Why is the government merging India’s statistics bodies? - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Why is the government merging India’s statistics bodies?.

• NSSO and CSO are to be merged into what will be known as NSO
• The order puts the merged entity under Mospi secretary
The ministry of statistics and programme implementation (Mospi) passed an order on 23 May to merge the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) into the National Statistical Office (NSO). Mint analyses what led to the decision.

When was a revamp of the statistical system first proposed?
In 2000, a committee headed by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor C. Rangarajan suggested the establishment of NSO as the nodal body for all core statistical activities. It would have worked under the National Statistical Commission (NSC), which was to be answerable to Parliament, not the government. The intent was to clean up collection, calculation and dissemination of data. NSC was set up in June 2005, but didn’t have a statutory role. It was given supervisory powers over one arm of the statistical system, NSSO. The idea of an NSO that would include NSSO and CSO was not effected.
What is the row over India’s growth numbers and data systems?
The Narendra Modi government has been accused of fudging growth numbers and tinkering with jobs data that would have shown it in poor light. Numbers are sacrosanct and international organizations rely on them to arrive at their own estimates for a country’s growth trajectory and economic potential. These estimates help them make decisions related to investments and trade. The last straw came in January when two NSC members resigned because they felt NSSO was delaying the release of a jobs report at the behest of Mospi, though NSC had cleared it.
What does Mospi’s 23 May order say?
The order says NSSO and CSO are to be merged into what will be known as NSO. The Mospi secretary would head NSO and three director generals would assist him.
What does the order indicate?
The order makes no mention of NSC, reinforcing the long-held belief that the government was undermining it. The merger of CSO and NSSO—an entity separate from Mospi—will take away the latter’s autonomy. The order seems to suggest NSC’s independent oversight mechanism will no longer exist and makes no mention of that. The order clearly puts the merged entity under Mospi secretary, raising questions about the independence of the process through which official survey data is collected and published.
What are observers and the government saying about the revamp?
Some observers call it a bid to junk NSC and say this is in reaction to the resignations at NSC earlier this year that embarrassed the government. Another view is that NSC will come back in a different avatar, perhaps backed by a law, as was envisaged by the Rangarajan panel. This would make it a more effective body. Mospi said the new framework would streamline and bolster its present nodal functions and bring in more synergy by integrating its administrative functions within the ministry. (Source: Livemint)


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Why is the government merging India’s statistics bodies?.

Childhood marriage and teenage pregnancy on decline in India: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Childhood marriage and teenage pregnancy on decline in India: Report.

• India has strived to bring down the number of married girls in the age group of 15-19 years by 51% in the last 19 years
• The report also highlights that even today child marriage prevalence is higher in rural areas
In welcome news, India has been gradually improving its performance in preventing child marriage and related health indicators, the Global Childhood Report 2019 released by UK-based NGO Save the Children on Wednesday revealed.
According to the report, India has strived to bring down the number of married girls in the age group of 15-19 years by 51% in the last 19 years. The report said the country's average performance across a set of indicators related to child health has also improved.

The country’s score on Childhood Index is up 137 points at 769 from 632, with teenage births having declined 63% since 2000, and 75% since 1990. The index score reflects the average level of performance across a set of eight indicators related to child health, education, labour, marriage, childbirth and violence.
"This reduction has resulted in over 2 million fewer teen births in India now compared to 2000 (3.5 million v/s 1.4 million), meaning progress in India alone accounts for nearly three-quarters of the global reduction in adolescent births during this period," the report said. "Had rates remained unchanged, there would be 9 million more married girls in India today."
The report, however, highlighted that even today child marriage prevalence is higher in rural areas when compared with urban areas, with figures at 14.1% and 6.9% for rural and urban areas, respectively, for the 15-19 years age group.
"Much remains to be done to reach the most deprived children who tend to be the furthest behind and are always the hardest to reach. Development policies and programmes formulated for children must ensure that there is special focus on children belonging to the vulnerable social groups, households in poverty, and children staying in states performing low on development indicators," the report said.
A comparison of End of Childhood Index scores, that evaluates 176 countries on children's access to health care, education, nutrition and protection from 'childhood enders' like child labour and child marriage, found the overall situation for children has improved in 173 countries since 2000. (Source: Livemint)


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Childhood marriage and teenage pregnancy on decline in India: Report.

