India to develop own certification facility for air pollution monitoring equipment - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India to develop own certification facility for air pollution monitoring equipment.

• Local certification would help bring down costs and improve the measurement of air pollution and help scrutinize it.
• Govt asks the grossly polluting industries to submit real time data to the CPCB, which then evaluates whether a firm is complying with regulatory norms.
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), one of the country’s premier research and development units, is developing India’s own certification facility for air pollution monitoring equipment. The move could boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative as NPL expects demand for such equipment to soar as part of the centre’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
At least 40,000 such machines are being used by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other government agencies, as well as private companies, to monitor air pollution levels, including both ambient and source-based emissions.

The Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS), which was introduced in India in 2014, is used to measure source-based emissions from 17 categories of grossly polluting industries in real time. These industries are required by the government to submit real time data to the CPCB, which then evaluates whether a company is complying with regulatory norms.
However, the accuracy of this data has been a concern, as many of these instruments suffer from issues of calibration and certification.
How do we know whether the data being reported is accurate or not? Most of it is generated by equipment that has been manufactured abroad and certified by international agencies, in the US and Europe under environmental conditions that do not conform to Indian weather," said Dr C. Sharma, senior principal scientist at NPL.
High humidity levels, dusty weather and temperature variations in India could impact their long-term functioning. Unlike in the US and in Europe, where most certification agencies are located, India is a tropical country and there are huge temperature variations.
“If we have confidence about our data, we will be able to suggest mitigation options. At present, we do not know how accurate it is," said Dr K. Aswal, director, NPL.
This led the government to designate NPL as the certification agency for air pollution monitoring equipment. The project awarded by the ministry of environment, forests and climate change would be executed over two years with a proposed budget outlay of nearly ₹59 crore.
Certification of PM2.5 and PM10 volume samplers has already been established at NPL. This would now be extended to CEMS.
As the demand for the equipment increases over time and industries need to compulsorily install them in their chimneys, the local certification would not only help bring down costs, but also improve the measurement of air pollution and help scrutinize it.
The project would help Indian industries to manufacture the equipment in the country and get local certification, instead procuring them from outside.
“As we do not have a certification scheme for the equipment in India, the market is dependent on products manufactured abroad. So, there has been constant demand from the industry to have our own certification process, so that time and cost is reduced. It will help the industry to develop products in the country itself and ensure competitive pricing," said Dr Sharma.
The biggest advantage would be the confidence that the data is accurate.
Government or private agencies that want to get calibration and certification done for these equipment can do so from NPL. The process is not yet mandatory, but could be made a regulatory requirement to ensure compliance by private industries. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India to develop own certification facility for air pollution monitoring equipment.

How is a Supreme Court judge to be probed? - Pragnya IAS Academy - News analysis.

How is a Supreme Court judge to be probed?.

What is the mechanism in place to examine allegations of misconduct against members of the higher judiciary?.

The allegations made by a former Supreme Court employee against the Chief Justice of India have brought the focus on the mechanism that exists to examine charges of misconduct against members of the higher judiciary. What exactly is the procedure involved and how was it devised?

How are allegations of misconduct against judges of High Courts and the Supreme Court dealt with?
Allegations of misconduct against serving judges of the superior judiciary, that is, the various high courts and the Supreme Court, are dealt with through an ‘in-house procedure’. Most complaints may pertain to judicial conduct, and may be at the behest of parties aggrieved by the outcome of their cases. However, some may concern the personal conduct of judges. Two purposes are served by the adoption of an internal procedure to deal with such complaints: when the allegations are examined by the judge’s peers, outside agencies are kept out, and the independence of the judiciary is maintained. Second, awareness about the existence of a mechanism to examine such complaints will preserve the faith of the people in the impartiality and independence of the judicial process. The in-house procedure envisages that false and frivolous allegations can be rejected at an early stage and only those that are not baseless, and may require a deeper probe, are taken up for inquiry.
What is the origin of the ‘in-house’ procedure?
The idea of self-regulation as a method by which allegations of misconduct against judges can be approached came up first in a 1995 case concerning the then Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. The Chief Justice resigned amidst an uproar caused by reports that he had been paid unjustifiably high amounts by a publisher. In a case relating to this allegation, the Supreme Court outlined the procedure that may be adopted in such situations. Until then, misconduct on the part of superior court judges was perceived as something that only Parliament could deal with through the procedure for removal of judges given in the Constitution. However, the court made a distinction between ‘impeachable behaviour’ and bad behaviour. Later, in 1997, when Justice J.S. Verma took over as Chief Justice of India, he took up the issue. He circulated a document titled ‘Restatement of Values of Judicial Life’, a guide containing the essential elements of ideal behaviour for judges so that their independence and impartiality are beyond reproach. The Full Court passed a resolution that an ‘in-house procedure’ would be adopted for action against judges for acts of commission or omission that go against accepted values of judicial life.
When was the in-house procedure adopted?
A five-judge committee was formed to devise the procedure. The report of the committee was adopted by a resolution of the Full Court on December 15, 1999. This procedure has been adhered to since then. However, the in-house procedure was not in the public domain for many years. In 2014, a Supreme Court Bench directed the court’s registry to make the in-house procedure public for the sake of transparency. The court was then dealing with a serious allegation made by a woman district and sessions court judge that she faced harassment from a sitting judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
How does the in-house procedure work? What are the various steps?
When a complaint is received against a High Court judge, the Chief Justice concerned has to examine it. If it is frivolous or concerns a judicial matter, she may just file the complaint and inform the Chief Justice of India. If she considers it serious, she should get a response from the judge concerned. If she is satisfied with the response and feels no further action is required, she may close the matter and keep the CJI informed. However, if the CJI feels a deeper probe is needed, she should send the complaint as well as the judge’s response to the CJI, with her own comments, for further action.
The procedure is the same if the CJI receives the complaint directly. The comments of the high court Chief Justice, the judge concerned and the complaint would be considered by the CJI. If a deeper probe is required, a three-member committee, comprising two Chief Justices from other High Courts and one High Court judge, has to be formed. The committee will hold a fact-finding inquiry at which the judge concerned would be entitled to appear. It is not a formal judicial proceeding and does not involve lawyers or examination or cross-examination of witnesses.
If the charge is against a high court Chief Justice, the same procedure of getting the person’s response is followed by the CJI. If a deeper probe is deemed necessary, a three-member committee comprising a Supreme Court judge and two Chief Justices of other High Courts will be formed.
If the charge is against a Supreme Court judge, the committee would comprise three Supreme Court judges. There is no separate provision in the in-house procedure to deal with complaints against the CJI.
What are the possible outcomes from the inquiry committee?
If it finds that there is substance in the allegations, the committee can either hold that the misconduct is serious enough to warrant removal from office, or that it is not so serious as to warrant removal. In the former case, it will call for initiation of proceedings to remove the judge. The judge concerned would be advised to resign or take voluntary retirement. If the judge is unwilling to quit, the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned would be advised to withdraw judicial work from him, and the President of India and the Prime Minister would be informed of the situation. Such an action may clear the way for Parliament to begin the political process for impeachment. In case, the committee finds substance in the allegation, but it is not grave enough to warrant removal from office, the judge concerned would be advised accordingly, and the committee’s report will be placed on record. (Source: The Hindu)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

How is a Supreme Court judge to be probed?.

China removes BRI map that showed Arunachal & J&K part of India - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

China removes BRI map that showed Arunachal & J&K part of India.

