In this
hotly contested election, one in which the level of discourse was abysmally low, the onus on
the poll panel to maintain a level-playing field and enforce the election code was quite high.
Making public a dissent in the final order would have deepened the popular understanding
of the issues in play.
What does the law say?

The law requires the multi-member EC to transact business unanimously as far as possible
— and where there is a difference of opinion, by majority. Therefore, there is nothing wrong
if decisions are made by a 2:1 ratio. The apparent justification for excluding any dissent from
the final order, but merely recording it in the file, is that the practice of including dissent is
limited to quasi-judicial matters such as allotment of symbols. Should recording of a
dissenting opinion be based on such a distinction? A more appropriate distinction would be
17
between decisions that require reasoning — absolving the Prime Minister of an election code
violation surely ought to be one — and administrative matters that need to be resolved with
dispatch.
If members have specific reasons for deciding for or against a particular course of action,
there would surely be no harm in spelling out their respective positions. It would be
unfortunate indeed if Mr. Lavasa stays away from meetings concerning violations of the
Model Code of Conduct. However, as he has taken up the issue through as many as three
letters, it is reasonable to infer that there is some basis for his grievance. At a time when the
institution’s reputation is being undermined by sustained criticism, the EC should not shy
away from making public any difference of opinion within. It would be unfortunate if the
majority in the EC were to be afraid of any public reaction that may result from disclosure of
a split opinion.
(Source.https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/disclosing-
dissent/article27210884.ece)
17. What is the method followed in a Post-poll survey? (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)
Extent of sampling
The analysis here of the general election 2019 is based on a nationwide post-poll survey (The
National Election Study 2019) conducted by the Lokniti programme of the Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi.
The fieldwork for the post-poll survey was conducted in 26 States after each phase of voting
which began from April 12, 2019 and went on till May 21. A total of 24,236 voters were
interviewed in 211 parliamentary constituencies (PC) in 26 States.
Nature of survey
The National Election Study 2019 (NES 2019) is a post- poll survey conducted during the
general election of 2019 by a team of scholars from all over India and coordinated by Lokniti,
Programme for Comparative Democracy at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
(CSDS). The NES 2019 is a large and comprehensive social scientific study of India’s national
elections and continues the series begun in 1967 by the CSDS (with a break between 1971
and 1996).
Difference between post poll survey and exit poll

It must be noted that the post poll survey conducted by the CSDS is very different from an
exit poll in which voters are approached outside the polling booth on voting day. Instead,
voters who were randomly selected from electoral rolls were approached by the field
investigators for an interview at their place of residence after votes had been cast in their
respective constituencies but before the results were known. The purpose of the post-poll
survey was not just to try to understand voting behaviour but, more importantly, to
understand the reasons why voters chose the parties and candidates they did.

18
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/the-method-behind-the-
sampling/article27249435.ece)
18. Women’s representation in Lok Sabha rises to a record at 14.4% (Relevant for GS
Women members of Lok Sabha

The 17th Lok Sabha will have the highest number (78) of women representatives ever. They
will account for 14.39% of the entire strength of the Lower House, which was at 12.5% with
a total 65 women MPs in the previous Lok Sabha.
Party wise women MPs

BJP has sent the largest number of elected women representatives (40) to Lok Sabha because
of the sheer size of its victory. It is followed by Trinamool Congress (9), Congress (6), BJD (5)
and YSRCP (4), as per data compiled by Association for Democratic Reforms.
However, it is the regional parties that boast of a higher ratio of women MPs to their total
MPs in the new Lok Sabha. Women account for 41.6% of BJD’s total strength in Lok Sabha
and 40.9% of TMC’s strength in the House. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and BJD Chief
Naveen Patnaik had pledged to give tickets to 40% and 30% of party candidates before the
elections started.
Women account for 18.18% of the total winning candidates for Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress
Party (YSRCP). As far as the national parties are concerned, women MPs account for a mere
13.28% of the total winning candidates of BJP and 11.76% of that of Congress.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/womens-representation-in-lok-
sabha-rises-to-a-record-at-144/article27248880.ece)

19
19. Why Uttar Pradesh's mahagathbandhan failed (Read only for understanding;
In this election, the alliance in Uttar Pradesh between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), referred to as the mahagathbandhan, was based on the premise
that both parties will ensure the transfer of their votes to each other in their corresponding
seats. They had tasted the success of this experiment in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-
elections in early 2018 and a few months later in Kairana as well, when the Rashtriya Lok
Dal (RLD) joined this alliance. However, the success didn’t last long. The vote transfer that
worked in the by-elections did not fully materialise when it mattered most.
An analysis of the voting choice of various castes and communities as captured by the post-
poll survey helps us understand why the mahagathbandhan failed so spectacularly in the Lok
Sabha election.
First, Jats, who have historically voted for the RLD but have moved away from it since 2014,
did not throw their weight behind the alliance in western U.P. Not only did they not vote for
SP and BSP candidates, but most of them also did not vote for RLD candidates. According to
the survey, 91% of Jats seem to have ended up backing the BJP.
Second, the consolidation of the SP’s core voters, the Yadavs, behind the mahagathbandhan
was not as strong as it should have been. While three-fifths of them did vote for the
mahagathbandhan, this is lower than what is was in the 2017 Assembly election, when over
three-fourths of them voted for the Congress-SP alliance.
Third, the BSP was able to hold on to its core Jatav vote (over three-fourths of them voted for
the mahagathbandhan), but it failed to ensure the backing of non-Jatav Dalits for the alliance,
as nearly half of them (48%), like in 2017, voted for BJP candidates.
Fourth, even as three-fourths of the Muslim vote went to the mahagathbandhan, about 15%
was also cornered by the Congress, particularly in seats contested by the SP. This may well
be one of the reasons for the fairly large number of defeats of SP candidates compared to BSP
candidates.
Fifth, the consolidation of the upper castes, the Kurmis and Koeris, and the lower Other
Backward Classes (OBCs) behind the BJP was far stronger than the consolidation of Jatavs,
Muslims and Yadavs. Over four-fifths of upper castes, fourth-fifths of Kurmis and Koeris, and
three-fourths of lower OBCs voted for the BJP. Along with non-Jatav Dalits, the three
constitute around half of U.P.’s population. On the other hand Jatavs, Muslims and Yadavs
together add up to around 40% of the State’s population.
How castes and communities voted in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh
Party voted for Lok Sabha 2019 (Uttar Pradesh)
Congress (%) BJP+ (%) MGB (%) Others (%)

20
Brahmin 6 82 6 6
Rajput 5 89 7 -
Vaishya 13 70 4 13
Jat 2 91 7 0
Other Upper caste 5 84 10 1
Yadav 5 23 60 12
Kurmi+Koeri 5 80 14 1
Other OBC 5 72 18 5
Jatav 1 17 75 7
Other SC 7 48 42 3
Muslims 14 8 73 5
Others 1 50 35 14
Popularity of Narendra Modi

Caste aside, the survey also indicates that had it not been for the popularity of Narendra
Modi, who was the prime ministerial preference of 47% of the respondents, the BJP may not
have been able to win the number of seats that it did in the State.
(Source: Lokniti-CSDS Post Poll Survey in Uttar Pradesh.)
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/post-poll-survey-why-
uttar-pradeshs-mahagathbandhan-failed/article27249310.ece)
20. NSSO-CSO Merger: What Will the Centralisation of Indian Statistics Bring With It?
On May 23, the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI) issued an order
concerning the merger of two large government organs.
The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) will be merged with the Central Statistics
Office (CSO) – to create an entity called the National Statistical Organisation (NSO).
About NSSO
The NSSO has a rich history: it was established in 1950. The NSSO was then organised purely
outside of the government, as part of the Indian Statistical Institute, as an independent, non-
bureaucratic, national level socio-economic data gathering organisation, based on sound,
scientific and completely unbiased sample survey methods, across the country, to be
delivered by competent trained statisticians. Professor Mahalanobis personally used to
supervise this process.

21
The spirit of independence of this statistical data gathering system continued till 1972.
Subsequently, the NSSO came under the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
But the degree of independence of statistical data generation system continued. The NSSO
would feed analysed data on various indicators such as savings and consumption patterns,
unemployment, rural and urban prices, industrial production, land use patterns, land
holdings, crop yield information, several demographic information and many others.
In that era, NSSO data was at the backbone of the Planning Commission (PC)’s strategies,
making it a very transparent pro-development programme.
Planners were able to liberally and effectively use NSSO data in the construction of input-
output models of development for setting up growth targets, or estimating poverty lines and
reduction in poverty rates, design of public investment rates based on estimates of savings
rates and so on.
Even the new avatar of the PC, the NITI Aayog, has used NSSO data for designing
developmental programmes in India – be they on health or educational or infrastructural
development and so on.
Additionally, and this is the second most important contribution enabled by the NSSO in
policy research, it promoted policy-oriented social science research outside of the
government. In universities, research institutions, public sector and private sector units and
multilateral international agencies.
While the NSSO’s main purpose was to feed information for the national planning process of
the governments, this second objective cushioned and promoted policy-oriented research
outcomes from outside the government. There are numerous examples of such research:
refining poverty measures, unemployment rates, deriving guidelines on land reforms,
designing fiscal policies on raising savings and investment rates, taxation principles,
redesigning family welfare programmes, balancing public and private investments and
targeting inclusive growth for the masses.
In recent times, things have changed. The independence of NSSO-generated statistical

information system is being questioned reverently – be it on estimates of unemployment
rate or GDP growth rates.
Centralisation of data?
With the merger of both bodies, one gets the impression that access to data from the NSSO
is primarily for official use by the MoSPI and perhaps the NITI Aayog. After all, this merger
will enable government agencies including the NITI Aayog to get a quick hand on the
information system – for use or abuse.
The chief statistician has indicated that one major justification for joining the NSSO and CSO
is that it will bring about administrative ease. But, one does not know the effectiveness of
such an ease when a data generator and user are the same simultaneously.
22
Secondly, centralisation of data in the ministry can become a hurdle for quick and timely
release of the data for public research and debate. A recent example of such trouble was the
recent non-availability of data on unemployment.
There are also hardly any other agencies outside of this official data system that researchers
can access now. One can only imagine the sad fate of thousands of researchers who are
dependent on such macro and micro-level data for their socio-economic analyses.
It could be that the government is not keen on such research outside the government – as
can be seen from the variety of reports coming from the NITI Aayog, or the views of the HRD
ministry, which has asked people to carry out research mainly on matters of national
interest. One already finds some evidence along these lines while looking at a few of India’s
social science journals.
Recently, the Indian Council of Social Science Research initiated a new programme called the
Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences. One can only guess the fate of this massive
research programme in the absence of timely access to reliable macro statistical data.
While the nation talks of accountability and transparency in the process of development and
governance, it appears to be gearing towards greater centralisation and administrative
convenience, particularly in the area of statistical information generation.
Apart from questions over the fate of research outside the government, it also remains to be
seen whether the government agencies will get sufficient time to digest and use the rich data
being generated by the NSSO.
(Source:https://thewire.in/government/nsso-cso-merger-what-will-the-centralisation-of-
indian-statistics-bring-with-it)
21. P.S. Golay sworn in as Sikkim Chief Minister (Read only for understanding; Polity
& Governance)
MLAs were sworn in as part of the Council of Ministers, which include acting president of
SKM Kunga Nima Lepcha, who won from two seats, Arun Uperti, MLA from Airthang, and
Sonam Lama, who won for the Sangha seat in the Assembly which is reserved for monks
Prem Singh Tamang a.k.a P.S. Golay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. Mr. Golay’s
party, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), won 17 of the 32 Assembly seats in the April 11
election.
The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has ruled the State for 25 years, won 15 seats.
Succeeds Pawan Chamling
He succeeds Pawan Chamling of the SDF, who has the record of being the longest serving
Chief Minister of the country, having won five consecutive terms for a little over 24 years.
About Mr. Golay

23
Mr. Golay, 51, the sixth Chief Minister of the Himalayan State, started his career as a school
teacher. Mr. Golay was elected to the Assembly in 1994 as an SDF candidate when he was
just 26 and went on to serve as Minister holding several portfolios for three consecutive
terms till 2009.
However, after differences cropped up between him and Mr. Chamling, the party president,
he formed the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha in February 2013.
In the 2014 Assembly election, the SKM bagged 10 seats. Mr. Golay was later convicted and
served a prison term till his release in August 2018.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/elections/sikkim-assembly/ps-golay-sworn-in-as-
sikkim-chief-minister/article27259921.ece)
22. The merger of the NSSO into the Central Statistics Office is a cause for concern
The announcement that the government has decided to merge the National Sample Survey
Office (NSSO) into and under the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has caused both surprise and
concern. What exactly the ‘merger’ means remains unclear. Recent attempts to question the
veracity of National Sample Survey (NSS) data and the way the issue has been handled have
given rise to apprehensions.
The present system

Under the present system, every year various departments of government send a list of
subjects that they would like to be investigated by the NSSO. The requests are sent to the
National Statistical Commission (NSC), which has respected economists, subject matter
specialists and statisticians from government, including the head of the CSO and senior
officials of the NSSO responsible for technical aspects of design and conduct of field work, as
well as representatives of State governments. Subject matter specialists in particular fields
are also brought in.
The tasks of sampling design, the scope and content of information to be collected, design of
schedules and protocols of field work are left to be decided by special working groups. These
groups are chaired by experts from academia, and senior officials of the CSO and the NSSO,
State government representatives as well as select non-official experts. These working
groups are in continuous supervision from the inception of each round through all the
subsequent steps. Once the field work is over, the groups decide the detailed tabulation
programme, and the tables to be prepared for publication. The tabulated results are
discussed in detail by the NSC and are published after its approval.
Open access of data

After considerable hesitation and prodding, the government decided some years back to put
all tabulations and the primary data on open access, especially to academic and other
interested users. This decision has stimulated and facilitated the use of these data for

24
intensive analyses by numerous researchers. These have played an important role in shaping
policy and in improving the surveys.
What are the apprehensions?

The NSSO surveys command wide respect among academics, State governments and non-
governmental organisations. Widespread apprehensions that the proposed absorption of
NSSO into the CSO could compromise the surveys by subjecting their review and publication
to government approval must therefore be allayed promptly in an unqualified manner. Any
attempt or even a suggestion that its substantive work, publication and free dissemination
of data are subject to the department’s approval will hugely dent the credibility of the Indian
statistical system.
Scope for improvement

Urging this forcefully does not in any way suggest that the present institutional
arrangements are flawless or that the NSSO is perfect. On the contrary, it is widely recognised
that there is scope for improvement in the functioning of the institution and the way data are
collected. These problems are well known:
1. the NSSO doesn’t have adequate budgetary allocations;
2. there is an acute shortage of trained field staff;
3. the scale of surveys is un-manageably large mainly because the users demand a degree of
detail in content and regional disaggregation of estimates.
The NSC is fully conscious of these difficulties. The solutions call for action by the institutions
responsible for gathering data by investing in continuing research on improving sampling
design, field survey methods and validation of data. Correcting these deficiencies is entirely
in the domain of government.
What is the conclusion?

Increasing the role of CSO officials in running the NSSO will not solve these problems, but
they can help by providing funds for specialised research on survey design and methodology.
The necessity and importance of such research calls for far greater attention and resources
than they receive at present.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/why-the-integrity-of-data-
matters/article27297860.ece)
International Organizations & Relations

1. Japnese hereditary monarchy- longest surviving hierarchy of the world (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
The monarchy is an institution beloved of the Japanese people, and an integral part of their
national identity.

25
Japan’s 59-year-old Prince Naruhito officially succeeded his father Akihito as Emperor, the
126th incumbent of the Chrysanthemum Throne, the world’s oldest surviving hereditary
monarchy.
Akihito, 85, who became Emperor in 1989, had declared in a rare speech in 2016 that he
feared his age and poor health would make it difficult for him to carry out his royal duties. In
June 2017, Japan’s Parliament passed a law to allow the Emperor to abdicate, and on
December 1 that year, it was announced that the country would have a new Emperor on May
1, 2019. On Tuesday, Akihito became the first Emperor to step down in 200 years.
The Imperial Throne…

Legend has it that Japan’s ruling dynasty was founded by the Emperor Jimmu, whose
accession is traditionally dated to 660 BC. The Japanese Emperor is revered in the Shinto
religion, in which the royal family is believed to have divine descent.
…And Imperial Era

The monarchy is an institution beloved of the Japanese people, and an integral part of their
national identity. The reign of each Emperor is given a name, or gengo, which is used with
the Western calendar to mark years. With the end of the reign of Akihito, the ‘Heisei’ era
ended, and with the ascension of Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the new ‘Reiwa’
era has begun in Japan. Reiwa is made of the characters Rei — that can mean either
‘commands’ or ‘order’, or ‘auspicious’ or ‘good’ — and Wa, meaning ‘harmony’, which is used
in the word ‘hei-wa’, or ‘peace’.
(Adapted by The Indian Express)
2. After the video, 3 questions about ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
The formal structure of ISIS has crumbled, but thousands of its fighters are believed to have
gone underground — and the Sri Lanka attacks showed that its affiliates overseas can in
2019 kill double the number they killed in Paris in November 2015.
The video was published by al-Furqan, the media wing of the Islamic State (or ISIS), late
evening India time on Monday. Its authenticity has not been questioned. The SITE

26
Intelligence Group, which tracks the online activity of ISIS and other jihadist groups, posted
the video on its site, and said Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had “reemerged in visual form” after his
first video appearance in July 2014.
Al-Furqan “is part of ISIS’s central media ministry and is responsible for putting out some of
the most important ISIS releases to date… as well as audio recordings of the group’s
leadership”, Rukmini Callimachi, who covers ISIS for The New York Times, posted on Twitter.
The publication of the video was preceded by a build-up by ISIS-linked channels that began
on Sunday, promoting what would be the first video from al-Furqan Media Foundation since
2016.
CNN quoted Col. Scott Rawlinson, spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting the ISIS, as
saying they were “working to independently corroborate the validity of the video…
reportedly showing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi”. The man in the 18-minute video, sitting
crosslegged on the floor, leaning on a cushion with an assault rifle to his right, strongly
resembles al-Baghdadi, if a little heavier than the man seen delivering a sermon at the Great
Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, nearly five years ago in the only other known video of the
ISIS leader. (Some experts say he appeared in a video in 2008 too, but was wearing a mask.)
His beard is a lot more grey than in the 2014 video, and hennaed from about halfway to the
tips. Experts agree that it is indeed, al-Baghdadi, who is believed to be around 47 years old
now.
Why has it been released now?

This is a key question because, as Callimachi tweeted, “Baghdadi has always maintained an
extreme security protocol, which explains how he’s stayed alive since 2010, when he became
emir of the Islamic State of Iraq.” He has taken “the enormous risk of showing his current
appearance to rally his followers”, she suggested, “perhaps because the terror organization
he leads is at an inflection point”.
Al-Baghdadi described the attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter as revenge for the defeat in Al-
Baghuz Fawqani in Syria, which was taken from ISIS in late March —the last remaining bit
of territory of the Islamic proto-state he once ruled, as big as Great Britain at the height of its
power in 2015, with millions of inhabitants across Iraq and Syria. “Our battle today is a battle
of attrition, and we will prolong it for the enemy; they must know that the jihad will continue
until Judgment Day,” he said in a translation of the video provided by SITE.
According to experts quoted in multiple media reports, al-Baghdadi was forced to reveal
himself in order to underline that the military defeat notwithstanding, ISIS continued to exist
and he remained its emir, and to warn that its fighters would keep staging attacks
indefinitely.
In June 2017, Russia claimed he had been killed in an airstrike near Raqqa, Syria; two weeks
later, the mostly reliable Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported “confirmed
information” that al-Baghdadi was dead. He has proved now that he is not dead, and not
crippled.

27
“Baghdadi has remained off the grid for so long that his sudden appearance will very likely
serve as both a morale boost for ISIS supporters and remaining militants and as a catalyst
for individuals or small groups to act,” The New York Times quoted Colin P Clarke, a senior
fellow at the Soufan Center, a research organisation for global security issues, as saying. “He
is essentially reasserting his leadership and suggesting that he sits atop the command-and-
control network of what remains of the group, not only in Iraq and Syria, but more broadly,
in its far-flung franchises and affiliates.”
The formal structure of ISIS has crumbled, but thousands of its fighters are believed to have
gone underground — and the Sri Lanka attacks showed that its affiliates overseas can in
2019 kill double the number they killed in Paris in November 2015. In an interview given to
The Indian Express soon after she finished her reporting assignment in Baghuz, Callimachi
said: “…ISIS lives on and today it is much stronger than it was in 2011, when American troops
pulled out of Iraq and the group was considered defeated. At that point, CIA estimated that
the group had just 700 fighters. Now according to General Joseph Votel [the top US general
overseeing military operations in the Middle East], it has tens of thousands of fighters, and
is present as a physical insurgency in Iraq and Syria and remains as deadly and as destructive
a terrorist forces as it was.”
Besides its thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has a Khorasan province and
provinces in the Philippines and West Africa, Callimachi said, and it was “strong and growing
in Afghanistan”. “These are groups that are robust on the ground and there is enough
evidence to suggest that there is connective tissue between the affiliates and ISIS’s core
group in Iraq and Syria.”
Where is al-Baghdadi now?

It is not known. He released an audio message in 2018, but his location was not clear.
Multiple US agencies are hunting him, and some analysts believe he is hiding in the sparsely
populated desert along the Iraq-Syria border, using no electronic devices that would give
him away. Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi al-Muntafiki was quoted as saying
Tuesday that the video was recorded in a “remote area”, but did not mention a country. It
was unclear when the recording was done, but the parts that refer to recent events like the
Sri Lanka attacks, the Israel elections, and the toppling of Omar al-Bashir in Sudan and
Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria, are on audio, not video, which suggests the video was made
earlier, and newer audio portions were added subsequently.
(Adapted from The Indian Express)
3. UN designates Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist (Relevant

for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)

28
What is the decision at UNSC 1267 committee?

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar was listed as a designated terrorist by the UN
Security Council 1267 Committee. Significantly, the reasons for listing did not mention the
Pulwama attack of February 14, for which the JeM had claimed responsibility, and which
found mention in the latest (February 27) listing request for Azhar.
What are the implications of ban?

Nevertheless, the listing is a victory for India in a decade-old diplomatic battle waged
primarily by it and supported by its friends at the UNSC, as it would mean a travel ban, arms
embargo and asset freeze on Azhar.
Events that took place

The P-3 or group of three permanent UNSC members, the U.S., the U.K. and France, had co-
sponsored a listing request at the Committee on February 27, weeks after the Pulwama
attack that killed over 40 security personnel.
However, China placed a hold on the request — which normally lasts for three months
(silence period) — on March 13. This was the fourth such attempt to designate Azhar, over
a decade, that had gone awry.
At the end of March, the U.S. circulated a draft resolution (to sanction Azhar) among the UNSC
members, i.e., outside the 1267 Committee, presumably to pressure China into either
supporting the listing or having to take a stand in open proceedings and risk being seen as
supporting terror.

29
On April 23, meeting to list Azhar at the U.N. began after the silence period (when objections
can be raised). The period ended on May 1 and following no objections from China this time,
it went through.
Reasons for listing

The reasons for designating Azhar as a terrorist as per listing included his support for the
JeM since its founding, being associated with the al-Qaeda by recruiting for them and
“participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or
activities or supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material”. It also pointed to
his role in recruiting fighters in Afghanistan. The JeM itself was sanctioned by the 1267
Committee in 2001.
(Adapted From The Hindu)
4. Masood Azhar has been listed as a terrorist, now India must work to ensure the
mandated sanctions (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Masood Azhar has been listed as a designated terrorist by the UN Security Council. He eluded
from being designated terrorist by UNSC for 20 years.
Role of Masood Azhar

He was released in 1999 in exchange for hostages after the IC-814 hijack. He has lead Jaish-
e-Mohammad (JeM) which carried out dozens of deadly attacks in India, including the
Parliament attack of 2001, Pathankot airbase attack in 2016 and the 2019 Pulwama police
convoy bombing.
Dealing with China

China has vetoes Azhar from being listed as terrorist three times between 2009 and 2017.
Recently, China vetoed proposal moved by U.S., U.K., and France after Pulwama attack. Still
the Ministry of External Affairs kept on dealing continuously with China.
What are the issues left in listing?

There is much disappointment over the final listing released by the Security Council. There
is no mention of Azhar’s role in any of the attacks against India, even reference to Pulwama
is missing.
Previous actions by Pakistan

Pakistan’s actions against others on the 1267 list have been far from effective. Hafiz Saeed,
the 26/11 mastermind and Lashkar-e-Toiba chief, roams free, addresses rallies, and runs a
political party and several NGOs without any government restrictions.
LeT’s operations commander Zaki Ur Rahman Lakhvi was granted bail some years ago
despite the UNSC sanctions mandating that funds and assets to the sanctioned individuals
must be frozen.
What is required from India?

