Current Affairs Weekly

DIGEST

December Week 4 Digest

Mutated Novel Coronavirus

Why in News
A mutated variant of the novel Coronavirus has been associated with recent infections in
England.
● The virus has undergone several mutations since it first infected humans.
Key Points
The New Mutant Coronavirus:
● The mutant virus has been identified as N501Y and is likely to be a mutation in the spike
protein.
● It is the coronavirus spike protein that binds to a human protein to initiate the process of
infection.
● Changes here could possibly affect how the virus behaves in terms of its ability to infect,
or cause severe disease, or escape the immune response made by vaccines.
● There has been a single nucleotide change in one portion of the spike protein, so there
would be no bearing on the disease biology or even diagnostics.
Effect on Infection and Vaccination:
● Several coronavirus vaccines are designed to create antibodies targeting the spike
protein.
● The vaccines target multiple regions on the spike, while a mutation refers to a change in
a single point. If there is one mutation, it does not mean vaccines would not work.
● All SARS-CoV-2 strains are genetically similar to one another, and scientists do not
expect these mutations to have a significant impact on their ability to cause more severe
disease than what has been observed so far.
● Many mutations mean nothing at all, or at least are more successful for reasons not
known.
● For instance a different strain may be more transmissible, but cause less disease.
● Researchers need to monitor the mutations as there is no evidence that the new strain in
the UK is more transmissible or more severe/resistant to treatment or vaccination.
● Mutant Variant in India: Researchers have not seen this variant in India.

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Earlier Mutation:
● D614G Mutation: This particular mutation aided the virus in attaching more efficiently
with the ACE2 receptor in the human host, thereby making it more successful in entering
a human body than its predecessors.
Mutation
● A mutation means a change in the genetic sequence of the virus.
● In the case of SARS-CoV-2, which is an Ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus, a mutation means a
change in the sequence in which its molecules are arranged.
● SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.
● RNA is an important biological macromolecule that is present in all biological cells.
● Principally involved in the synthesis of proteins, carrying the messenger instructions
from Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), which itself contains the genetic instructions required
for the development and maintenance of life.
● DNA is an organic chemical that contains genetic information and instructions for
protein synthesis. It is found in most cells of every organism.
● A mutation in an RNA virus often happens when the virus makes a mistake while it is
making copies of itself.
● Only if the mutation results in a significant change in the protein structure can the course
of a disease be altered.

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NEWS 2
Social Justice

Mystery Illness of Eluru

Why in News
Over 550 people in Eluru town of Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district have been suffering
from convulsions, seizures, dizziness and nausea.

Key Points
● Over 70% of Eluru town, in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district, has been affected by
a mysterious illness.
● One person died due to the illness while 550 people were hospitalised.
About Mystery Illness of Eluru:
Symptoms:
● Convulsions, seizures, dizziness and nausea.
● Convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and
repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled actions of the body.
● Seizure is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain. It can cause
changes in behavior, movements or feelings, and in levels of consciousness.
● Dizziness is a term used to describe a range of sensations, such as feeling faint, weak or
unsteady.
● Nausea is stomach discomfort and the sensation of wanting to vomit.
● The seizures last for 3 to 5 minutes followed usually by vomiting or loss of
consciousness.
Recovery:
● Most victims being treated are getting fine within one or two hours and are discharged.

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Victims:
● People of all age groups, men, women and even small children are among the victims.
Possible Causes:
● The primary suspicion is on water contamination by heavy metals.
● Excessive use of bleaching powder and chlorine in sanitation programmes as part of
Covid-19 prevention measures might have caused water contamination.
● AIIMS-New Delhi found traces of lead and nickel in blood samples of 25 victims out of
the 45 samples sent by the state government.
● Scientists suspect that pesticide or insecticide has seeped into drinking water sources.
● Eluru receives water through canals from both Godavari and Krishna rivers. The canals
pass through agricultural fields where runoff laced with pesticides mixes with water in
the canals.

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NEWS 3
Indian Heritage & Culture

Indigenous Games & Khelo India

Why in News
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recently included Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta
and Mallakhamba in Khelo India Youth Games 2021.
Key Points
● Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2021, are scheduled to take place in Haryana.
● The 2020 edition of KIYG was held in Guwahati (Assam).
● KIYG is a part of the revamped national programme for development of sports ‘Khelo
India’ which was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2017.
● The Khelo India Scheme aims to encourage sports all over the country, thus allowing the
population to harness the power of sports through its cross-cutting influence, namely
holistic development of children & youth, community development, social integration,
gender equality, healthy lifestyle, national pride and economic opportunities related to
sports development.
● Under the Scheme, talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various
levels are provided annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.
Gatka:
● Gatka originates from the State of Punjab and this traditional fighting style of the Nihang
Sikh Warriors is used both as self-defense as well as a sport.
● Gatka is believed to have originated when the 6th Sikh Guru Hargobind adopted ‘Kirpan’
for self-defence during the Mughal era.
● It was earlier confined to gurudwaras, nagar kirtans and akharas, but now it finds
presence in the sports category after the formation of the Gatka Federation of India (GFI)
in 2008.

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Kalaripayattu:
● Kalaripayattu, also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art that originated in
modern-day Kerala.
● Kalaripayattu is held in high regard by martial artists due to its long-standing history
within Indian martial arts. It is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India. It is
also considered to be among the oldest martial arts still in existence, with its origin in the
martial arts timeline dating back to at least the 3rd century BCE.
● The place where this martial art is practised is called a 'Kalari'. It is a Malayalam word
that signifies a kind of gymnasium.
● Kalari literally means 'threshing floor' or 'battlefield'. The word Kalari first appears in the
Tamil Sangam literature to describe both a battlefield and combat arena.
Mallakhamb:
● Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a
gymnast performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and wrestling grips with a vertical
stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope
● The name Mallakhamb derives from the terms malla, meaning wrestler, and khamb,
which means a pole. Literally meaning "wrestling pole", the term refers to a traditional
training implement used by wrestlers.
● Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the hotspots of this sport.
Thang Ta:
● Huyen langlon is an Indian martial art from Manipur.
● In the Meitei language, huyen means war while langlon or langlong can mean net,
knowledge or art.
Huyen langlon consists of two main components:
● Thang-ta (armed combat)
● sarit sarak (unarmed fighting).
● The primary weapons of huyen langlon are the thang (sword) and ta (spear). Other
weapons include the shield and the axe.