China on Saturday removed map from website of Belt and Road Initiative (BR) Forum which had shown entire Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of India and India as part of BRI.
As the second edition of Belt and Road Initiative Summit got underway in Beijing this Thursday, ET had reported on Friday that China displayed a map with BRI routes that curiously showed entire Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of India.
The map also surprisingly portrayed India as part of BRI even when India boycotted the summit for the second time. The map was displayed by China’s ministry of commerce on the occasion of three-day BRI Summit. At the Summit the Chinese President made attempts to address concerns expressed by India over BRI.
Inclusion of entire J&K and Arunachal Pradesh as part of India is not only a surprise but also self-contradictory, given the fact that China recently destroyed thousands of maps which showed Arunachal as part of India. China regularly protests visits by top Indian leadership to Arunachal Pradesh, described as “Southern Tibet” in Chinese government parlance.
Previous maps of J&K issued by China showed part of the state under Pakistan, what is Pak Occupied Kashmir. Sources here indicated that such faux pas, if at all, is a rare occurrence in China’s official publications and websites. Experts on Sino-Indian affairs are trying to ascertain if it is a deliberate tactical move by China to placate India.
Last November, China's state-run media (CGTN television) excluded Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) from the map of Pakistan. A map of Pakistan excluding PoK was displayed by China's state-run television while reporting terror attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi.
Excluding PoK from the Pakistan map can also have implications for China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor (CPEC). India has strong reservations on CPEC as it is passing through PoK that violates India’s sovereignty. CPEC is the most important connectivity link under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China has invested heavily in infrastructure projects in PoK even before BRI was launched, much to India's discomfiture. India had served several protest letters, both in Beijing as well as Islamabad, about Chinese funded projects in PoK. China had reportedly posted troops in PoK, a move that was sharply criticised by India.
Besides Chinese investments in PoK, Sino-Indian ties was adversely impacted by China offering stapled visas to residents to Jammu and Kashmir a few years back and hosting Hurriyat leaders. Beijing has been emphasising of late that India and Pakistan should address the Kashmir issue bilaterally.(Source: defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

China removes BRI map that showed Arunachal & J&K part of India.

USTR places India on 'Priority Watch List' for IP rights violations. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

USTR places India on 'Priority Watch List' for IP rights violations.

• The US said that these countries will be the subject of increased bilateral engagement with the USTR to address IP concerns.
• USTR will review the developments against the benchmarks established in the Special 301 action plans.
The US on Thursday placed India on its 'Priority Watch List' alleging lack of "sufficient measurable improvements" to its Intellectual Property (IP) framework on long-standing and new challenges that have negatively affected American right holders over the past year.

"Over the past year, India took steps to address intellectual property challenges and promote IP protection and enforcement. However, many of the actions have not yet translated into concrete benefits for innovators and creators, and long-standing deficiencies persist. India remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP," an official US report said.
The US Trade Representatives (USTR) in its report identified 11 countries, including India, in its 'Priority Watch List'. China, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela are among others. It has also placed 25 countries, including Pakistan and Turkey, on the Watch List.
In the report, the US said that these countries will be the subject of increased bilateral engagement with the USTR to address IP concerns.(Source: Livemint)

The above Article can also be read using the link below:

USTR places India on 'Priority Watch List' for IP rights violations.

RBI extends ombudsman scheme to non-deposit taking NBFCs. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

RBI extends ombudsman scheme to non-deposit taking NBFCs.

• It will help provide expeditious complaint redressal mechanism to customers.
• The ombudsman scheme was earlier operationalized for deposit-accepting NBFCs.

For expeditious redressal of complaints against deficiency in services concerning loans and other matters, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today extended the coverage of ombudsman scheme to non-deposit taking non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) having asset size of ₹100 crore or higher. It will help provide a cost-free and expeditious complaint redressal mechanism relating to deficiency in the services by NBFCs covered under the scheme.
The ombudsman scheme was earlier operationalized for deposit-accepting NBFCs. Now, it has been extended to include some other categories of NBFCs.
The non banking financial company-infrastructure finance company (NBFC-IFC), core investment company (CIC), infrastructure debt fund-non-banking financial company (IDF-NBFC) and an NBFC under liquidation, are excluded from the ambit of the Scheme.
The scheme also provides for an Appellate mechanism under which the complainant / NBFC has the option to appeal against the decision of the Ombudsman before the appellate authority. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

RBI extends ombudsman scheme to non-deposit taking NBFCs.

SC directs RBI to disclose information on bank inspection reports under RTI - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

SC directs RBI to disclose information on bank inspection reports under RTI.

• The Supreme Court directed the RBI to review its policy to disclose information relating to banks under RTI, saying "it is duty bound under the law"
• The court said any further violation would invite contempt of court proceedings against the RBI
The Supreme Court on Friday said that the Reserve Bank of India was “duty bound" to disclose its annual inspection reports of banks along with the list of defaulters under the Right to Information (RTI) Act unless they are exempted under law.

A bench comprising Justices L Nageshwara Rao and M.R. Shah also directed RBI to withdraw its non-disclosure policy which is in violation to an order passed by Supreme Court in 2015 which had directed the central bank to disclose information under the provisions of RTI.
The RBI has been give 'one last opportunity' to comply with the orders. The SC said any further violation would invite contempt of court proceedings against the RBI.
RTI activists Girish Mittal and Subhash Chandra Agrawal had moved the top court for contempt action against the RBI for not complying with the apex court's direction to disclose information under the RTI Act.
In December 2015, the petitioner under the RTI Act had sought certain information, which included copies of inspection reports of ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and State Bank of India from April 2011 to December 2015.
However, the central bank denied disclosure of information saying such information was exempted under Section 8(1)(e) of the RTI Act and Section 45NB of the Reserve Bank of India Act.
The top court then said the central bank cannot deny information to an information seeker under the transparency law unless the material is exempted from disclosure under the law. The RBI had defended its position by stating that it cannot disclose information as the annual inspection report of the bank contained "fiduciary" information. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

SC directs RBI to disclose information on bank inspection reports under RTI.

Universe’s first molecule detected in space - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Universe’s first molecule detected in space.

Helium hydride ion, the first molecule that formed almost 14 billion years ago, was detected by NASA's flying observatory SOFIA towards a planetary nebula.

Scientists have detected the most ancient type of molecule in our universe in space for the first time ever.
Helium hydride ion (HeH+) was the first molecule that formed when, almost 14 billion years ago, falling temperatures in the young universe allowed recombination of the light elements produced in the Big Bang.

At that time, ionised hydrogen and neutral helium atoms reacted to form HeH+, said researchers from The Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Germany.
Despite its importance in the history of the early Universe, HeH+ has so far escaped detection in astrophysical nebulae — cloud of gas and dust in outer space.
Operating the GREAT far-infrared spectrometer onboard the flying observatory SOFIA, an international team reported unambiguous detection of the molecule towards the planetary nebula NGC 7027.
During the dawn of chemistry when the temperature in the young universe had fallen below 4000 Kelvin, the ions of the light elements (hydrogen, helium, deuterium and traces of lithium) produced in Big Bang nucleosynthesis recombined in reverse order of their ionisation potential.
Helium combined first with free electrons to form the first ever neutral atom, according to the study published in the journal Nature.
At that time hydrogen was still ionised or present in form of bare protons. Helium atoms combined with these protons into the helium hydride ion HeH+, the universe’s first molecular bond.
As recombination progressed, HeH+ reacted with then neutral hydrogen and created a first path to the formation of molecular hydrogen — marking the beginning of the modern universe.
Despite its unquestioned importance in the history of the early Universe, the HeH+ molecule has so far escaped detection in interstellar space, researchers said.
Studied in the laboratory as long ago as 1925, dedicated searches during the last decades have been unsuccessful, thereby challenging our understanding of the underlying chemical networks, they said.
“The chemistry of the universe began with HeH+. The lack of definitive evidence of its very existence in interstellar space has been a dilemma for astronomy for a long time,” said Rolf Gusten from the MPIfR.
In the late 1970s, astro-chemical models suggested the possibility that HeH+ might exist at detectable abundances in local astrophysical nebulae, and would be most easily observed in so-called planetary nebula, ejected by Sun-like stars in the last stage of their lifetime.
The hard radiation field produced by the central white dwarf star with a temperature of more than 100,000 degrees drives ionisation fronts into the ejected envelope, where HeH+ is predicted to form.
The molecule will emit its strongest spectral line at a characteristic wavelength of 0.149 mm.
However, Earth’s atmosphere is opaque at this wavelength for ground-based observatories, requiring this search to be performed from space or a high-flying observatory like SOFIA cruising above the absorbing layers of the lower atmosphere.
“With recent advancements in terahertz technologies it has now become possible to perform high-resolution spectroscopy at the required far-infrared wavelength,” said Mr. Gusten.
Operating the GREAT spectrometer aboard SOFIA the team now reports the unequivocal detection of HeH+ towards the envelope of the planetary nebula NGC 7027.
“The discovery of HeH+ is a dramatic and beautiful demonstration of nature’s tendency to form molecules,” said David Neufeld from the Johns Hopkins University in the US.
“Despite the unpromising ingredients that are available, a mixture of hydrogen with the unreactive noble gas helium, and a harsh environment at thousands of degrees Celsius, a fragile molecule forms,” Mr. Neufeld said.
“Remarkably, this phenomenon can not only be observed by astronomers but also understood using theoretical models that we have developed,” he said.
The detection of this special molecule brings a long search to a happy ending, and eliminates doubts that we might not understand the underlying formation and destruction as well as we thought, researchers said. (Source: The Hindu)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Universe’s first molecule detected in space.