30
It will take constant focus from New Delhi, and a push from the global community, to ensure
that Masood Azhar is not just starved of funds, arms and ammunition as mandated, but that
he is prosecuted in Pakistan for the acts of terror he is responsible for.
Pressure from FATF

Global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force will also be watching
Pakistan’s next moves closely, ahead of a decision, that could come as early as in June, on
whether to “blacklist” Pakistan or keep it on the “greylist”. Both financial and political
pressure should be maintained on Islamabad to bring the hard-fought designation of Masood
Azhar to its logical conclusion.
5. Multilateral negotiations frequently involve complex quid pro quos, and China is
known to wait and play the long game. Why has it chosen to allow the global terrorist
listing of Masood Azhar at this juncture? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)
A committee of the United Nations Security Council added Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood
Azhar to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of Individuals and Entities after China
lifted its technical hold on listing the Pakistan-based terrorist. Beijing’s turnaround after 10
years of blocking the move has implications for both the South Asian region and the world.
Multilateral negotiations frequently involve complex quid pro quos, and China is known to
wait and play the long game — why has it chosen to relent at this moment?
Relationship challenges
While the border dispute has been the most protracted challenge, Beijing’s lack of support
to New Delhi’s bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council has
been a longstanding sore point. China has also opposed India’s entry into the elite Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) since 2016.
China signed off on the NSG waiver granted to India in September 2008 after the George W
Bush administration did some heavylifting. But it refused to budge when India sought
membership of the NSG, which would enable it to access high-end, critical and dual-use
technology.
In June 2016, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar went to Seoul and presented India’s case to
members, including China, attending the NSG plenary. Before that, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi had met President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in
Tashkent and asked him to “make a fair and objective assessment of India’s application and
judge it on its own merit”. But Xi did not yield.
Thwarted listing efforts

India first attempted to have Azhar listed by the UNSC Resolution 1267 Sanctions Committee
in 2009, after the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, but China put a technical hold on the
proposal. India made a much more serious attempt after the January 2016 Pathankot
31
terrorist attack. Diplomatic efforts were made through that year, and Modi raised the issue
with Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa in October 2016 — to be rebuffed.
Fresh efforts to list Azhar were made in 2017 — this time, in a break from the past, the
proposal was moved by the US, the UK, and France. It was signal that New Delhi was acting
as part of a global effort, not pushing an India-Pakistan bilateral issue onto a multilateral
forum.
The June-August 2017 Doklam standoff raised tensions, but when the two leaders met in
Xiamen in September, they decided to work towards ensuring that “differences do not
become disputes”. This formulation, which began during the leaders’ meeting in Astana in
June 2017, led to their informal summit in Wuhan in April 2018, where the two sides agreed
to be sensitive to each other’s concerns.
After the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack, as India pressed to have Azhar listed, it
invoked the Wuhan spirit. But on March 13, barely an hour before the deadline ran out, China
blocked again — for the fourth time in 10 years.
The situation now

With its action on Wednesday, China has taken a major contentious issue off the table, and
given itself space for positive manoeuvring with India. It has eased the atmosphere before
the next informal summit, which is likely to take place in India later this year, and created
goodwill for the two sides to work on their differences, and build on their convergences.
While several issues still remain, India and China have a chance to use the political capital
from the Azhar listing to work together on projects, and to collaborate and cooperate in
multiple areas of convergence.
It is not that China has not taken care of Pakistan’s sensitivities. Prime Minister Imran Khan
was in Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum Summit on April 25, and over the past two
months, the close allies have deliberated on the pros and cons of the decision.
China has huge geostrategic and economic stakes in Pakistan, and is heavily invested in the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative. It worries
about terrorist threats to its workers and assets in Pakistan, and wants that country’s
strategic establishment to keep the terrorists on a leash. Pakistan does not have the luxury
of being annoyed with China’s decision to allow Azhar’s listing.
At the same time, Pakistan’s strategic and political establishment has now got some space to
ward off immediate international pressure for not acting against terrorism and terrorist
financing. Azhar’s listing gives Pakistan a window to claim that it has “zero tolerance” for
terrorism before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which is meeting to assess its
actions against terrorism and terrorist financing.
As China takes over the FATF presidency from the US on July 1, Pakistan will be on a stronger
footing — and may have a reasonably good chance of avoiding blacklisting. The US, the UK,
France, and India, along with other countries, will, however, take a hard look at Pakistan’s
record since last year when it made certain commitments to the FATF.
32
China and Pakistan proclaim they are “all-weather friends” and “iron brothers”, and attempts
will likely be made to leverage the Azhar decision to procure better international credit
terms for Imran’s cash-trapped government.
View from Islamabad…

It would also appear that for Pakistan, Azhar — who some reports suggest is now bedridden
with spinal ailments — has outlived his utility. While Jaish remains a strategic asset for
Pakistan’s security establishment, defending Azhar was probably proving too costly for
Pakistan, which, under Imran and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is trying very hard
to improve its badly-tarnished global image. China’s cooperation with the global community
could present it with a breather; however, a country that has sheltered Osama bin Laden,
Mullah Omar, and Hafiz Saeed — the last of whom roams around freely spewing venom
against India and even putting up candidates in elections — has a long way to go before
anyone believes it.
6. Imran’s Iran outreach— evolution of a relationship, what it means for India

(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
At a joint press conference with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran late last month,
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said: “I know Iran has suffered from terrorism
[perpetrated] by groups operating from Pakistan. …We [need to] have trust in each other
that both countries will not allow any terrorist activity from their soil. We hope this will build
confidence between us.”
Back in Pakistan, the Opposition PML(N) leader Khurram Dastgir Khan said, “No Prime
Minister has ever made such a confession on foreign soil”, and the PPP’s Hina Rabbani Khar,
a former Foreign Minister, said the country was “continually becoming a laughing stock”, and
that it was “not funny anymore”.
The background
Imran — who was accompanied by ISI chief Gen Asim Munir — spoke a little over two
months after 27 personnel of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were killed in a suicide attack in
the Sistan-Baluchistan province along the border with Pakistan. Iran said the bomber was
Pakistani. The attack — which happened the day before the Jaish-e-Mohammad attack on
the CRPF bus in Pulwama — was claimed by the Sunni jihadist Jaish al-Adl. Tehran says the
Jaish al-Adl operates mostly out of Pakistan and, in March, Rouhani demanded that Pakistan
act decisively against anti-Iranian terrorists.
On April 18, three days before Imran travelled to Iran, a terrorist attack targeted security
forces in Pakistan, which Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi blamed on outfits that
had their “training and logistic camps inside Iranian areas bordering Pakistan”. Gunmen
stopped a bus on the Makran coastal highway between Karachi and Gwadar, checked

33
passengers’ IDs and took away 10 Pakistani Navy personnel, three from the Air Force, and
one from the Coast Guard, and executed them.
Friends with the Shah

Shia Iran has repeatedly criticised Pakistan’s backing of Sunni terrorist outfits involved in
attacks in Iran’s eastern areas, and the killing of Shias inside Pakistan. Pakistan’s proximity
to Saudi Arabia — Iran’s great rival in the Middle East — has been a constant irritant in ties
between Tehran and Islamabad. But this wasn’t the case always.
The Shah of Iran was a Cold War ally of the United States, and during his rule, Iran and
Pakistan were important partners. “For the Shah, Pakistan over the years morphed into a
critical buffer zone, a line of defence against not only the Soviets but also the then Soviet-
leaning India,” Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, wrote
in Iran and Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy and American Influence (2015).
In 1950, the Shah became the first foreign Head of State to visit Pakistan, and at one time
even proposed a confederation of the two countries with a single army, and with him as Head
of State. There was a logic, Vatanka wrote: “First, Iran and Pakistan were already members
of the budding new organisation CENTO (the Cold War military alliance known as the Central
Treaty Organisation). There was already much talk about political, military and economic
integration as part of the structures of CENTO. Second, the Shah had not envisioned the idea
out of the blue. Right next door in the Arab world, four regional countries were at the time
already experimenting with political confederations. In 1958, Egypt and Syria agreed on a
union, which became known as the United Arab Republic.”
Indeed, the Iran-Pakistan axis was so strong that Iran had even threatened to attack India if
it did not stop its offensive against Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh War.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 Islamic Revolution marked a turning point in the Iran-Pakistan
relationship. After the Shah’s departure, Pakistan worked closely with the Saudis in the war
in Afghanistan. In the 1990s, as rival militias battled to gain control over Afghanistan, Iran
backed the Northern Alliance against the Pakistan-backed Taliban. In 1998, after the Taliban
captured Mazar-i-Sharif, at least 11 Iranians, mostly diplomats, were killed in the city.
In subsequent years, the future of Afghanistan and the Baloch insurgency were the major
sticking points in the relationship. The outsize influence of the Saudis in Pakistan’s foreign
and security policy, and their investment in Pakistan’s Balochistan province bordering Iran,
has added to the suspicion and trust deficit. While Pakistan refused to bend to the pressure
from Riyadh to join the war in Yemen against the Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebels, Rawalpindi
did clear the appointment of former Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to lead the
Saudi-backed coalition.
Writing in Dawn, Arif Rafiq, a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute, described Iran
as a “frenemy to Pakistan’s west”. He underlined that Iran is a potential supplier of natural
gas, of which Pakistan has a massive supply shortfall; the fact that Iran has emerged as
Afghanistan’s largest trading partner, eclipsing Pakistan; and that with the prolonged closure
34
of the Chaman and Torkham border crossings, Afghan trade with the outside world is being
increasingly routed through Iran.
The Indian perspective

For India, Imran’s Iran outreach, at a time when the US has mounted pressure on the
international community to shun Tehran, poses several tough questions. The White House
last month announced the end of the waiver for India to buy Iranian oil — and Washington
has conveyed to New Delhi that as it has stood by India on combating Pakistan-sponsored
terrorism after the Pulwama attack, it expects reciprocity on President Donald Trump’s hard
line on Iran. The lifting of China’s technical hold on Masood Azhar’s listing, paving the way
for international sanctions on the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist, was the outcome of complex
diplomatic give-and-take in which the US played a significant role.
For India, this situation presents a dilemma. While the US has assured that the exemption of
the development of the Chabahar port project in Iran would continue, given the policy
unpredictability of the Trump administration, New Delhi would want to speed up the
progress of the port development.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, India — which is being lobbied by the US and Iran
at the same time — may have to make a tough decision in choosing sides in the coming
months, unless it is able to find a creative way to satisfy both Washington and Tehran.
7. India’s trade and diaspora with Africa (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)
Status of trade with African countries

India’s total trade with the African region during 2017-18 was USD 62.69 billion (8.15% of
India’s total trade with the World). India’s share of exports to African countries as a
percentage of India’s total exports to the world was of the order of 8.21% in 2017-18. Africa
region’s share in India’s total imports from the World accounted for 8.12% in 2017-18.
Opportunities with Africa

Today, African countries present immense opportunities for India with the world’s largest
land mass, 54 countries, a population growing to be almost equivalent to that of India, huge
mineral resources, oil wealth, a youthful population, falling poverty levels and increasing
consumption patterns.
Indian diaspora in Africa

As per the latest available estimatesthe current strength of the Indian Diaspora in the African
countries is 2.8 million out of those 2.5 million are PIOs and rest 220967 are NRIs.Total
overseas Indians are 30.83 million of which 17.83 million are PIOs and 13 million are NRIs.
(Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, 2016). Indian Diaspora in Africa constitutes 9.11% of
the total Diaspora of India.
(Adapted from PIB)

35
8. US and China account for half of world’s military spending (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Total world military expenditure rose to $1,822 billion in 2018, representing an increase of
2.6% from 2017, according to new data from the think-tank Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI).
The five biggest spenders in 2018 were the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, India and
France, which together accounted for 60% of global military spending.
Military spending by the US increased for the first time since 2010, while spending by China
grew for the 24th consecutive year, SIPRI found.
World military spending in 2018 represented 2.1% of global gross domestic product (GDP)
or $239 per person. “In 2018 the USA and China accounted for half of the world’s military
spending,” SIPRI quoted Dr Nan Tian, a researcher with its Arms and Military Expenditure
(AMEX) programme, as saying.

36
‘The higher level of world military expenditure in 2018 is mainly the result of significant
increases in spending by these two countries.” In 2018, India increased its military spending
by 3.1% to $66.5 billion, SIPRI found, while military expenditure by Pakistan grew by 11%
(the same level of growth as in 2017), to reach $11.4 billion in 2018.
(Adapted From The Indian Express)
9. Issues in India-US trade (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Donald Trump says India is a ‘tariff king’, and his Commerce Secretary has complained about
‘overly restrictive market access barriers’. How are the two countries negotiating their trade
disagreements?
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross fired a fresh salvo in the ongoing trade spat between
Washington and New Delhi on Tuesday, telling business leaders that American technologies
and expertise could play an important role in developing India’s economy, but they had to
grapple with difficult trade barriers and regulations.
Ross’s criticism was in line with President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that India is a
“tariff king” and imposes “tremendously high” tariffs on American products. Trump has
dismissed as inadequate the Indian government’s decision to halve the import tariff on
Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 100% to 50% last year, and has maintained that his
administration is “fixing broken trade deals” to protect American workers.
What did Ross say, and in what context?

Ross spoke in New Delhi three days before enhanced US tariffs on imports from China were
scheduled to kick in. A notice posted to the Federal Register on Wednesday said that starting
Friday, the US would raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to 25% from the
existing 10%. The notice, which cited the “lack of progress in the additional rounds of
negotiations since March 2019”, came just before the opening of a fresh round of talks aimed

37
at salvaging the trade agreement between the two countries, and alongside several
aggressive tweets from Trump saying higher tariffs were “great for U.S., not good for China!”.
On Tuesday, with representatives of most of the 100-odd American companies that are
visiting India as part of the US Department of Commerce’s largest annual trade mission
programme (called Trade Winds) in attendance, Ross asserted that India was at number 13
in the list of US export markets because of its “overly restrictive market access barriers”.
India’s average applied tariff rate, he said, was “the highest of any major world economy”.
However, alongside the tough talk on “unjust” trade barriers, there were also indications of
a softening of the US stance on some sticking points. The Indian side indicated the US
delegation had conveyed the possibility of pushing back the final decision on the withdrawal
of incentives to Indian exporters under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
programme that it announced in April, to after the formation of the new central government.
Where does the US currently stand on the GSP programme?

The possibility of the US displaying flexibility on the GSP programme is a positive for India.
The GSP allows duty-free entry for over 3,000 products from designated beneficiary
countries. India has been the biggest beneficiary of the GSP regime, and accounted for over
a quarter of the goods that got duty-free access into the US in 2017.

38
Exports to the US from India under GSP — at $5.58 billion — amounted to over 12% of India’s
total goods exports of $45.2 billion to the US that year. The US goods trade deficit with India
was $22.9 billion in 2017.
The US had launched an eligibility review of India’s compliance with the GSP market access
criterion in April 2018. In March this year, the US Trade Representative’s Office said that
removing India from the GSP programme would not take effect for at least 60 days after
notifications to Congress and the Indian government, and that it would be enacted by a
presidential proclamation. Although India has stated that the withdrawal of these duty
benefits under GSP would not impact its exports to the US, small exporters have asked for
continuation of the programme. A group of 25 influential lawmakers had urged the USTR to
not terminate the GSP programme with India after the expiry of the 60-day notice, saying
American companies seeking to expand their exports to India could be affected.
But is India’s tariff structure indeed unusually high?

While India’s tariffs used to be high until about the late 1990s, the peak customs duty — the
highest of the normal rates — on non-agriculture products has come down steadily since:
from 150% in 1991-92 to 40% in 1997-98, 20% in 2004-05 and, finally, to 10% in 2007-08.
According to World Trade Organisation (WTO) data, India’s average applied tariff is now
around 13.5% — and there are plans to move towards ASEAN tariff rates progressively
(approximately 5% on average). Over the last five years, however, there has been a move by
the government to increase duties on a number of items.
Ross said on Tuesday that it was “especially unusual” that the US had a trade deficit with
India in the services sector too. “We generally have services surplus with most countries. But
in the case of India, the deficit is largely due to IT services,” he said.
Seven disputes between India and US are at various stages of the Dispute Settlement
Mechanism under the WTO. These pertain to, (i) poultry and poultry products from the US,
(ii) countervailing duties against India’s export of steel products, (iii) measures against
import of solar cells and modules under the National Solar Mission, (iv) the US’s Sub-Federal
Renewable Energy Programmes, (v) US measures concerning non-immigrant visas, (vi)
India’s export promotion schemes and, (vii) the US tariff hike on steel and aluminium
products.
How does US industry view the positions taken by India?

The eligibility review of India’s compliance with the GSP market access criterion was
triggered after concerns were raised by the medical devices and dairy industries in the US.
The Indian government’s attempts to arrive at a “balanced” package that would address
American concerns while protecting the interests of the Indian public have been largely
unsuccessful.
In 2017, India capped the prices of cardiac stents and knee implants, slashing prices by over
70% and 60% respectively. The move impacted US giants like Abbott, Medtronic and Boston
Scientific. India also said that the requirement that source animals for dairy products should
never have been fed animal-derived blood meals was “non-negotiable” from a cultural
standpoint — and that it could not dilute this requirement in its certification procedure.
39
In June 2018, India had intended to put higher tariffs on 29 goods imported from the US in
retaliation for that country’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on imported steel and
aluminium products. The move, which could potentially impact products like walnuts,
almonds, and chickpeas, has been deferred several times, most recently late last month.
Two issues that the US side has specifically raised during the latest round of negotiations are
the “treatment of Walmart after their acquisition of Flipkart”, and the problems on data
localisation reportedly faced by companies such as MasterCard and Visa.
What is India’s official position on these disagreements?

A senior officer of the Department of Commerce indicated that the government would
continue to engage in “internal” discussions, and that the “scope for discussions” with the US
was “always open”. Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said after Tuesday’s meeting that
India would like to work with the US to resolve such issues in a way that benefits both
countries. “We will address the issues with the United States in a manner that will make this
relationship better not just between the United States and India, but for the rest of the world
as well,” he said.
10. What is special about Bhutan and Bhutan PM (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper II; IOBR)
Bhutan Prime Minister M Lotay Tshering work as doctor on Saturdays. Bhutan has
population of 7,50,000.
PM claims that working as doctos and performing surgeries is a de-stresser for him.
Why is Bhutan special?

1. The Buddhist kingdom Bhutan benchmarks itself on happiness instead of economic
growth.
2. One of the pillars of Gross National Happiness is conservation of the environment. Bhutan
is carbon negative and its constitution mandates that 60% of the country remains forested.
It is also big on ecotourism and charges a daily fee of $250 per visitor in high season.
3. The capital Thimphu has no traffic lights, the sale of tobacco is banned, and television was
only allowed in 1999.
4. Archery competitions are a national craze. Phalluses painted on houses to ward off evil are
also a common sight.
5. Patients don’t have to pay directly for healthcare in Bhutan. While the country has seen
major improvements in life expectancy, a reduction in infant mortality and the elimination

40
of many infectious diseases, the number of lifestyle diseases – including alcoholism and
diabetes – is on the rise.
But Bhutan also called the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” also has its problems, among them
corruption, rural poverty, youth unemployment and criminal gangs.
(Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/in-happy-bhutan-pm-turns-a-doctor-on-
saturdays/article27084121.ece)
11. 180 nations agree to curb export of plastic waste (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper II; IOBR)
Basel Convention on transboundary movement of Hazardous waste amended

The meeting was held in Geneva. The Geneva meeting amended the 1989 Basel Convention
on the control of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes to include plastic waste in
a legally-binding framework.
Need for the amendment

The IPEN umbrella group seeking to eliminate hazardous and toxic chemicals said the new
amendment would empower developing countries to refuse “dumping plastic waste” by
others.
“For far too long, developed countries like the U.S. and Canada have been exporting their
mixed toxic plastic wastes to developing Asian countries claiming it would be recycled in the
receiving country.
Even though the U.S. and a few others have not signed the accord, they cannot ship plastic
waste to countries that are on board with the deal.
Dicofol and Perfluorooctanoic Acid

The a meeting also undertook to eliminate two toxic chemical groups — Dicofol and
Perfluorooctanoic Acid, plus related compounds. The latter has been used in a wide variety
of industrial and domestic applications, including non-stick cookware and food processing
equipment, as well as carpets, paper and paints.
About IPEN
IPEN is a global network of public interest NGOs working together for a world in which toxic
chemicals are no longer produced or used in ways that harm human health and the
environment. IPEN was founded in 1998 and is registered in Sweden as a non-profit, public
interest organization.
It is comprised of over 500 Participating Organizations in more than 100 countries, primarily
in countries with developing and transitional economies.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/180-nations-agree-to-curb-
export-of-plastic-waste/article27106145.ece)

41
12. How did the trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies (US and
China) start? What happens if their standoff escalates into a wider economic conflict?
How can India and the rest of the world be impacted? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper II; IOBR)
The United States has raised tariffs to 25% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. This move
has sparked another round of tariff wars between the world’s two largest economies. Higher
tarrifs are now applicable to all Chinese imports in the US.
Origin of the US-China dispute

The tarrif war between US and China began since Trump slapped heavy tariffs on imported
steel and aluminium items from China in March last year. China responded by imposing tit-
for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American imports.
The dispute escalated after Washington demanded that China reduce its $375 billion trade
deficit with the US, and introduce “verifiable measures” for protection of Intellectual
Property Rights, technology transfer, and more access to American goods in Chinese
markets.
Impact of trade war on global economy

1. IMF noted that the US-China trade tension was one factor that contributed to lower growth
rate of global economy.
2. Higher import tarrifs will increase the price of imports and thus consumption will be hit
in both the countries.
3. The trade tensions could result in an increasingly fragmented global trading framework.
Negotiations are going on between the two nations to reduce the tarrifs. While there is still
hope that the two countries will ultimately sort out their issues, the risk of a complete
breakdown in trade talks has increased.
How India is impacted by US-China trade war

1. There could be a short-term impact on the stock markets. The benchmark Sensex at the
Bombay Stock Exchange has been falling in line with global markets in response to trade war
between the US and China.
2. In the longer run, a slowdown in the US economy is not good for emerging markets such
as India.
3. However, India may stand to benefit from the trade tensions between the world’s top two
economies.
Will trade dispute go to WTO?

42
While it is not clear yet whether the matter would go to the World Trade Organisation
(WTO), data show that the US generally wins trade disputes, particularly against China,
before the global trade arbitrator. According to the Peterson Institute for International
Economies, in the last 16 years, the US has challenged Chinese practices 23 times in the WTO,
with a win-loss record of 19-0 — with four cases pending.
In the most recent decision, the WTO panel found that China’s agricultural subsidies were
inconsistent with WTO rules, and upheld US claims.
US-China Trade and Investment Facts

–US GOODS & SERVICES trade with China totalled an estimated $737.1 billion in 2018.
Exports: $179.3 billion; imports: $557.9 billion; deficit: $378.6 billion
–CHINA IS CURRENTLY the US’s largest goods trading partner with $659.8 billion in total
(two-way) goods trade in 2018. Exports: $120.3 billion; imports: $539.5 billion; US goods
trade deficit: $419.2 billion
–TRADE IN SERVICES with China (exports and imports) totalled an estimated $77.3 billion
in 2018. Exports: $58.9 billion; imports: $18.4 billion; US services trade surplus: $40.5 billion
–911,000 JOBS (estimated) were supported by US exports of goods and services to China in
2015 (latest data available), according to the US Department of Commerce; 601,000
supported by goods exports; 309,000 by services exports
–US FDI IN CHINA (stock) was $107.6 billion in 2017, a 10.6% increase from 2016. US direct
investment in China is led by manufacturing, wholesale trade, finance and insurance
–CHINA FDI IN THE US (stock) was $39.5 billion in 2017, down 2.3% from 2016. China’s
direct investment in the US is led by manufacturing, real estate, depository institutions
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-the-us-china-trade-war-
trump-tariffs-5724261/)
13. Pakistan to Get $6 Billion From IMF Over Three Years (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper II; IOBR)
What is the deal with IMF?

Pakistan reached an agreement with the IMF on a bailout package under which the cash-
strapped country will receive $6 billion over three years.
The staff-level agreement now awaits a formal approval by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) board of directors in Washington.
The agreement aims to support Pakistan’s “strategy for stronger and more inclusive growth
by reducing domestic and external imbalances”, according to the IMF.

43
History of bailout packages

The latest deal would be the 22nd bailout package since Pakistan became member of the IMF
in 1950.
The finance ministry approached the IMF in August 2018 for a bailout package when the
Imran Khan government took over.
Possible impacts of package

The final outcome was further delayed after Prime Minister Imran Khan objected to some of
the stringent conditions by the IMF. Earlier, the Pakistan government was ambivalent about
the IMF package due to the expected tough conditions.
Experts have warned that the package will bring a tsunami of economic hardships for
common people, including high prices of good and utilities including gas and electricity, more
increase in fuel prices and further devaluation of rupee.
(Source:https://thewire.in/south-asia/pakistan-to-get-6-billion-from-imf-over-three-
years)
14. China imposes tariff hike on U.S. goods worth $60 bn in response to tarrif hike by
US (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
China imposes tariff hike

China announced that it will raise tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods from June 1, in
retaliation to the latest round of U.S. tariff hikes for almost all the Chinese imports.
Reponse to tariff hike by US

The announcement came after the latest round of U.S.-China trade negotiations ended last
week without a deal, and after Washington increased tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese
goods.
Previously, the U.S. imposed 10% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports in September.
U.S. President Donald Trump had also ordered the start of a process to impose new duties
on another $300 billion worth of Chinese items.
Time kept for resolution

Despite the retaliation, Beijing appeared to give time to find a resolution by setting the June
1 date.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-hits-back-imposes-tariff-hike-
on-us-goods-worth-60-bn/article27119987.ece)
15. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s visit comes at a time when tensions have escalated
between Iran and the US. What is India's stake in this; what are the challenges it faces

44
diplomatically, and as an importer of Iran oil? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
II; IOBR)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj in New Delhi.
What are America’s recent actions against Iran?

With the US reimposing sanctions on Iran after a four-year hiatus, India is in a precarious
position. It cannot import oil from Iran, with the US having stopped sanctions exemption to
India from importing Iranian oil after May 1.
Tensions between the US and Iran escalated recently. US deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln
Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the US Central Command region.
Trump’s move to target Iran, and side with Saudi Arabia and Israel, can potentially have an
adverse impact on the peace and stability in the region. Over 8 million Indian migrant
workers live and work in the West Asian region.
What is the significance of Zarif’s visit at this time?