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NEWS 4
International Relations

India-Vietnam Virtual Summit

Why in News
Recently, India and Vietnam signed seven pacts during their virtual summit, in areas such as
defence, petrochemicals, and nuclear energy, and agreed to intensify their development
partnership that will enable achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and develop
capabilities to address climate change.

Key Points
● A ‘Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People’ document was adopted during the
Summit, to guide the future development of the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic
Partnership.
● Both leaders also welcomed the signing of a Plan of Action for period 2021-2023 for
further implementation of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to implement the Joint
Vision.
Announcements made:
● Implementation of the High Speed Guard Boat (HSGB) Manufacturing Project for
Vietnam Border Guard Command under the US$ 100 million Defence Line of Credit
extended by Government of India to Vietnam;
● Completion and handing over of seven Development Projects with Indian ‘Grant-in-Aid’
Assistance of US$ 1.5 million for the benefit of local community in Vietnam’s Ninh Thuan
province.
● Enhancing the number of annual Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) from currently five to ten
commencing FY 2021-2022.
● Three new Development Partnership projects in heritage conservation in Vietnam (F-
block of Temple at My Son; Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery in Quang Nam province;
and Nhan Cham Tower in Phu Yen province).
● Launch of bilateral project for preparing an Encyclopaedia on India – Vietnam
Civilizational and Cultural Relations.

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Terrorism:
● The two sides will step up joint efforts in building a strong consensus for early adoption
of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
South China Sea:
● Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and
freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, while pursuing the peaceful
resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
● Both leaders further called for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on
the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety.
Cooperation at Various Forums:
● Both sides will strengthen multilateral and regional cooperation, including in the United
Nations, ASEAN-led mechanisms and Mekong sub-regional cooperation.
Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN):
● To foster practical cooperation between ASEAN and India in the key areas and in line
with the objectives and principles as stated in the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP)
and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
● The two sides will actively promote reformed multilateralism to make international
organizations, including the UN Security Council, more representative, contemporary and
capable of dealing with current challenges.
Management of Covid-19 Pandemic:
● They will encourage experience-sharing and cooperation in the management of Covid-19
pandemic, support on-line training of health professionals, forge institutional cooperation
in vaccine development, promote open supply chains, facilitate essential cross-border
movement of people, and maintain close contact and coordination in multilateral bodies
like the World Health Organization.
Cooperation in the Post Pandemic Era:
● Acknowledging the new challenges as well as opportunities brought upon by Covid-19
pandemic, the two sides will work towards reliable, efficient and resilient supply chains,
and will promote human-centric globalization.
Economic Cooperation:
● New horizons for partnership created by India’s goal to become a US dollar 5 trillion
economy by 2024 and Vietnam’s ambition to become a high-income economy by 2045
will be fully explored for all segments of economy, including blue economy, MSMEs and
farming communities of the two countries.
● India and Vietnam share a comprehensive strategic partnership. One great example of
economic cooperation is completion of the Development Projects with Indian ‘Grant-in-
Aid’ Assistance of US dollar 1.5 million for the benefit of the local community in
Vietnam’s Ninh Thuan province.

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Cooperation on Climate Change:
● Both sides will partner in new and renewable energy resources, energy conservation and
other climate-resilient technologies.
● India advocated that Vietnam’s possible future participation in the International Solar
Alliance would bring new opportunities for cooperation in large scale deployment of
solar energy.
● India looks forward to Vietnam’s joining the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
in the near future.
● They agreed to expand the Mekong - Ganga Quick Impact Projects.
Cultural Cooperation and Links:
● Both sides will actively cooperate to publish an Encyclopedia of India - Vietnam Cultural
and Civilizational Relations to mark the 50th anniversary of India - Vietnam diplomatic
relations in 2022.
● The two sides will promote understanding and research of their shared cultural and
civilizational heritage, including Buddhist and Cham cultures, traditions and ancient
scriptures.
● The traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Vietnam-Traditional Medicine
share many common threads of rich knowledge of health.
● Yoga has emerged as a symbol of peace and harmony and shared pursuit of spiritual
wellbeing and happiness.
● New Development Partnership projects in heritage conservation in Vietnam (F-block of
Temple at My Son; Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery in Quang Nam and Nhan Cham
Tower in Phu Yen) will be materialised.
People-to-People Exchange:
● By increasing direct flights, providing ease of travelling through simplified visa
procedures and facilitating tourism.
Education and Institutional Cooperation:
● They will further strengthen and institutionalize linkages such as Parliamentary
exchanges; relations between Indian States and Vietnamese Provinces; exchanges
between social organisations and youth organizations; collaboration between
educational institutions; engagement between think tanks; joint research programmes;
and exchanges in media, film, TV shows and sports.
● They will also facilitate cooperation between respective agencies on the two sides to
promote contents related to India - Vietnam relations and their historical links in each
other’s school textbooks.

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NEWS 5
Governance

PM WANI: India’s New Public

Why in News
The Union Cabinet recently cleared a proposal by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
to set up public Wi-Fi access network interfaces.
● The public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface, which will be called ‘PM-WANI’, was first
recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017.
Key Points
PM WANI – the ‘game-changer’
● The term ‘game-changer’ can be seen as an accurate reflection of the capability of an
initiative to change the status quo for Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface,
or PM WANI.
● It provides for “Public Wi-Fi Networks by Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) to
provide public Wi-Fi service spread across the length and breadth of the country to
accelerate the proliferation of Broadband Internet services through Public Wi-Fi network
in the country”.
What the data shows
● The initiative can help to bridge the increasing digital divide in India. Recently, the NITI
Aayog CEO had said that India can create $1 trillion of economic value using digital
technology by 2025.
● As per the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data, about 54% of India’s
population has access to the Internet.
● The 75th round of the National Statistical Organization survey shows that only 20% of
the population has the ability to use the Internet.
● The India Internet 2019 report shows that rural India has half the Internet penetration as
urban, and twice as many users who access the Internet less than once a week.
Digital poverty
● Umang App (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) allows access to 2,084
services, across 194 government departments, across themes such as education, health,
finance, social security, etc.
● The ability to access and utilize the app enhances an individual’s capabilities to benefit
from services that they are entitled to.
● With each move towards digitization, we are threatening to leave behind a large part of
our population to suffer in digital poverty.