India suspends cross-LoC trade with Pakistan - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India suspends cross-LoC trade with Pakistan.

India has suspended the trade across the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan from Friday after probe agencies found the route was being "misused" by elements from the neighbouring country to smuggle illegal weapons, drugs and fake currency, a government order said Thursday.

It said a stricter regulatory and enforcement mechanism is being worked and the issue of the reopening the trade routes will be revisited once they are implemented.

The Union Home Ministry order stated that it has been "decided by the Government of India to suspend the LoC trade at Salamabad and Chakkan-da-Bagh in Jammu and Kashmir".
It said the action was taken on the basis of reports that the trade routes were being "misused by the Pakistan-based elements for funnelling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency, among others."
The LoC trade, at present, is conducted through two trade facilitation centres located at Salamabad in Uri of Baramulla district, and Chakkan-da-Bagh in Poonch district.
This trade takes place four days a week and is based on barter system and zero-duty.
The measure has been taken in the backdrop of the Pulwama terror attack following which India stepped up its military and strategic offensive against Pakistan and also withdrew the most favoured nation (MFN) from its neighbour.
"Meanwhile, a stricter regulatory and enforcement mechanism is being worked out and will be put in place in consultation with various agencies. The issue of reopening of LoC trade will be revisited thereafter," the government said in the statement. (Source: defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India suspends cross-LoC trade with Pakistan.

Out of 180 countries, India's rank on 2019 World Press Freedom index slips to 140 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Out of 180 countries, India's rank on 2019 World Press Freedom index slips to 140.

As compared to the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, India has slipped down two spots on the annual report compiled by Reporters Without Borders.

India has slipped down two spots on the 2019 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). An annual report, the index is an indicator of how hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence in countries across the world. In its report, RSF has asserted that authoritarian regimes in different parts of the globe continue to tighten their grip on the media which has led to an environment of fear.

India made its debut on this index in 2013 at 140 out of 180 countries. The rankings gradually improved, reaching 136 in 2017. However, the ranking has since slipped back to 140 in the 2019 index. The report claims that violence against journalists, including police violence, attacks by Maoist fighters and retaliation by corrupt politicians and criminal outfits is the current state of press freedom in India.
Six Indian journalists were reportedly killed in the year 2018 owing to their work. Clarity has been sought over the death of a seventh journalist who died in the line of duty. RSF further clarified that the report highlights dangers faced by scribes, especially the ones working for regional media outlets in rural areas of the country. "Attacks against journalists by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased in the run-up to general elections in the spring of 2019," said the report in addition to stating that foreign journalists are barred from Kashmir where internet shutdowns occur almost daily.
In addition, the report also asserts that female journalists in India are targeted on social media through the means of coordinated hate campaigns and even receive threats of rape and murder. Journalists who criticise the authorities are often threatened with criminal prosecution and even gagged with Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders said, "If the political debate slides surreptitiously or openly towards a civil war-style atmosphere, in which journalists are treated as scapegoats, then democracy is in great danger."
However, the report did not mention a landmark decision taken by Indian courts to award life imprisonment to Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan for the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The accused is the head of a religious sect which claims to have 60 million followers worldwide. He was serving a 20-year life term for raping two of his female disciples. (Source: timesnow)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Out of 180 countries, India's rank on 2019 World Press Freedom index slips to 140.

Does IMD forecast signal monsoon acing El Nino in 2019? - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Does IMD forecast signal monsoon acing El Nino in 2019?.

It last happened in 1997, when despite one of the strongest El Ninos the monsoon ended 2% above normal.

IMD has forecast a “near normal” monsoon this year while also indicating that a weak El Nino is likely to persist through the rainy season. If both forecasts hold true, it would be only the second time in nearly 50 years that India will have a normal monsoon in an El Nino year.
There have been nine El Nino years since 1970, and only once has the Indian summer monsoon remained unscathed from its influence. That was in 1997, when despite one of the strongest El Ninos, the monsoon ended 2% above normal.
In the other eight instances, the June-September rains in India were hit irrespective of El Nino’s strength — weak, moderate or strong — indicating a strong link between the weather anomaly in the Pacific and monsoon’s performance in India.
El Nino is an abnormal warming of ocean waters in east and central equatorial Pacific that drives changes in wind currents which, in turn, have weather impact around the world.
Apart from 1997, other instances of good monsoons during El Nino years are all from the 1950s and 60s. “There are two years when the monsoon was normal or above normal during a weak El Nino, 1953 and 1969. This year’s El Nino is also predicted to be weak,” said D Sivananda Pai, IMD’s lead monsoon forcaster. The monsoon also defied El Nino in 1957 and 1963, IMD records show.
However, the link between El Nino and poor monsoon appears to have strengthened in recent decades. All four El Ninos since year 2000 have adversely impacted rainfall in India. This includes a weak episode in 2004, which led to a drought year with the monsoon ending at 14% below normal.
In recent years, just a warming in the Pacific, which didn’t result in an El Nino, is believed to have impacted the monsoon in 2012 and 2014. However, every El Nino is unique with its own peculiarities. How it plays out, and whether large-scale features that depress the monsoon actually develop, remains to be seen. (Source: The Economic Times)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Does IMD forecast signal monsoon acing El Nino in 2019?.

Earth's surface heating up, Nasa study confirms - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Earth's surface heating up, Nasa study confirms.

Satellite measurements by Nasa researchers have verified the ground-based data which shows the Earth's surface has been warming globally over the past 15 years.

The team used measurements of the 'skin' temperature of the Earth taken by a satellite-based infrared measurement system called AIRS (Atmospheric Infra-Red Sounder) from 2003 to 2017.

The researchers compared these with station-based analyses of surface air temperature anomalies -- principally the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP).
The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found a high level of consistency between the two datasets over the past 15 years.
"AIRS data complement GISTEMP because they are at a higher spatial resolution than GISTEMP, and have more complete global coverage," said Joel Susskind, from Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center in the US.
"Both data sets demonstrate the Earth's surface has been warming globally over this period, and that 2016, 2017, and 2015 have been the warmest years in the instrumental record, in that order," Susskind said in a statement.
"This is important because of the intense interest in the detail of how estimates of global and regional temperature change are constructed from surface temperature data, and how known imperfections in the raw data are handled," he said.
AIRS data reflects skin temperature at the surface of the ocean, land and snow/ice covered regions.
Surface-based data are a blend of two metre surface air data anomalies over land, and bulk sea surface temperature anomalies in the ocean.
To compare the two, the researchers constructed monthly grid point climatologies for each calendar month and for each set of data, by averaging the monthly values over 2003 to 2017.
"Interestingly, our findings revealed that the surface-based data sets may be underestimating the temperature changes in the Arctic," said Gavin Schmidt, from Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
"This means the warming taking place at the poles may be happening more quickly than previously thought," Schmidt said. (Source: The economic times)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Earth's surface heating up, Nasa study confirms.