Zarif’s trip is a strategic move by Tehran to rally support. A skilled diplomat who was at the
forefront of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations between Iran and
the P-5+1 countries, Zarif has already been to China and Russia, before he came to Delhi.
Where does India stand with regard to the sharply escalated tensions between Iran
and the US?
India has conveyed to Iran that it would like all parties to the JCPOA agreement to continue
to fulfil their commitments and that all parties should engage “constructively” and resolve
all issues “peacefully and through dialogue”.
Any tension due to regional rivalry is going to impact the lives of these Indians and might
even put them at risk. In previous tense situations, India has had to evacuate Indian nationals
from the region. But its capacity to evacuate is limited – not more than in thousands.
How important is Iran to India as a supplier of crude oil, and in the broader diplomatic
and strategic sense?
Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It used to be the second
largest after Saudi Arabia until 2010-11, when sanctions moved it to seventh spot in
subsequent years.
The US decision to end waivers for countries importing crude from Iran beginning May 2
may hurt India’s interests, as it will have to look for alternative sources.
Division over sanctions this time

Unlike during the previous set of sanctions that had kicked in 2010, this time the world is
divided. Except for the US, other partners – especially the EU and the three major European

45
countries UK, Germany and France — have expressed their commitments to go ahead with
the agreement.
US and India share stand on on Chabahar port development

What has however been a sole reprieve is that the US has not put sanctions on Chabahar port
development, since both Delhi and Washington’s objectives on accessing Afghanistan remain
the same. Chabahar is India’s strategic investment in the region and is being developed as an
access point to Afghanistan, since the strife-torn country is landlocked. It is also seen as a
gateway to Central Asia, which is inaccessible to India directly. The port is strategic as the
only way to circumvent Pakistan and get to Afghanistan.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-why-iran-ministers-
visit-matters-5727853/)
16. China blocks Wikipedia in all languages (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)
China has blocked Wikipedia. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites
have long been blocked in China. Individual Wikipedia articles about sensitive issues, such
as the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and Tibet, have long been blocked in
China, however, even while the main site was accessible. Suspicion of a total block on
Wikipedia surfaced in late April when some Chinese Internet users took to social media to
complain that the site was no longer accessible.
Possible reason for supression

Internet authorities in China often ramp up censorship before major political events or
sensitive anniversaries. This June will mark 30 years since the army used force to suppress
the pro-democracy protests centred around Tiananmen Square.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-blocks-wikipedia-in-all-
languages/article27141724.ece)
17. Understanding Pakistan’s IMF bailout (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II;
IOBR)
Even as Pakistan continues its brinkmanship with India, its sliding economy has required the
International Monetary Fund to bail it out for the 13th time in 3 decades. How dire is its
financial state, how did it get here?
On Sunday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed in principle to support Pakistan
with a loan of $6 billion, to be disbursed over 39 months. The disbursements will commence
after formal approval by the Fund’s management and its Executive Board.
What is the political context of Pakistan’s bailout deal with the Fund?
This is the IMF’s 13th bailout package for Pakistan in the last three decades.

46
IMF loans almost always come with tough conditions. Despite the reservations he has had in
the past, Imran Khan had little choice but to negotiate with the IMF. In September 2013,
within three months of being elected, the Nawaz Sharif government accepted a $6.6 billion
loan from the Fund, to be disbursed over three years.
And what are the economic conditions in which Pakistan entered into negotiations
with the Fund?
The size of Pakistan’s economy is $313 billion. The growth rate has been 3.5% annually over
the last 12 years.
The country has high rates of inflation and huge fiscal and current account deficit. The
Pakistani rupee has been devalued multiple times since December 2017, and has lost almost
35% in the last 18 months.
So, how urgent was this bailout for Pakistan?

After coming to power, Khan has reached out to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), and China for help. Riyadh pledged $3 billion in balance of payments support in
October last year, and the UAE supported Pakistan with another $3 billion in December. In
February this year, China extended $3.5 billion in loans and grants to bolster Pakistan’s forex
reserves.
But all this has not helped in addressing the problem. For the week ended May 3, 2019, the
net forex reserves with the State Bank of Pakistan, the country’s central bank, were $8.98
billion.
These forex reserves are enough to finance only about two months of imports. Pakistan’s
imports in FY 2018 were $56 billion.
What kind of conditions has the IMF put on Pakistan?

Broadly, the IMF will expect the government to expand the tax base, do away with
exemptions, and curtail special treatments, given that just about a million people out of the
208 million in Pakistan pay taxes. It will call for spending cuts and levying of user charges in
the energy sector, and reducing subsidies.
The IMF will also expect Pakistan to let the rupee ‘float’ — that is, allow its value to be
market-determined — and the State Bank of Pakistan to further increase policy rates to bring
inflation under control.
Is all of this expected to work?

Pakistan’s record in sticking to agreements with the IMF is not encouraging. It has often
failed to meet conditions such as curtailing spending and selling government stake in state-
owned enterprises. Pakistan needs to take bold steps to fix its economy and, as it moves in
that direction, ensure that its poor do not suffer from the austerity measures that are put in
place.

47
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-understanding-
pakistans-imf-bailout-5729934/)
18. Taiwan gay marriage: Parliament legalises same-sex marriage (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Taiwan's parliament has become the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
How did we get here?

In 2017, the Taiwan's constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to legally
marry. Parliament was given a two-year deadline by the court.
How does this compare to other countries in the region?

Vietnam decriminalised gay marriage celebrations in 2015, but stopped short of granting full
legal recognition for same-sex unions.
While same-sex marriage is still illegal in China, homosexuality was decriminalised in the
country in 1997, and officially removed from its list of mental illnesses three years later.
In a historic decision, India's Supreme Court ruled that gay sex was no longer a criminal
offence in September 2018.
However the approach differs in other Asian countries.

In April, Brunei announced strict new Islamic laws that made anal sex and adultery offences
punishable by stoning to death, but it says it will not enforce the death penalty for gay sex.
(Source:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48305708)
19. Sri Lanka has not done enough after end of civil war in 2009 to usher in reform and
reconciliation (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Sri Lanka has completed 10 years after civil war against Tamil millitants came to an end.
Political solution ignored

It must be acknowledged that the country has not achieved much tangible progress towards
ethnic reconciliation, accountability for war-time excesses and constitutional reform that
includes a political solution. The fruits of peace are limited to the revival of economic activity,
but the pervasive grievances of the Tamil minority remain.
Some progress has been made in resettlement and rehabilitation, but many complaints are
there. Many say their land continues to be held by the military, which also controls huge
parts of state-owned land. Preliminary steps were taken towards forging a new Constitution,
but the process seems to be at a standstill.
History of Sri Lanka

48
Sri Lanka has people from mainly two ethnicities: Sinhalese and Tamils. During colonial
times, Tamils were shifted to work in tea and other plantations located in North and Eastern
part of Sri Lanka. Tamils were facing multiple discriminations in Sri Lanka. After
independence to Sri Lanka, Sinhalese was recognized as sole official language. Sri Lanka
adopted unitary structure resulting in large powers to central government at the cost of
powers to provinces. The developmental funds were also used in regions of Sinhalese.
In early 1980’s, ‘Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’ (LTTE) was formed which was a Tamil
militant organization headed by Velupillai Prabhakaran. The organisation wanted to create
an independent state of Tamil Eelam in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil people.
LTTE began carrying out violent acts against Sri Lankan Army camps as well as civilians to
press for its demand of a separate nation. LTTE was crushed by the Sri Lankan government
by the end of the first decade of the 21st century. However, still the Tamils have not been
given adequate powers to decide for their own welfare and they are subjected to multiple
discriminations in Sri Lanka.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/ten-years-
on/article27179339.ece)
20. UN on Jammu & Kashmir and Response of Indian Government (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Response of Indian government

Reacting angrily to a submission from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council (HRC) on the
alleged violations in Jammu and Kashmir, India has informed the United Nations body that it
will no longer entertain any communication with the HRC’s Special Rapporteurs on its
report.
Questions asked by Special Rapporteurs

The current Special Rapporteurs on Extrajudicial Executions, Torture, and Right to Health —
Agnes Callamard, Dainius Puras and Nils Melzer — had referred to a June 2018 report of the
Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) and written to the government
in March 2019, asking about steps taken by New Delhi to address the alleged human rights
violations listed in the report.
In addition, the Special Rapporteurs had listed “13 cases of concern” from 2018 alone, in
which “four children were among eight civilians killed by members of the security forces.”

49
Rejecting all the claims, the Indian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva
replied to the OHCHR that India does not intend to engage with UN Special Rapporteurs.
India had also rejected the OHCHR’s report on the ‘Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir’ —
the first-ever such report on Jammu and Kashmir that came out in June 2018 — and accused
the High Commissioner of Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of “clear bias” in bringing it
out.
What does UN Officials say?

UN officials say that India is already in contravention of several Conventions it has
committed to, including a “Standing Invitation” signed in 2011 to all special rapporteurs to
visit India. According to the UN records, more than 20 such visit requests, including to Jammu
and Kashmir, are pending at present. UN sources also said that between 2016-2018, the
OHCHR Special Rapporteurs had sent as many as 58 communications, and had received no
response other than the April 23 letter on Jammu and Kashmir.
Report from NGOs

The UN submission on Jammu and Kashmir coincided with the release of an extensive 560-
page report prepared by the J&K based Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons
(APDP) and the J&K Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). The report, entitled ‘Torture: Indian
State’s Instrument of Control in J&K’, documented 432 cases of suspected human rights
violations and brutality by security forces of which only 27 had been investigated by the
State Human Rights Commission.
The report claimed that nearly “70% of torture victims in Jammu and Kashmir were civilians
(not militants) and 11% died during or as a result of torture”. The cases included incidents
of electrocution, ‘water-boarding’ and sexual torture, which the government has repeatedly
denied.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-cuts-off-un-panel-after-jammu-
kashmir-report/article27190445.ece)
21. Why Modi swearing-in invite to BIMSTEC leaders sends important signals to
India’s neighbours (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)

50
Invitation extended to Central Asia

By inviting leaders from the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
and Economic Cooperation) countries, Kyrgyz Republic and Mauritius at his swearing-in
ceremony on May 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a carefully calibrated
diplomatic move that signals a major outreach to India’s neighbourhood from the Bay of
Bengal to Central Asia, as well as the Indian diaspora across the world.
Pakistan left out

Last time, Modi had invited the SAARC leaders, and then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif’s attendance had raised hopes of a new beginning in the bilateral ties. This time,
SAARC’s exclusion is clearly aimed at keeping Pakistan out of New Delhi’s engagement with
its neighbours.
Who are invited for PM Modi swearing-in, and why

By inviting the leader from Kyrgyz Republic, India is displaying an outreach to the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which is headed by the Kyrgyz leader, and which has China,
Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan as members. India, which became a
member along with Pakistan in 2017, wants to leverage its membership to advance its
strategic objectives — counter-terrorism and connectivity.
And Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who was also the chief guest at the Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas in January this year, is one of the most well-placed People of Indian Origin
in the world. Since Modi has invested diplomatic capital in outreach to the Indian diaspora
since 2014, this invite is seen as a natural choice.
The key message, however, is the outreach to BIMSTEC, which includes Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan, besides India.
From SAARC to BIMSTEC

While PM’s SAARC effort last time failed to take off owing to strained ties with Pakistan, much
will depend on the progress Delhi makes with these groupings.
New Delhi’s engagement with BIMSTEC rose from the ashes of SAARC. In October 2016,
following the Uri attack, India gave a renewed push for the grouping that had existed for
almost two decades but been largely ignored. Alongside the BRICS summit in Goa, Modi
hosted an outreach summit with BIMSTEC leaders.
That September, some of these BIMSTEC countries had supported New Delhi’s call for a
boycott of the SAARC summit scheduled in Islamabad in November 2016. As the summit was
postponed, India had claimed victory in isolating Pakistan, having accused that country of
carrying out the Uri attack.
Two years after the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit and the BIMSTEC leaders’ retreat, the
fourth BIMSTEC summit was held in Kathmandu in September 2018. The outcome was
considered quite comprehensive, spanning from blue economy to counter-terrorism,
although it was only the fourth summit in 21 years.
51
Why the region matters

The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world. Over one-fifth (22%) of the world’s
population live in the seven countries around it, and they have a combined GDP close to $2.7
trillion.
The Bay also has vast untapped natural resources. One-fourth of the world’s traded goods
cross the Bay every year.
In an effort to integrate the region, the grouping was formed in 1997, originally with
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and later included Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
BIMSTEC, which now includes five countries from South Asia and two from ASEAN, is a
bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It includes all the major countries of South
Asia, except Maldives, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Phuket in Thailand is only 273 nautical miles from Indira Point, which is less than the
distance between Chennai and Madurai.
India’s stake
1. Association with BIMSTEC can give sea and land connectivity to landlocked North East of
India.
2. From the strategic perspective, the Bay of Bengal, a funnel to the Malacca straits, has
emerged a key theatre for an increasingly assertive China in maintaining its access route to
the Indian Ocean. Beijing has undertaken massive drive to finance and develop
infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative in almost all
BIMSTEC countries, except Bhutan and India.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/modi-swearing-in-invite-bimstec-
leaders-sends-important-signals-indias-neighbours-5751380/)
22. Sri Lanka, Japan, India sign deal to develop East Container Terminal at Colombo
Port (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR)
Sri Lanka, Japan and India signed an agreement to jointly develop the East Container
Terminal at the Colombo Port. The joint initiative is estimated to cost between $500 million
and $700 million.
Sri Lanka will hold a 51 per cent-stake in the project and the joint venture partners will retain
49%.
Why project is strategic in nature?

The ECT is located some 3 km away from the China-backed international financial city,
known popularly as “port city”, being built on reclaimed land on Colombo’s sea front.
Japan is likely to provide a 40-year soft loan with a 0.1 percent interest rate.
52
Details of India’s contribution to the initiative are awaited, but New Delhi’s interest in
partnering the project is well known. Over 70 per cent of the transhipment business at the
strategically located ECT is linked to India.
Internal opposition in Sri Lanka

India’s possible role in developing the terminal had been opposed by some sections of
government. President Maithripala Sirisena had opposed any Indian involvement in the
project, as roping in foreign actors for developing “national assets” remains a politically
issue.
President Mr. Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had a heated argument on
the matter during a cabinet meeting in October 2018, with the PM apparently more inclined
towards allowing Indian participation.
(Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sri-lanka-japan-india-sign-deal-
to-develop-east-container-terminal-at-colombo-port/article27273794.ece)
23. India Moves Up to Rank 43 in Competitiveness; Singapore Tops Chart (Relevant for
India's ranking has improved by one place in past one year to 43rd, driven by a robust rate
of growth in real GDP, improvements in business legislation and an increase in public
expenditure on education. India was ranked 45th in 2017, but higher at 41st in 2016.
In the 2019 rankings, India has scored well on several economic parameters and tax policies
but has lagged in terms of public finance, societal framework, education infrastructure,
health and environment.
Singapore has toppled the US to grab the top position. Singapore was at 3rd position last
year. Hong Kong has held onto its second place.
About the rankings

The IMD World Competitiveness Rankings, established in 1989, incorporate 235 indicators
from each of the 63 ranked economies to evaluate their ability to foster competitive
environment.
Economists regard competitiveness as vital for the long-term health of a country's economy
as it empowers businesses to achieve sustainable growth, generates jobs and, ultimately,
enhance the welfare of citizens.
The IMD Business School said it takes into account a wide range of statistics such as
unemployment, GDP and government spending on health and education, as well as data from
an executive opinion survey covering topics such as social cohesion, globalisation and
corruption.

53
The IMD study said the challenges before India remain maintaining high growth with
employment generation, digital literacy and internet bandwidth in rural areas, managing
fiscal discipline, as also issues related to the implementation of Goods and Services Tax and
resource mobilisation for infrastructure development.
(Source:https://www.thequint.com/pti/india-moves-up-to-rank-43-in-competitiveness-
singapore-tops-chart)
24. Guests at today’s swearing-in, what the PM Modi’s outreach signifies (Relevant for
“Neighbourhood First” focus

When he became Prime Minister five years ago, Narendra Modi invited SAARC leaders for
his swearing-in. As he re-enters office, the ceremony will be attended by leaders from the
BIMSTEC countries, Kyrgyz Republic, and Mauritius.
The invite to leaders from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan —
countries in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation — is part of Modi’s “Neighbourhood First” focus. The Kyrgyz Republic is
currently Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO); the Prime Minister of
Mauritius was the Chief Guest at this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
After the 2014 outreach to SAARC countries failed to take off due to tensions with Pakistan;
this is the PM’s fresh effort to reach out diplomatically to the neighbourhood, the diaspora,
and the China-Russia-led regional grouping of Central Asian countries.
Important guests
1. Bangladesh President Hamid will represent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is
travelling to Japan.
2. President Sirisena, who has been in office since 2015, of Sri Lanka.
3. President Win Myint is an important ally of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is
constitutionally barred from becoming President. He is representing Suu Kyi, who is
travelling to Europe.
4. President Jeenbekov of Kyrgyzthan, he is attending the swearing-in as Kyrgyz Republic is

the Chair of the SCO.
5. Prime Minister Oli is Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party, and was PM earlier from
October 2015 to August 2016. His relationship with India soured during the infamous Nepal
blockade, but ties have improved since he returned to power in 2018.
6. Prime Minister Jugnauth of Mauritus, he is the son of former PM Sir Anerood Jugnauth, and
visited India in January this year as the Chief Guest of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

54
7. Grisada Boonrach is trusted aide of Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

Minister Boonrach is attending on behalf of the Prime Minister, who is busy with the
formation of the government in Thailand.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/guests-at-todays-swearing-in-what-
the-pm-narendra-modis-outreach-signifies-5755425/)
Geography
1. Powerful cyclonic storm heads for Odisha. Cyclones emerging over Bay of Bengal in
April-May are usually weaker, and often swerve away from India’s east coast. What
explains Fani’s unusual strength and route? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper I;
Geography)
A powerful cyclonic storm named Fani (pronounced Foni) is headed towards the Odisha
coast. Expected to generate storms with wind speeds as high as 200 km per hour, it has the
potential to cause widespread damage in Odisha and neighbouring states. The last time such
a powerful cyclonic storm had emerged in the Bay of Bengal at this time of the year, in 2008,
it had killed more than 1.25 lakh people in Myanmar. But that was mainly because of the lack
of a sophisticated warning system and enough logistical preparedness to evacuate people.
Fani, on the other hand, has been continuously monitored ever since it developed southeast
of Sri Lanka about a week ago, warnings have been issued after every few hours to fishermen
and people living in coastal regions, and a massive emergency preparedness has been
mounted. In the last few years, India has impressively managed disasters caused by cyclones,
most remarkably during Cyclone Phailin of 2013, which was even stronger than the
approaching Fani.
Cyclone Fani, the outlier

The eastern coast of India is no stranger to cyclones. On an average, five to six significant
cyclonic storms emerge in the Bay of Bengal region every year. The months of April and May
just before the start of the monsoon, and then October to December immediately after the
end of the monsoon, are the prime seasons for tropical cyclones.
Yet, Fani is a little outlier, mainly on account of its strength, and the route it has taken.
Cyclones emerging in April-May usually are much weaker than those during October-
December. There have been only 14 instances of a “severe cyclone” forming in the Bay of
Bengal region in April since 1891, and only one of them, which formed in 1956, touched the
Indian mainland. The others all swerved northeast to hit Bangladesh, Myanmar or other
countries in the southeast Asian region. Since 1990, there have been only four such cyclones
in April.

55
Route taken by cyclone Feni

Fani is not just a severe cyclone but an “extremely severe cyclone”. Tropical cyclones in the
Bay of Bengal are graded according to maximum wind speeds at their centre. At the lower
end are depressions that generate wind speeds of 30 to 60 km per hour, followed by cyclonic
storms (61 to 88 kph), severe cyclonic storms (89 to 117 kph) and very severe cyclonic
storms (118 to 166 kph). At the top are extremely severe cyclonic storms (167 to 221 kph)
and super cyclones (222 kph or higher).
Fani is, thus, unusual, and that is mainly because of the place it originated, very close to the
Equator, and the long route it has taken to reach the landmass.
Strengthening over seas

Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters. The temperature of the top layer of
the sea, up to a depth of about 60 metres, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation
of a cyclone. This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive
for cyclones. Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’
rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere). During these
periods, there is a zone in the Bay of Bengal region (called the inter-tropical convergence
zone that shifts with seasons) whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to

56
east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west. This induces the
anticlockwise rotation of air.
Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the
cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea, and adds to its heft.
A thumb rule for cyclones (or hurricanes and typhoons as they are called in the US and Japan)
is that the more time they spend over the seas, the stronger they become. Hurricanes around
the US, which originate in the vast open Pacific Ocean, are usually much more stronger than
the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, a relatively narrow and enclosed region. The
cyclones originating here, after hitting the landmass, decay rapidly due to friction and
absence of moisture.
Cyclone Fani in Odisha: In situ origins

A big difference between the strengths of cyclones in April-May and October-December is
that the former originate in situ in the Bay of Bengal itself, barely a few hundred kilometres
from the landmass. On the other hand, cyclones in October-December are usually remnants
of cyclonic systems that emerge in the Pacific Ocean, but manage to come to the Bay of
Bengal, considerably weakened after crossing the southeast Asian landmass near the South
China Sea. These systems already have some energy, and gather momentum as they traverse
over the Bay of Bengal.
“April-May is not the season for typhoons in the west Pacific Ocean. Most of the typhoons in
west Pacific in northern hemisphere form between June and November. That is why almost
all the cyclones in the Bay of Bengal in April-May period are in situ systems,” said P V Joseph,
a former director of the India Meteorological Department.
How Cyclone Fani grew muscle

The in situ cyclonic systems in the Bay of Bengal usually originate around latitude 10°, in line
with Chennai or Thiruvananthapuram. Fani, on the other hand, originated quite close to the
Equator, around latitude 2°, well below the Sri Lankan landmass. The forecast landfall on the
Odisha coast is at a latitude of almost 20°. It has traversed a long way on the sea, thus gaining
strength that is unusual for cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal in this season.
It was initially headed northwestwards, towards the Tamil Nadu coast, but changed course
midway, and swerved northeast away from the coastline to reach Odisha. That has given it
even more time on the sea.
(Adapted From The Indain Express)
2. How Cyclone Fani got its name, why the next one will be Vayu (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper I; Geography)
The newest cyclone to emerge out of the Bay of Bengal has been named Fani. Before that,
there were cyclones Hudhud in 2014, Ockhi in 2017 and Titli and Gaja in 2018. How are these
cyclones named? Each Tropical Cyclone basin in the world has its own rotating list of names.

57
For cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, the naming system was agreed by eight
member countries of a group called WMO/ESCAP and took effect in 2004.
These countries submitted eight names each, which are arranged in an 8×8 table (see below).
The first cyclone after the list was adopted was given the name in the first row of the first
column — Onil, proposed by Bangladesh. Subsequent cyclones are being named sequentially,
column-wise, with each cyclone given the name immediately below that of the previous
cyclone. Once the bottom of the column is reached, the sequence moves to the top of the next
column. So far, the first seven columns have been exhausted, and Fani (again proposed by
Bangladesh) is the top name in the last column. The next cyclone will be named Vayu. The
lists will wind up with Cyclone Amphan, whenever it comes.
After the 64 names are exhausted, the eight countries will propose fresh lists of names. For
cyclones from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, these lists are not rotated every few years,
as explained by the India Meteorological Department’s Regional Specialized Meteorological
Centre (RSMC) for Tropical Cyclones over the Northern Indian System.
The lists for storms in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins are, however, rotated.
Exception are, however, made in certain cases — if a storm causes excessive death and
destruction, its name is considered for retirement and is not repeated; it is replaced with
another name.
Why name cyclones?

It is generally agreed that appending names to cyclones makes it easier for the media to
report on these cyclones, heightens interest in warnings, and increases community
preparedness. Names are presumed to be easier to remember than numbers and technical
terms. If public wants to suggest the name of a cyclone to be included in the list, the proposed
name must meet some fundamental criteria, the RSMC website says. The name should be
short and readily understood when broadcast. Further, the names must not be culturally
sensitive and should not convey any unintended and potentially inflammatory meaning.
(Adapted from the Indian Express)
3. Mt. Everest: learn from tragedy, tighten safety measures (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Geography)

58
Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,848 metres, draws adventurers from all over.
But the mountain on the Nepal-China border is fast becoming a dangerous place to visit even
for the hardened mountaineer.
Risk of climbing to Everest

The inherent risks were this month highlighted with a photograph by Nirmal Purja, a Gorkha
ex-soldier. The image, which went viral and altered the manner in which people worldwide
imagine what it is to scale Mt. Everest, showed a long queue awaiting to climb Everest, with
all the dangers such a wait holds. This season, at least 10 climbers have died or gone missing,
including four Indians.
Number of visitors
Experts have been calling for Nepal to restrict the number of permits. It awarded a record
381 for this spring, each fetching $11,000 (climbing from the Tibet side is more expensive).
On Wednesday, 200 climbers ascended the summit, a new record for a single day. Last year,
807 managed to reach the summit. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were
more than 26,000 visitors to the Everest region, and this figure has grown manifold since
then.
Risks at climbing
Nepal officials argue that permits are not issued recklessly, and that jams such as this year’s
near the summit are on account of spells of bad weather, which result in mountaineers being

59
compelled to summit within a narrow time-frame. Waiting in sub-zero temperatures at the

rarefied altitude can be fatal — this season’s deaths were mostly due to frostbite, exhaustion,
dehydration and lack of oxygen.
Garbage accumulation
The commercial operations have led to the Everest being called the world’s highest garbage
dump as many climbers discard non-critical gear and fail to clean up the mess. It is unlikely,
however, that this season’s tragedies will deter future summiteers, as the hypnotic lure
remains intact.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/its-there/article27267112.ece)
Economics
1. RBI's reluctance to furnish list of wilful defaulters (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Economics)
Supreme Court directions to RBI

The Reserve Bank of India has been given a “last opportunity” by the Supreme Court to stop
being in “contempt” of the court’s order of December 2015. Ruling on a batch of contempt
petitions against the RBI, a two-judge bench directed it to furnish all information relating to
inspection reports and other material sought by Right to Information (RTI) petitioners, save
material exempted by the court’s earlier order particularly on the grounds that it had a
bearing on the security of the state. The bench made it clear that “any further violation shall
be viewed seriously”.
What has been the attitude of RBI?