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 ● What the government is trying to achieve with PM-WANI is anyone living in their house, a
paan shop owner or a tea seller can all provide public Wi-Fi hot posts, and anyone within
range can access it.
● This will also help to reduce the pressure on the mobile Internet in India. Going back to
the India Internet report, it shows that 99% of all users in India access the Internet on
mobile, and about 88% are connected on the 4G network.
● This leads to a situation where everyone is connected to a limited network, which is
getting overloaded and resulting in bad speed and quality of Internet access.
Key links
● There are three important actors here.
● First is the Public Data Office (PDO). The PDO can be anyone, and it is clear that along
with Internet infrastructure, the government also sees this as a way to generate revenue
for individuals and small shopkeepers. It is important to note that PDOs will not require
registration of any kind, thus easing the regulatory burden on them.
● Second is the PDOA, who is basically the aggregator who will buy bandwidth from the
Internet service provider (ISPs) and telecom companies and sell it to PDOs, while also
accounting for data used by all PDOs.
● The third is the app provider, who will create an app through which users can access and
discover the Wi-Fi access points.
● Two pillars have been given as a baseline for public Wi-Fi.
● Interoperability – where the user will be required to login only once and stay connected
across access points.
● Multiple payment options – allowing the user to pay both online and offline.
● The products should start from low denominations, starting with ₹2. It is suggested in
the report that the requirement of authentication through stored e-know your customer
(KYC) is encouraged, which inevitably means a linking with Aadhaar.
Aiding rural connectivity
● The PM-WANI has the potential to change the fortunes of Bharat Net as well. Bharat Net
envisions broadband connectivity in all villages in India.
● The project has missed multiple deadlines, and even where the infrastructure has been
created, usage data is not enough to incentivize ISPs to use Bharat Net infra to provide
services.
● One of the reasons for the lack of demand is the deficit in digital literacy in India and the
lack of last-mile availability of the Internet.
● The term digital literacy must be seen as an evolving decentralized concept, which
depends on how people interact with technology in other aspects of their life and is
influenced by local social and cultural factors.
● The PM-WANI seems to fit within this framework, simply because it seeks to make
accessing the Internet as easy as having tea at a chai shop. This is not a substitute for
the abysmal digital literacy efforts of the government, but will definitely help.
Security, privacy issues
● There are some concerns, mainly with respect to security and privacy. A large-scale
study conducted at public Wi-Fi spots in 15 airports across the United States, Germany,
Australia, and India discovered that two thirds of users leak private information whilst
accessing the Internet.
● Further, the TRAI report recommends that ‘community interest’ data be stored locally,
raising questions about data protection11in a scenario where the country currently does
not have a data protection law in place.
NEWS 6
Biodiversity & Environment

Rise in Leopard Population

Why in News
As per a recent report ‘Status of leopards in India, 2018’ released by the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change there has been a “60% increase in the population count of leopards
in India from 2014 estimates’’.
Key Points
● The 2014 estimates placed the population of leopards at nearly 8,000 which has
increased to 12,852.
● The largest number of leopards have been estimated in Madhya Pradesh (3,421)
followed by Karnataka (1,783) and Maharashtra (1,690).
Region wise distribution:
● Central India and Eastern Ghats have the highest number of leopards at 8,071.
● Western Ghats: 3,387 leopards
● Shivalik and Gangetic Plains: 1,253 leopards
● Northeast hills: 141 leopards
● While the estimated number of leopards has increased, the report alerts that the leopard
habitat area has been shrinking alarmingly over the past 100-125 years.
Techniques Used:
● Camera Traps
● Satellite Imaging
● Field work by the Wildlife Institute of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA).
Limited Coverage:
● While the presence of the leopard is fairly ubiquitous, the study has been conducted only
in tiger- populated forests areas under Project Tiger.
● Leopard populations in other agricultural, non-forested areas like tea and coffee
plantations, and in most parts of the North East have not been conducted.

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Threats to Leopard:
● Fragmentation of forests as well as the decline in quality of forests leading to habitat
loss.
● Human-Leopard conflict
● Poaching
● Depletion of natural prey base
Conservation Status:
● International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Vulnerable
● Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES): Appendix I
● Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule 1

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NEWS 7
Governance

Strengthen Safeguards for

Why in News
Recently, experts have highlighted the need to strengthen safeguards for corporate
whistleblowers and extend the requirement of a vigil mechanism to large private companies in
India.
Key Points
Background:
● The Delhi High Court (HC) is currently hearing a writ petition, which has challenged the
constitutional validity of the existing provisions of the Companies Act 2013.
● Current provisions only require listed companies to have a vigil mechanism to address
whistleblower complaints.
● These companies are those which accept public deposits and companies that have
loans from banks or public financial institutions of over Rs. 50 crore.
Concerns Highlighted:
● Absence of any specific guidelines on the functioning of a vigil mechanism has led to
companies not ensuring that whistleblower complaints are addressed in a timely
manner.
● Current provisions do not provide any guidelines on the functioning of the vigil
mechanism for companies.
● Companies were able to retaliate against employees raising whistleblower complaints
and even terminated their employment as any civil suit for such actions could be too
expensive and time-consuming.
● Parties filing civil suits are required to first pay court fees, typically amounting to around
1% of damages claimed.

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Suggestions:
● Private sector companies above a certain threshold of turnover or employees should set
up a vigil mechanism.
● Large private sector companies, including subsidiaries of large multinational
corporations, should be regulated differently from small private sector companies and
should be required to have vigil mechanisms.
● The law should require a permanent internal committee and specify directions on the
functioning of the committee.
● For that, the government should consider issuing guiding principles on such as internal
reporting to and review by the audit committee, timelines for addressing grievances and
consideration by the board on nature and number of open matters and outcomes of
resolved matters, etc.
● However, regulating the functioning of vigil mechanisms pose a risk of over-regulation
and micro-management.
● The mechanism should provide for “adequate safeguards against victimisation of
persons who use such mechanisms and make provision for direct access to the
chairperson of the audit committee in appropriate or exceptional cases.
● There was a need for a deterrent against frivolous complaints.
Whistleblowing
● According to the Companies Act, whistleblowing is an action aimed at drawing the
attention of stakeholders to instances of unethical practices in an organization.
● A whistleblower can be anyone who chooses to expose wrong practices and has
evidence to support the allegations.
● They can be either from within or outside the organization, such as current and former
employees, shareholders, external auditors, and lawyers.
● In India, whistleblowers are protected by the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014.
● It provides for the protection of their identity and also has strict norms to prevent their
victimization.
● In January 2020, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) came out with a new
mechanism to reward whistle-blowers and other informants for sharing information
about insider trading cases.
Way Forward
● Suitable legislation must be enacted to provide protection to innocent whistleblowers
and strengthening of the whistleblower protection mechanism will help in ensuring that
the integrity of democracy is protected, cherished and upheld.
● It is important that the law empower citizens to come forward if they have evidence of
unethical conduct within the organisation.