Third Planet Discovered In The Kepler-47 Circumbinary System - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Third Planet Discovered In The Kepler-47 Circumbinary System.

Using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, a team of researchers, led by astronomers at San Diego State University, detected the new Neptune-to-Saturn-size planet orbiting between two previously known planets.

With its three planets orbiting two suns, Kepler-47 is the only known multi-planet circumbinary system. Circumbinary planets are those that orbit two stars.

The planets in the Kepler-47 system were detected via the "transit method." If the orbital plane of the planet is aligned edge-on as seen from Earth, the planet can pass in front of the host stars, leading to a measurable decrease in the observed brightness. The new planet, dubbed Kepler-47d, was not detected earlier due to weak transit signals.
As is common with circumbinary planets, the alignment of the orbital planes of the planets change with time. In this case, the middle planet's orbit has become more aligned, leading to a stronger transit signal. The transit depth went from undetectable at the beginning of the Kepler Mission to the deepest of the three planets over the span of just four years.
The SDSU researchers were surprised by both the size and location of the new planet. Kepler-47d is the largest of the three planets in the Kepler-47 system.
"We saw a hint of a third planet back in 2012, but with only one transit we needed more data to be sure," said SDSU astronomer Jerome Orosz, the paper's lead author. "With an additional transit, the planet's orbital period could be determined, and we were then able to uncover more transits that were hidden in the noise in the earlier data."
William Welsh, SDSU astronomer and the study's co-author, said he and Orosz expected any additional planets in the Kepler-47 system to be orbiting exterior to the previously known planets. "We certainly didn't expect it to be the largest planet in the system. This was almost shocking," said Welsh. Their research was recently published in the Astronomical Journal.
With the discovery of the new planet, a much better understanding of the system is possible. For example, researchers now know the planets in this circumbinary system are very low density - less than that of Saturn, the Solar System planet with the lowest density.
While a low density is not that unusual for the sizzling hot-Jupiter type exoplanets, it is rare for mild-temperature planets. Kepler-47d's equilibrium temperature is roughly 50 o F (10 o C), while Kepler-47c is 26 o F (32 o C). The innermost planet, which is the smallest circumbinary planet known, is a much hotter 336 o F (169 o C).
The inner, middle, and outer planets are 3.1, 7.0, and 4.7 times the size of the Earth, and take 49, 187, and 303 days, respectively, to orbit around their suns. The stars themselves orbit each other in only 7.45 days; one star is similar to the Sun, while the other has a third of the mass of the Sun. The entire system is compact and would fit inside the orbit of the Earth. It is approximately 3340 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Cygnus.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Third Planet Discovered In The Kepler-47 Circumbinary System.

Cabinet approves Continuation of Phase 4 of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves Continuation of Phase 4 of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved ongoing GSLV continuation programme Phase-4 consisting of five GSLV flights during the period 2021-2024.

The GSLV Programme - Phase 4 will enable the launch of 2 tonne class of satellites for Geo-imaging, Navigation, Data Relay Communication and Space Sciences.

Financial implications:
The total fund requirement is Rs. 2729.13 Crores and includes the cost of five GSLV vehicles, essential facility augmentation, Programme Management, and Launch Campaign along with the additional funds required for meeting the scope of the ongoing GSLV Continuation Programme.
Benefits:
The GSLV Continuation Programme - Phase 4 will meet the launch requirement of satellites for providing critical Satellite Navigation Services, Data Relay Communication for supporting the Indian Human spaceflight programme and the next interplanetary mission to Mars. This will also ensure the continuity of production in Indian industry.
Implementation Strategy and targets:
The GSLV Continuation Programme - Phase 4 will meet the demand for the launch of satellites at a frequency up to two launches per year, with maximal participation by the Indian industry. All the operational flights would be completed during the period 2021-24.
Major impact:
The operationalization of GSLV has made the country self-reliant in the launching capability of 2 tonne class of satellites for communication & meteorological satellites. The GSLV Continuation Programme will sustain & strengthen the capability and self-reliance in the launching of similar satellites for national requirements including next generation navigation satellites, data relay communication satellites and interplanetary missions.
Background:
GSLV has enabled independent access to space for 2 tonne class of satellites to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). One of the very significant outcomes of the GSLV Continuation Programme is the mastering of the highly complex cryogenic propulsion technology, which is an essential technological capability to launch communication satellites to GTO. This has also paved the way for the development of a high thrust Cryogenic engine & stage for the next generation launch vehicle i.e. GSLV Mk-lll.
With the recent successful launch of GSLV-F11 on 19th December 2018, GSLV has successfully orbited 10 national satellites. GSLV with the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage has established itself as a reliable launch vehicle for communication, navigation and meteorological satellites and also to undertake future interplanetary missions.
GSLV Continuation Programme was initially sanctioned in 2003, and two phases have been completed and the third phase is in progress and expected to be completed by Q4 of 2020-21. (Source: pib)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Cabinet approves Continuation of Phase 4 of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)

What is Nirbhay missile? All you want to know about India’s indigenous 1,000-km nuclear-capable missile - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

What is Nirbhay missile? All you want to know about India’s indigenous 1,000-km nuclear-capable missile.

Another Made in India nuclear boost! Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recently successfully test fired the Nirbhay missile from Integrated Test Range (ITR) on Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha’s Chandipur coast.

This was the sixth test for the Nirbhay missile. The missile successfully met all the mission objectives. According to DRDO, the Nirbhay missile also showcased its sea-skimming capability to cruise at very low altitudes. The successful test of the nuclear-capable cruise missile adds much-needed strike and deterrance power to India’s defence preparedness.

The missile took off vertically and subsequently turned horizontal into the desired direction. Its booster got separated, wing was deployed, the engine started and cruised all the intended waypoints. The first test of the Nirbhay missile was conducted in 2013.
What is India’s Nirbhay missile?
Made in India nuclear power! Nirbhay is an indigenously designed and developed long range sub-sonic cruise missile. It is a nuclear-capable cruise missile and can carry warheads of up to 300 kg. With this test, India has also sent a stern message to Pakistan and China as the Nirbhay missile is capable of targetting any object within 1,000 km range. The Nirbhay missile is capable of loitering and cruising at 0.7 Mach at an altitude as low as 100 metres. It covered the designated target range in 42 minutes and 23 seconds, PTI reported quoting DRDO sources.
The two-stage missile is 0.52 metre wide and 6 metre long. It has a wing span of 2.7 metre. The Nirbhay missile can carry warheads at a speed of 0.6 to 0.7 Mach. During the launch time, its launch weight was around 1500 kg.
The state-of-the-art Nirbhay missile can eventually be deployed from multiple platforms – sea, land, aircraft and underwater. The latest test was conducted from the land. DRDO is also planning to develop ship, aircraft and submarine-launched version of this cruise missile. Su-30 MKI fighter planes will be equipped with such missiles once they are ready. DRDO wants to increase Nirbhay’s range to 1,500 km.(Source: defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

What is Nirbhay missile? All you want to know about India’s indigenous 1,000-km nuclear-capable missile.

How govts can generate good, stable jobs - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How govts can generate good, stable jobs.