The banking regulator has repeatedly tried to stonewall multiple requests seeking
information ranging from the names of wilful defaulters on bank loans worth hundreds of
crores of rupees, to the bank-wise breakup of losses.
Central Information Commission order

The Central Information Commission too had, in November, directed the then RBI Governor,
Urjit Patel, to show cause “why maximum penalty should not be imposed on him” for the
central bank’s “defiance” of Supreme Court orders on disclosing the names of wilful loan
defaulters.
The RBI was accused off by the CIC for failing to uphold the interest of the public and not
fulfilling its statutory duty to depositors, the economy and the banking sector, by privileging
individual banks’ interests over its obligation to ensure transparency.
RBI needs to ensure transparency

At a time when the level of bad loans at commercial banks continues to remain worryingly
high, worsening their combined capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR), it is inexcusable
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that the RBI continues to keep the largest lenders to banks, the depositors, and the public in
the dark on the specific loan accounts that are endangering the banking system’s health and
viability. The RBI’s latest Financial Stability Report shows that the industry-wide CRAR slid
to 13.7% in September 2018, from 13.8% in March 2018, with the ratio at the crucial public
sector banks declining more sharply to 11.3%, from 11.7% over the same period.
For a banking regulator that never tires of stressing the need for greater accountability from
the numerous public sector banks, the RBI’s reluctance to be more transparent is perplexing.
As the CIC aptly observed last year, the central bank’s intransigence and repeated failure to
honour the court’s orders ultimately undermines the very rule of law it seeks to enforce as a
banking sector regulator empowered by Parliament.
2. NSE fined ₹1,000 crore in co-location case (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
III; Economics)
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred the National Stock Exchange
(NSE), which has the largest market share in equity segment and almost a monopoly in
equity derivatives, from accessing the securities market for six months.
The capital markets regulator has further ordered the exchange to pay ₹1,000 crore — that
is, ₹624.89 crore plus 12% interest from April 1, 2014 — for its alleged failure to exercise
proper due diligence while offering co-location facility thereby affecting market fairness and
integrity.
What is Co-location?
Co-location refers to the system wherein a broker’s server is kept in the exchange premises
to reduce latency, or delay in computing terms, while executing trades.
What was the impact?

“The same created a trading environment in which the information dissemination was
asymmetric, which cannot be considered fair and equitable. This failure of NSE to ensure
equal and fair access, in the facts and circumstances as detailed and discussed in above
paragraphs, has resulted in violation...” added the SEBI order.
What is the matter?

The roots of the matter go back to 2015 when SEBI received complaints against NSE where,
among other things, it was alleged that the system that NSE used while disseminating data
through co-location facilities allowed certain users to get information before others, thereby
creating an information asymmetry.
The regulator has ordered Ravi Narain and Chitra Ramkrishna — both former MD & CEOs of
NSE — to disgorge a part of their salary drawn when they were at the helm of affairs at the
exchange, which has the largest market share in equity segment and almost a monopoly in
equity derivatives.
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While Mr. Narain has been directed to disgorge 25% of his salary drawn from FY11 to FY13,
Ms. Ramkrishna is to disgorge a similar share of her salary drawn in 2013-14.
Both have also been barred from being associated with any listed firm or a Market
Infrastructure Institution — bourses, clearing corporations, depositories — for five years.
Other officials who have been issued restraining orders include Ravi Varanasi, head,
business development; Nagendra Kumar, head, membership department; Deviprasad Singh,
head, colo support; Suprabhat Lala, A-VP; and Umesh Jain, CTO.
SEBI has also barred OPG Securities, allegedly the prime beneficiary of the co-location
matter, and its directors from accessing the securities market for five years, while directing
the entities to disgorge nearly ₹25 crore. Ajay Shah of Indira Gandhi Institute of Development
Research has also been restrained from holding any position with a stock exchange or a listed
company for two years. “NSE is... examining [the] SEBI order and will take appropriate steps
as may be legally advised,” an NSE spokesperson said.
3. New SBI rules link savings bank interest to repo rate: what has changed, why
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics)
SBI linking interest rates to repo rate

State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest bank with almost a quarter share of the
banking business, linked its interest rates on savings bank deposits and short term loans to
the repo rate of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
SBI went ahead even though RBI had deferred the plan to link the rate of interest to external
benchmarks like the repo rate or Treasury Bill rate following opposition from other banks.
What does this mean for SBI’s customers?

The bank has linked savings bank deposits with balances of more that Rs 1 lakh to the repo
rate, changing from the practice of linking to the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate
(MCLR).
The repo rate — the interest rate at which the RBI lends funds to banks — is currently 6%.
As per SBI’s formula, the new rate for savings bank deposits above Rs 1 lakh and up to Rs 1
crore will be 2.75% below the current repo rate — which works out to 3.25% per annum, as
against the 3.5% offered so far.
For savings bank deposits above Rs 1 crore, the new rate will be 3.75%, down from the
earlier rate of 4%.
All cash credit accounts and overdrafts with limits above Rs 1 lakh will be linked to the repo
rate (current repo rate of 6% plus a spread of 2.25%), the bank has said. Risk premiums over

62
and above this floor rate will be based on the risk profile of the borrower, as is the current
practice.
How will small depositors and small borrowers be impacted?

Savings account deposits with balances less than Rs 1 lakh will continue to earn 3.5%
interest — the same as the old rate fixed for these accounts. This interest rate is also subject
to change by the bank as per RBI rules, but it will not be reset automatically as the repo rate
moves.
Once the savings bank deposits cross the Rs 1 lakh mark, the lower interest rate will be
automatically applicable. There is relief for small borrowers with cash credit or overdraft
limits up to Rs 1 lakh, as they will not be linked to the repo rate.
What is the purpose of linking interest rates to an RBI benchmark rate?

In its December 2018 monetary policy meet, which was also the last policy of former
Governor Urjit Patel, the RBI had proposed the benchmarking of fresh floating-rate retail
loans and loans to micro and small enterprises to an external benchmark like repo rate or
Treasury Bill rate, effective April 1, 2019.
According to the RBI, the spread over the benchmark rate — to be decided at banks’
discretion at the inception of the loan — should remain unchanged through the life of the
loan, unless the borrower’s credit assessment undergoes substantial change.
The new system of external benchmark is expected to bring in more transparency in fixing
interest rates, and faster transmission of rates. Banks were lagging in these two crucial
factors while determining their deposit and lending rates.
Why did RBI defer the plan in its April policy?

On April 4, the RBI announced that it has put on hold its proposal to link interest rates on
deposits and short-term loans to an external benchmark like the repo rate or Treasury Bill.
Many banks were lobbying against linking loans to an external benchmark rate, fearing a fall
in margins. According to a FICCI-IBA Survey of Bankers, spreads kept by banks under the
proposed external benchmarking of new floating rate loans could be higher to protect
themselves adequately in case of high volatility of benchmarks.
4. Pepsi vs Gujarat farmers: case, its withdrawal (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Economics)
PepsiCo India Holdings (PIH) announced it is withdrawing lawsuits against nine farmers in
north Gujarat, after having sued 11 farmers for “illegally” growing and selling” a potato
variety registered in the company’s name. What were these cases about?
The patent is for the potato plant variety FL-2027 (commercial name FC-5). Pepsi’s North
America subsidiary Frito-Lay has the patent until October 2023. For India, PIH has patented
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FC-5 until January 2031 under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights
(PPV&FR) Act, 2001.
PIH, which has a buyback agreement with Gujarat farmers, accused the 11 farmers — three
of whom earlier had contracts with the company — of illegally growing, producing and
selling the variety “without permission of PIH”.
Speaking to The Indian Express before the cases were withdrawn, one of the accused farmers
had said the agreement was that PIH would collect potatoes of diameter greater than 45 mm,
and that farmers had been storing smaller potatoes for sowing next year. Four other farmers,
who were slapped with Rs 1.05 crore lawsuits, said they got registered seeds from known
groups and farmer communities and had been sowing these for the last four years or so, and
had no contractual agreement with anyone. They said they learnt they were growing a
registered variety only when they got a court notice on April 11.
Activists’ view
In the days that followed the lawsuits, activists, farmer unions and other organisations cited
Section 39(1)(iv) of the PPV&FR Act in defence of the farmers. The section states:
“Notwithstanding Anything contained in this Act — a farmer shall be deemed to be entitled
to save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety
protected under this Act in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into the
force of this Act, provided that the farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a
variety protected under this Act.”
Organisations said the Act was tailored to give farmers free access to seeds. Kavitha
Kuruganti of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, a nationwide network of more
than 400 organisations, said the rights on a patented seed differ from country to country. “In
the US, if someone has patented a seed, no other farmer can grow it. If PepsiCo is looking at
enjoying similar rights in this country, it does not hold,” she said (this was before the PIH
announcement on Thursday).
Cases & announcement

A court in Deesa, Banaskantha, had appointed court commissioners to investigate the
premises of two farmers as well as two cold storages. In Aravalli, a court had issued a
summons notice to five farmers. In Ahmedabad, the commercial court had extended an ex-
parte ad-interim injunction on four Sabarkantha farmers until June 12, barring them from
growing or selling FC-5.
The Gujarat government, meanwhile, announced it would become a party to all the suits and
back the farmers. On Wednesday, the government reportedly held out-of-court settlement
talks with the company, which eventually announced the withdrawal of cases. It has
withdrawn six cases against nine of the farmers, and its officials will meet state government
authorities Friday to discuss an arrangement.

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5. Why has the Supreme Court given an ultimatum to the Reserve Bank of India on loan
defaulters? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics)
On April 26, the Supreme Court directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to disclose to the
public the names of wilful defaulters on loans and also other information gathered by the
central bank during its annual inspection of commercial banks. The RBI and the Supreme
Court have been at loggerheads over this issue for a while now, with the central bank
repeatedly refusing to obey the orders of the Supreme Court.
What did the RBI do?

In January 2016, the RBI refused to comply with demands made by activists under the Right
to Information Act (RTI) to disclose copies of the annual inspection reports on banks such as
the State Bank of India, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank despite orders from the Supreme Court.
The RBI also refused to provide information regarding the derivative losses suffered by
banks and the fines imposed on banks by the RBI for violating various norms. The Supreme
Court has this time around given the RBI a “last opportunity” to abide by its orders or face
serious penal action. The disclosure of information about banks, however, is not the only
point of conflict between two of the nation’s powerful institutions. In early April, the
Supreme Court quashed the RBI’s circular issued on February 12, 2018 which directed banks
to resolve their troubled loans within a period of 180 days. If banks failed to resolve their
bad loans within the given deadline, the bad loan cases would be sent to bankruptcy courts.
Why does it matter?

The outcome of the battle between the RBI and the Supreme Court will determine the
amount of information related to banks that will be made available to the public. Supporters
of the Supreme Court’s position believe that greater transparency will allow the general
public and investors in public and private sector banks to make better decisions with their
money. In particular, they point to the problem of wilful defaults that has been plaguing
banks. According to data gathered by TransUnion CIBIL, the amount of wilful defaults has
risen by four times in the last five years from ₹39,504 crore at the end of March 2014 to
₹1,61,213 crore at the end of December 2018. At the same time, the number of wilful
defaulters has doubled over the same period. State Bank of India, the largest public sector
bank, has suffered the largest amount of wilful defaults among all banks.
The disclosure of the names of wilful defaulters to the public, many believe, will help bring
about better credit discipline in the country by exposing problems brewing within banks
sooner rather than later. In fact, they find it surprising that the RBI which has been
spearheading the fight against bad loans is unwilling to release vital information on wilful
defaulters to the public. The RBI, on its part, has argued that the disclosure of auditing
information related to banks can lead to the exposure of sensitive information that may not
be in the commercial interest of banks or even in the interest of the wider economy. The RBI
also seems to believe that releasing information about defaulters can unfairly shame
borrowers who may genuinely not be able to pay back their loans due to various financial
difficulties. Such shaming could have the unintended consequence of impeding genuine
business activity in the economy. The central bank has also put forward the argument that it
has the fiduciary duty to protect certain information about banks.
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What lies ahead?

It is hard to predict what will happen next in this battle. The Supreme Court may begin
contempt proceedings against the RBI if it chooses to disobey its latest order, but the impact
this will have on the RBI’s freedom remains to be seen. The RBI has chosen not to obey orders
coming from the Supreme Court in the past, including previous proceedings of contempt
against it. If the RBI is forced to abide by the Supreme Court order, it will certainly increase
publicly available information on banks. Greater transparency will also help make the RBI
more accountable. If there are legitimate reasons for banks and the RBI to withhold certain
information from the public domain, however, the forced disclosure of information following
the Supreme Court’s order may lead to various unintended consequences both within the
financial sector and the broader economy. The RBI, for instance, may choose to not include
in its annual inspection reports certain sensitive information about banks that it feels
shouldn’t be in the public domain.
6. Chips at stake in the PepsiCo-farmers fight : Who has infringed on rights under the
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001? (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper III; Economics)
A David versus Goliath story has played out in Gujarat over the last month, with food and
beverages giant PepsiCo dragging potato farmers to court for allegedly growing its
registered potato variety used to make ‘Lays’ chips. Four small farmers from Sabarkantha
district were sued ₹1.05 crore each, although they cite a law allowing them to grow and sell
even registered plant varieties. Faced with growing social media outrage, boycott calls from
farmers groups and condemnation from major political parties, the company finally agreed
to withdraw cases after talks with the Gujarat government.
When was the variety introduced?

PepsiCo introduced, in 2009, the FC5 variety of potato that it uses to make its popular ‘Lays’
potato chips to India. The potato variety is grown by approximately 12,000 farmers who are
a part of the company’s collaborative farming programme, wherein the company sells seeds
to farmers and has an exclusive contract to buy back their produce. In 2016, the company
registered the variety under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001
(PPV&FRA).
Finding that farmers who were not part of its collaborative farming programme were also
growing and selling potatoes of this variety in Gujarat, PepsiCo filed rights infringement
cases under the Act against some farmers in Sabarkantha, Banaskantha and Aravalli districts
in 2018 and 2019. Farmers allege that the company hired a private detective agency to pose
as potential buyers, take secret video footage and collect samples from farmers’ fields
without disclosing its real intent.
What is the farmers’ stand?

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The ₹4.2 crore lawsuit against four small farmers in Sabarkantha district was heard by an
Ahmedabad commercial court on April 9, and an ex-parte injunction ordered against the
farmers. However, farmers’ rights groups across the country began a campaign against
PepsiCo, requesting the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority to
intervene in the case and bear the farmers’ legal costs using the National Gene Fund. At the
April 26 hearing, the company offered an out-of-court settlement to the farmers on the
condition that they give an undertaking not to grow the registered variety and surrender
existing stocks or to join its collaborative farming programme.
Demanding an unconditional withdrawal of cases, farmers unions affiliated to the ruling

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Left parties joined in boycott calls against PepsiCo
products and stoked outrage on social media as well. In the midst of an election season in
which agricultural issues are in the spotlight, senior political leaders from the Congress and
BJP added their criticism. On April 27, the Gujarat government announced that it would back
the farmers and join the legal case on their behalf, although it later indicated it was working
toward an out-of-court settlement. Finally, on May 2, PepsiCo agreed to withdraw all nine
cases after discussions with the government.
What is the legal basis for the suit?

Both PepsiCo and the farmers cite the same Act to support their opposing positions. The
PPV&FRA was enacted in 2001 to comply with the World Trade Organisation’s Agreement
on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
PepsiCo based its suits on Section 64 of the Act dealing with infringements of the registered
breeder’s rights and subsequent penalties. The farmers’ legal case depended on Section 39
of the Act, which allows the cultivator to “save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell his
farm produce including seed of a variety protected under this Act” with the sole exception of
branded seed. As this section begins with the words “Notwithstanding anything contained in
this Act…”, farmers claim their rights have precedence.
Over the last decade, more than 3,600 plant varieties have been registered under the Act,
with more than half of the registration certificates going to farmers themselves. This was the
first case of infringement of rights under the Act, according to the central agency set up to
implement the Act.
Who are the stakeholders and what are the stakes?

“The company is harassing us. I am not a crorepati, I cannot afford to pay these damages they
want,” says Haribhai Patel, who owns four acres and was sued for ₹1.05 crore. He claims he
bought potato seeds locally, and is within his rights to grow and sell any variety. Even
PepsiCo supporters admit that they lost the perception battle by dragging small farmers to
court for large sums in election season.
However, some of the farmers sued in 2018 seem to be larger players with bigger stakes in
the game. Fulchand Kachchhawa reportedly owns over 150 acres of land, as well as cold
storage facilities, and is a potato grower and trader selling much of his produce to ‘Balaji
Wafers’, the major regional competitor of ‘Lays’ chips. It is alleged that he sells the registered
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variety of seeds to smaller farmers and buys their produce as well. It is unclear whether his
activities would be protected under Section 39 of the PPV&FRA.
PepsiCo says its collaborative farming programme and registered variety rights are under
threat. While ‘Lays’ claims to be a leader in the country’s ₹5,500 crore potato chips market,
regional players are eating into the market share.
Farmers rights groups such as the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture saw the
issue as a test case on farmers rights in India under the WTO regime, and warned that a bad
precedent could hurt farmers of other crops and endanger the country’s food sovereignty.
What happens next?

While farmers have claimed victory, they also demanded an apology from PepsiCo and plan
to sue for compensation for “harassment” by the company. They are also wary of any future
government-facilitated negotiations on seed protection and the rights of breeders. Pepsico’s
decision to withdraw the cases was “backed by an assurance from the government for a long
term amicable settlement”, according to sources familiar with the development, who added
that both the Gujarat government and the Centre were involved in that assurance for further
talks.
7. Reliance subsidiary acquires UK toy retailer Hamleys (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Economics)
Reliance Brands, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), acquired UK-based toymaker
Hamleys from C.banner International.
About Hamleys
Hamleys has about 167 stores across 18 countries. In India, Reliance has the master
franchise for Hamleys, and currently operates 88 stores across 29 cities.
Why acquisition was carried out?

This acquisition will make Reliance Brands to be a dominant player in the global toy retail
industry.
As is known, Reliance plans to launch an e-commerce marketplace later this year that will
sell everything from food, fashion to toys and this acquisition will perfectly fit into its
strategy.
History of Hamleys
Hamleys is currently owned by Chinese fashion conglomerate C.banner International, which
had acquired it for £100 million in 2015. Hamleys started with a single-store shop, Noah’s
Ark, in 1760, around the time when the British East India Company was ruling India.

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(Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/business/companies/reliance-subsidiary-acquires-uk-toy-
retailer-hamleys-5720180/)
8. Decline in automobiles sales signal Economic slowdown in India (Relevant for GS

Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics)
Recent indicators
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has reported The decline of almost 16%
in total automobile industry sales in April as compared to earlier.
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for March shows output fell 0.1% from a year earlier
to a 21-month low. The capital goods sector shrank by 8.7% on the back of an 8.9%
contraction in the preceding month. Output of consumer durables fell 5.1%.
Position of global economy

The position of global economy is also expected to be bad on account of trade war between
the two largest economies, the U.S. and China, and rising tensions in West Asia which will is
already pushing oil prices.
Expectations from new government

The new government that emerges after May 23 must draw appropriate policy measures
that not only help reinvigorate demand but also ensure that such a revival is robust, across-
the-board and enduring.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/missing
demand/article27130430.ece)
9. RBI now uses divergence to compel banks to improve their loan-loss ratios
What is Divergence in loan recognition?

Divergence takes place when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) finds that a lender has under-
reported (or not reported at all) bad loans in a particular year and hence asks the lender to
make disclosures if under-reporting is more than 10% of bad loans or the provisioning.
Which are the banks at default?

Three state-run banks — Union Bank of India, Indian Bank and Central Bank of India — had
reported divergence while announcing the results. In all these banks, divergence was spotted
for the financial year 2017-18.
Divergence was identified not because these banks hadn’t classified the loan as non-
performing assets (NPA) but because they were late in classifying them.
CATEGORIES OF NPAs
According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, banks are required to classify NPAs
further into substandard, doubtful, and loss assets based on the time period of pending debts.
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1. Substandard assets: Assets that have remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12
months.
2. Doubtful assets: An asset would be classified as doubtful if it has remained in the

substandard category for a period of 12 months.
3. Loss assets: A loss asset is considered uncollectible or is of such little value that its
continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted, although it may have some salvage or
recovery value.
How divergence leads to higher provisioning?

Since the date of classification as NPA had been pushed back, the banks had to make higher
provisioning. In the first stage of NPA, which is the ‘sub-standard’ category, 15-20%
provision is required and for next category, which is ‘doubtful’, a 40% provision is required.
So, banks have been asked to classify the account as NPA on an earlier date, which means,
increase in provisioning requirement due to ageing factor.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/rbi-now-uses-divergence-to-
compel-banks-to-improve-their-loan-loss-ratios/article27174135.ece)
10. Rising trade deficit of India on account of falling exports (Relevant for GS Prelims
& Mains Paper III; Economics)
Falling exports
The estimates for foreign trade show a sharp slowdown in merchandise export growth in
April, to 0.64% from last earlier. If we do not count 31% increase in shipments of petroleum
products to overseas markets, India’s export of goods actually contracted by over 3% in
dollar terms last month.
Analysis of decrease in exports

The fall in exports was seen in 16 out of 30 major product groups. The fall was noticed in
engineering and even traditionally strong export sectors — gem and jewellery, leather and
leather products, textiles and garments and drugs and pharmaceuticals.
These sectors are all key providers of jobs. Thus, reduction in these sectors will impact jobs,
wages and consumption demand in the domestic market.
Rising imports
Imports grew by 4.5% to $41.4 billion in April due to purchases of crude oil and gold.
Excluding oil and gold, however, imports shrank by more than 2% last month, signalling that
import demand in the real productive sectors has reduced.

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As a result of merchandise imports outpacing exports, the trade deficit has widened to $51.9
billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2018-19. It has already surpassed the preceding
financial year’s 12-month shortfall of $48.7 billion.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/external-
woes/article27165660.ece)
11. Why appeals are stuck at WTO, how India will be hit if process breaks down
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) dispute settlement mechanism is going through a
“crisis”: the body is struggling to appoint new members to its understaffed Appellate Body
that hears appeals in trade. Unless the issue is resolved, the body could become defunct, and
countries locked in international trade disputes will be left with no forum for recourse.
Over 20 developing countries met in New Delhi last week to discuss ways to prevent the
WTO’s dispute resolution system from collapsing due to the logjam in these appointments.
What is the WTO’s Appellate Body, and why is it important?

The Appellate Body, set up in 1995, is a standing committee of seven members that presides
over appeals against judgments passed in trade-related disputes brought by WTO members.
With over 500 international disputes brought to the WTO and over 350 rulings issued since
1995, the organisation’s dispute settlement mechanism is one of the most active in the world,
and the Appellate Body is the highest authority in these matters.
What is the present state of the body?

Over the last two years, the membership of the body has dwindled to just three persons
instead of the required seven. This is because the United States, which believes the WTO is
biased against it, has been blocking appointments of new members and reappointments of
some members who have completed their four-year tenures. Two members will complete
their tenures in December this year, leaving the body with just one member.
At least three people are required to preside over an appeal, and if new members are not
appointed to replace the two retiring ones, the body will cease to be relevant. Between 1995
and 2014, around 68% of the 201 panel reports adopted were appealed.
While the US is directly involved in more disputes than other WTO member countries,
several countries—including India—enter disputes as third parties.
India has so far been a direct participant in 54 disputes, and has been involved in 158 as a
third party.
And what is the way forward from here on?

While new appointments to the Appellate Body are usually made by a consensus of WTO
members, there is a provision for voting where a consensus is not possible.

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The group of 17 least developed and developing countries, including India, that have
committed to working together to end the impasse at the Appellate Body can submit or
support a proposal to this effect, and try to get new members on the Appellate Body by a
majority vote.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-appeals-are-stuck-at-wto-
how-india-will-be-hit-if-process-breaks-down-5736410/)
12. Higher education to get a boost with ₹1.5 lakh crore action plan (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics)
Ministry of Human Resource Development plans to launch an ambitious ₹1.5 lakh crore
action plan to improve the quality and accessibility of higher education over the next five
years.
This is being described as the implementation plan for the National Education Policy. The
last NEP was released in 1986, with a revision in 1992.
EQUIP project
The Ministry plans to launch EQUIP project. EQUIP stands for the Education Quality
Upgradation and Inclusion Programme and was crafted by ten committees led by experts
within the government such as NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, principal scientific advisor K.
Vijay Raghavan and former revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia, as well as some corporate
chiefs.
The ten committees have drafted strategy to improve access to higher education, especially
for underserved communities; improve the gross enrolment ration; improve teaching and
learning processes; build educational infrastructure; improve the quality of research and
innovation; use technology and online learning tools; and work on accreditation systems,
governance structures and financing.

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Need for funds

Given that the last budget only allocated ₹37,461 crore to the higher education department,
the EQUIP project will need to rely on extra-budgetary resources. The secretary said the
Centre would mobilise money from the marketplace through the Higher Education Financing
Agency (HEFA).
This would go beyond HEFA’s current ambit. The joint venture between the HRD Ministry
and Canara Bank, set up in 2017, has been tasked with raising ₹1 lakh crore to finance
infrastructure improvements in higher education by 2022. So far, projects worth ₹30,000
crore have been approved, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said in January.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/education/higher-education-to-get-a-boost-with-15-
lakh-crore-action-plan/article27240106.ece)
13. Draft export policy unveiled (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III;
Economics)
The Commerce Ministry has come out with a comprehensive draft of the export policy that
includes product-specific rules to provide a ready reckoner for exporters.
The draft policy is aimed at consolidating the export norms for each product as applicable at
different government agencies.
The compendium will help an exporter know all the applicable norms pertaining to a
particular product, helping him/her understand policy conditions for that item.