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NEWS 8
Indian Economy

Fraud Cases in Public Sector

Why in News
Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have been reviewing loan accounts and are expected to report more
fraud cases in accounts which have earlier been put under their Early Warning Signals (EWS)
system.
● The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) developed the EWS framework as it noticed a delay in
the detection and reporting of banking frauds.
● The objective of the EWS framework is to prevent and detect these offences, to provide
timely reporting to regulators and to initiate staff accountability proceedings thereby
ensuring that the operations and risk-taking ability of the banks is not impacted.
Key Points
Data Analysis:
● The total cases of frauds (involving Rs. 1 lakh and above) reported by banks and
financial institutions shot up by 28% by volume and 159% by value during 2019-20
despite the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tightening the supervision and vigilance.
● While there were 6,799 frauds involving Rs. 71,543 crore as of March 2019, the number
of frauds jumped to 8,707 involving Rs.1,85,644 crore, says the RBI’s Annual Report 2020.
● PSBs topped the fraud table with 4,413 cases involving Rs. 1,48,400 crore.
● Private banks reported 3,066 frauds involving Rs. 34,211 crore.
Current Scenario:
● Banks are going through their accounts which were put on alert earlier. They will report
fraud wherever such instances are found in case of large accounts, and make 100%
provision against them.
● These are being reviewed thoroughly to ensure that banks have adequately provisioned
balance sheets.
● The RBI also indicated that the frauds registered during 2019-20 actually occurred in the
loans sanctioned during 2010-2014.
● The average lag between the date of occurrence of frauds and their detection by banks
and financial institutions was 24 months during 2019-20.
● In large frauds, of Rs. 100 crore and above, the average lag was 63 months.

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 ● After forensic audit and investigation into these accounts, diversions and other issues
were found.
● RBI defines diversion of funds as utilisation of short-term working capital funds for long-
term purposes not in conformity with the terms of sanction; deploying borrowed funds
for purposes/activities other than those for which the loan was sanctioned; and
transferring borrowed funds to subsidiaries/group companies or other corporates by
whatever modalities.
Reasons:
● Weak implementation of EWS by banks.
● Non-detection of EWS during internal audits.
● Internal audits evaluate a company's internal controls, including its corporate
governance and accounting processes.
● They ensure compliance with laws and regulations, help maintain accurate and timely
financial reporting and data collection.
● Non-cooperation of borrowers during forensic audits.
● Forensic audit is an examination and evaluation of a firm's or individual's financial
records to derive evidence that can be used in a court of law or legal proceeding.
● Inconclusive audit reports. Lack of decision making in Joint Lenders’ meetings account.
Overcoming Measures:
● The EWS mechanism is getting revamped alongside the strengthening of the concurrent
audit function, with timely and conclusive forensic audits of borrower accounts under
scrutiny.
● RBI is engaged in interlinking various databases and information systems to improve
fraud monitoring and detection.
● Online reporting of frauds by the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) and the
Central Fraud Registry (CFR) portal of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) augmented
with new features, are likely to be operational by January 2021.
● RBI has put in place CFR, which is a searchable database to help banks detect instances
of fraud by borrowers early on.

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NEWS 9
Governance

Electricity (Rights of
Consumers) Rules, 2020

Why in News
Recently, the government has notified the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which
would allow consumers in India to access a continuous supply of reliable electricity.
● Electricity is a Concurrent List or List-III (Seventh Schedule) subject and the central
government has the authority and the power to make laws on it.
Key Points
Coverage:
● The rules cover various aspects of power supply to consumers in the country, including
obligations of distribution licensees, metering arrangements, the release of new
connections, modifications of existing connections, grievance redressal and
compensation mechanisms.
Significance:
● This will make the distribution companies more accountable to consumers, thus
reducing their monopolies and giving consumers more alternatives.
● To ensure compliance, the government will apply penalties that will be credited to the
consumer’s account.
● These rules are also an important step towards furthering the ease of doing business
across the country.
● Implementation of these Rules shall ensure that new electricity connections, refunds and
other services are given in a time-bound manner.
Areas Covered in the Rules
Rights and Obligations
● Duty of every distribution licensee to supply electricity on request made by an owner or
occupier of any premises in line with the provisions of Act.
● Right of consumers to have minimum standards of service for the supply of electricity
from the distribution licensee.

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Release of New Connection and Modification in Existing Ones
● Transparent, simple and time-bound processes.
An applicant has an option for online application.
● The maximum time period of 7 days in metro cities and 15 days in other municipal areas
and 30 days in rural areas identified to provide new connections and modify an existing
connection.
● Disconnection and Reconnection Provisions
Metering Arrangement
● No connection shall be given without a meter.
● Meter shall be the smart prepayment meter or a prepayment meter.
● Provision of Testing of meters.
● Provisions for replacement of defective or burnt or stolen meters specified.
Billing and Payment
● Transparency in applicable consumer tariff and bills.
● A consumer shall have the option to pay bills online or offline.
● Provision for advance payment of bills.
Reliability of Supply
● The distribution licensee shall supply 24x7 power to all consumers. However, lower
hours of supply for some categories of consumers like agriculture could be specified.
● The distribution licensee shall put in place a mechanism, preferably with automated tools
to the extent possible, for monitoring and restoring outages.
Consumer as Prosumer
● While the prosumers will maintain consumer status and have the same rights as the
general consumer, they will also have the right to set up Renewable Energy (RE)
generation units including rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
● A prosumer is an individual who both consumes and produces.
Standards of Performance of License
● Standards of performance for the distribution licensees will be notified.
● Compensation amount to be paid to the consumers by the distribution licensees for
violation of standards of performance.
Compensation Mechanism
● Automatic compensation shall be paid to consumers for which parameters on standards
of performance can be monitored remotely.
Call Centre for Consumer Services
● Distribution licensee shall establish a centralised 24x7 toll-free call centre.
● Licensees shall endeavour to provide all services through a common Customer Relation
Manager (CRM) System to get a unified view.
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Grievance Redressal Mechanism
● Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) to include consumer and prosumer
representatives.
● It has been made easy by making it multi-layered and the number of consumer’s
representatives have been increased from one to four.
● The licensee shall specify the time within which various types of grievances by the
different levels of the forums are to be resolved. Maximum timeline of 45 days specified
for grievance redressal.