• A new study highlights that collaboration between the state and companies is key to resolving the jobs crisis
• The study argues that the global shortfall in good jobs is a massive failure of the capitalist market economy
The lack of good jobs is one of the most significant issues affecting societies globally. A combination of technological and economic forces, such as globalization, automation and the gradual decline of public sector jobs, is causing social unrest in developing and developed countries alike.

A new paper by Dani Rodrik of the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy and Charles Sabel from the Columbia Law School highlights the underlying causes of the global jobs crisis while offering policy solutions to generate better quality jobs.
The authors emphasize that new technological trends, such as automation, the knowledge economy and digital technologies, remain concentrated in a limited number of sectors and metropolitan centres. New technology is also generating fewer good jobs.
The authors define a good job as stable formal-sector employment that enables at least a middle-class lifestyle by a region’s standards.
They also establish how good jobs can go a long way in redressing social unrest and, therefore, have benefits beyond economics.
The authors argue that the global shortfall in good jobs is a massive failure of the capitalist market economy that needs to be redressed through a strategic collaboration between the private sector and the state aided by enabling legislation and regulation. For instance, providing support services and subsidies to some firms could help bridge the gap between their current low-productivity performance and allow them to participate in more technologically advanced sectors. Finally, the authors describe the importance of political will in establishing a good jobs strategy.
This, the authors suggest, would require a departure from existing employment policies which have focused on transfers and redistribution of wealth.
Instead, the authors argue that governments should work with the private sector to build a clear growth strategy that generates the jobs the world needs. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below"

How govts can generate good, stable jobs.

CMFRI, ISRO sign MoU for mapping smaller wetlands - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

CMFRI, ISRO sign MoU for mapping smaller wetlands.

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have joined together to map, validate and protect smaller wetlands in coastal region aimed at restoring them through coastal livelihood programmes.

An MoU has been signed between the CMFRI and the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the ISRO to develop a mobile app and a centralised web portal with a complete database of wetlands that are smaller than 2.25 hectares in the country.
Such smaller wetlands cover an area of more than five lakh hectares across the country, with Kerala having as many as 2592 smaller wetlands. The two scientific institutes aim to identify and demarcate wetlands, and restore the degraded wetlands through suitable livelihood options like coastal aquaculture. The app will be used for real-time monitoring of the wetlands and giving advisories to stakeholders and coastal people.
The collaborative move is part of a national framework for fisheries and wetlands recently developed by the national innovations in climate resilient agriculture (NICRA) project of CMFRI. The NICRA project aims to find ways and means to mitigate the impact of climate change in marine fisheries and coastal region..
Dr P U Zacharia, principal scientist and principal investigator, NICRA project of CMFRI said the real-time data of demarcated coastal wetlands would greatly help developing a conservation plan for degraded wetlands in the region besides utilising these resources for livelihood prospects such as shrimp and crab farming in the area. “Smaller wetlands across the country are highly in neglected state owing to multiple reasons.
Climate variability induced rainfall drastically changes the physio-chemical characteristics of such wetlands which was evidently seen during the last year’s devastating flood in Kerala. The collaborative initiative will help develop a comprehensive wetland information system which could facilitate the village level wetland advisories to the local people by scientific communities”, he said. (Source: The Economic Times)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

CMFRI, ISRO sign MoU for mapping smaller wetlands.

Is India on course to be a NATO ally? - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Is India on course to be a NATO ally?.

A week after the World War II-era North Atlantic Treaty Organisation celebrated its 70th anniversary, US lawmakers led a bipartisan attempt to elevate India as a NATO ally, reintroducing key legislation in the House of Representatives.

The Bill will have to first pass the House and Senate, before the President gives the final go-ahead. However, if enacted, the legislation will ensure that the US State Department treats India as a non-member NATO ally for the purposes of the Arms Export Control Act.
Here’s what happened :
A group of half a dozen influential Republican and Democratic Representatives came together in a bid to advance the US-India strategic relationship, a news report said Friday.
The original co-sponsors of the legislation are Congressman Ami Bera, the longest-serving Indian-American in the US Congress, along with the House India Caucus Co-Chairs, Congressmen George Holding and Brad Sherman. Congressman Ted Yoho and Congresswoman with a 2020 running ticket Tulsi Gabbard were also among its sponsors.
On Monday, April 8, the Bill HR 123 was introduced by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, who is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It seeks to send a powerful signal that defence sales to India should be prioritised, as per the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, which has worked on this important legislation.
This comes a few days after a US House Armed Services Committee hearing, where Assistant Defence Secretary Randall Schriver deemed India’s decision to purchase the Russian S-400 air defence system as “an unfortunate decision”.
Schriver added, “We are very keen to see them (India) make an alternative choice… we’re working with them to provide potential alternatives.” The S-400 has become a thorn in the US’s relation with seven-decades-old NATO ally Turkey as well, as Ankara is openly defying US wishes on the Russian-made weapons purchase.

India-US defence relations :
India already enjoys a special status as a Major Defence Partner to the US, by virtue of the National Defence Authorisation of 2017. The proposed legislation follows the NDAA, which, when taken together, would reflect the long way that India-US relations have come since the Cold War.
The first step came in the form of the nuclear trade agreement signed in 2008, following which India finally shed the negative image it had garnered for its defence trade with the erstwhile USSR and now Russia. The countries even entered into a new nuclear deal last month, which will see India developing, stocking, and trading in civil as well as military nuclear technology in no time.
Today, New Delhi is one of the top buyers of US military hardware and a major partner of the US in Asia, often getting more preference and support than Pakistan, the US’s traditional all-weather ally in the region.
Where India fits in NATO’s scheme of things While NATO’s raison d’être shifted radically after the fall of the USSR, its future was never as seriously questioned as it has been since the arrival of US President Donald Trump, who has called the alliance “obsolete”, casting the future of US involvement in the group into doubt.
He has also complained about the bulk of NATO’s budget being funded by the US, resulting in a landmark resolution to withdraw the US from the organisation, put to a vote that lost 357-22.
Meanwhile, the alliance itself has grown—from 12 countries in 1949 to 29 members in 2019—with approximately 20,000 military personnel deployed across the world at present.
NATO’s defence commitments overseas have evolved from fighting Communism to Islamist extremism, with its paws in conflicts like Kosovo, Afghanistan, Mediterranean waters and Iraq, especially after 9/11. But with talks of demilitarisation of Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan on the table, NATO is quite possibly eyeing bigger fish.
The unprecedented challenges now facing NATO, and global security at large, include a shifting balance of global power, artificial intelligence and innovations in cyberspace that aid terrorism.
In his rousing address to Congress on the eve of the treaty’s 70th anniversary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called out Russia’s military aggression, its overt and covert activities that Donald Trump downplays.
“We see a pattern of Russian behaviour, including a massive military build-up from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and from the Black Sea to the Baltic; the use of a military-grade nerve agent in the United Kingdom; support for Assad’s murderous regime in Syria; consistent cyber-attacks on NATO Allies and partners, targeting everything from parliaments to power grids; sophisticated disinformation campaigns; and attempts to interfere in democracy itself,” he said on April 3. Tensions with Russia are definitely returning to Cold War-era levels, Al Jazeera corroborates.
At such a critical and uncertain juncture, Stoltenberg said, “It’s good to have friends.”
How does this benefit us?
As opposed to member nations who have to fork out a part of its gross national income to fund NATO, major non-NATO allies (MNNAs) are only involved in strategic working partnerships with NATO countries, not in a mutual defence pact with the US. This would enable India access a lot of military and financial advantages otherwise not available to non-members.
The designation would make India eligible for entry into cooperative research and development projects with the Department of Defense (DoD) on a shared-cost basis, participation in certain counter-terrorism initiatives, purchase of depleted uranium anti-tank rounds, priority delivery of ships and military rations, and possession of War Reserve Stocks of DoD-owned equipment that are kept outside of American military bases.
India will also be able to take equipment and research material for development projects as loans, use American financing for the purchase or lease of certain defence equipment, and receive expedited export processing of space technology.
It is also significant that the US in 2017 downgraded regional rival Pakistan’s status as an MNNA, citing the harbouring of Osama bin Laden and financing of terror, besides suspending $1.66 bn worth of military aid. As China ramps up its alliance with Pakistan, having the perks of a NATO ally can help advance India’s national security and defence commitments.
“India is the world’s largest democracy, a pillar of stability in the region, and has shown strong commitments to export control policies,” a PTI report from Washington quoted Joe Wilson as saying.
“This adjustment to US law will further allow the US-India partnership to flourish in line with our security commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. I am grateful for the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, led by Mukesh Aghi, and their support for this legislation,” he said, introducing the Bill on Monday. (Source: defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Is India on course to be a NATO ally?.