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Rationale behind the policy

Every product has been accorded eight digit HS codes.
This exercise is for consolidating the norms and not for making any changes in the existing
export policy of the country. The DGFT said that the updated draft had been prepared by
including all existing policy conditions, all notifications and public notices issued after
January 2018.
Besides, it also includes non-tariff regulations imposed by different government agencies.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/draft-export-policy-
unveiled/article27267247.ece)
14. US takes India off currency watchlist (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III;
Economics)
The US government removed India from its list of major trading partners to be closely
monitored for potentially questionable foreign exchange policies with the move coming
amid escalating trade tensions between the two countries.
Why India’s name has been removed?

India has been removed from the list for “addressing” some of the Trump administration’s
concerns over its currency practices and macroeconomic policies, according to the
Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United
States report released by the US Treasury department. According to it, the only factor of
concern from India is its “significant” bilateral trade surplus with the US, which crosses the
country’s maximum limit of $20 billion.
What is the criteria of adding in monitoring list?

The US includes major trading partners in its monitoring list if they meet at least two of three
criteria – if it has either a significant bilateral trade surplus with the US, if it has a material
current account surplus or if it is engaged in “persistent one-sided intervention” in the
foreign exchange market.
Signifies improvement in trade relations

Currency policy has been used by the Trump administration as a tool in trade talks. This
move is based on quantifiable criteria but it signals a possible de-escalation in India-US trade
tension. US has been holding off on notifying the withdrawal of trade benefits to India despite
the expiry of its notice period, possibly in the hope that the new government will defuse the
standoff.
When was India included?

India was included in the list over a year ago because, in 2017, its foreign exchange purchases
over the first three quarters of the year pushed net purchases of forex above 2 per cent of
GDP. It also had a trade surplus of over $20 billion.

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Countries in the current list include China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore,
Malaysia and Vietnam.
Pressure from US
Over the last two years, US put pressure on India by increasing tariffs on products like steel
and aluminium,as well as removing the country from its Generalized System of Preferences,
which allowed Indian businesses certain trade benefits.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/india/united-states-india-currency-watch-
donald-trump-5755396/)
Environment
1. Steering away from diesel: What is the trend against this heavy polluter fuel in
India? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)
On April 25, Maruti Suzuki, India’s top carmaker, announced that it would phase out
production of diesel models from April 1, 2020, when stricter Bharat Stage VI emission
standards come into force. What does this mean for the auto industry?
Why did Maruti take this decision?

Explaining its rationale, the leading passenger vehicle manufacturer said the enhanced
emission standards would make diesel engines costlier by up to ₹1.5 lakh, and the acquisition
cost of diesel vehicles for consumers would be markedly higher than petrol equivalents.
Given the market dynamics, it would not make business sense for the company to invest in
developing new diesel engines to meet the BS VI norms. Compressed Natural Gas could be a
replacement for both fuels, according to Maruti.
Diesel cars account for about 23% of Maruti’s domestic sales and it sold a total of 4.63 lakh
diesel-powered vehicles during 2018-19.
On the consumer side, diesel vehicles are not particularly attractive today. The traditional
advantage of lower operating costs due to a wide gap between expensive petrol and lower
cost diesel has narrowed significantly. On Saturday, the price of diesel in a city like Chennai
was ₹70.48 per litre compared to ₹75.92 per litre for petrol.
Environmentally, diesel is a heavy polluter and is losing ground in leading passenger vehicle
markets such as the European Union. The rigging of emissions data by Volkswagen to show
lower levels of nitrogen oxides accelerated the move away from diesel. Even in Germany,
which is a leading maker of diesel cars, cities want to ban them.
Why is the move significant?

India has a growing vehicle-to-population ratio, although it is still lower than several other
big countries. While Maruti’s is a business decision, policy decisions on emission norms will
steer the industry, and are therefore critical to improving air quality.
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Ambient air quality has deteriorated so badly that 15 Indian cities led by Gurugram are
among the 20 most polluted cities globally as per the IQAir AirVisual ‘World Air Quality
Report’ for 2018, based on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that penetrates the lungs and
bloodstream. Transport emissions, particularly from diesel, are a major contributor.
As of 2017, India’s installed capacity for vehicle production stood at 7 million four-wheelers
and 27.56 million two and three-wheelers. Commercial three-wheelers, such as large
autorickshaws, sold in the past include heavily polluting diesel models that continue to
operate even in densely populated cities.
During 2017-18 the auto industry produced over four million passenger vehicles and just
under 900,000 commercial vehicles, according to the Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers.
After the decontrol of diesel pricing about five years ago, the share of diesel models in car
sales has dropped from nearly 43% in 2012-13 to 23% at the end of 2018.
What is diesel’s pollution profile?

The Auto Fuel Vision and Policy 2025 published by the erstwhile Planning Commission,
which laid out the road map for a transition to less polluting fuels, pointed out that sulphur
in diesel is a contributor to particulate matter both in the vehicular exhaust and in the
atmosphere. Sulphur is found in petrol too, but for comparison, it was 2,000 parts per million
(ppm) in petrol before introduction of standards in 2000, but in diesel it was 10,000 parts
per million (ppm) in 1996. Sulphur content was reduced with each phase of upgradation of
emission standards to touch 50 ppm under BS IV. In BS VI, which is already dispensed in
Delhi, it is 10 ppm.
Sulphur plays a key role since higher concentrations have an impact on technologies for
control of other pollutants in the emissions, such as carbon monoxide, particulates, oxides of
nitrogen and hydrocarbons.
The importance of cleaner diesel was studied in Karnataka, and data show that adoption of
Bharat IV diesel in 2015 had an impact on the sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. The
sulphur content of diesel changed from 350 ppm to 50 ppm. There was a 25% drop in
nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations too, which could also be linked to change in the fuel
quality. But such gains were neutralised by traffic growth. The rise in larger PM10
concentrations by 50%, was linked to growing numbers of vehicles and dust resuspension,
besides construction activity.
Even with cleaner fuel, increase in vehicle numbers, especially those running on diesel cut
into the gains. It was witnessed in Delhi, where, in spite of a shift of buses and autorickshaws
to CNG during 1998-2002, the air quality gains were soon lost to explosive motorisation.
Bengaluru also had a similar experience, as a study by the Air Pollution Knowledge
Assessment City Program by Urbanemissions.info showed. The city has steadily motorised,

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and number of vehicles registered per 1,000 population increased from 150 in 1990 to 300
in 2001 and 600 in 2016.
Within the transport sector, more than 70% of PM2.5 emissions were found to originate from
a small fraction of diesel-powered vehicles. Also an estimated 200 million litres of diesel are
used by diesel generator sets in the city annually.
Data for Delhi from 2011 led researchers to conclude that on-road commuters are exposed
to 1.5 times the average ambient concentrations. Automotive emissions add to the pollution
burden imposed by manufacturing and construction activity, power plants, biomass burning
for cooking and heating, and incineration of farm residues and garbage.
How can eliminating diesel improve health?

Air pollution is a leading contributor to non-communicable diseases and accounts for a large
number of premature deaths. The World Health Organisation describes diesel exhaust as an
occupational cancer-causing agent.
In India, the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 attributed 8% of the disease burden, and
11% of premature deaths in people below 70 years of age to air pollution.
An assessment by researchers published by The Lancet Planetary Health in December 2018
said most Indian States, particularly those in north India, and 77% of the country’s
population were exposed to an annual population-weighted mean [fine particulate matter],
PM2·5, greater than the 40 microgrammes per cubic metre of air limit recommended by the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Even with a reduction in the sulphur content in BS VI fuels, the health effects of lower
emissions would be lost due to a growing number of vehicles. The best scenario to reduce
PM2.5 exposure in India is, therefore, not just shifting to BS VI fuels but bringing about a
reduction in use of private vehicles through augmented public transport and promoting
alternative fuels including the use of electric vehicles.
In his book, The Invisible Killer, air pollution scientist Gary Fuller says diesel cars were
promoted by a variety of actors, such as oil companies, governments, and vehicle
manufacturers in the 1990s in order to create a market for the middle fractions of crude oil.
Real-world emissions in new cars have not always aligned with expected type-approval tests.
While test cycle nitrogen oxide emissions decreased by 80% since 1992, the real driving
emissions from diesel cars increased about 20%, says Prof. Fuller in a recent paper.
In Europe, trucks and buses were already running on diesel, and industries and governments
promoted its use in cars, giving petrol a lesser profile. Car makers produced newer diesel
engines and promoted them citing lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared to petrol
equivalents.

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India has slowly moved towards stricter regulation through mass emission norms for
vehicles. The first standards came into force in 1991 for petrol vehicles, and a year later, for
diesel vehicles. Based on Supreme Court orders of 1999, the Central government notified the
Bharat Stage II norms for the National Capital Region and Bharat Stage I for the rest of India,
from 2000. After transitioning over the years to BS III and BS IV, BS VI (the equivalent of
Euro VI) standard will cover vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, 2020. (BS V has been
skipped altogether.) Its 10 ppm sulphur standard will be less polluting, since the current
level is 50 ppm.
2. One million species face extinction: Why biodiversity report matters (Relevant for
GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)
One million species face extinction: Why biodiversity report matters

A first-of-its-kind report released on Monday by an international group of scientists, whose
findings were reported in The Indian Express Tuesday, is being hailed as one of the most
important scientific studies of our time. The report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is the most comprehensive
scientific evaluation ever made of the state of our nature, and gives a detailed account of
health of the species that inhabit this earth, and the condition of habitats that they live in and
depend upon.
Among the findings that are making global headlines is the assessment that as many as 1
million different species, out of a total of an estimated 8 million plant and animal species, are
facing the threat of extinction, more than at any previous time, because of changes brought
about in natural environments by human activities. The report says that 75% of Earth’s land

78
surface and 66% marine environments have been “significantly altered”, and that “over
85%” of wetland area had been lost. But, on an average, these trends were less severe on
areas controlled or managed by indigenous people and local communities (like tribal
communities in India).
What is IPBES
IPBES is a global scientific body very similar in composition and functioning to the better-
known Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that makes periodic reviews of
scientific literature to make projections about the earth’s future climate. IPCC’s assessment
reports, which won it the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, form the scientific basis on which the
international negotiations on climate change have been happening.
IPBES is mandated to do a similar job for natural ecosystems and biodiversity. Formed in
2012, this is the first global assessment report by the IPBES (IPCC, set up in 1988, has
produced five assessment reports, and sixth one is under preparation). IPBES has produced
a few regional and specialised reports earlier. Like IPCC, IPBES does not produce any new
science, it only evaluates existing scientific knowledge to make assessments and projections.
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, first
assessment report

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Unlike IPCC, however, the IPBES assessment reports are likely to feed into and inform
several multilateral processes. The two UN Conventions — Convention on Biological
Diversity that addresses biodiversity issues, and the Convention on Combating
Desertification that deals with sustainable land management — are likely to be guided by
this report in future. It is possible that so would be a host of other international agreements
and processes, like the Ramsar Convention on wetlands, the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species, or the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
The India connection

The report does not have country-specific information. But as a major biodiversity hotspot,
vast areas, especially the coastline, of which are under tremendous stress due to large
population, India can identify with most of the trends pointed out in the report.
For example, it says 23% of global land area had shown a reduction in productivity due to
degradation, and that between 100 to 300 million people were at an increased risk of floods
and hurricanes because of loss of coastal habitats and protection. It says plastic pollution had
increased 10 times from 1980, the number of large dams (those with a height of 15 m or
more) had reached almost 50,000, and that human population had more than doubled since
1970s, and the number of urban areas had doubled since 1992. All these trends have been
clearly visible in the case of India, and bring with them the associated risks to natural
ecosystems highlighted in the report.
(Adapted from Indian Express)

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3. Report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and

Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)
Overall message of report

The overwhelming message from the global assessment report of the Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is that human
beings have so rapaciously exploited nature, and that species belonging to a quarter of all
studied animal and plant groups on earth are gravely threatened.
One million species chances of being extinct

If the world continues to pursue the current model of economic growth without factoring in
environmental costs, one million species could go extinct, many in a matter of decades.
Reasons for damage to ecosystem

Catastrophic erosion of ecosystems is being driven by unsustainable use of land and water,
direct harvesting of species, climate change, pollution and release of alien plants and animals
in new habitats. While ecosystem losses have accelerated over the past five decades
universally, there is particular worry over the devastation occurring in tropical areas, which
are endowed with greater biodiversity than others; only a quarter of the land worldwide
now retains its ecological and evolutionary integrity, largely spared of human impact.
Need to factor in ecological costs

Nature provides ecosystem services, but these are often not included in productivity
estimates: they are vital for food production, for clean air and water, provision of fuel for
millions, absorption of carbon in the atmosphere, and climate moderation.
The result of such skewed policies, as the IPBES estimates, is that the global rate of species
extinction is at least tens to hundreds of times higher today than the average rate over the
past 10 million years, and it is accelerating alarmingly.
Ecological economists have for years pointed to the extreme harm that humanity as a whole
is courting by modifying terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems to suit immediate
needs, such as raising agricultural and food output and extracting materials that aid ever-
increasing consumption. Expanding agriculture by cutting down forests has raised food
volumes, and mining feeds many industries, but these have severely affected other functions
such as water availability, pollination, maintenance of wild variants of domesticated plants
and climate regulation.
Losses from pollution are usually not factored into claims of economic progress made by
countries, but as the IPBES assessment points out, marine plastic pollution has increased
tenfold since 1980, affecting at least 267 species, including 86% of marine turtles, 44% of
seabirds and 43% of marine mammals. At the same time, about 9% of 6,190 domesticated
breeds of mammals used for food and agriculture had gone extinct by 2016, and another
1,000 may disappear permanently. Viewed against a shrinking base of wild varieties of
farmed plants and animals, all countries have cause for alarm. They are rapidly emptying
their genetic resource kit. Reversing course is a dire necessity to stave off disaster. This can
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be done by incorporating biodiversity impacts into all economic activity, recognising that
irreparably breaking the web of life will impoverish and endanger people everywhere.
What is Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform?

The Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established to strengthen the science-
policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development. It was
established in Panama City, on 21 April 2012 by 94 governments. IPBES is placed under the
auspices of four United Nations entities: UNEP, UNESCO, FAO and UNDP and administered
by the United Nations Environment Programme. The IPBES secretariat is based in Bonn,
Germany.
Any member country of the United Nations can join the IPBES. One thousand scientists from
all over the world currently contribute to the work of IPBES on a voluntary basis. They are
nominated by their government or an organization, and selected by the MEP. Peer review
forms a key component of the work of IPBES to ensure that a range of views is reflected in
its work, and that the work is complete to the highest scientific standards.
4. Coastal Regulation Zone: How rules for building along coast have evolved (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)
Definition of Regulation Zone

In all CRZ Rules, regulation zone has been defined as the area up to 500 m from the high-tide
line. Several kinds of restrictions apply, depending on criteria such as population, ecological
sensitivity, distance from shore, etc.
Image depicting Violation of CRZ

Administrative mechanism
While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union Environment Ministry, implementation is
supposed to be done by state governments through their Coastal Zone Management

82
Authorities. The states are also supposed to frame their own coastal zone management plans
in accordance with the central Rules.
The CRZ Rules, 1991

CRZ Rules govern human and industrial activity close to the coastline, in order to protect the
fragile ecosystems near the sea. The Rules, mandated under the Environment Protection Act,
1986, were first framed in 1991. The basic idea is: because areas immediately next to the sea
are extremely delicate, home to many marine and aquatic life forms, both animals and plants,
and are also threatened by climate change, they need to be protected against unregulated
development.
Need to amend 1991 rules

Despite several amendments, states found the 1991 Rules to be extremely restrictive. They
complained that if applied strictly, the Rules would not allow simple things like building
decent homes for people living close to the coast, and carrying out basic developmental
works. The 1991 Rules also created hurdles for industrial and infrastructure projects such
as the POSCO steel plant in Odisha and the proposed Navi Mumbai airport in the first decade
of the new century.
Evolution of Rules
The Centre notified fresh CRZ Rules in 2011, which addressed some concerns. An exemption
was made for the construction of the Navi Mumbai airport. (The POSCO project had failed to
take off due to other reasons.) Projects of the Department of Atomic Energy, which plans to
set up nuclear power plants near the coast, were exempted.
However, these rules were also found inadequate.
The Environment Ministry issued fresh CRZ Rules in December 2018, which removed certain
restrictions on building, streamlined the clearance process, and aimed to encourage tourism
in coastal areas.
The current situation

In January this year, the government notified new CRZ Rules.For the so-called CRZ-III (Rural)
areas, two separate categories have been stipulated. In the densely populated rural areas
(CRZ-IIIA) with a population density of 2,161 per sq km as per the 2011 Census, the no-
development zone is now 50 m from the high-tide level, as against the 200 m stipulated
earlier. In the CRZ-IIIB category (rural areas with population density below 2,161 per sq km)
continue to have a no-development zone extending up to 200 m from the high-tide line.
The new Rules have a no-development zone of 20 m for all islands close to the mainland
coast, and for all backwater islands in the mainland.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/coastal-regulation-zone-how-rules-for-
building-along-coast-have-evolved-5726052/)

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5. Carbon dioxide concentration in atmosphere hits a new high (Relevant for GS

Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)
On May 11, global concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was measured to have
crossed the 415 parts per million (ppm) mark for the first time. The rapidly rising
concentration is the indicator that the planet has been warming up. The higher the
concentration of carbon dioxide, the greater the greenhouse gas effect that causes the Earth’s
atmosphere to heat up.
Trend of Carbon dioxide concentration

For several thousand years, the carbon dioxide concentration remained constant around
270-280 ppm, before the industrial revolution began to slowly push it up. When direct
measurements began at observatory in 1958, concentrations were around 315 ppm. It took
nearly 50 years for it to reach 380 ppm, a mark first breached in 2004, but thereafter the
growth has been rapid.
Currently, the carbon dioxide concentration is growing at more than 2 ppm per year, and
scientists say the growth rate is likely to reach 3 ppm a year from this year.
Carbon dioxide’s long life

The increase in atmospheric concentrations is caused by the carbon dioxide being constantly
emitted in different, mostly man-made, processes. In recent years, the growth in global
carbon dioxide emissions has slowed down considerably. It remained almost flat between
2014 and 2016, and increased by 1.6% in 2017 and about 2.7% in 2018. In 2018, the global
emission of carbon dioxide was estimated at 37.2 billion tonnes.

84
The rapid rise in the atmospheric concentrations, however, is due to the fact that carbon
dioxide has a very long lifespan in the atmosphere, between 100 and 300 years. So, even if
the emissions were to miraculously reduce to zero all of a sudden, it would have no impact
on the atmospheric concentrations in the near term.
About half of emitted carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants and oceans, leaving the other half
to go into the atmosphere. An addition of about 7.5 billion tonnes carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere leads to a 1 ppm rise in its atmospheric concentration. So, in 2018, for example,
half the total emissions, or about 18.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, would have been
added to the atmosphere, leading to rise of 2.48 ppm in atmospheric concentrations.
The absorption of carbon dioxide by plants follows a predictable seasonal variability. Plants
absorb more carbon dioxide during the summer, with the result that a lower amount of
carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere in the summer months of the northern
hemisphere, which has considerably more vegetation than southern hemisphere. This
variability gets captured in the very rhythmic seasonal fluctuation of atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide.
The temperature equivalence

The global goal in the fight against climate change has been defined in terms of temperature
targets, not carbon dioxide concentrations. The stated effort of the global community is to
keep the rise in average surface temperatures below 2ºC higher than during pre-industrial
times, and if possible below 1.5°C.
The carbon dioxide concentration level corresponding to a 2ºC rise in global temperatures
is generally understood to be 450 ppm. At current rates of growth, that level would be
reached in less than 12 years, that is by 2030. Until a few years ago, it used to be understood
that this milestone would not be reached till at least 2035. The corresponding carbon dioxide
level for a 1.5ºC rise is not very clearly defined.
A special report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year said
the world needed to achieve net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases, not just carbon
dioxide, by 2050 to keep alive any realistic chances of restraining the temperature rise to
within 1.5ºC. The net zero needs to be achieved by 2075 to attain the 2ºC target.
Net zero is achieved when the total emissions is neutralised by absorption of carbon dioxide
through natural sinks like forests, or removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
through technological interventions.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/carbon-dioxide-in-atmosphere-
hits-a-high-how-it-relates-to-global-warming-5741252/)
6. Making of a conflict zone: humans vs tigers in a Maharashtra forest (Relevant for GS

Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment)

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Human deaths in wildlife attacks have been rising in the forests of Brahmapuri in
Maharashtra, from six in 2006 to 18 in 2018, most of them in tiger and leopard attacks . A
look at the factors leading to the area’s emergence as a human-wildlife conflict zone, and the
mitigation measures taken or explored:
The area
The 1,200-sq-km Brahmapuri forest division of Chandrapur district — home to 41 tigers (16
males, 25 females, besides some 15-16 cubs) as well as 80-90 leopards — is not a tiger
reserve. Brahmapuri is today the most precious tiger-bearing non-protected area in the
country.
Tiger population
Among the reasons for Brahmapuri emerging a hotspot for human-wildlife conflict, the most
obvious is the growth of tiger numbers, from about 15-16 in 2013 to 41 now. Chandrapur
district as a whole has more than 100 tigers, possibly the highest for a district anywhere in
the country. Brahmapuri’s 41 tigers have to live with over 610 villages, half of them close to
the forest.
Cattle density
Among other reasons for the conflict are high fragmentation of the forest and high cattle
density. Cattle being easy food for tigers, cattle kill cases have risen from 305 in 2009-10 to
852 in 2018-19.
Brahmapuri has one the highest numbers of roads for a forest teeming with tigers. And then
there are agricultural fields all around. So, tiger dispersal or movement is bound to trigger
conflict with humans.
Other factors
One major factor for the rise in tiger numbers has been a major crackdown on organised
poaching gangs that had been operating since 2013.
Mahua flowers
As with any forest, human-wildlife conflict is mostly due to people’s interface with wildlife.
People go inside the Brahmapuri forest to collect minor forest produce and firewood. The
conflict is generally intense during April-May, when people enter the forest to collect mahua
flowers and tendu leaves, the latter used to make beedis. Mahua flowers are nutrient-rich
and edible, and are also used to make liquor.
Mitigation measures
The forest officials have mapped the possible conflict spots. Awareness campaign has been
launched and compensation is provided to family members of victims.
The state government started providing LPG to villagers at 50% subsidy to reduce people’s
dependence on firewood for which they had entered forests. The result was that number of
human deaths in wildlife attacks came down from six in 2008 to one in 2013.

86
Translocation option
This has so far remained unexplored. There is a need to shift females to areas like Navegaon-
Nagzira Tiger Reserve that are deficient in female population. That will also arrest the fast
breeding in the area.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/making-of-a-conflict-zone-humans-
vs-tigers-in-a-maharashtra-forest-5743146/)
Science and Technology

1. Shoebox satellite (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
What is a shoebox satellite?

Traditional satellites can weigh from hundreds of kilograms to tons, compared to the nano-
satellites, which typically weigh 10 kilograms (22 pounds) or less; turning bus-sized
satellites into something the size of a shoebox.
Need for shoebox satellite

While satellites have been used for decades in communications and tracking, their cost was
prohibitive for most companies. Advances in technology have helped reduce the size of the
satellites and also lower their price. The result is a total cost to build and launch a nano-
satellite of between $1 million and $2 million, compared to a cost between $100 million and
$500 million for the larger satellites.
Shoe box launches so far

Chinese start-up called LinkSpace is in process of building shoebox satellites. Apart from the
Chinese, American scientists have been developing such satellites. One of these, called
RainCube (Radar in a CubeSat), sponsored by NASA, was launched into low-Earth orbit from
the International Space Station in July 2018. It is an experiment for weather forecast using
very small instruments to capture and send back images.
US company Rocket Lab has already put 25 such satellites in orbit, while none from China
has been sent up yet. The expected demand is for services ranging from high-speed internet
for aircraft to universities conducting experiments.
(Adapted from Indian Express)
2. Why has Maruti decided to stop making diesel cars? How is the move linked to BS-
VI emission norms that kick in next year? What difficulties would continuance with
diesel present? What is the mood globally? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III;
Science & Technology)
The announcement by Maruti Suzuki —the country’s largest vehicle manufacturer — that it
will stop manufacturing diesel vehicles from April 1, 2020 pretty much marks the end of the
road for the diesel mill in India. Mahindra & Mahindra, which too has a strong exposure to
87
the diesel platform, is working on plans to start offering petrol engine options across its
entire range, except the Bolero. Tata Motors, another manufacturer hedged heavily in favour
of diesel currently, is learnt to have decided against offering the diesel option in its flagship
Tiago hatchback and Tigor sedan after April 2020.
What is prompting the move away from diesel?

The Indian carbuyer’s romance with diesel powertrains lasted nearly a decade. In 2012-13,
diesel cars accounted for 48% of passenger vehicle sales in the country. The main reason
was the sharply lower price of diesel as compared to petrol. This changed when the decontrol
of fuel prices started in late 2014. The price difference has since come down to under Rs 6.5
per litre — the closest the two fuels have been in price since 1991. Consequently, diesel cars
accounted for just about 22% of overall passenger vehicle sales in 2018-19, less than half the
share they had five years ago.
Why Maruti Suzuki plans to withdraw diesel vehicles?