Most competitive economy: India moves up to 43rd place; Singapore reaches top - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Most competitive economy: India moves up to 43rd place; Singapore reaches top.

India has scored well on several economic parameters and tax policies but has lagged in terms of public finance, societal framework, education infrastructure, health and environment

India has moved up one place to rank as the world's 43rd most competitive economy on the back of its robust economic growth, a large labour force and its huge market size, while Singapore has toppled the US to grab the top position, a global study showed Tuesday. Singapore has moved up to the top, from the third position last year, while the US has slipped to the third place in the 2019 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings. Hong Kong SAR has held onto its second place, helped by a benign tax and business policy environment and access to business finance.

Economists regard competitiveness as vital for the long-term health of a country's economy as it empowers businesses to achieve sustainable growth, generates jobs and, ultimately, enhance the welfare of citizens. The IMD World Competitiveness Rankings, established in 1989, incorporate 235 indicators from each of the 63 ranked economies to evaluate their ability to foster an environment where enterprises can achieve sustainable growth, generate jobs and increase welfare for its citizens.
The IMD Business School said it takes into account a wide range of statistics such as unemployment, GDP and government spending on health and education, as well as data from an executive opinion survey covering topics such as social cohesion, globalisation and corruption. The study said the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a global beacon with 11 out of 14 economies either improving or holding their ground. India's ranking has improved by one place in past one year to 43rd, driven by a robust rate of growth in real GDP, improvements in business legislation and an increase in public expenditure on education.
India was ranked 45th in 2017, but higher at 41st in 2016. The IMD study said the challenges before India remain maintaining high growth with employment generation, digital literacy and internet bandwidth in rural areas, managing fiscal discipline, as also issues related to the implementation of Goods and Services Tax and resource mobilisation for infrastructure development.
In the 2019 rankings, India has scored well on several economic parameters and tax policies but has lagged in terms of public finance, societal framework, education infrastructure, health and environment. In the top-five, Switzerland has climbed to fourth place from fifth, helped by economic growth, the stability of the Swiss franc and high-quality infrastructure. The Alpine economy ranked top for university and management education, health services and quality of life.
for the first time. The effects of rising fuel prices influenced the ranking, with inflation reducing competitiveness in some countries. Stronger trade revenues helped oil and gas producers such as this year's biggest climber Saudi Arabia, which jumped 13 places to 26th, and Qatar, which entered the top 10 for the first time since 2013.
Venezuela remained anchored to the bottom of the ranking, hit by inflation, poor access to credit and a weak economy. "In a year of high uncertainty in global markets due to rapid changes in the international political landscape as well as trade relations, the quality of institutions seem to be the unifying element for increasing prosperity," said Arturo Bris, IMD Professor and Director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, which compiles the ranking.
"A strong institutional framework provides the stability for business to invest and innovate, ensuring a higher quality of life for citizens," Bris said. About the US slipping from the top position, the study said the initial boost to confidence from President Donald Trump's first wave of tax policies appears to have faded in the United States. "While still setting the pace globally for levels of infrastructure and economic performance, the competitiveness of the world's biggest economy was hit by higher fuel prices, weaker hi-tech exports and fluctuations in the value of the dollar," it added.


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Most competitive economy: India moves up to 43rd place; Singapore reaches top.

5 outcomes of RBI’s proposed liquidity norms for non-bank lenders - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

5 outcomes of RBI’s proposed liquidity norms for non-bank lenders.