First ever images of black hole: How this landmark achievement came about - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

First ever images of black hole: How this landmark achievement came about.

Apart from the basic science insights EHT has already produced, the technologies and algorithms developed for this research are likely to find many other applications

The release of the first ever images of a black hole on April 10, marked the culmination of an enormous collaborative effort that lasted several years. It involved a pool of 200-odd scientists spread across 13 different institutions, and drawn from multiple disciplines. In some ways, the most impressive contributions came from the mathematicians and computer scientists who patched data together to create the images.

This was a very impressive feat. The black hole in question is 55 million light years away and occupies less volume of space than the solar system. “Zooming” in on it required a telescope powerful enough to read a newspaper on a Paris newsstand, while sitting in New York. A single telescope that powerful (capable of capturing a 20 microsecond-arc of a circle) would be about the size of the Earth itself.
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) actually consists of eight different radio-telescopes spread across four continents, including Antarctica. This method of putting together data from different telescopes to create a single image is called Very Long Baseline Interferometry. The data was synchronised using atomic clocks. Even VLBI could not produce complete images for an object that small and distant. It was like a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing. and very clever algorithms were required to fill in missing details.
The measurements derived by EHT tell us that the target, the black hole at the centre of the Virgo A Galaxy (also known as M87 and NGC486) is a “supermassive” black hole. It has a mass some 6.5 billion times that of the sun and a radius of about 40 million km, which is about the distance from the sun to Neptune. This is the black disc in the centre of the image. The event horizon – the orange ring around the black disc – is caused by superhot matter, travelling at great speed.
When a star runs out of fuel for its nuclear reactions, the matter within collapses and is tightly packed together. It may become a black hole, which is a very massive, dense object that doesn’t allow even light to escape from its gravitational pull. It is literally, invisible. As black holes swallow more matter, they become more massive. The region just beyond where the gravitational pull becomes too strong for light to escape is called the “Event Horizon”.
Black holes were predicted by the General Theory of Relativity postulated by Albert Einstein in 1915 Think of space as a trampoline, with the stars like heavy balls rolling on it. The trampoline will bend near the balls, creating “gravity wells”, which attract other objects. Gravity warps space and time the same way. A very massive object creates a gravity well that’s impossible to escape.
Various scientists have made other predictions about black holes. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar calculated the minimum size of a star that could become a black hole. Other predictions about black hole radiation and conservation of information, have been made by Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose.
Black holes are detected by inference when astronomers observe the movements of stars attracted by them. The LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) was the first to directly detect black holes, identifying black hole mergers, via disturbance in gravitational waves in 2016. This was in itself, validation of the General Theory of Relativity.The EHT shows that the event horizon matches closely with Einstein’s predictions, which is yet another validation.
In April 2017, after long preparation, the EHT array of radio-telescopes collected data for a week on two specific supermassive black holes. They captured carefully-synchronised measurements of radio waves at a frequency of 1.03 mm. These data were then stitched together, and the missing bits inferred, to create the image.
This very challenging task took two years. Four different teams of computer scientists started to develop the requisite algorithms and putting together the hardware back in 2015. There was over 5,000 terabytes (5 billion megabytes) of data. The data had to be transported in special hard disks from those telescopes to the computer centres.
Creating the images meant synchronising the data, and filling in blanks through algorithms running on super computers. Four different teams working independently helped ensure that possible biases were eliminated in image processing.
Dr Katie Bouman of MIT’s Haystack Institute explains, “We didn’t know what a black hole looked like. So we used commonly available images to build algorithms. It’s like asking forensic artists around the world to draw a face from the same description. If you get similar faces, you know that you have eliminated bias.“
The EHT also captured data from Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole at the centre of our own galaxy. The data was more blurred since this is closer and “moves” more relative to Earth. It has not yet been deciphered. The EHT is not only processing that data; it is adding more telescopes to the array. It will probe black holes in two different frequencies at the next stage.
This will add more information, which should give more insights into how black holes behave. Apart from the basic science insights EHT has already produced, the technologies and the algorithms developed for this research are likely to find many other applications. (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

First ever images of black hole: How this landmark achievement came about.

Political parties must disclose details of donations received through electoral bonds to EC: Supreme Court - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Political parties must disclose details of donations received through electoral bonds to EC: Supreme Court.

• 'The electoral bonds have tremendous baring to the electoral sanctity of India', Chief Justice Gogoi said
• EC had openly voiced out that it shall support the electoral bond scheme provided the donor's name is revealed
The Supreme court on Friday issued an interim order directing all political parties to disclose to the Election Commission details of donations received through electoral bonds till 15 May.
Names and details of donors also need to be disclosed. All the information has to be provided to the Election Commission by 31 May.

Supreme court also directed the finance ministry to make amendments with respect to the extra five days provided in the months of April and May for issuance of electoral bonds by the State Bank of India. The law allows only a 50-day spread in the months of January, April, July and October during which the bonds can be bought.
"Electoral bonds have tremendous baring to the electoral sanctity of India," Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.
Critics of the electoral bond scheme have contended that since the donor’s name is not known, any shell company can make a donation.
Attorney General K K Venugopal had submitted before the court that a know-your-customer or KYC procedure is carried before issuance of these bonds. The Supreme Court bench had made an observation yesterday that the KYC just verified the donor, not the source of money from which donations are made.
The Election Commission has stated it will support the electoral bond scheme if the donor's name is revealed.
The petition against the electoral bonds was filed by the NGO, Association of Democratic Reforms, through lawyer Prashant Bhushan. He has argued against amendments to various laws made in order to pave a smooth path for the implementation of the scheme. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Political parties must disclose details of donations received through electoral bonds to EC: Supreme Court.

India’s population grew at 1.2 % average annual rate between 2010 and 2019: UN report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India’s population grew at 1.2 % average annual rate between 2010 and 2019: UN report.

India’s population in 2019 stood at 1.36 billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and 541.5 million in 1969.

India’s population grew at an average annual rate of 1.2 per cent between 2010 and 2019 to 1.36 billion, more than double the annual growth rate of China, according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund.