The main reason behind Maruti Suzuki’s announcement, however, is not the fuel price
differential, but the new emission norms that will come into effect on April 1, 2020 — less
than a year from now. The prohibitively high cost of upgrading diesel engines to meet the
new BS-VI emission norms is why leading carmakers have pulled the plug on their diesel
options. The economics of the conversion does not make it worthwhile to continue with the
diesel option after the transition to BS-VI. The difference in the price of a petrol and a diesel
car, now around Rs 1 lakh on average, could go up to Rs 2.5 lakh. Also, the sentiment for
diesel is not good in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, making it extra uncertain
if customers would want to pay the big premium.
What changes do the BS norms entail?

The BS — Bharat Stage — emission standards are norms instituted by the government to
regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including
motor vehicles. India has been following European (Euro) emission norms, although with a
time lag of five years.
Introduction of emission norms

India introduced emission norms first in 1991, and tightened them in 1996, when most
vehicle manufacturers had to incorporate technology upgrades such as catalytic converters
to cut exhaust emissions. Fuel specifications based on environmental considerations were
notified first in April 1996, to be implemented by 2000, and incorporated in BIS 2000
standards.
Following the landmark Supreme Court order of April 1999, the Centre notified Bharat
Stage-I (BIS 2000) and Bharat Stage-II norms, broadly equivalent to Euro I and Euro II
respectively. BS-II was for the National Capital Region and other metros; BS-I for the rest of
India.
From April 2005, in line with the Auto Fuel Policy of 2003, BS-III and BS-II fuel quality norms
came into existence for 13 major cities, and for the rest of the country respectively. From

88
April 2010, BS-IV and BS-III norms were put in place in 13 major cities and the rest of India
respectively.
As per the Policy roadmap, BS-V and BS-VI norms were to be implemented from April 1,
2022, and April 1, 2024 respectively. But in November 2015, the Road Transport Ministry
issued a draft notification advancing the implementation of BS-V norms for new four-wheel
vehicle models to April 1, 2019, and for existing models to April 1, 2020. The corresponding
dates for BS-VI norms were brought forward to April 1, 2021, and April 1, 2022, respectively.
Soon afterward, however, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the
government had decided to leapfrog to BS-VI from April 1, 2020, skipping BS-V all together.
What did this change in the schedule entail?

With the BS-VI norms scheduled to be implemented from April 1, 2020, three years after BS-
IV was implemented in 2017, a practical problem is that while it took as many as seven years
for the entire country to shift from BS-III to BS-IV, the attempt this time is to entirely bypass
one stage — BS-V — in less than half that time. This makes the switch to BS-VI that much
more difficult for both oil companies and automobile makers.
Direct shift from BS-IV to BS-VI

The decision to leapfrog directly from BS-IV to BS-VI is what carmakers cite as the reason for
the unviability of diesel. While petrol vehicles would also need upgrades to transition, these
are limited to catalysts and electronic control upgrades. For diesel vehicles, the upgrades are
more complicated and entail higher costs, apart from the technical difficulties in managing
the changes. Carmakers would have to put three pieces of equipment — a DPF (diesel
particulate filter), an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system, and an LNT (Lean NOx trap)
— to meet stringent BS-VI norms, all at the same time. This is vital to curb both PM
(particulate matter) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions as mandated under the BS-VI
norms. Ideally, the technologies should be introduced in series, and then synergised. A step-
by-step transition would have been easier; now, the entire cost will have to be borne in one
go, alongside the operational difficulties of managing the transition.
What kind of complications can arise?

Carmakers say there are technical constraints in carrying out design changes that will
include adapting the three critical components — DPF, SCR and LNT — to conditions specific
to Indian driving, where running speeds are much lower than in Europe or the United States.
The auto industry argues that the huge improvements in vehicular technology since 2000
have had little impact in India due to driving, road and ambient conditions. The technology
that will be used in future BS-VI vehicles, though, will have considerable impact, they claim.
So, technically, if the BS-V and BS-VI stages were to be implemented one after the other,
diesel cars would have to be fitted with a DPF in the BS-V stage, and with the SCR in the BS-
VI state. Now both of these have to be incorporated simultaneously, alongside the LNT.
DPFs have specific problems in the Indian context, and would have to be optimised for these
conditions. Low driving speeds would make it difficult to achieve temperatures of 600
89
degrees Celsius required to burn the soot in DPF, but equipment manufacturers would have
to work at temperatures of around 400 degrees C. Usually, diesel is injected to increase
temperatures, but excess fuel in the compartment can cause a fire. The integrity of the vehicle
too, has to be considered — this would require validation tests over 6-7 lakh km, which may
take up to four years.
The optimisation and fitment of the DPFs and the SCR module, carmakers say, could take an
estimated three-four years. At every stage, the technology is increasingly more complex. To
attain the specified super low emissions, all reactions have to be precise, and controlled by
microprocessors. Since BS-V is to be skipped entirely, both DPF and SCR would need to be
fitted together for testing, which, auto firms say, would make it extremely difficult to detect
which of the technologies is at fault in case of errors in the system. Even if these were to be
managed, a heavy cost would be involved, which would push up the price of diesel vehicles,
and widen the price gap with the petrols.
So, for carmakers, skipping the diesel value chain at this point makes more sense.
Alongside the constraints faced by carmakers, there are also question marks regarding the
ability of the oil companies to manage the transition, given that the full transition to BS-IV
took from 2010 to April 2017 because refiners were unable to produce the superior fuel in
required quantities.
(Adapted From Indian Express)
3. What are microbots and what are their possible uses? (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
The devices, about the size of a cell, promise to be useful in diverse fields. These robots are
the size of a speck of dust. Thousands fit side by side on a single silicon wafer similar to those
used for computer chips, and, they pull themselves free and start crawling.
Uses of microbots
Microbots are about the size of a cell. They could crawl into cellphone batteries and clean
and rejuvenate them. They might be a boon to neural scientists, burrowing into the brain to
measure nerve signals. Millions of them in a petri dish could be used to test ideas in
networking and communications.
Technology behind microbots

The new robots take advantage of the same basic technology as computer chips.
Scientists developed a technique to put layers of platinum and titanium on a silicon wafer.
When an electrical voltage is applied, the platinum contracts while the titanium remains
rigid, and the flat surface bends. The bending became the motor that moves the limbs of the
robots, each about 100 atoms thick.

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4. IIT Delhi 3D prints human skin (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science
& Technology)
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have successfully 3D bioprinted
human skin. The bioprinted skin produced in the lab by the team is already being used by
ITC Ltd for experiments.
What are the uses of bioprinted skin?

The bioprinted skin model will have wide applications in testing cosmetics. It can also reduce
and probably even replace testing on animals.
It can also be used for testing dermatology drugs on human skin and at a future date even
help in testing drugs for personalised medicine.
Testing on animals banned in European Commission

The European Commission has prohibited testing finished cosmetic products and cosmetic
ingredients on animals. It even prohibits marketing of finished cosmetic products and
ingredients in the European Union.
Structure of skin
The skin is composed of two important layers — the inner dermis (made of fibroblasts) and
the outer epidermis (keratinocytes, melanocytes). The junction between the two layers is
not flat but is undulatory or wavy. The undulatory morphology is important as it provides
biochemical cues and mechanical support to the epidermis layer, provides structural
stability to the skin by making the two layers adhere to each other, and not allow cells to
cross the junction.
Unlike the currently available tissue-engineered skin equivalents, the team led by Sourabh
Ghosh from the institute’s Department of Textile Technology was successful in creating this
wavy junction in the bioprinted skin model. The results were published in the journal
Bioprinting. The study was funded by ITC Ltd.
Not affected by shrinkage

The bioprinted skin also retained the original dimension without any shrinkage for up to
three weeks. Traditionally, collagen used for developing skin constructs start shrinking
within a few weeks thus affecting the morphology. Testing on such skin constructs therefore
cannot be carried out beyond one week.
5. Where are driverless cars going? Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science
& Technology
Elon Musk recently said Tesla robotaxis, which will run without humans, will be ready by
2020. Companies are pushing ahead with autonomous vehicles, but concerns remain — and
consumer interest is not rising.
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Origins to military research

Some of the greatest scientific achievements — digital photography, virtual reality, the Deep
Web and the Internet — trace their origins to military research. The concept of self-driving
cars too, owes a lot to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Competitions organised by
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — a research and development wing
of the Pentagon — in the mid-2000s have had a direct bearing on most of today’s
autonomous vehicle (AV) projects.
The beginnings
The first DARPA Grand Challenge of 2004 required robotic cars to travel 140 miles across
the Mojave Desert. Carnegie Mellon University’s entry, a Humvee named ‘Sandstorm’, used
cameras, laser scanners, radars, and a 1,000-pound box full of electronics to travel 7 miles.
The final DARPA race in 2007, which was won by CMU’s ‘Boss’, followed by Stanford’s ‘Junior’
and Virginia Tech’s ‘Odin’, had a total budget of about $30 million.
Things have moved fast since then, with the military imperative being replaced by
commercial considerations. The market for AV technology is valued at $100 billion, not
including the value of the actual cars. Jefferies Research LLC recently valued Waymo, owned
by Google’s parent Alphabet Inc., at $250 billion — over 8,000 times the 2007 DARPA budget.
In 2009, Google launched its self-driving car project with a team of DARPA Challenge
veterans. A few years later, Tesla announced it would build a self-driving system into its cars.
In 2015, Uber got scientists from CMU, a robotics and artificial intelligence powerhouse, for
its project.
Current technologies
Two broad concepts are being tested:
• A system that uses radars, sonars, and cameras to perceive vehicles and other objects; this
requires less processing power, but does not assess the environment on a deeply granular
level.
•The second approach uses Lidar — a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of
a pulsed laser to measure variable distances and range — in addition to the traditional
sensor suite of radar and camera systems. It requires more data-processing and
computational power, but is more robust, especially in tight, traffic-heavy environments.
While the radar and camera technology is easy to optimise and robust enough to incorporate
into mass-market cars, the challenge lies in leveraging artificial intelligence to convert 2D
visuals into 3D images that the vehicle can then successfully negotiate. Lidar, on the other
hand, is still expensive.

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In an earnings call in February this year, Tesla founder Elon Musk dismissed the Lidar
technology as being “too expensive” and “too bulky”, and defended Tesla’s strategy of
achieving “full autonomy” using only cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors.
Lidar is a fixture on self-driving cars operated by GM, Uber and Waymo, the last two of which
are currently fighting in court over Waymo’s allegation that Uber stole its Lidar technology.
Tesla’s call to dump Lidar altogether is being seen as a new frontier.
The state of play

WAYMO launched Waymo One, a commercial self-driving car service and accompanying app
for about 500 test families in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, in December 2018.
FORD Motor has set a date of 2021 for its first purpose-built driverless car. Ford plans to
deploy “thousands of self-drivers” on the streets of multiple US cities in two years.
GENERAL MOTORS’ Cruise Automation plans to test a fleet of self-driving electric Chevy
Bolts shortly. It has announced plans to debut its automated ride-hailing business in an
American city (possibly New York) this year.
TESLA has claimed there will be self-driving Tesla “robotaxis” on the road as early as next
year. Musk has said he would demonstrate a cross-country trip without touching the steering
wheel.
VOLVO has labeled its AV project ‘IntelliSafe’, and set a zero-fatality goal before fully rolling
out the autonomous features to the public. The Sweden-based carmaker plans to offer 100
Swedish customers early access to an autonomous XC90 SUV by 2021.
Riding on upbeat predictions, Lyft has raised $1 billion. Hundreds of smaller firms are
rushing to offer better radars, cameras, Lidars, maps, and data management systems to the
established players. Chipmakers such as Nvidia, Intel and Qualcomm are optimising power

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requirement by the cars, while Tesla has announced plans to make its own chips to meet
specification requirements and cut costs.
Scepticism and concerns

After a 2018 incident in which an Uber self-driving car prototype fatally hit a pedestrian in
Arizona, carmakers had paused to reflect on safety aspects. Uber, however, resumed testing
its autonomous Volvos in December 2018, just nine months after the accident.
Ragunathan Rajkumar of CMU, who serves as co-director of the General Motors-Carnegie

Mellon Connected and Autonomous Driving Collaborative Research Lab, is of the view that
from a purely scientific standpoint, “Musk’s… proclamations would be laughed out of the
room in academic circles and his submissions rejected summarily”.
Matthew Johnson-Roberson of the University of Michigan, who co-directs the UM Ford

Center for Autonomous Vehicles, has said that the only way forward is to isolate autonomous
cars in their own lanes, walled off from unpredictable humans.
On the Lidar-versus-camera debate begun by Musk, Rajkumar told The Indian Expressthat
“the Tesla vehicles only have a camera and a radar, and they have been claiming for quite
some time that the hardware will be capable of being fully autonomous with a future over-
the-air update. Musk’s claim that Lidar companies are doomed is simply smoke and mirrors
to confuse investors and consumers who are either not aware or not technology-savvy. No
AV company today uses Lidars exclusively; they all have cameras too (and radars as well).”
In Rajkumar’s assessment, full autonomous driving “is some years away”.
6. Why US has cleared dengue vaccine with conditions, where India stands (Relevant
for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
Sanofi Pasteur’s controversial vaccine dengvaxia has been approved by the US Food & Drug
Administration, the first dengue vaccine to get the regulatory nod in the US.
Dengvaxia ran into trouble two years ago when the Philippines had to suspend a school
vaccination programme following several casualties. That is why the FDA has now cleared it
for use only in people who have a previous history of the disease, particularly in dengue-
endemic areas.
The background
Dengvaxia is basically a live, attenuated dengue virus. An attenuated virus is a virus that
retains its properties of triggering an immune response in the body but its ability to lead to
a disease is compromised. Three dengvaxia shots are administered, with the second and
third given six and 12 months after the first one. It was cleared in three randomised, placebo-
controlled studies over approximately 35,000 individuals in dengue-endemic areas,
including Puerto Rico, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. It was found to be about
76% effective in 9-16-year-olds already exposed to the disease.
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The need for a vaccine

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 400 million
dengue virus infections occur around the world. Of these, approximately 500,000 cases
develop into dengue haemorrhagic fever, which contributes to about 20,000 deaths,
primarily among children. In India, until November 26, 2018, 89,974 dengue cases were
reported, with 144 deaths. In 2017 the counts were 1,88,401 and 325 respectively. India is
among the dengue-endemic countries.
Dengvaxia is the first dengue vaccine to be licensed, Mexico being the first country to clear it
in 2015. Subsequently it has been cleared in some 20 countries but what happened in 2017
in Philippines has raised question marks about CYD-TDV, as dengvaxia is known in technical
parlance.
The Philippines casualties

Ten deaths were reported in the island nation in 2017 in the aftermath of a school
vaccination campaign with dengvaxia. Some 800,000 school children had been vaccinated
when adverse events started being reported and the campaign was suspended. Sanofi, in a
statement soon afterwards, urged health authorities to update the product label. The
statement said: “Based on up to six years of clinical data, the new analysis evaluated long-
term safety and efficacy of Dengvaxia in people who had been infected with dengue prior to
vaccination and those who had not. The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides
persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection. For those
not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term,
more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue
infection.” In other words, Sanofi admitted the vaccine was not safe to be used in people with
no history of the disease. WHO too issued a statement saying that it has asked the company
for more data.
Earlier this year, Philippines permanently halted the sale distribution and marketing of
dengvaxia.
The FDA recommendation

In its announcement last week, FDA said the vaccine can be used for the prevention of dengue
“caused by all dengue virus serotypes (1, 2, 3 and 4) in people ages 9 through 16 who have
laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and who live in endemic areas”.
“Dengvaxia is not approved for use in individuals not previously infected by any dengue
virus serotype or for whom this information is unknown. This is because in people who have
not been infected with dengue virus, Dengvaxia appears to act like a first dengue infection –
without actually infecting the person with wild-type dengue virus – such that a subsequent
infection can result in severe dengue disease. Therefore, health care professionals should
evaluate individuals for prior dengue infection to avoid vaccinating individuals who have not
been previously infected by dengue virus,” the FDA said.
India’s position

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In May 2017, India turned down a recommendation of the Subject Expert Committee of the
Drug Controller General of India and told Sanofi that there could not be a waiver of the
requirement that a drug or vaccine, before being allowed to be marketed in India, would have
to undergo phase III clinical trials (that establish safety and efficacy of a drug) on Indian
subjects. “We were not convinced by the reasons given for waiver, nor did we think it
prudent to go by the results of the phase III clinical trials done abroad. On hindsight, it was a
good decision,” said a Health Ministry official. Sanofi had submitted published data of Phase
III trials from other countries.
The committee had recommended: “Although, the vaccine does not qualify the requirements
of waiver of clinical trial, considering the fact that Dengue is a health problem of major
concern in the country and can be life-threatening in certain cases, the committee
recommends for Market Authorization of the vaccine in the age group of 18-45 years only
with the condition to conduct Phase IV clinical trial in time bound manner…”
7. What Google is promising for greater privacy (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Paper III; Science & Technology)
At Google’s annual I/O developer conference currently under way in Mountain View,
California, CEO Sundar Pichai said: “People have clear meaningful choices around their data.
We strongly believe that privacy and security are for everyone, not just the few.”
Google has long faced criticism for collecting huge amounts of user data, which it has used to
build an advertising juggernaut. Late Tuesday night, Pichai’s pitch was privacy — that Google
wanted to do more for users, but with less data over time. How would that work?
Federated Learning
Google Assistant, which is present on almost all Android phones, and relies on machine
learning (ML) models for its intelligence, is set to get faster and more efficient. The ML
models that Google currently employs collect raw data from the phone. Requests made to
Google Assistant are sent to the cloud for processing, and stored there.
Pichai called Google’s new approach to ML “Federated Learning”. It would not involve
collection of raw data from the device — instead, ML models would be shipped directly to
the phone, which would update the model, and send it to the cloud. The entire updated global
model would then be sent back to each device. The result: improvements with on-device
execution of tasks, rather than collecting data from the phone.
It is not clear when this Federated Learning approach will become the norm across Google’s
products. Google’s Gboard is using this approach for next word prediction.
Easier privacy settings
Google will make it easier for users to see the data they have saved across its major products.
In the new account settings, the Google Account Profile picture will appear at the top right

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corner in Gmail, Drive, Contacts, and Pay. Users will be able to access privacy controls by
tapping on their picture, and following the link to their Google Account.
This one-tap access will roll out to more products, including Search, Maps, YouTube, Chrome,
Assistant, and News. Users will also be able to manage their data more easily in Google Maps,
Google Assistant, and YouTube. It will let users review and delete location activity data in the
Google Maps app itself, Google said.
Auto-deletion of data
Google has said it will let users cap the time for which their Location History and Web & App
Activity data are saved. The options will range from three months to 18 months, after which
the data will be deleted automatically. The new control, already available for Web & App
Activity in the Google Account settings, will come to ‘Location History’ next month.
Incognito mode on Maps

Maps and Search will get an Incognito mode. The feature is already part the Chrome browser
and YouTube. When Incognito mode is turned on in Maps or Search, the user’s activities
(such as the places they search for, or the directions they seek) will not be saved to their
Google Account, ensuring greater privacy.
Android Q and privacy

The Android Q operating system will have improved location privacy, and let users restrict
the time an app gets to access location data. Apple’s iOS has several settings for location data,
where a user can choose from never, all the time, and only when using the app for this
particular information.
More privacy on Chrome

It will have improved cookie controls for increased privacy. Cookies are used to track
browsing activity across the Web to serve personalised content and ads by third parties and
advertisers. Chrome will provide more transparency on how sites are using cookies, as well
as simpler controls for these cross-site cookies. Developers will have to specify which
cookies are allowed to work across websites, and which are being used to track users.
Ads and transparency

Google will disclose new information about ads published on its properties and those of its
publishing partners via an open-source browser extension that will work across browsers.
The extension will let users see new information, including the names of other companies
that were involved in the process, which resulted in an ad being shown to the user.
8. Why the country is targeting smaller vehicles in the quest to have 30% electric
transport by 2030 (Relevant for GS Prelims and Mains Paper III; Science &
Technology)

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Recently, Ola Electric Mobility Pvt. Ltd. announced that Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of
Tata Sons, had invested an unspecified amount to support its ambitions to scale up electric
vehicle deployment in India. Ola Electric is undertaking several pilot programmes including
charging solutions and deploying two-and three-wheeler electric vehicles. Will Ola Electric’s
initiative provide the spark to meet India’s ambitious goal of having 30% electric vehicles by
2030?
What is India’s policy for electric vehicles?

While carmakers in the rest of the world have been focussing on electric cars in the premium
segment (costing over ₹10 lakh), India is targeting smaller vehicles. The reason for this is,
according to NITI Aayog, 79% of vehicles on Indian roads are two-wheelers, while three-
wheelers and cars costing less than ₹10 lakh account for 4% and 12% of the vehicle
population, respectively. Concentrating on small electric vehicles will help meet domestic
demand.
While China, the U.S. and a few European countries offer various subsidies up to 40% to
encourage uptake of electric cars, India wants to offer non-fiscal incentives. Credits will be
offered based on carbon dioxide emissions per km as well as vehicle efficiency. While
manufacturers exceeding the emission targets will be required to purchase credits, those
meeting them will be rewarded. The price of the credit will be decided by the market.
In the next five years, India aims to have at least 15% of electric vehicles on the road. On
February 28, India announced the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing
of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles (FAME-2) scheme with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore for a
period of three years.
To encourage faster adoption, incentives will be provided on purchase of an electric vehicle.

The scheme will support 10 lakh two-wheelers, 5 lakh three-wheelers, 55,000 four-wheelers
and 7,000 buses. While the focus will be on private vehicles for two-wheelers, incentives will
be given for three and four-wheelers used for public transport and commercial purposes.
The aim is to set up charging stations and other infrastructure under ‘Make in India’.
What’s the driving range of electric vehicles?

In electric cars using lithium ion battery (the most widely used battery worldwide), it is
between 200 and 300 km per charge. The driving range in a city is typically 25-30 km per
day. The most important determinant will be the lifespan of the battery. As per current
battery technology, its lifetime will be shorter than the rest of the vehicle. Some car
manufacturers in developed countries are offering an eight-year or 1,60,000 km warranty
on batteries.
How long will it take to charge the battery?

Currently, batteries used in electric cars have capacities of 50 kWh (kilowatt hour) and can
be charged overnight using the existing power supply available at home. Like in the case of
mobile phones, batteries used in electric vehicles can be fast-charged using 7 and 22 kW
supply. Charging stations at service stations have 50 or 120 kW supplies and the battery can

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be charged in 20-30 minutes. But fast-charging causes overheating and degradation, and if
done frequently reduces battery life.
Will electric vehicles reduce carbon emission?

At nearly 55%, electricity generation in India is primarily using coal. Hydroelectric
generation is 13% and renewable energy sources including small hydro projects, wind and
solar, account for about 21%. So like in the case of the U.S. and China, net reduction in carbon
emission will not be much even if there is large-scale adoption of electric vehicles in India.
This is unlike France and the U.K., where non-fossil fuel is a major source of electricity
generation. However, cities and town using electric vehicles in large numbers will see a
reduction in exhaust-pipe emissions, particularly particulate matter. This will be important
in the case of India which is home to 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world.
Can used batteries be recycled?

Lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles can be recycled. Battery recycling will become
an industry by itself by 2025 when used batteries will become plentiful.
Is there enough cobalt to meet the demand?

In lithium ion batteries, cobalt is a key component of the cathode (positive electrode). Cobalt
plays a pivotal role in preventing overheating and provides stability to the battery thus
allowing charging and discharging over many years. Cobalt is a by-product of mining nickel
and copper. About 60% of the world’s supply of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic
of Congo. As battery technology evolves, the amount of cobalt used may reduce or even stop.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/how-is-india-driving-to-electric-
mobility/article27103659.ece)
9. What is the atlas of human body, and what is its importance? (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
Recently, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) launched ‘MANAV: Human Atlas Initiative’.
It is a project for mapping every tissue of the human body to help understand better the roles
of tissues and cells linked to various diseases.
What it covers
The comprehensive map of the human body including every body tissue will be created from
all available scientific literature.
The aim of the project is to understand and capture human physiology in two stages —
normal stage and disease stage.
DBT has invested Rs 13 crore on behalf of two institutions: National Centre for Cell Science
and Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research. Both the institutions are located in
Pune. Private company, Persistent Systems Ltd has co-funded the project with Rs 7 crore.
How the project will be carried out?

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Students of the final year in selected disciplines will be trained in annotation and curation of
the information that will form the online network. The MANAV team has encouraged colleges
and universities to register as teams.
Once students are registered, student groups will be assigned research papers, and trained
in annotation and curation using specialised tools.
What is the importance of project?

The organized data will be helpful for future researchers and clinicians and drug developers.
The project will also impart key skills to the student community in reading scientific
literature, analyzing individual tissues and perform annotation and curation.
Such a database will come in handy in tracing causes of a disease, understanding specific
pathways and ultimately decoding how the body’s disease stage is linked to tissues and cells.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/atlas-of-human-body-whats-in-it-
and-why-5724266/)
10. DRDO Successfully Conducts Flight Test of ABHYAS (Relevant for GS Prelims;
Science & Technology)
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted successful flight test of
ABHYAS – High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from Interim Test Range, Chandipur
in Odisha today.
What is ABHYAS?
DRDO Abhyas is a high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT) being built by the
Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Armed Forces.
An aerial target is an unmanned aerial vehicle, generally remote controlled, usually used in
the training of anti-aircraft crews.

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(Source:http://pib.nic.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1571949&RegID=3&LID=1)
11. Facial Recognition technology- Pros and Cons (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
So, what is facial recognition?