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NEWS 10
Governance

Green National Highways

Why in News
The government and the World Bank has signed a $500 million project for implementation of the
Green National Highways Corridor Project.
Key Points
Green National Highways Corridor Project:
● It will support Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to construct 783 km
of highways in various geographies by integrating safe and green technology designs
such as local and marginal materials, industrial by-products and other bioengineering
solutions
● The project comprises components like-
○ Sustainable development and maintenance of National Highways,
○ Institutional Capacity Enhancement, Road Safety and
○ Research and Development.
● It would also include strengthening of the Highway/Bridge Engineering Lab in the IAHE
(Indian Academy of Highway Engineers) for testing of materials to assess the quality of
works and impact of interventions in climate resilience among other factors
Significance of this Project :
● The National Highways of India carry about 40% of road traffic. However, several
sections of these highways have the inadequate capacity, weak drainage structures and
black spots prone to accidents.
● The ultimate objective of transport infrastructure is to provide seamless connectivity and
reduce logistics costs.
● The project will help reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in the construction and
maintenance of highways.
● Historically, the transport sector in India has offered limited employment opportunities
for women.
● The project will support the ministry with an in-depth analysis of gender-related issues in
the transport sector along with help in creating jobs for women by training women-led
micro-enterprises.
● It will also support the Bharatmala Pariyojana Program (BPP).

21
Key Features of Green Highways Policy 2015
● Promote greening and development of eco-friendly National Highway corridors across
the country with participation of farmers, private sector and government institutions
including the Forest Department.
● It addresses the issues that lie in the road of development and shows the way towards
sustainable development. Planting of trees in any particular area will depend on the soil
suitability and climatic conditions.
● Its objective is to reduce the impact of air pollution and dust by planting trees and shrubs
along the National Highways. They will act as natural sinks for air pollutants and arrest
soil erosion at the embankment slopes.
World Bank
● History: Founded at the Bretton Woods conference in 1944, the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development—soon called the World Bank—has expanded to a
closely associated group of five development institutions.

22
Reports Published by World Bank:
● Human Capital Index Report
● Global Economic Prospects
● Ease of Doing Business
● South Asia Economic Focus Report
● Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report
● World Development Report
Projects Supported by the World Bank:
● National Hydrology Project
● Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) Project
● National Nutrition Mission
● National Mission for Clean Ganga
● National Biopharma Mission
● Atal Bhujal Yojana

23
NEWS 11
Geography

Kilauea Volcano: Hawaii

Why in News
● Recently, Kilauea volcano in Hawaii’s Big Island erupted which was followed by an
earthquake of magnitude 4.4.
Key Points
Kilauea Volcano:
● Kilauea, also called Mount Kilauea (“Much Spreading” in Hawaiian), is located in Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park on the southeastern part of the island of Hawaii, U.S.A.
● Kilauea’s slopes merge with those of the nearby volcano Mauna Loa on the west and
north.
● It ranks among the world's most active volcanoes. It is an elongated dome built of lava
eruptions from a central crater and from lines of craters extending along east and
southwest rifts, or fissures.
● The volcano’s 4,090-foot (1,250-metre) summit has collapsed to form a caldera, a broad
shallow depression nearly 3 miles (5 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide with an area of
more than 4 square miles (10 square km).
● A caldera is a depression created after a volcano partially collapses after releasing the
majority of its magma chamber in an explosive eruption.
Eruptive History:
● The caldera was the site of nearly continuous activity during the 19th century and the
early part of the 20th century.
● Since 1952, Kīlauea has erupted 34 times.
● From 1983 to 2018 eruptive activity was nearly continuous along the volcano's East Rift
Zone.

14
Volcano
● The volcano is a narrow opening in the earth's crust through which the molten rock
material, magma (lava), volcanic ashes are emitted outward through an eruption. Such
types of openings (vents) are found in those parts of the crust where the rock strata are
relatively weaker than the surrounding areas.
There are three reasons why magma might rise and cause eruptions onto Earth’s surface:
● Magma can rise when pieces of Earth's crust called tectonic plates slowly move away
from each other. The magma rises up to fill in the space. When this happens underwater
volcanoes can form.
● Magma also rises when these tectonic plates move toward each other. When this
happens, part of Earth's crust can be forced deep into its interior. The high heat and
pressure cause the crust to melt and rise as magma.
● A final way that magma rises is over hot spots.
● Hot spots are the hot areas inside of Earth. These areas heat up magma. The magma
becomes less dense. When it is less dense it rises. Each of the reasons for rising magma
are a bit different, but each can form volcanoes.

25
NEWS 12
Indian Polity

Electoral Bonds and Right to

Why in News
The Central Information Commission (CIC), the lead body for implementing the Right to
Information Act 2005, has ruled that the disclosure of identity of electoral bond scheme donors
will not serve any larger public interest and will violate provisions of the Act itself.
● The electoral bond scheme allows citizens and corporates to buy monetary instruments
from the State Bank of India (SBI) and donate them to political parties, who can redeem
them for money.
● According to the Association for Democratic Reforms, political parties have received a
total of 12,452 electoral bonds worth Rs. 6210.39 crore till January 2020.
Key Points
● The Commission observed that the disclosure of names of donors and the donees may
be in contravention of provisions contained in section 8(1)(e)(j) of the RTI Act.
● The said section exempts a public authority to give a citizen information available to a
person in his fiduciary relationship, unless the competent authority is satisfied that the
larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information.
● A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more
other parties (person or group of persons).
● The information related to electoral bonds issued to political parties is held by SBI in a
fiduciary capacity.
● Earlier in January 2020, CIC had directed the Centre to reveal the names of electoral
bond scheme donors who wanted their identities to remain confidential.
Concerns:
● Anonymity:
● Neither the donor nor the political party is obligated to reveal whom the donation comes
from.
● In 2019, the Supreme Court held that all political parties who had received donations
through electoral bonds must submit details to the Election Commission of India.
● This undercuts a fundamental constitutional principle, the freedom of political
information, which is an integral element of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution.