India’s population in 2019 stood at 1.36 billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and 541.5 million in 1969.
India’s population grew at average annual rate of 1.2 per cent between 2010 and 2019, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency said in the State of World Population 2019 report.
In comparison, China’s population stood at 1.42 billion in 2019, growing from 1.23 billion in 1994 and 803.6 million in 1969.
According to the report, in India, total fertility rate per woman was 5.6 in 1969, dropping to 3.7 in 1994 and 2.3 in 2019.
India recorded an improvement in life expectancy at birth. The life expectancy at birth in 1969 was 47 years, growing to 60 years in 1994 and 69 years in 2019.
Giving a snapshot of India’s population composition in 2019, the report said 27 % of the country’s population was in the age bracket of 0-14 years and 10-24 years each, while 67 % of the country’s population was in the 15-64 age bracket.
Six per cent of the country’s population was of the age 65 and above.
Indicative of the improvement in the quality of India’s health care system, the report noted that Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the country dropped from 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994 to 174 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015.
The findings, relating to women aged between 15-49 years, were published for the first time as part of United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFP) State of World Population 2019 report.
The report includes, for the first time, data on women’s ability to make decisions over three key areas: sexual intercourse with their partner, contraception use and health care.
According to the analysis, the absence of reproductive and sexual rights has a major and negative repercussions on women’s education, income and safety, leaving them “unable to shape their own futures“.
Early marriage continues to present a major cultural obstacle to female empowerment and better reproductive rights, the UNFPA report said.
Despite these concerns, the UNFPA report highlights that “untold millions” have enjoyed healthier and more productive lives in the 50 years since the agency was founded, thanks to pressure from civil society and governments to dramatically reduce unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths.
Highlighting positive changes in the last half-century, the report shows that in 1969, the average number of births per woman was 4.8, compared with 2.9 in 1994, and 2.5 today.
Looking ahead to future challenges, the UN agency highlights the threat to women’s and girls’ reproductive rights posed by emergencies caused by conflict or climate disasters.
About 35 million women, girls and young people will need life-saving sexual and reproductive health services this year, as well as services to address gender-based violence, in humanitarian settings, it warns. (Source: The Hindu)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India’s population grew at 1.2 % average annual rate between 2010 and 2019: UN report.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launches on first commercial flight - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launches on first commercial flight.

The massive booster carried a Saudi telecommunications s A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying the Arabsat 6A communications satellite, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 11, 2019.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket successfully lifted off Thursday, marking the towering booster’s second flight and its first commercial launch. This was also the first time that all three of the rocket's reusable boosters returned safely to Earth.
The Falcon Heavy roared into space at 6:35 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The massive booster carried into orbit a 13,000-pound Saudi telecommunications satellite designed to provide television, internet and mobile phone service to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The 230-foot-tall rocket weighs more than 3.1 million pounds and is made up of three reusable boosters based on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has been ferrying cargo to the International Space Station since 2012.
Less than 10 minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s two side boosters maneuvered back to Earth and nailed simultaneous, side-by-side landings on pads at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For the first time, the company also successfully landed the center core booster on a robotic drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida.
Flight engineers at SpaceX's mission control center in Hawthorne, California, erupted in loud cheers after it was confirmed that all three boosters returned safely.
The Falcon Heavy is designed to loft into low-Earth orbit up to 140,000 pounds — more than any American rocket has been able to carry since NASA’s Saturn V, which took Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and ‘70s.
The Falcon Heavy made its maiden flight on Feb. 6, 2018.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launches on first commercial flight.

U.S. Infrared Satellite Data Could Settle The Debate Over Pakistan-India Dogfight - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

U.S. Infrared Satellite Data Could Settle The Debate Over Pakistan-India Dogfight.

America's constellation of panoptic infrared early warning satellites is known for providing the Pentagon with the first indication that a ballistic missile launch has occurred and where to cue the attention of other sensors so that the missile can be tracked, classified, and even potentially intercepted. Yet America's huge investment in orbital early warning platforms, which dates back to the 1960s, has also resulted in a secondary function for these systems—picking up much more than just large rocket and ballistic missile launches. These ancillary events can include the launch of smaller missiles, like surface-to-air and even air-to-air types, artillery barrages, large detonations on the ground... and exploding aircraft.

The limited air battle between India and Pakistan that occurred over Kashmir on February 28, 2019, is one of the most hotly contested military events we have seen in a long time. Misinformation flowed like a waterfall in the hours, days, and weeks following the shoot-down of the Indian MiG-21 Bison by a Pakistani fighter, with allegations of systemic deception at the highest levels of government being flung with reckless abandon across both sides of Line Of Control. In fact, it continues to this very day with no sign of abating.
We have covered the story in extreme depth and tried to separate myth from reality and knowns from unknowns as much as possible in an attempt to bring an objective and well-versed viewpoint to the alarmingly murky and spiteful debate. But even a month and a half after the aerial engagement happened, what exactly occurred during it remains unclear.
India says their MiG-21 pilot that got shot down also shot down a fighter of his own—a Pakistani F-16—moments before his aircraft was struck. Meanwhile, Pakistan claims they lost no aircraft during the engagement and reports attributed to undisclosed sources state that all of its F-16s are accounted for.
So, when it comes to the air-to-air side of hostilities, we are left with one crucial question that has tensions boiling between the two long-time foes—was a Pakistani fighter shot down or not? India has produced some far from conclusive "radar data" that they say shows the F-16 being shot down. It also provides general positioning information of the aircraft involved and especially of the MiG-21 in relation to the F-16 that New Delhi says was shot down by its MiG pilot.
But with just a few screenshots to go by of said radar data and with Pakistan unwilling to provide any additional info of their own, the two sides seem locked in an informational stalemate of sorts, where one narrative is constantly pitted against the other without end.
The thing is that the Pentagon very likely possesses sensor data that can unequivocally prove one story right and the other wrong. That aforementioned infrared early warning constellation includes Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) and Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites—the former being the more modern and advanced of the two. You can and should read all about these fascinating satellites and their origins in this past feature of mine.
It is all but certain that portions of America's space-based infrared early warning system staring down on the India-Pakistan area as the air battle unfolded. With the two countries possessing enough nuclear warheads to cause significant harm to the globe—many of which would be deployed via ballistic missile—the region is something of a "must monitor" for Department of Defense. This is especially true considering a nearly unprecedented bombing raid into Pakistani territory occurred just a day before the air engagement in question and a full-out war between the bitter foes could have been right around the corner.
As we mentioned earlier, these satellites not only have a strategic function, they also have a tactical one in that they have the ability to detect non-ballistic missile launches and other infrared events. In fact, there is an entire Air Force unit tasked with squeezing out secondary surveillance products from these spacecraft that constantly stare at the earther's surface. And they see a lot. In 2014, over 8,000 separate infrared events were detected and cataloged, the next year was even busier.
So, it is probable that any missile launches that occurred that day, whether it was an AIM-120 AMRAAM from the Pakistani F-16 or the R-73 from the Indian MiG-21, could have been detected, geolocated, and catalogized. But it is even less challenging for the satellites to detect a missile exploding in mid-air and causing the aircraft it showers with shrapnel to erupt into a massive fireball.
This is not conjecture. The downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over Eastern Ukraine was picked up by SBIRS, as was the SA-11's missile launch that doomed that Boeing 777. The bombing of Metrojet Flight 9268 over the Sanai Peninsula was also detected by SBIRS. So, are we to believe that a fighter loaded with weapons and fuel, flying over what could be an imminent flashpoint of war between two nuclear powers, had a missile blow it out of the sky and it wasn't detected?
Highly unlikely, to say the least.
That data could totally validate or invalidate the radar surveillance data India has presented, including correlating the locations of the MiG and F-16 with the geolocations and timing of the infrared events detected.
So why isn't the U.S. setting the record straight assuming it has this information? Geopolitically there is a long list of reasons for the U.S. not to inject itself into a conflict between two nuclear-armed powers with different levels of complex relations with Washington D.C. In addition, the Pentagon has never been all that talkative about the secondary uses for its space-based infrared early warning network and detecting terrestrial infrared events is just one of its potentially secondary applications. Leveraging this information in real time could have huge advantages during a conflict, so it seems to only be talked about when it is absolutely necessary—like the shoot down of MH17, an event that Russia was accused of having a direct hand in.
So, there you have it. As the brutal information war on the internet rages on between the two estranged neighbors, keep in mind that the U.S. could most likely settle the debate once and for all with data it has had since the moment the engagement occurred. And this is just one intelligence product among many that the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community can pull from to make an accurate analysis of what went on that day. But as of yet, nobody with the power to do so is willing to offer up such definitive information to put the issue to rest.
It's possible that unless that changes, we may never truly know exactly what went on in the chaotic skies over Kashmir on that fateful day. (Source:defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

U.S. Infrared Satellite Data Could Settle The Debate Over Pakistan-India Dogfight.