• Non-bank lenders with good balance sheets are the best buyers the government can seek
• The proposed rules that mandate non-bank lenders to keep liquidity coverage ratio would shave off some margin
Crisis is the mother of prudential norms. The liquidity crisis that non-bank lenders faced in September has given Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reasons enough to propose stricter rules for them. Enter a bunch of liquidity norms that is aimed at fortifying the balance sheets of non-bank lenders. Here are five important implications of the rules:

Making the bad boys be good
To start with, large non-bank lenders already have in place a disciplined liquidity management because they realise its importance. Therefore, the regulator has just made the good habits of strong lenders into industry standard. That way, non-bank lenders that didn’t bother with discipline would have to get their house in order now. It is easy to find these companies because they are mainly the ones that were worst affected by liquidity crunch in September.
But the flip side is that non-bank lenders will see their spreads narrow at least a bit.
No ease of borrowing
The proposed rules that mandate non-bank lenders to keep liquidity coverage ratio would shave off some margin. Since non-banks will have to keep high quality liquidity assets (HQLA) either in cash or government bonds, their interest earnings will reduce to that extent. Lenders with high gap between assets and liabilities would be affected more, according to global brokerage firm Jefferies India Pvt Ltd. But the price of safety is anyway cheaper than that of accidents and non-banks only need to look at the liquidity crisis of September to know.
One more buyer for government bonds
This is perhaps the best outcome of these proposed rules for non-banks. RBI has successfully created another set of captive investors of government bonds. The sovereign bond market needs a larger set of investors to add more depth to it. Non-bank lenders with good balance sheets are the best buyers the government can seek.
More time to get in line
To its credit, the regulator has given enough time to non-bank lenders to maintain liquidity coverage ratio just like it gave banks to do so. Non-bank lenders will have four years starting April 2020 to shore up liquidity coverage ratio to 100% gradually. That said, the impact on earnings cannot be muted.
No place to hide
RBI has asked for more disclosures on liquidity position from non-bank lenders. The regulator has also indicated it would supervise non-banks more closely. This has been the main demand of investors as more information is always helpful in dispelling worries.(Source: Livemint)


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5 outcomes of RBI’s proposed liquidity norms for non-bank lenders.

Best Civil services Coaching Institutes in Hyderabad, Best IAS Coaching Institutes in Hyderabad - Pragnya IAS Academy

PLANNING YOUR PREPARATION

Though the exam demands hard work from the aspirant, it should be “intelligent hard work”. Through the current times, hard work seems to be not just sufficient. It has to be supported by a good planning, a lot of selective reading and thorough feedback to yourselves about your preparation.

The most important aspect of the whole preparation is to plan it. Without planning, how much ever you read, how much hard work you invest, they might not be directed towards the goal and it all ends up getting wasted. Most of the hard working people don’t realize this and they fail in the attempt. Others can only see their hard work and feel things are unfair to them. It might not be so all the time!

Plan your preparation. You will always know the date of the examination well before hand. So you know how much time you have with you. You need to then know what your speed is. Unless you know how much time you take to go through a certain topic, it is not possible for you to know whether you can complete all things you want to complete before the exam. We know this speed can vary from subject to subject, but all we want to convey is for you to know your speed. Invest time to observe yourself and come up with some speed numbers for yourself.

Weak El Nino likely to shadow south-west monsoon till August: WMO - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Weak El Nino likely to shadow south-west monsoon till August: WMO.

• El Nino is linked to below normal rainfall and droughts during south-west monsoon in India
• The IMD, too in its April forecast had indicated that weak El Nino conditions could impact the monsoon during the first half