27
Black Money:
● Elimination of a cap of 7.5% on corporate donations, elimination of requirement to reveal
political contributions in profit and loss statements and also the elimination of the
provision that a corporation must be three years in existence, undercuts the intent of the
scheme.
● Any troubled, dying company can donate an unlimited amount anonymously to a political
party giving them a convenient channel for business to round-trip their cash parked in tax
havens for a favour or advantage granted in return for something.
Defeating Transparency:
● It defeats the fundamental principle of transparency in political finance because it
conceals from public scrutiny the identity of the corporates and moneybags.
Asymmetric Opacity:
● The government is always in a position to know who the donor is because the bonds are
purchased through the SBI.
● This asymmetry of information threatens to colour the process in favour of whichever
political party is ruling at the time.
Electoral Bond
● Electoral bonds will allow donors to pay political parties using banks as an intermediary.
● Key features: Although called a bond, the banking instrument resembling promissory
notes will not carry any interest. The electoral bond, which will be a bearer instrument,
will not carry the name of the payee and can be bought for any value, in multiples of Rs
1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or Rs 1 crore.
● Eligibility: As per provisions of the Scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by a
citizen of India, or entities incorporated or established in India. A person being an
individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. Only the
registered Political Parties which have secured not less than one per cent of the votes
polled in the last Lok Sabha elections or the State Legislative Assembly are eligible to
receive the Electoral Bonds.
● Need: The electoral bonds are aimed at rooting out the current system of largely
anonymous cash donations made to political parties which lead to the generation of
black money in the economy.
Central Information Commission
Formation:
● It was established by the Central Government in 2005, under the provisions of the Right
to Information Act (2005). It is not a constitutional body.
Composition:
● It shall consist of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and such number of Central
Information Commissioners not exceeding 10 as may be deemed necessary.
Appointment:
● They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting
of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a
Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.

28
Tenure:
● The Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner shall hold office
for such a term as prescribed by the Central Government or until they attain the age of
65 years, whichever is earlier.
● They are not eligible for reappointment.
Power and Functions of CIC:
● It is the duty of the Commission to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person
regarding information request under RTI, 2005.
● The Commission can order an inquiry into any matter if there are reasonable grounds
(suo-moto power).
● While inquiring, the Commission has the powers of a civil court in respect of summoning,
requiring documents etc.

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NEWS 13
Internal Security

Army Variant of MRSAM

Why in News
Recently, the maiden test of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) for the Indian
Army has been conducted.
Key Points
About Army Variant of MRSAM:
● It is a surface to air missile developed jointly by Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), India and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel for use by the
Indian Army.
● It consists of a command and control post, multi-function radar and mobile launcher
system.
MRSAM:
● It is a high response, quick reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile, designed to
neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters.
● Supersonic missiles exceed the speed of sound (Mach 1) but they are not faster than
Mach-3.
● It is used by the Army, Navy and Air Force as different variants.
● In May 2019, Indian Navy, DRDO and IAI conducted the maiden co-operative engagement
firing of the naval version of the MRSAM.
● It is a land based variant of the Barak Air and Missile Defence System (AMD).

30
NEWS 14
Biodiversity & Environment

Firefly for Great Indian Bustard

Why in News
The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) India has come up with a unique initiative a “firefly bird diverter” for
overhead power lines in areas where Great Indian Bustard (GIB) populations are found in the
wild.
About Wildlife Conservation Society: It is a non-governmental organization headquartered in
New York, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions.
Key Points
● Firefly bird diverters are flaps installed on power lines. They work as reflectors for bird
species like the GIB. Birds can spot them from a distance of about 50 meters and
change their path of flight to avoid collision with power lines.
● Smaller birds can change their direction but for larger bird species, it is difficult because
of their body weight and other factors.
● Since great Indian bustards are heavy birds with limited frontal vision, they find it difficult
to change their course of flight swiftly even if they spot a live wire.
● The diverters are called fireflies because they look like fireflies from a distance, shining
on power lines in the night.
Background:
● According to a report by the MoEFCC, power lines (especially high-voltage transmission
lines) with multiple overhead wires, are the most important current threat for GIBs in the
Thar region, and are causing unsustainably high mortality.
● The Supreme Court of India, in a recent hearing, directed that power lines in GIB
landscapes should be placed underground.
Great Indian Bustard (GIB)
About:
● It is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
● Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps

31
Habitat:
● Bustards generally favour flat open landscapes with minimal visual obstruction and
disturbance, therefore adapt well in grasslands.
● Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Protection Status:
● International Union for Conservation of Nature status: Critically Endangered
● Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES): Appendix1
● Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1
● It is one of the species for the recovery programme under the Integrated Development of
Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change.
● The Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican have been included in
Appendix I of the UN Convention on Migratory Species at the 13th Conference of the
Parties (COP) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Gandhinagar (Gujarat).
Threats:
● Collision/electrocution with power transmission lines,
● Hunting (still prevalent in Pakistan),
● Irrigation and farming technology
● Mining
● Wind turbines and Solar farms (photovoltaic power stations)
● Plantation of exotic shrub/tree species in deserts and grasslands in the name of
afforestation

32
NEWS 15
International Relations

Shaheen-IX

Why in News
Recently China has asked India to “objectively” view the on-going month-long military exercises
taking place between the Chinese and Pakistani air forces, amid increasing tensions with India.
Key Points
● “Shaheen-IX” or Eagle-IX exercise, is an exercise between the Pakistan Air Force and the
People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
● Shaheen-IX is the ninth in the series which is conducted each year in both countries on
alternate basis.
● The first such drill was held in Pakistan in 2011.
There are other exercises between Pakistan and China too: Sea Guardians: Bilateral Naval
exercise
India China exercises:
● Hand In Hand: Bilateral Army exercise

33
NEWS 16
Science & Technology

Covid in Antarctica

Why in News
In the first instance in Antarctica 36 people at a Chilean research station in Antarctica have been
found infected with the novel coronavirus. T
About Antarctica
● Antarctica is uninhabited except for those manning the nearly 60 permanent stations
established by several countries, including India, for carrying out scientific research.
● Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent and Earth's southernmost continent and it
contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the
Southern Hemisphere.
Research Stations in the Antarctic:
Dakshin Gangotri:
● Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific research base station established in
Antarctica, as a part of the Indian Antarctic Program. Now it has weakened and become
just a supply base.
● The Indian Antarctic Programme is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional programme
under the control of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Ministry of
Earth Sciences.
Maitri:
● Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica that was built and
finished in 1989.
● It is situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis.
● India has also built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini.
Bharti:
● Bharti is India’s latest research station operation since 2012 that has been constructed
to help researchers work in safety despite the harsh weather.
● It is India’s first committed research facility and is located about 3000 km east of Maitri.