India's core inflation rate is easing, but RBI may not yet lower its guard - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India's core inflation rate is easing, but RBI may not yet lower its guard.

• A relatively stubborn core inflation has stopped RBI from giving full support to growth impulses.
• That RBI has lowered its retail inflation forecast shows it expects core inflation to remain stable.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is clearly in an accommodative phase with two consecutive policy rate cuts. What stops the central bank, though, from giving full support to growth impulses through a change in its stance is core inflation.
Core inflation renders the sharp drop in headline retail inflation less appealing. While headline retail inflation has dropped 1.85 percentage points in the last one year, core inflation has remained stable.

In its latest monetary policy report, the central bank offers an explanation for the stubbornness of core inflation. Using statistical analysis, it noted that the impact of a positive shock to the output gap has a stronger and faster push to core inflation than the headline figure.
In other words, as economic activity picks up, the pressure on core inflation is more than overall inflation, and quicker too.
The accompanying chart from the report shows how both core and headline inflation respond to a 100-basis-point shock to the output gap. What the chart also shows is that the effect also wanes faster on core inflation than on headline inflation. This, perhaps, explains the deceleration in core inflation in the last six-eight months.
Shubhada Rao, chief economist at Yes Bank Ltd, notes that core inflation has eased sharply in the last six-eight months. “Given the momentum and the evidence of the last few months, it would seem that core inflation is trending towards the headline inflation and not the other way around," she said.
The outlook for corporate earnings suggests that pricing power has yet to come back in a strong way in both manufacturing and services. The central bank’s study says that core inflation would surge if pricing power increases more than proportionally with the strengthening of economic activity. “The results suggest the need for monetary policy to be vigilant in times of large positive output gaps," said the RBI monetary policy report.
Therefore, RBI may be reluctant to drop its vigilance over core inflation, but it has lowered its headline inflation forecast again this time. This suggests that the central bank expects core inflation to remain stable.
Moreover, the output gap is a tricky concept. It is the difference between the actual output of an economy and the potential output it could have generated at full capacity. The Indian economy’s potential growth rate has been contested for long, and the central bank has not indicated a clear position on this. (Source:Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India's core inflation rate is easing, but RBI may not yet lower its guard.

NIRF 2019 ranking: IIT Madras tops in overall category; 6 DU colleges in top 10 colleges list - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

NIRF 2019 ranking: IIT Madras tops in overall category; 6 DU colleges in top 10 colleges list.

IIT Madras has topped the overall category in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) rankings and has also become the number one institution in the first edition of Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA).

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has released the 2019 rankings of higher educational institutions across the country. IIT Madras has topped the overall category in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) rankings and has also become the number one institution in the first edition of Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA).
Meanwhile, in the overall category, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has dropped down to the number one position to the second rank in the overall category. IIT Delhi, however, stands at 3rd place. A total of seven IITs are placed in the Top 10 overall category.
Delhi University's (DU) Miranda House has topped the list of colleges across the country. This year, DU colleges have performed better in the MHRD rankings with six of them being placed in the list of Top 10 colleges. Last year, only five DU colleges were placed in the top 10 category.
As per the rankings released by the ministry, Miranda House has retained its first position for the third consecutive year. Meanwhile, Hindu College has moved up to second position and St. Stephens, which was earlier placed at 2nd position, has dropped down 2 ranks to be at the 4th place. The other three colleges are Lady Shri Ram College for Women at 5th rank, Shri Ram College of Commerce (7) and Hans Raj College (9).
In the list of top universities across the country, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, stands at first place followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at second place. JNU is the only university from Delhi to have been placed in the Top 10 Universities' list across the country.
Additionally, in the category of top engineering institutions across the country, a total of eight IITs are placed in the top 10 category. The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has topped the list in the engineering category followed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. The two other institutes apart from the eight IITs in the top 10 engineering category are Anna University (Chennai) at 9th rank and National Institute of Technology (Tiruchirappalli) at the 10th rank. (Source: The Business Today)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

NIRF 2019 ranking: IIT Madras tops in overall category; 6 DU colleges in top 10 colleges list.

UK Government releases new proposals to regulate internet safety in Online Harms White Paper - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

UK Government releases new proposals to regulate internet safety in Online Harms White Paper.

The Home Office and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) released today the Online Harms White Paper proposing a new social media duty of care which would be interpreted and enforced by a new regulatory body. Under the new proposals social media, search and other companies allowing users to share or discover user-generated content, or to interact with each other online, will be legally required to take steps to protect their users and will face tough penalties for non-compliance.

After much speculation and anticipation, DCMS’s Online Harms White Paper has been published today. The Paper proposes fundamental changes to the UK online regulatory environment. Headline items include a new statutory duty of care for online platforms and services, a new regulatory framework to protect internet users, and an independent regulator with wide-ranging enforcement powers. There is a 12 week consultation period ending on 1 July 2019.
A new statutory duty of care and regulatory framework
A new statutory duty of care and regulatory framework
The White Paper introduces a new statutory duty of care to make companies take reasonable steps to keep users safe and tackle illegal and harmful content or activity on their services. Online harms range from illegal activity and content, such as terrorism, child sexual exploitation and abuse and inciting or assisting suicide, to behaviours that may not be illegal but are nonetheless may damage to individuals or, to use the government’s phrase, “threaten our way of life in the UK”, such as the spread of disinformation and fake news.
The regulatory framework will apply to companies that allow users to share or discover user-generated content or interact with each other online. The regulation will therefore apply to a wide range of companies of all sizes; including the giants we are all familiar with such as Facebook and Twitter but also file hosting sites, public discussion forums such as The StudentRoom or Mumsnet, messaging services including SnapChat and search engines. The scope may also be wide enough to cover online games. Companies will be forced to publish annual transparency reports on the amount of harmful content on their platforms and what they are doing to address this. The Paper emphasises that the regulator should take a risk-based and proportionate approach to dealing with this wide range of companies.
A new independent regulator
Compliance with this mandatory duty of care will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator. It is unclear at this stage whether the Government envisages a new regulator or an existing one handed new powers. Rumours are that Ofcom may be involved, but what is clear is that it will be funded by industry in the medium term. The regulator is to produce a “code of best practice” which companies falling in scope must adhere to. The Paper includes some suggestions, for example the spread of fake news could be tackled by forcing social networks to employ fact checkers and promote legitimate news sources. When it comes to particularly sensitive online harms, such as national security and the safety of children, the codes will be developed in conjunction with the Home Office, which will have the power to issue directions to the Regulator.
The regulator is to be armed with a suite of powers to take effective enforcement action, which will include imposing fines on companies and even directors in breach of the statutory duty, publishing notices naming and shaming those that break the rules. Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has indicated that fines available to the Information Commissioner around the GDPR rules, which could be up to 4% of a company’s turnover, may be comparable here. The Government is also consulting on additional enforcement powers to be used as a last resort, such as disrupting business activities (e.g. by preventing search results or links to companies that are in breach) and requiring ISPs to block persistent offenders.
Immediate Reaction to the White Paper and Consultation now open
The White Paper has received a mixed reaction. On the one hand it has been criticised for inciting internet censorship and hindering freedom of speech. Others view it as a necessary and welcomed instrument given the proliferation of illegal and unacceptable content online that threatens democracy, national security and the safety of internet users.
The new regime has ignited many questions that remain unanswered. The Government is now consulting on some aspects of its proposals, although it appears committed to its basic proposed regime. It has set itself the somewhat paradoxical goal to make the UK both the safest place in the world online but yet the best to start a digital business. It hopes to promote a UK industry of tech-safety companies.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

UK Government releases new proposals to regulate internet safety in Online Harms White Paper.