As the development of the southwest monsoon remains sluggish over the Andaman Sea, a latest update by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reaffirmed that weak El Nino conditions would persist during June to August, the initial period of monsoon season.
A naturally occurring phenomenon, El Nino has a major influence on weather and climate patterns over many parts of the world and is linked to below normal rainfall and droughts during south-west monsoon in India.
The global organization stated on Monday that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean have been at borderline to weak El Niño levels in April and early May and are predicted to remain close to current levels through the June-August period, which includes three of the four months of the monsoon rainfall.
The conditions may ease during September-November and El Nino could further reduce its intensity or even turn neutral. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), too in its April forecast had indicated that weak El Nino conditions could impact the monsoon during the first half.
“The situation regarding El Nino has not changed much. It remains weak, as we predicted in April. We could see some impact in the first half of monsoon," said Dr D S Pai, senior scientist, IMD.
Meanwhile, the south-west monsoon which reached the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 18 has not been able to make significant advancement, due to unfavorable cross-equatorial flow. According to IMD, it would further be able to advance into some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, Andaman Islands and north Andaman Sea during May 29-30.
“Monsoon is weak, it is not organizing. After reaching Andaman Sea, it got weakened, so it needs some support. If mid-latitude activity is strong, then slowly it would begin to strengthen and we would be able to see some progress," said Dr Pai.
The rainfall during the four month monsoon period is extremely crucial for the agrarian economy of the country, as it irrigates half of India’s crop land. Over 75% of the annual rainfall is received during this period.
WMO has however assuaged concerns over the potentially serious impact of El Nino stating that a strong El Nino appears unlikely. "Even if ocean conditions do remain at El Niño levels for the next several months, the chance for a strong event (sea surface temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific rising to at least 1.5°C above average) during this period is low," stated WMO.
2016 became the warmest year on record because of a powerful El Niño in 2015-2016 combined with long-term climate change. Climate change has increased air and sea surface temperatures and also ocean heat.
Even though El Nino would begin to weaken after September, the development of its opposing phase, called La Niña is extremely unlikely, said WMO in its latest update released on Monday.
The monsoon is likely to make a delayed onset over the Kerala coast on June 6, as per IMD.(Source: Livemint)

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Weak El Nino likely to shadow south-west monsoon till August: WMO.

Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha makes it to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha makes it to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Archaeological Survey of India had sent a proposal to the UNESCO on April 15, 2019 to include the sites in its list

The architectural heritage of Orchha town in Madhya Pradesh which depict peculiar style of the Bundela dynasty have been included in UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites following a proposal sent by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the U.N. body.

The ASI had sent a proposal to the UNESCO on April 15, 2019 to include the sites in its list, an ASI official told PTI.
According to the rules, to be a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, the heritage or any historical site first has to be on the tentative list. After it makes to the tentative list, another proposal is sent to the UNESCO, the official said.
The ASI in its earlier proposal had requested to include Orchha in the list of cultural heritage.
Orchha is situated on the banks of the Betwa river. It is located around 80 km away from Tikamgarh district in Madhya Pradesh and 15 km from Jhansi of Uttar Pradesh. Orchha was built by king Rudra Pratap Singh of Bundela dynasty in the 16th century. The ancient town is famous for its Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha fort complex, Raja Mahal among others.
The Bundela architecture has Mughal influence since the two dynasties were very close. The famous King of Bundela dynasty Veer Singh Dev was a close friend of Mughal emperor Jahangir and fought wars as Akbar’s aid.
Orchha is also famous for its two elevated minaret called Saavan and Bhadon and its four palaces — Jahangir Palace, Raj Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Rai Praveen Mahal — and for its concept of open bungalows, stone work windows, animal statues depicting the culture of Bundelkhand.
It is the only place in India where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king with a dedicated temple in his name called Sri Ram Raja Mandir.(Source: The Hindu)


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Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha makes it to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha makes it to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha makes it to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Archaeological Survey of India had sent a proposal to the UNESCO on April 15, 2019 to include the sites in its list

The architectural heritage of Orchha town in Madhya Pradesh which depict peculiar style of the Bundela dynasty have been included in UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites following a proposal sent by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the U.N. body.