34
Other Research Facilities:
Sagar Nidhi:
● In 2008, India commissioned the Sagar Nidhi, for research.
● An ice-class vessel, it can cut through the thin ice of 40 cm depth and is the first Indian
vessel to navigate Antarctic waters.
Antarctic Treaty System
● Antarctic Treaty and related agreements are collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty
System.
● It regulates international relations with respect to Antarctica. India officially acceded to
the Antarctic Treaty System in August 1983.
● Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude.
● The Secretariat Headquarters is in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Antarctic treaty:
● It entered into force in 1961 and currently has 53 parties
● Sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve
Provisions:
● Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only.
● There will be freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation toward
that end that shall continue.
● Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely
available.
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
● National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa was established as an
autonomous research and development institution of the Ministry of Earth Sciences in
1998.
● It is responsible for the country’s research activities in the Polar and Southern Ocean
realms.
● It is the nodal agency for planning, promotion, coordination and execution of the entire
gamut of polar and southern ocean scientific research in the country as well as for the
associated logistics activities.
Its major responsibilities include:
● Management and upkeep of the Indian Antarctic Research Bases “Maitri” and “Bharati”,
and the Indian Arctic base “Himadri”.
● India launched its first scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean in 2007 and opened a
research base named “Himadri” at the Svalbard, Norway in July 2008 for carrying out
studies in disciplines like Glaciology, Atmospheric sciences & Biological sciences.

35
NEWS 17
Governance

e-Sewa Kendra

Why in News
An e-Sewa Kendra was inaugurated recently by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) at the High Court
of Tripura.
Key Points
e-Seva Kendra:
● e-Seva Kendras have been created in the High Courts and in one District Court in each
State on a pilot basis.
● They are dedicated to serve as a one-stop center for all legal aid and assistance for
common litigants and advocates.
● It enables litigants to obtain information with respect to case status and to obtain copies
of judgments and orders.
● These centers also provide assistance for the electronic application of cases.
● These Kendras represent a significant step for the common man and his right to access
to justice.
Other Technological Initiatives to Provide Legal Services:
Tele-Law:
● Tele Law Initiative was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Law and Justice in
collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Citizens can access these services over the internet at no cost through the Digital Seva
Portal.
● It is a program by the government where people can seek legal advice from lawyers
through video conferencing available at the Common Service Centers, on the ‘Tele Law’
portal – a technology-enabled platform. The legal services would be provided at the
Panchayat levels across the country through the Common Service Centers.
● Under this programme, smart technology of video conferencing, telephone/instant
calling facilities available at the vast network of Common Service Centres at the
Panchayat level are used to connect the indigent, down-trodden, vulnerable, unreached
groups and communities with the Panel Lawyers for seeking timely and valuable legal
advice.

36
e-Courts Project:
● The e-Courts project was conceptualized on the basis of the National Policy and Action
Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the
Indian Judiciary – 2005. It is a pan-India Project, monitored and funded by the
Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.
Overall objectives
● To provide efficient & time-bound citizen centric services delivery as detailed in eCourt
Project Litigant's Charter.
● To develop, install & implement decision support systems in courts.
● To automate the processes to provide transparency in accessibility of information to its
stakeholders.
● To enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, to make the justice
delivery system affordable, accessible, cost effective, predictable, reliable and
transparent.
The specific objectives of the Project include
● To make whole judicial system ICT enabled by putting in place adequate and modern
hardware and connectivity
● Automation of workflow management in all courts
● Electronic movement of records from taluka/trial to appeal courts
● Installation of video conferencing (VC) facility and recording of witness through Video
Conferencing
● Connecting all courts in the country to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) through
WAN and additional redundant connectivity
● Citizen centric facilities such as electronic filing, e-payment and use of mobile
applications in all courts
● Touch screen based kiosks in each court complex, full computerisation of State and
district level judicial and service academies and centres.

37
NEWS 18
Indian Economy

PCA Ruling on Retrospective

Why in News
Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has recently ruled that the Indian government was wrong
in applying a retrospective tax on energy giant Cairn Plc.
● The verdict has come barely three months after India lost arbitration to Vodafone Plc
over the retrospective tax legislation amendment.
Key Points
Background:
● In 2006-07, as a part of internal rearrangement, Cairn UK transferred shares of Cairn
India Holdings to Cairn India.
● The Income Tax authorities then contented that Cairn UK had made capital gains and
slapped it with a tax demand of Rs 24,500 crore.
● Owing to different interpretations of capital gains, the company refused to pay the tax,
which prompted cases being filed at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) and the
High Court.
● In 2012, Indian government’s budget retrospectively amended the tax code, giving itself
the power to go after mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals all the way back to 1962 if
the underlying asset was in India.
● In 2015, Cairn Energy Plc commenced international arbitration proceedings against the
Indian government.
PCA Ruling:
● In its ruling, the international arbitration court said that Indian government must pay
roughly Rs 8,000 crore in damages to Cairn.
● Similar to the ruling in the Vodafone arbitration case, the PCA at The Hague has once
again ruled that the Indian government’s retrospective demand was in breach of the
guarantee of fair and equitable treatment.
● Cairn Tax Issue was not just a tax-related issue but an investment-related dispute, and
therefore the issue comes under its jurisdiction.
● The Centre had failed to uphold its obligations under the UK-India Bilateral Investment
Treaty and international laws in seeking tax payments from the company for its business
reorganisation in the country.

38
India’s Stand:
● The government will study the award and all its aspects carefully in consultation with its
counsel.
● After such consultations, the government will consider all options and make a decision
on the further course of action, including legal remedies before appropriate fora.
Retrospective Taxation
● It allows a country to pass a rule on taxing certain products, items or services and deals
and charge companies from a time behind the date on which the law is passed.
● Countries use this route to correct any anomalies in their taxation policies that have, in
the past, allowed companies to take advantage of such loopholes.
● Retrospective Taxation hurts companies that had knowingly or unknowingly interpreted
the tax rules differently.
● Apart from India, many countries including the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada,
Belgium, Australia and Italy have retrospectively taxed companies.
Permanent Court of Arbitration
● It was established in 1899 and is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
● Purpose: It is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to serve the international
community in the field of dispute resolution and to facilitate arbitration and other forms
of dispute resolution between States.
● It has a three-part organizational structure consisting of:
● Administrative Council - to oversee its policies and budgets,
● Members of the Court - a panel of independent potential arbitrators, and
● International Bureau - its Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.
● Funds: It has a Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries
meet part of the costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute
settlement offered by the PCA.
Bilateral Investment Treaty
● Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are treaties between two countries aimed at
protecting investments made by investors of both countries.
● These treaties impose conditions on the regulatory behaviour of the host state and limit
interference with the rights of the foreign investor.
● There is International Centre for Settlement of Disputes (ICSID) under investor-state
dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism for dispute redressal between international
investors.