Facial recognition is a biometric technology that uses distinctive features on the face to
identify and distinguish an individual. From the first cameras that could recognise faces in
the mid-1960s up to now, facial recognition has evolved in many ways — from looking at 3D
contours of a face to recognising skin patterns.
The technology is extensively used to offer access to secure environments or devices. CCTV
cameras in public places, plugged into powerful computers, can pick out faces and match
them against a database, or just pick out certain types of faces. As camera capabilities have
improved, facial recognition has become possible in low light, and even from long distances.
Why are some people uneasy with this?

Over the past decade, as urban spaces all over the world have come to be covered extensively
by surveillance cameras, avenues have opened up for the misuse or abuse of facial
recognition technologies. China, which has possibly the most extensive network of CCTV
cameras in the world, has reportedly been using facial recognition to pick out wanted
individuals from crowds at airports and railways station.
Police authorities in many countries, including the United States, have been using facial
recognition technology to identify crime suspects. The unease around the use of facial
recognition stems from concerns over the loss of privacy, and fears that the state may be
unwilling or incapable of protecting this fundamental right of citizens. Civil liberties
advocacies have warned that the identification of people without their knowledge.

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massive abuse or misuse.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-push-for-and-the-pushback-
against-facial-recognition-technology-5729943/)
12. Skimming: how devices at ATMs can steal data, help criminals clone cards
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
Last week, Delhi police found that Rs 19 lakh had been fraudulently withdrawn from 87
accounts in three ATMs in the space of seven days.
How was this done?

A skimmer is a device designed to look like and replace the card insertion slot at an ATM.
The skimmers, which cannot be usually spotted by an untrained eye, have circuitry that read
and store the data on the magnetic strip of an ATM card even as the ATM processes the same
data.
Typically, fraudsters also install pinhole cameras in inconspicuous places like the top of the
cash dispenser, the deposit slot or just above the keyboard. This steals the PIN for the card.
In some cases, criminals have also used a fraudulent PIN pad fitted with a skimming device
and placed atop the original pin pad.
Days after installation, criminals recover the skimming machines and cameras and collect
the stolen data, and decode the PIN for a card. In one case, in Thiruvananthapuram, data were
collected remotely in wireless mode from the skimmer and camera, police said. Using stolen
data, the criminals clone ATM cards and use these in different cities; at other times, they
transfer the data to associates, or sell the data to other gangs.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/skimming-how-devices-at-atms-
can-steal-data-help-criminals-clone-cards-5731877/)
13. Why there are no Indian telcos in global list of 5G deployments (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)
Despite assertions from the government that India “cannot afford to miss”, none of the Indian
telecom companies figure in the list of 303 5G deployments by 20 operators in 294 locations
across the globe. Currently, no limited or commercial deployments have been identified in
India.
Highest deployments in Switzerland

Switzerland leads as the country with the most current 5G deployments in 217 cities.
Status of 5G in India
In February last year, mobile company Airtel and Chinese equipment maker Huawei had
conducted India’s first 5G trial, during which a user throughput of 3 Gbps was achieved. But
not much has moved since.
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(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/no-indian-telecom-companies-in-
global-list-of-5g-deployments-5730146/)
14. New measure of kilogram (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science &
Technology)
From 2019 onwards, the kilogram will get more accurate. The new artefacts ought to derive
from the constants of nature that are all interdependent. The kilogram was the only one
among the units still pegged to a real object.
What was the earlier measure of kilogram?

Since 1889, a salt-shaker-sized cylinder, made of 90% platinum and 10% iridium, kept at the
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) also called International Bureau of
Weights and Measures, Paris and weighing exactly a kilogram served as the definition of the
measure. Since 1957 India’s National Physical Laboratory too has a replica of this measure
and it has served as the reference. NPL maintains the National Prototype Kilogram (NPK-
57), which is calibrated with International Prototype Kilogram (IPK).
Units of measure no longer linked to physical objects

Several standard units such as second, metre, ampere, Kelvin, mole, candela and, kilogram
are no longer defined by physical objects.
For instance, One metre was a platinum-iridium bar of that measure. In 1960, the metre was
defined as the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds.
Reason for seprating units from objects

In essence, the units were freed from artefacts, because the artefacts are subject to wear and
tear and thus may become a source of error in measurement. Moreover, IPK would put on a
little extra mass when tiny dust particles settled on it; when cleaned, it would shed some of
its original mass.
New Definition of Kilogram

In 2018, following a vote at BIPM, representatives of 60 countries agreed that the kilogram
should be defined in terms of the Planck constant. The Planck constant is a quantity that
relates a light particle’s energy to its frequency.
Using a machine called a Kibble balance, in which the weight of a test mass is offset by an
electromagnetic force, the value of the Planck constant was fixed, the kilogram was
redefined, and the date for the new definition was fixed for May 20, 2019.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-the-kilogram-has-changed-
why-your-body-mass-has-not-5739320/)

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15. PSLV-C46 successfully launches RISAT-2B (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper
III; Science & Technology)
India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) today successfully launched the RISAT-2B
satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. This was
the 72nd launch vehicle mission from SDSC, Sriharikota.
About launch
PSLV-C46 lifted-off and injected RISAT-2B into a orbit of 556 km, about 15 minutes and 25
seconds after lift-off. After separation, solar arrays of RISAT-2B were deployed automatically
and ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bengaluru assumed
control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational
configuration.
About RISAT-2B
RISAT-2B is a radar imaging earth observation satellite weighing about 615 kg. The satellite
is intended to provide services in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Disaster Management.
Chandrayaan-2 launch plans

ISRO is now gearing up for the launch of Chandrayaan-2 onboard GSLV MkIII during the
window of July 09, to July 16, 2019, with an expected Moon landing on September 06, 2019.
(Source:http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1572359&RegID=3&LID=1)
16. DRDO successfully test fires AKASH – MK -1S (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired AKASH-
MK-1S missile from Test Range, Chandipur, Odhisa.
What is Akash Mk1S?

Akash Mk1S is an upgrade of existing AKASH missile with indigenous Seeker. AKASH Mk1S
is a surface to air missile which can neutralize advanced aerial targets.
What is Akash weapon system?

Akash is a group of four medium range surface to air missile along with a radar called
Rajendra. The missiles in Akash system are for defence purposes. The missiles have multi-
target engagement capacity. The radar detects incoming objects and the missiles are fired
upon these objects. The incoming objects can be fighter jets, cruise missiles and ballistic
missiles. The missile system can target up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m. The
Akash system of missiles is already in use.
Akash system was launched under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme
(IGMDP). IGMDP is a Ministry of Defence programme for the comprehensive research and
development in the range of missiles. It was launched in the year 1983. IGMDP is the most
ambitious missile development program that was launched by India.
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Internal Security
1. 15 jawans killed as Maoists trigger IED in Gadchiroli (Relevant for GS Prelims &
Mains Paper III; Internal Security)
In one of the worst retaliatory attacks on the anti-naxal security forces, Maoist insurgents
blew up an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing 15 jawans and a civilian in
Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district.
When the blast was triggered?

A unit of the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Gadchiroli police was on its way to provide
reinforcements to the police station in Kurkheda taluka, nearly 60 km north of Gadchiroli,
when the blast was triggered near Lendali Nullah, in Jamburkheda village, six kilometres
from the police station.
Possible reason for retaliation

The latest ambush on police seems to be in retaliation for the killing of two senior women
cadre of the rebels, Manku Norate and Manu Dasru, by the anti-naxal forces during an
encounter in the forests of Etapalli taluka, South Gadchiroli, on April 27.
The North/South Gadchiroli Division Committee CPI (Maoist) had put up posters
condemning the killing, while observing the week as the first anniversary of the killing of
nearly 40 ‘comrades’ in an encounter by security forces last year.
The insurgents have been targeting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and had triggered as
many as four IED blasts leading up to the polls on April 11, injuring six commandos of the
Gadchiroli police.
2. Lesson from Kurkheda: no ‘open areas’ in a Maoist-hit landscape (Relevant for GS

Prelims & Mains Paper III; Internal Security)
The May 1 ambush of 15 Gadchiroli Police commandos near Kurkheda, close to

Maharashtra’s trijunction with Chhattisgarh and Telangana, was a reminder that the Maoists,
though down, retain the ability to surprise and strike back with a change in strategy. What
happened last Wednesday — arson by Maoists on a road works site followed by an ambush
on policemen apparently headed to the spot — has happened earlier.
2009-14, five attacks

Ten years ago, the Maoists had killed 48 policemen in three deadly attacks in Gadchiroli —
besides another four personnel in separate incidents — destroying the morale of the police
force, and underlining the tactical superiority of the guerrillas in the area.
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*In February 2009, the Maoists set on fire some vehicles at a road construction site about 3
km from Markegaon village in Dhanora tehsil, not far from the site of this month’s attack in
Kurkheda. The police, aware of the possibility of an ambush, waited a couple of days before
setting out on foot for the site of the arson. Near Markegaon village, however, they came
under fire from all directions, and lost 15 men.
What was remarkable about the Maoist strategy was that they had waited a full two days for
their targets, and that they had impeccable intelligence on both the timing and the route of
the police movement. They succeeded even though the police stuck to the Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP) of not going immediately to the spot.
*In May 2009, however, the police rushed, in violation of the SOP, to Hattigota, also in
Dhanora tehsil, where Maoists had felled trees to block the road. Instead of walking to the
spot, the police chose to use a vehicle — walking and riding it intermittently, presuming the
road ahead was safe. But as they reached Hattigota, guerrillas lying in wait fired on the
vehicle from both sides of the road, killing the 16 personnel on board.
*In a November 2009 attack, the Maoists demonstrated another new stratagem. A police
party was on patrol in the forest near Lahiri outpost in Bhamragad tehsil. But instead of
attacking them in the jungle, the Maoists set up an ambush close to their outpost, and
surprised the team returning from the operation inside their ‘safe’ territory. The Maoists
were said to have filmed the ambush — and reportedly chased down policemen running
helter-skelter for their lives, and shot them dead. Seventeen police personnel were killed.
*In 2012, the Maoists set off a landmine near Pushtola village, again in Dhanora, killing 13
CRPF personnel, and injuring 29. The CRPF men were travelling in a vehicle to a village which
their then Director General of Police Vijay Kumar was to visit. No road-opening operation
had been carried out to ensure safe passage for the vehicle, and the CRPF personnel proved
sitting ducks for the Maoists.
*In May 2014, the Maoists set off an explosion under a vehicle carrying policemen in
Chamorshi tehsil. The men were returning to Gadchiroli from a combing operation, and had
chosen to get on the vehicle on the assumption that the area was “safe”. Seven personnel
were killed.
In two of the five major attacks between 2009 and 2014 — Hattigota and Pushtola — police
and CRPF failed to follow SOPs. In Markegaon and Lahiri, the Maoists surprised the police
with new, unexpected tactics. In both these attacks, the police were also done in by miserable
intelligence failures.
The attack in Chamorshi was similar to the Kurkheda incident to the extent that it too,
resulted from a misplaced sense of security.
Over the last five years

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Since 2014, the police have built strong intelligence networks, and penetrated deeper into
the Dandakaranya zone of the Maoists, building fortress-like outposts there. The Maoists
have lost 84 cadres during this period, nearly four times the number of Gadchiroli Police
casualties (22). This trend has been the reverse of that in the 2009-14 period, when police
lost 77 personnel as against 59 casualties suffered by the Maoists. 2018 was the worst year
for the Maoists — they lost 50 cadres, 40 of them in back-to-back police encounters on April
22 and 23.
After many years, iron ore mining has started in the Surjagad hills in the worst-affected
Etapalli tehsil. Despite the continued opposition by Maoists, hundreds of people from the
nearby villages have made a beeline for the mines, seeking work. In November 2016, the
Maoists carried out their biggest ever act of arson, setting on fire 80 vehicles deployed for
work at the Surjagad mines. The incident happened close to the Hedri police outpost; police,
however, observed caution in not rushing to the spot, averting potential casualties.
Kurkheda, in perspective
The May 1 incident underscores the ability of the Maoists to carry out attacks in areas
considered “opened” by police through years of area domination, and which have come to be
seen as being among the least vulnerable.
That an estimated 150 Naxals were able to congregate in Kurkheda shows gaps in the police
vigil and intelligence. The fact that the Maoists could exploit the laxity on the part of the
police suggests they have an active intelligence network even in the “open” areas. This
network could provide them with pinpointed information on the movement of police
personnel on the Kurkheda-Purada road, so that the private vehicle carrying the 15
commandos could be targeted precisely. At the same time, the police failed in gathering their
own intelligence about the possible attack.
3. How women differ from men in jihadi terrorism (Relevant for GS Mains Paper III;
Internal Security)
A large-scale research project has sought to evaluate the characteristics of women involved
in jihadism-inspired terrorism. Coincidentally, one of the suicide bombers in the Easter
Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka was a woman. The researchers, led by a PhD student at North
Carolina State University, drew on data from the Western Jihadism Project, based at Brandeis
University, which collects data on terrorists associated with al-Qaeda-inspired
organisations. They conducted comparative analyses of 272 women and 266 men, who were
matched to control for variables such as ethnicity, nation of residence and age at
radicalisation.
Among the findings:

The researchers said the data suggests that terrorist organisations may be increasingly
recruiting women. For example, 34% of the women in the sample were born after 1990,

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compared to only 15% of the men. Having controlled for age at radicalisation, the
researchers said this suggests an increase in women’s involvement in terrorist groups.
Different roles
“Women were less likely than men to be involved in planning or carrying out terrorist
attacks. Only 52% of the women were involved in plots, compared to 76% of men,” the
university quoted PhD student Christine Brugh as saying. “In many ways, the roles of the
women in these terrorist groups are consistent with traditional gender norms. The women
were more likely to play behind-the-scenes roles aimed at supporting the organisation,”
associate professor Sarah Desmarais was quoted as saying.
Background differences
Only 2% of the women had a criminal background before radicalisation, compared to 19%
of the men. And 14% of the men had no profession in the six months preceding their
affiliation with a terrorist group, while almost 42% of the women were unemployed during
the same timeframe.
Beyond jihadism
Brugh was quoted as saying: “We need to see what, if anything, sets these people apart from
their counterparts in the general population. Are there relevant variables that could inform
threat assessments or models of radicalisation? It would also be good to see if there are
similar patterns in other types of terrorism. Are the differences we found in this study
particular to jihadism-inspired groups? In short, there is a lot of work to be done in this field.”
4. What is it about the Huawei company that continues to cause security concerns to
countries around the world? (Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Internal
Security)
A controversy involving the Chinese electronics and telecommunications equipment

company Huawei claimed the job of a British cabinet minister this month. The company is
viewed with suspicion around the world.
What happened in the UK?

Prime Minister Theresa May sacked Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson over information
leaked to the press about a top secret government meeting relating to Huawei. Williamson
has denied leaking the information. The leaked information was published late last month in
The Telegraph of London, which reported that May “had given the green light to a Chinese
telecoms giant to help build Britain’s new 5G network despite warnings from the US and
some of her most senior ministers that it poses a risk to national security”.
What are the suspicions about Huawei based on?

These arise from the fact that it was founded by an engineer who has earlier worked in PLA
and is also a member of the Communist Party of China. It is even said that Huawei has
received state support at crucial points in its development.
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The concerns are over a perceived security risk posed by Huawei to countries it is operating
in. For example, as per a report in Bloomberg quoting security briefing documents from 2009
and 2011 of Vodafone, which was using Huawei equipment, Vodafone had identified hidden
backdoors in the software that could have given Huawei unauthorised access to the carrier’s
fixed-line network in Italy. According to the report, Vodafone had asked Huawei to remove
backdoors in home routers in 2011 and received assurances that the issues were fixed, but
further testing revealed that the security vulnerabilities remained.
What was the advice of the US mentioned by British MP Rees-Mogg?

The US government has banned Huawei from the country’s networks and has advised the
UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to do the same. The US claims that Huawei’s close
ties with the Chinese government and its army make it a national security risk.
Where else has Huawei run into trouble?

Last December, Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian
authorities at the request of the US, with which it has an extradition treaty. Around a week
later, it emerged that an arrest warrant had been issued on August 2018 by US District Court
for the Eastern District of New York. The warrant was based on allegations of a conspiracy
to defraud banks which had cleared money that was claimed to be for Huawei but was
actually for Skycom, described as the “unofficial subsidiary”, which allegedly attempted to
sell US equipment to Iran despite the US and European Union bans.
Response across the world

Among other countries, New Zealand and Australia have blocked the use of Huawei’s
equipment in the rollout of 5G networks. In April 2018, US regulations were announced that
banned government companies buying from any company deemed a security threat. In July
2018, the US lifted the ban on Chinese company ZTE as a part of a settlement, while the ban
on Huawei equipment continues.
In August 2018, the Australian government banned Huawei and ZTE from supplying telecom
equipment for 5G network, citing national security concerns. In November, New Zealand’s
security services too blocked Huawei from supplying mobile network kit to a local company
on concerns of national security. In the UK, telecom service provider BT confirmed last year
that it is removing Huawei equipment from key areas of its 4G network, following concerns
from MI6.
Where does India stand in this controversy?

In India, there has been confusion among telecom operators on what to do about Huawei
when they switch to 5G networks. Huawei network equipment has been used by Vodafone
Idea and Airtel in many circles, but the Chinese company has still not got a nod on 5G trials.
Huawei and ZTE were barred from taking part in the trials initially.
How big a player is Huawei globally?

Today, it is the world’s second-largest smartphone maker, selling more than Apple, and
behind only Samsung. It surpassed Apple in the first quarter of 2019, according to research
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firm Counterpoint, which said Huawei shipped 59.1 million smartphones. Samsung retained
the top spot with 72.0 million units.
Huawei in India
Huawei set foot in India in 2000, working with telecom operators to provide them with
network equipment. Though the segment was crowded with other companies like Ericsson
and NokiaNetworks, the boom that was about to happen in the Indian telecom sector enabled
it to accommodate Huawei too. Huawei’s first research and development centre outside
China was set up in India, one of its biggest outside its home turf. Ten years after it began
network operations in India, Huawei launched its first line of smartphones in 2010.
However, its devices, which are now sold under the Honor brand, recorded sluggish sales
compared to its Chinese counterparts such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo. The brand broke into
the top five rankings in the Indian smartphone market for the first time in the January-March
quarter of 2018.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-why-govts-are-wary-of-
huawei-china-5726039/)
Disaster Management
1. The Odisha government has shown by example how to manage a natural disaster
(Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Disaster management)
Cyclone Fani has left a trail of destruction across a large part of coastal Odisha, but its
management has emerged as a global example of how timely weather alerts, preparedness
and informed public participation can dramatically reduce loss of life.
What is the extent of damage?

The toll from the extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 3 stood, at last count, at 34 deaths.
In terms of material losses, several districts were battered, houses flattened and electricity
and telecommunications infrastructure destroyed, but the relatively low mortality shows a
dramatic transformation from the loss of over 10,000 lives in 1999 when super cyclone 05B
struck.
Odisha then worked to upgrade its preparedness, which was tested when very severe
cyclonic storm Phailin struck in 2013. It was able to bring down the number of deaths to 44
then, in spite of a wide arc of destruction: 13 million people were hit and half a million houses
destroyed.
What is required now?

The Odisha government and the Centre now have the task of rebuilding infrastructure. They
should use the opportunity to upgrade technology, achieve cost efficiencies and build
resilience to extreme weather, all of which can minimise future losses.
Need for investment

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Given the vulnerability of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to cyclones, the frequency and
intensity of which may be influenced by a changing climate, the Centre should press for
global environmental funding under the UN framework to help in the rebuilding. Both States
have received funding from the World Bank in cyclone risk mitigation efforts since 2011.
Priorty tasks in Odisha

The priority in Odisha is to restore electricity and telecommunications, which will require
massive manpower. This should be treated as a national mission. Public health interventions
are paramount to avoid disease outbreaks. The State government has been able to restore
some physical movement by opening up highways and district roads; the Centre has relieved
tension among students by postponing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test in Odisha.
Preparedness required
Overall, there is a sense of relief that in the midst of a national election the toll was effectively
contained. Looking ahead, India must prepare for many more intense and frequent cyclones
along the coastal States. Preparedness has to focus on building resilience and strengthening
adaptation.
This can be achieved through better-designed houses and cyclone shelters, good early
warning systems, periodic drills and financial risk reduction through insurance. Early
weather warnings hold the key to better management, and during the Fani episode the India
Meteorological Department played a crucial role. Its commendable performance has been
recognised by the UN as well. Odisha’s experience, which coincides with similar devastation
along east Africa this year, will be keenly followed at the UN Disaster Risk Reduction
conference convening on May 13 in Geneva.
2. Fix accountability for Surat tragedy, and update the fire safety protocol countrywide
(Relevant for GS Mains Paper III; Disaster Management)
Fire in Surat Coaching centre

22 teenagers have died in the fire incident. Teenagers were trapped in the building as the
fire destroyed the staircase. Four died after they jumped off the building in order to evade
fire.
Action by authorities
Police have arrested the owner of the Surat coaching centre. Two builders of the commercial
Takshashila Complex in Sarthana area are on the run. Police registered an FIR under various
sections (of the Indian Penal Code) against three persons.
India’s poor fire safety record

India’s abysmal record on fire safety is reflected in the death of 17,700 people countrywide
in fires in both public and residential buildings during 2015, according to the latest available
data from the National Crime Records Bureau. Periodically, high-profile cases such as the
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Uphaar cinema blaze in Delhi that killed 59 people in 1997, and the Kumbakonam school fire
in Tamil Nadu in 2004 in which 94 children perished shock the nation, but even these are
not strong enough to persuade governments to make fire safety the priority it should be.
Who is to be blamed for current tragedy?

These young Indians are the latest victims of unplanned urbanisation that city governments
have bred and which the courts allow to be pursued without severe penalties.
The Surat fire cannot be called an accident, since there are reports of notices having been
served to the builder on the risks, but not pursued by the Fire Department. Civic officials
have displayed unforgivable indifference, since two deaths occurred in another coaching
centre in the city late last year.
What should be done?

The tragedy should have led to a comprehensive review of public buildings. The present
inquiry into the disaster should go into any deviations from the sanctioned plan for the
commercial building housing the coaching centre, and the role of urban planning officials in
allowing it to come up.
Beyond suspending a few officials and filing cases against the building owners, there is a
need to make an example of sanctioning and enforcement authorities. The unwavering
message must be that Indians demand accountability. Mandating compulsory insurance for
all public buildings against fire risk and public liability can bring about a change to the way
architects and builders approach the question of safety, since the insurer would require a
reduction of risk and compliance with building plans.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/fire-and-laissez-
faire/article27256049.ece)
Culture
1. ASI identifies Indian artefacts seized from smuggler Subhash Kapoor (Relevant for
GS Mains Paper I; Culture)

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Artefact of Manjushri (Eastern Pala period); Lingodhbhava (Late Chola period); and Mithuna
(Kalachuris of Tripuri).
ASI team identifies Idols stolen from India

From idols dating back to the Gupta period (5th-6th Century AD) to terracotta objects of the
Harappan culture, a range of Indian antiquities and artefacts that were smuggled by Subhash
Kapoor have been identified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during a team’s
recent visit to the United States.
The ASI said a team of two officials visited the U.S. after receiving communication from the
office of the Consulate General of India in New York about the seizure of artefacts by the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement of U.S. Department of Homeland Security from the
storage of the art smuggler Subhash Kapoor. The ASI said the team identified close to a 100
objects in total, including 17 objects that had been seized by the department.
Which antiquities have been seized?

“The antiquities comprise beautiful bronzes from the Suttamalli and Sripurantan temples of
Tamil Nadu and also a very significant image of Mahakoka Devata. Of these, four antiquities
were stolen from the protected monuments at Karitalai, district Katni in Madhya Pradesh on
August 16 and 17, 2006,” the ASI said.
Apart from that, 56 terracotta objects that were returned by Toledo Museum in Ohio to the
Indian consulate were declared to be antiquities by the team. These objects, majority of
which were from Chandraketugarh in West Bengal, had been gifted to the museum by
Kapoor.

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Artefact of Mahakoka Devata.
“Further, 232 objects comprising of brass and copper alloys, gold with enamel work, silver,
stone and terracotta in possession of the Indian consulate were also inspected by the ASI
officials. Among them, few were identified as antiquities, like the stone image of the Buddha
of Mathura School, a terracotta image of the Buddha belonging to the Gupta period and a set
of 10 copper plates engraved with Quranic verses of the late Mughal Period,” the ASI said.
Arrest of Subhash Kapoor

The statement added that after Kapoor's arrest in Germany in 2011, many museums in the
world had shared information about the antiquities procured from him.
Many museums in the U.S. have also deposited various valuable antiquities to Homeland
Security officials that they had purchased from Kapoor, saying they were not aware that the
items had been smuggled into the country.
The smuggler was extradited to India and is currently in the custody of Tamil Nadu police.

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Modern History
1. Humanist, feminist: Why Iswarchandra Vidyasagar matters (Relevant for GS
Prelims & Mains Paper II; Modern History)
Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar
Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was born Iswarchandra Bandopadhyay on September 26, 1820,
in Birsingha village of Midnapore district in a poor Brahmin family.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the 19th century pioneer of Bengali drama, described
Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar as having “the genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy
of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother”,
After his elementary education, Iswarchandra moved to Calcutta, where he studied Sanskrit
grammar, literature, Vedanta philosophy, logic, astronomy, and Hindu law, and received the
title of Vidyasagar — Ocean of Learning — at age 21. Privately, he studied English literature
and philosophy. When he was barely 30, Vidyasagar was appointed principal of Calcutta’s
Sanskrit College.
The Ocean of Learning, who is said to have studied under street lights as a child, was also the
“Daya Sagar” — Ocean of Compassion — who literally wept at the sight of the poor and
destitute, and is said to have spent his salary and scholarships on their welfare.
But his most enduring contributions were as an educationist and reformer of traditional
upper caste Hindu society. The focus of his reform was women — he spent his life’s energies
trying to ensure an end to the practice of child marriage and to initiate widow marriage.