39
NEWS 19
Governance

Updating Census Registers

Why in News
Registrar General of India (RGI) has written to all State coordinators to update the census
register.
● A census is the procedure of systematically enumerating, and acquiring and recording
information about the members of a given population.
Key Points
● RGI has written to all State coordinators to update names of an area, locality, colony or a
building in the “charge register”.
● The charge register shows the distribution of work among enumerators and marks the
House Listing Blocks (HLB) to be visited by each official. HLB is a primary unit of
collection of data.
● The other details included in charge register are name, area and estimated population of
a village or a town.
Use of Charge Register:
● It is an important census document that will help enumerators to collect details during
the first phase of census house listing and housing census and National Population
Register (NPR).
● The register will also be used for the field work relating to the updating of NPR since the
same functionaries will be engaged.
Implication:
● The census exercise was suspended indefinitely owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The
communication from RGI may be an indication that the census exercise may take off in
the near future.

40
Registrar General of India
● The Census Organisation was set up on an ad-hoc basis for each Census till the 1951
Census.
● The Government of India, in 1949 established an organisation in the Ministry of Home
Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India to develop
systematic collection of statistics on the size of population, its growth, etc.
● It is responsible for arranging, conducting and analysing the results of the demographic
surveys of India including Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India.
● This organisation was made responsible for generating data on population statistics
including Vital Statistics and Census.
● Later, this office was also entrusted with the responsibility of implementation of
Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 in the country.
● The Census Act was enacted in 1948 to provide for the scheme of conducting population
census with duties and responsibilities of census officers.

Linguistic Survey of India: The primary objective of the present Linguistic Survey of India is to
present an updated linguistic scenario.
● It is conducted along with the decennial Census exercise.
● It also provides necessary inputs to the social/educational planners in respective States
for their planning to attain the envisaged goals.
● First linguistic survey of India was published by George Abraham Grierson in 1928.
● The position of Registrar is usually held by a civil servant holding the rank of Joint
Secretary.
National Population Register (NPR)
● It is a register of residents of the country with demographic and biometric details.
● Rule 2(l) of Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards)
Rules, 2003 define Population Register as - "Population Register means the register
containing details of persons usually residing in a village or rural area or town or ward or
demarcated area (demarcated by the Registrar General of Citizen Registration) within a
ward in a town or urban area;"
● The NPR is being prepared under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the
Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
● The data for the NPR was first collected in 2010 along with the house listing phase of
Census 2011.
● In 2015, this data was further updated by conducting a door-to-door survey.

41
NEWS 20
History

Goa Liberation Day

Why in News
The Prime Minister of India greeted the people of Goa on Goa Liberation Day, which falls on 19th
December every year.
Key Points
● The day marks the occasion when the Indian armed forces freed Goa in 1961 from 450
years of Portuguese rule.
● The Portuguese colonized several parts of India in 1510. However, by the end of 19th
century their colonies were limited to Daman, Dadra, Goa, Diu, Nagar Haveli.
● After India gained its independence from the Britishers in 1947, Goa was still under the
rule.
● Portuguese refused to give up Goa and other Indian territories.
● The independent India decided to launch a military intervention following an
unsuccessful negotiation and diplomatic efforts with the Portuguese.
● India had also taken the issue to United Nations. India was reluctant to put pressure over
the issue as Portugal was a member of NATO.
● In 1961, after the failure of diplomatic efforts with Portuguese, the Indian Government
launched Operation Vijay and annexed Daman and Diu and Goa with the Indian mainland
on 19th December.
● On 30th May 1987, the territory was split and Goa was formed. Daman and Diu remained
a Union Territory.
● Hence, 30th May is celebrated as the Statehood Day of Goa.
Goa
● It is located on the southwestern coast of India within the region known as the Konkan,
and geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats.
● ts capital is Panaji and the official language is Konkani (Konkani is one of the 22
languages from the Eight Schedule.It was added in the list along with Manipuri and
Nepali by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992.)
● It is surrounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with
the Arabian Sea forming its western coast.

42
Geography:
● The highest point of Goa is Sonsogor.
● Goa's seven major rivers are the Zuari, Mandovi (also called Mhadei), Terekhol, Chapora,
Galgibag, Kumbarjua canal, Talpona and the Sal.
● Most of Goa's soil cover is made up of laterites.
Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks:
● Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
● Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary
● Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary
● Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary
● Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary
● Mollem National Park

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NEWS 21
Governance

Early Health Warning System

Why in News
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is developing an Early Health Warning System which is
expected to forecast the possibility of disease outbreaks in the country.
● The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is also involved in the development studies
and the process.
Key Points
About:
● The model is being developed on the relationship between weather changes and disease
incidence.
● It is expected to predict outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria and
diarrhoea, subsequently.
● It can predict the likelihood of heat-related diseases as well as diseases such as cholera.
● It will also monitor the outbreak of non-communicable diseases.
Early Health Warning System
● According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), early warning systems are timely
surveillance systems that collect information on epidemic-prone diseases in order to
trigger prompt public health interventions.
● These systems mostly rely on an in-depth review done by epidemiologists of the data
coming in and not on application of statistical methods to detect changes in trends, or
sentinel events that requires intervention.

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Significance:
● It is expected to predict outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria and
diarrhoea. Subsequently, it is likely to monitor non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as
well.
● Such a system, when deployed, would give local authorities ample time to prepare.
● Vectors are organisms that transmit pathogens and parasites from one infected person
(or animal) to another, causing serious diseases in human populations. For example,
Chikungunya, Malaria, Dengue, Yellow fever, Lymphatic filariasis, Chagas disease, etc.
● Vector-borne diseases have direct links to weather patterns.
● NCDs are affected by weather conditions. For example, cardiovascular problems and
respiratory diseases are associated with rising heat waves and environmental pollution.
Analysis and Studies:
● To verify the robustness of the advance warning system, a detailed analysis was carried
out of malaria and diarrhoea cases in two districts of Maharashtra, Pune and Nagpur.
● While both districts have incidences of both diseases, Nagpur reports a higher number of
malaria cases while diarrhoea cases are higher in Pune.
● Temporal and spatial variability in weather parameters, for example, a short-term
increase in temperature and rainfall as an effect of El-Niño can lead to malaria
epidemics.
● An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its 2007 report mentioned that climate
change may increase the risk of diarrhoeal diseases, which is of major concern in
developing countries, with increasing incidents of floods as well as drought.

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