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His Bengali primer, the Borno Porichoy, reconstructed the modern Bengali alphabet, and
remains, more than 125 years after his death in 1891, almost every child’s introduction to
learning and writing the language.
Reforms for women

In a paper written in 1850, Vidyasagar launched a powerful attack on the practice of
marrying off girls aged 10 or even younger, pointing to social, ethical, and hygiene issues,
and rejecting the validity of the Dharma Shastras that advocated it. In 1855, he wrote his two
famous tracts on the Marriage of Hindu Widows, grounding his argument in reason and logic,
showing that there was no prohibition on widows remarrying in the entire body of ‘Smriti’
literature (the Sutras and the Sastras).
Alongside the campaign for widow remarriage, Vidyasagar campaigned against polygamy. In
the 1870s, Vidyasagar wrote two brilliant critiques of polygamy, arguing to the government
that since polygamy was not sanctioned by the sacred texts, there could be no objection to
suppressing it by legislation.
The lasting impact

Two thousand copies of Vidyasagar’s first pamphlets on widow remarriage were sold out in
a week, and a reprint of another 3,000 was sold out as well. These were unprecedented sales
figures for that time.
On October 14, 1855, Vidyasagar petitioned the Government of India asking that it “take into
early consideration the propriety of passing a law (as annexed) to remove all obstacles to
the marriage of Hindu widows and to declare the issue of all such marriages to be legitimate”.
On July 16, 1856, The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, known as Act XV, was passed. Inspired
by Vidyasagar, a number of literary men produced dramas advocating the remarriage of
widows, in Bengal and elsewhere, especially in Maharashtra. Indeed, some of the earliest and
most fundamental reforms impacting the lives of Hindu women were pioneered by the man
whose bust was vandalised in Tuesday’s attack on the college that he founded.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/humanist-feminist-why-
ishwarchandra-vidyasagar-matters-bengal-elections-5731875/)
Miscellaneous
1. 32-inch footprints in snow: Yeti, myths and fact (Relevant for GS Prelims)
Army has claimed large footprints it has seen are of the Yeti. The mythical creature has often
been the subject of expedition reports and depicted in popular culture, but there is no
scientific evidence that it exists.

116
Giant footprints 32 inches long and 15 inches wide — that is what an Indian Army team
claims to have seen during a Himalayan expedition earlier this month. The longest known
feet of a human being, according to the Guinness Book of Records, measure 15.78 inches. The
normal width of human feet is not more than two to four inches. The average size of feet of
apes like the gorilla is between 10 and 14 inches.
This has led to the Indian Army concluding that the footprints they have observed — and
whose photographs they have put out on the Internet — must be of the Yeti, a mythical
snowman that is said to inhabit the high Himalayas. There is no scientific evidence thus far
that a creature like a snowman — bipedal, hairy, five to eight feet tall — exists, but the Yeti
remains a part of Himalayan folklore, making frequent appearances in popular culture,
including in fiction and children’s books like Tintin and in movies, where it is often depicted
as a bigger version of a mountain gorilla.
Buying into the myth

The Indian Army is not the first to buy into the Yeti myth. For over a century, mountaineers,
adventurers and scientists from the West have brought back tales of the Yeti from their
expeditions in the Himalayas, having possibly heard these from their local guides for whom
the Yeti is a matter of faith. Some of them reported to have actually sighted the beast, like N
A Tombazi, a Greek photographer and geologist (some texts describe him as an Italian), who
during an expedition in Sikkim in 1925 claimed to have seen the Yeti from about 200 to 300
yards.
“It walked upright and bent down occasionally to uproot a few rhododendrons. It looked
dark against the snow and wore no clothes. Within a moment or so it had moved on to
disappear in the undergrowth. I examined the footprints which in shape were like those of a
man but only about 5 inches long. The five toes and the arch were distinctly recognisable,
and the imprints were certainly those of a biped,” he is reported to have written in his
Account of Photographic Expedition to the Southern Glaciers of Kanchenjunga in the Sikkim
Himalaya, published in 1925.
The footprints

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There have been several reports of large footprints in the Himalayan snow, and described as
being of the Yeti. The most famous of these were photographs of a long line of apparently
fresh footprints taken by Sri Lanka-born mountaineer Eric Shipton and his colleague,
Michael Ward, a surgeon, in a 1951 expedition. The footprints they saw were 13 inches long
and 8 inches wide. Having no measuring equipment, Shipton took the photograph of the
footprint alongside an ice-axe to bring an element of scale. Those photographs triggered
immense excitement, were studied extensively and taken as strong evidence of the existence
of the Yeti. They also became the genesis for many expeditions aimed solely at searching for
the Yeti, many of which returned with hairs, bones and faeces claimed to be of the mythical
creature.
In July 1986, the legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner reported having seen “gigantic”
footprints in Tibet. “It was absolutely distinct. Even the toes were unmistakable. To see that
the imprint was fresh I touched the soil next to it. It was fresh,” he was quoted as saying in
Graham Hoyland’s book Yeti: An Abominable History.
A number of other eminent mountaineers, including Sir John Hunt and Sir Edmund Hillary,
too have reported their encounters with the Yeti, mainly in the form of strange footprints
that did not look like those of humans or any other known animal.
These repeated accounts of footprints led to rigorous scientific analysis of various specimens
brought back by the expeditions. Two of the most recent studies were published in the
Proceedings of The Royal Society B, in 2014 and 2017.
The 2014 study, led by geneticist Bryan Sykes, now an emeritus fellow at the University of
Oxford, studied 30 hair samples brought from different sites in the Himalayas. It said all
samples except two could be matched with known species. But the study suggested that
those two samples, which appeared to belong to a polar bear, could not be matched fully with
any known species, thereby giving rise to speculation that an unknown animal could be
lurking. However, upon rechecking the results, it was found that there was a mistake, and
what appeared to be the genetic sequence of a new animal was in fact an incomplete
sequence of known species.
The 2017 paper was by a group of researchers led by Tianying Lan of Department of
Biological Sciences at the University of Buffalo, New York, and described a comprehensive
genetic survey of all available specimens collected from the Himalayas and claimed to belong
to the Yeti. This group discounted the possibility of the existence of the Yeti from the
available evidence.
“This study represents the most rigorous analysis to date of samples suspected to derive
from anomalous or mythical ‘hominid’-like creatures, strongly suggesting that the biological
basis of the Yeti legend is local brown and black bears,” the study concluded.
Whose footprints, then?

Several explanations have been offered for the unusually large footprints that have been
observed and photographed. Writing many years later, in 1997, about the photographs that
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he and Eric Shipton had taken in 1951, Michael Ward, the surgeon, said that these could be
the footprints of human beings with unusually large and deformed feet.
“The attribution by some people of the footprints seen by Shipton and myself… to a Yeti
seems untenable, as many years of investigation have revealed no evidence of any such
animal. A more likely explanation is that they were those of a local inhabitant with cold-
tolerant feet and possibly some congenital or acquired abnormality or foot infection. The
possibility that they were formed by overlapping prints must be considered. Other
possibilities are that the prints are those of a brown bear or Langur monkey, but no tail
marks were seen. It is doubtful if this puzzle will ever be solved,” he wrote.
Ward said he had personally come across people in the Himalayas who walked barefoot in
snow and cited a couple of examples. In another article titled The Yeti Footprints: Myth and
Reality, he wrote “We will never know for certain what man or animal made the footprints
in the Menlung basin in 1951, but I think that the above possible explanations (human
deformed feet) are as plausible as any that have been put forward so far.”
Many others have suggested that these could be the footprints of bears found in the region
— Asiatic black bear, Tibetan brown bear and Himalayan brown bear. “A frequent comment
about the prints is that they may have been made by a smaller, known, animal, whose tracks
were subsequently distorted and enlarged by melting. This is no doubt true of some of the
footprints found in the Himalayas…” wrote J A McNeely, E W Cronin and H B Emery in their
1973 article The Yeti — Not a Snowman.
The footprints reported by the Indian Army could be the biggest ones spotted till date, but
possibly again be attributed to local bears.
“This is most certainly the Himalayan black bear, with overprints of hind foot on to front
foot,” said Daniel C Taylor, author of Yeti: The Ecology of a Mystery, told The Indian Express.
“If only one footprint, this is the size of a dinosaur. So it has to be an overprint (overlap),
almost certainly Ursus thibetanus (Asiatic black bear). Maybe a mother bear with a cub
hopping behind,” he said.
Charlotte Lindqvist, an associate professor at the University of Buffalo, and co-author of the
2017 genetic study, also suggested that these footprints could only be of bears. “So far, all
genetic evidence extracted from supposed yeti remains show that they came from bears that
live on the region today. No research has proven the opposite and I am not at all convinced
these footprints provide any new evidence to prove otherwise. I am sure there are many
more plausible explanations for these footprints,” she told The Indian Express.
2. Explained: What Facebook’s vision of ‘privacy’ shows (Read only for understanding)

119
The “future is private”, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has declared. At Facebook’s F8
Developer Conference that started this week, he laid out an agenda for a privacy-focused
social network, besides making several product announcements typical of such events.
Facebook and privacy
Since about the beginning of 2018, Facebook has been under constant fire over its handling
of user privacy. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, which broke last March, was just the tip of
the iceberg.
Reports have revealed how Facebook tracked users, gave some third-party apps special
privileges with regard to user data, collected call record data and contacts of Android users,
and generally played fast and loose with user privacy. Most recently it was revealed that
millions of Facebook passwords were stored in plain text instead of being encrypted,
compromising user privacy and safety.
Facebook knows it is in trouble over privacy. In its earnings calls, Facebook said it expects to
be fined $3 billion-$5 billion by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is inquiring
into its user data practices.
What Zuckerberg said

Facebook and its core products like Messenger and Instagram will change from being the
digital equivalent of a town square to a more private network, according to the vision that
Zuckerberg pitched. The six principles of this private social network would be: private
communications, end-to-end encryption, reducing permanence, safety, interoperability
among all Facebook’s apps, and secure data storage.
The Messenger app will get end-to-end encryption by default, something that WhatsApp,
which too, is owned by Facebook, already has. End-to-end encryption would mean that no
third party, including Facebook, would be able to read messages sent over the platform. It
would also mean that Messenger would no longer store messages.
Also, Messenger will get a ‘Friends’ tab, where private updates or Stories from just close
friends will be visible, rather than those of all connections. There will be a private video
watching feature, where a user would be able to invite their closest friends and family to
watch a video together during the chat session.
Facebook will also focus more on Groups on the main app and site, since it views these as
more intimate and personal connections for users on the platform.
3. What the discharge of two police officers means for Ishrat Jahan case (Read only for
understanding)
15 years after teenager Ishrat Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake
encounter, a special CBI court in Ahmedabad Thursday discharged former police officers D
G Vanzara and N K Amin. Prime accused in the alleged encounter that took place on
120
Ahmedabad’s outskirts on June 15, 2004, Vanzara was then Deputy Commissioner of Police
in the Detection of Crime Branch, Ahmedabad, while Amin was Assistant Commissioner of
Police in the DCB.
Why have the two been discharged?

This was because the Gujarat government refused to sanction their prosecution under CrPC
Section 197, required for taking cognisance of an offence alleged to have been committed by
a government servant while acting or purporting to act in discharge of official duty.
In 2018, the Home Ministry had refused sanction for prosecution of four Intelligence Bureau
(IB) officers who were accused in the case. They too have sought discharge and the case is
with the chief judicial magistrate.
What happened in the alleged encounter and its aftermath?

At dawn, the Detection of Crime Branch led by Vanzara gunned down Ishrat and three men
in an alleged encounter. Gujarat Police claimed to have acted on an intelligence input that
the three men, including two Pakistani nationals, were travelling to kill then Chief Minister
Narendra Modi. The FIR of the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch filed that day did not identify
Ishrat, describing her as “one woman terrorist seated on the seat adjacent to the driver’s
seat”.
In 2006, Ishrat’s mother, Shamima Kauser, filed a petition in Gujarat High Court, seeking a
CBI investigation into the alleged fake encounter. A year later, Vanzara and two other IPS
officers were arrested in another encounter case, in which Sohrabuddin Sheikh had been
killed.
How did the investigation, and the case in court, progress over the last 15 years?
A High Court-appointed special investigation team and the CBI found the Ishrat Jahan
encounter to be “fake”. The CBI implicated the Gujarat Police as well as the IB in the alleged
murders
The first doubts were raised in a 2009, when an inquiry by metropolitan magistrate S P
Tamang concluded the encounter to be fake and said that it was carried out only for rewards
and promotions.
In August 2009, the Centre filed an affidavit in which it indicated Ishrat was an LeT member,
citing a purported LeT mouthpiece report that had acknowledged her membership. The
Centre, however retracted the claim within a month saying that these links were “needlessly
misinterpreted”. But in 2016, a Home Ministry official claimed he was forced to file the
second affidavit that removed references to the alleged LeT links, and that he had been
tortured by an officer (Satish Verma, IPS) who was part of the HC-appointed SIT.
The CBI FIR booked 20 police officers including former Gujarat DGP K R Kaushik on charges
of murder and criminal conspiracy and under sections of Arms Act. Chargesheets were filed
against eight Gujarat police officers. Besides Vanzara and Amin, the others were P P Pandey
(who retired as Gujarat police chief), G L Singhal, Tarun Barot, Anaju Chaudhary, J G Parmar
and Mohan Kalasava (who died in 2007) for murder, abduction, destruction of evidence and
121
other charges. Also chargesheeted were four IB officials — retired Special Director Rajinder
Kumar who was Joint Director of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Gujarat at the
time of the encounter, besides T Mittal, M K Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede — for criminal
conspiracy to abduct and illegally confine four people killed in a fake encounter. The
chargesheet against them did not stand when the MHA refused to clear their prosecution.
On what grounds has the prosecution faced criticism?

Questions have been raised by Shamima Kauser’s counsel on the prosecution seeking
sanction for prosecuting Vanzara and Amin when the court had already refused to discharge
them in August 2018 saying their role was “greater” than that of former DGP P P Pandey,
who was the first to be discharged in February 2018. Kauser’s counsel also argued against
defining the carrying out of police encounters as “part of official duty”.
Pandey was discharged on the grounds that key witnesses had made contradictory
statements and that the CBI had not sought prior sanction to prosecute him. In the case of
Vanzara and Amin, however, the court while refusing to discharge them also asked the CBI
whether it would seek sanction for their prosecution, which the agency did.
Discharge is dealt with under Section 227 of CrPC: “If, upon consideration of the record of
the case and the documents submitted therewith, and after hearing the submissions of the
accused and the prosecution in this behalf, the judge considers that there is not sufficient
ground for proceeding against the accused, he shall discharge the accused and record his
reasons for so doing.” Given that there remains no new evidence to be presented, if either
CBI or the victim chooses to approach a higher court, the case would largely rely on how the
higher court exercises Section 227.
What about the other accused policemen?

Four other policemen are out on bail and were reinstated, some of them having retired. They
are Singhal, Parmar, Barot and Chaudhary. They will now be tried by the special CBI court.
Singhal was promoted as IGP earlier this year and heads the Commando Training Centre in
Gandhinagar. If they file discharge pleas as well, the course of trial will take a route similar
to that of Vanzara and Amin. In case of no discharge plea, charges will be framed by the court.
Does Thursday’s development finally mean the end of the road for the Ishrat Jahan
case?
No. Shamima Kauser or the CBI can challenge the CBI court’s order in a higher court. The
appeal period is 60 days for the CBI and 90 days for the victim. Shamima’s legal
representative told this newspaper that they do plan to approach the Gujarat HC but only
after they see the order. Meanwhile, the other accused who are out on bail in the case can
seek discharge on grounds of parity.
What is the status of other encounter cases in which Vanzara and Amin were involved?
Vanzara has been discharged in the other encounter cases — those of Sohrabuddin Sheikh
and Tulsiram Prajapati. Amin too was an accused in the Sohrabuddin case and has been
discharged.

122
4. Yogesh Chander Deveshwar passes away (Relevant for GS Prelims)
Yogesh Chander Deveshwar (4 February 1947 – 11 May 2019) was an Indian businessman.
Career achivements
He was the longest serving chairman of ITC Limited (1996-2017). He was succeeded by
Sanjiv Puri. He was also director on the central board of the Reserve Bank of India, a member
of the National Foundation for Corporate Governance, and a member of the governing body
of the National Council of Applied Economic Research.
Early life
Mr. Deveshwar was an alumnus of IIT Delhi and Harvard Business School. He joined ITC in
1968. Between 1991 and 1994, he was invited by the government to serve as the chairman
and managing director of Air India.
Contribution to ITC
Under his leadership, ITC became India’s foremost FMCG company, the country’s largest
paperboards and packaging company and enabler in farmer-empowerment, through its
wide-ranging agri-business. It also has the second largest hotel chain in India.
(Source: wikipedia.com)
5. First Apache Helicopter formally handed over to The IAF (Relevant for GS Prelims)
First Apache Guardian helicopter was formally handed over to the Indian Air Force at Boeing
production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA on 10 May 19. IAF had signed a contract with US
Government and M/s Boeing Ltd in Sep 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters.
Need of Apache helicopters

The addition of helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Force’s
helicopter fleet. The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and
would have significant capability in mountainous terrain. The helicopters have the ability to
transmit and receive the battlefield picture, to and from the weapon systems through data
networking. Thus, helicopters are important for gathering data for precision strikes.
(Source: http://pib.nic.in/)
6. What is a beluga whale? Why is it in news?(Relevant for GS Prelims)

123
Beluga whale
About Beluga whales

Beluga whales generally live in the icy waters around Greenland, Norway and Russia. They
can grow up to 6 m long, and are related to dolphins.
About their military use

Over the last few weeks, a beluga whale swimming in the Arctic off Norway has given rise to
speculation that it is a spy being used by the Russians. It is tame, allowing humans to pet it,
and one video shows it returning a phone to a woman who had accidentally dropped into the
ocean.
Marine mammals in military

Other marine mammals are known to have been used for military use, including bottlenose
dolphins by the US Navy since the 1960s. A dolphin can identify objects underwater that
would be invisible to human divers. They have even helped clear mines in the Persian Gulf
War and the Iraq War.
So, is this one a spy?

While Russia has not issued any official reaction, but Russia does has programme to train
whales.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/can-a-beluga-whale-be-trained-as-a-
military-spy-5726046/)
7. India’s first fully underground metro system (Relevant for GS Prelims)

124
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd has completed burrowing through about half the 33.5-
km route of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro Rail, India’s first fully underground Metro
system. It will also be India’s second under-river subway tunnel which will pass under Mithi
river in Mumbai.
Why is this a milestone in tunnelling?

The pitfall here is not the depth. It is the challenges that come with tunnelling below a water-
body. There is a possibility of mud and water rushing into a just-constructed tunnel section.
The only other under-river tunnel for a mass transit project in India runs beneath the
Hooghly in Kolkata, completed two years ago.
Typical illustration of a Tunnel Boring Machine excavating through rock.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/tunnelling-under-the-mithi-how-
mumbai-metro-is-meeting-the-challenge-5727871/)
8. Trends in Under-5 mortality in India: Lancet study (Relevant for GS Prelims)
The analysis found that although most under-five deaths were due to preterm complications,
preventable infectious diseases featured prominently as causes of death in higher-mortality
states.
A new study in The Lancet Global Health has flagged the deaths among children under five
in India, which was higher than in any other country in 2015. Researchers have also found
found large disparities in the child mortality rate between richer and poorer states.

125
Overall child mortality in India

While India reduced annual mortality among children under five from 2.5 million in 2000
(90.5 per 1,000 live births) to 1.2 million in 2015 (out of 2.5 million live births, or 47.8 per
1,000), it was still the highest in the world.
Disparities among states

Among the states, the highest mortality rate, in Assam at 73.1 per 1,000, was more than seven
times that in Goa’s 9.7. Among the regions, the mortality rate ranged from a low of 29.7 per
1,000 (South) to 63.8 (Northeast).
Child mortality rates in different states
Reason for high mortality rate

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set in 2000 was to reduce the
under-five mortality rate in 2015 to one-third of the 1990 figure. For India, that would have
meant reducing the under-five mortality rate to 39 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The analysis found that although most under-five deaths were due to preterm complications,
preventable infectious diseases featured prominently as causes of death in higher-mortality
states.
126
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/under-5-mortality-in-india-study-
flags-disparity-among-states-5729952/)
9. SIMBEX-19 (Relevant for GS Prelims)
SIMBEX is the annual Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise. It was held for the first
time in 1993. SIMBEX-19 was held recently. The exercise was conducted in South China Sea.
10. Why news of Google suspending business with Huawei is important (Read only for
understanding)
Google is suspending some business with Huawei, and this could impact the future of
Android on smartphones made by the Chinese company and its sub-brand, Honor.
What has Google done?

According to Reuters, Google has suspended business that “requires the transfer of
hardware, software and technical services” with Huawei. In effect, Google has cancelled
Huawei’s Android licence.
Google acted after the Donald Trump administration added Huawei to a trade blacklist that
bars American companies from doing business with blacklisted companies without “explicit
approval” from the government.
What happens to people who have Huawei phones?

Unless Huawei is taken off the “Entity List”, there is a good chance its phones will not be able
to run Android’s proprietary services and apps like Gmail, YouTube, and Chrome in the
future. While Android will continue to work for now, it is unclear what happens next —
including whether existing Huawei phones will ever get an Android update again. Android
has monthly security updates and yearly operating system updates.
Huawei can still use Android from the Android Open Source Project, but proprietary services
cannot be accessed without a commercial licence from Google. Future Huawei phones may
not come with Google and Android services.
What has Huawei said on the situation?

A spokesperson for the company said: “Huawei will continue to provide security updates and
after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products,
covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally.”
What it did not confirm was whether existing Huawei phones would be updated to the next
version of Android, and whether future phones would run the operating system.

127
Huawei phones also run EMUI, the company’s own OS, on top of Android. It comes its own
unique user interface and personalised apps. This is a common approach in the Android
world — companies often add their own user interface to Android, although the core Google
services are part of all devices.
How strong is Huawei

In the first quarter of 2019, Huawei became the world’s second largest smartphone
manufacturer. According to numbers from research firm International Data Corporation
(IDC), Huawei is ahead of Apple, behind only Samsung in the list of smartphone vendors. The
company saw a year-over-year growth of 50.3% in the quarter, with 59.1 million units being
shipped.
(Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/google-huawei-china-android-
smartphones-5739319/)
11. Pakistani fishing vessel caught with 200 kg heroin (Read only for understanding)

128
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) seized heroin, estimated to be worth between Rs. 800 and Rs.
1,000 crore in the international market, from a Pakistani fishing vessel off the Gujarat coast.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/pakistani-fishing-vessel-
caught-after-hot-pursuit-200-kg-heroin-seized/article27201699.ece)
12. IIT-Madras alumnus, an ex-Google, Amazon employee, appointed new CTO of

Walmart (Relevant for GS Prelims)
About Suresh Kumar

Walmart said it has appointed Suresh Kumar, an IIT Madras graduate and former Google
executive, as chief technology officer and chief development officer. He holds a Bachelor of
Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and a PhD in engineering from
Princeton University.
Why he has been appointed?

His appointment comes as Walmart is undertaking major investments in its e-commerce
business to compete more effectively with Amazon.
(Source:https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/iit-madras-alumni-an-ex-google-
amazon-employee-appointed-new-cto-of-walmart-1559064770745.html)
13. Indian writer Annie Zaidi wins $100,000 global book prize (Relevant for GS
Prelims)
Indian writer Annie Zaidi was announced as the 2019 winner of the $100,000 Nine Dots
Prize. Mumbai-based Zaidi, a freelance writer whose work includes reportage, essays, short
stories, poetry and plays, won for her essay ‘Bread, Cement, Cactus’.
THE NINE DOTS PRIZE

The Nine Dots Prize is a prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues.
Entrants are asked to respond to a question in 3,000 words, with the winner receiving
US$100,000 to write a short book expanding on their ideas.
The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address
problems facing the modern world. The name of the Prize references the nine dots puzzle –
a lateral thinking puzzle which can only be solved by thinking outside the box.
The entries for the prize were judged anonymously by 11 members of the Nine Dots Prize
Board which comprises academics, journalists and thinkers. The board is chaired by
Professor Simon Goldhill, a fellow of King’s College, Cambridge.
(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/indian-writer-annie-zaidi-
wins-100000-global-book-prize/article27282739.ece)


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International Organizations and Relations ............ 24

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3. UN designates Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist (Relevant for GS

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Science & Technology....................................................... 86

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Internal Security ............................................................ 104

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Disaster management ................................................. 109

Culture .............................................................................. 111

Modern History ............................................................. 114

Miscellaneous ................................................................. 115

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Polity and Governance

L-G not to interfere in day to day administration

Rationale behind the judgement

Difference in administration of Delhi and Pudducherry

(Adapted from The Hindu)

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Report kept confidential

Basis of keeping report confidential

(Adapted from The Hindu)

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Did Supreme Court fulfilled standards of fairness?

What was the procedure followed to assess charges?

What is the conclusion?

(Adapted from The Hindu)

What were they investigating?

(Adapted from bbc.com)

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Government rejecting names of 2 judges sent earlier

Response of Collegium on rejection of names

2 more judges proposed for elevation

Procedure for appointment of Supreme Court judges

6. How EC evolved, what rules it follows in case of disagreement (Relevant for GS

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What happens if any of the Election Commissioners dissent?

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How did it come about?

What is the justification given by MLAs?

Have MLAs left AIADMK?

Why does it matter?

What are the rules on disqualification?

What lies ahead?

Why was decision taken?

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9. Questions on credibility of Election Commission (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II;

Nature of Election campaigning

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22 Opposition parties approached the Election Commission over reports of supposedly

During non-election period

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During poll season

From booth back to strong room

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Opposition badly defeated

Southern states: An exception