The ASI had sent a proposal to the UNESCO on April 15, 2019 to include the sites in its list, an ASI official told PTI.
According to the rules, to be a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, the heritage or any historical site first has to be on the tentative list. After it makes to the tentative list, another proposal is sent to the UNESCO, the official said.
The ASI in its earlier proposal had requested to include Orchha in the list of cultural heritage.
Orchha is situated on the banks of the Betwa river. It is located around 80 km away from Tikamgarh district in Madhya Pradesh and 15 km from Jhansi of Uttar Pradesh. Orchha was built by king Rudra Pratap Singh of Bundela dynasty in the 16th century. The ancient town is famous for its Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha fort complex, Raja Mahal among others.
The Bundela architecture has Mughal influence since the two dynasties were very close. The famous King of Bundela dynasty Veer Singh Dev was a close friend of Mughal emperor Jahangir and fought wars as Akbar’s aid.
Orchha is also famous for its two elevated minaret called Saavan and Bhadon and its four palaces — Jahangir Palace, Raj Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Rai Praveen Mahal — and for its concept of open bungalows, stone work windows, animal statues depicting the culture of Bundelkhand.
It is the only place in India where Lord Ram is worshipped as a king with a dedicated temple in his name called Sri Ram Raja Mandir.(Source: The Hindu)


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Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha makes it to tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Chandrayaan-2 launch to take place between July 9-16: ISRO - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Chandrayaan-2 launch to take place between July 9-16: ISRO.

• According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-2 is the second lunar mission and has three modules Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan)
• After launch into earth bound orbit, the integrated module will reach Moon orbit using Orbiter propulsion module

The Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to embark on its most complex mission ever undertaken as thespace agency is gearing to launch Chandrayaan-2 between July 9 and 16. The landing on the moon is expected to be on September 6, ISRO chairman K Sivan said.
"It is going to land at a particular location where nobody has gone before," he added. Sivan said following the successful launch of the radar imaging earth observation satellite, RISAT-2B, on-board PSLV-C46 Wednesday, the next one- Chandrayaan-2 -is going to be a landmark mission for India. "It is going to be the most complex mission ever undertaken by ISRO. It is going to take place between July 9 and 16, this year", he said, addressing scientists from the Mission Control Centre.
The agency would look at the landing (rover) on the surface of the Moon on September 6, he said.
According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-2 is the second lunar mission and has three modules Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan).
The Orbiter and Lander modules would be interfaced mechanically and stacked together as an integrated module and accommodated inside the launch vehicle -- GSLV-MkIII.
After launch into earth bound orbit, the integrated module will reach Moon orbit using Orbiter propulsion module.
The Lander would separate from the Orbiter and soft land at the pre-determined site close to lunar South Pole.
The Rover would roll out for carrying out scientific experiments on the lunar surface.
Chandrayaan-2 would have 13 payloads and one passive experiment from American space agency NASA.
ISRO had said earlier that eight payloads on Orbiter, three on lander and two on Rover and one passive experiment from NASA would be carried on Chandrayaan-2.
Chandrayaan 2 is an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan 1 mission successfully launched about 10 years ago.
Chandrayaan 1 had 11 payloads -- five from India, three from Europe, two from USA, 1 from Bulgaria and the mission was credited with the discovery of water on the lunar surface.
The 1.4 tonne spacecraft was launched using PSLV and the orbiter had orbited 100 km from the lunar surface. (Source: Livemint)


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Chandrayaan-2 launch to take place between July 9-16: ISRO.

RBI not in favour of special credit window for NBFCs - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

RBI not in favour of special credit window for NBFCs.

• Many NBFCs came under severe liquidity pressure compelling them to bring down their reliance on CPs
• Sources said the RBI board during the two-day meeting took stock of the NBFC sector and cash crunch faced by them
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is not in favour of providing special credit window to the NBFC sector to tide over the liquidity crunch as the cash crunch phenomenon is not systemic, said sources.
Industry players and government think-tank NITI Aayog made a case for giving special credit window for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) facing liquidity crunch following default by group of companies of IL&FS since September 2018.
Many NBFCs, including DHFL and Indiabulls Finance, came under severe liquidity pressure compelling them to bring down their reliance on commercial papers.
Ever since the IL&FS crisis erupted, banks have been averse to lending to the sector, which has put them in a tight spot. There are concerns that NBFCs may run out of money, which will lead to defaults.

According to the sources, RBI is of the view that special window is not required as of now based on their assessment.
The central bank feels that cash crunch is not a sector-specific phenomenon but limited to few large NBFCs which have over-leveraged due to aggressive lending.
According to estimates, about ₹1 lakh crore of commercial papers (CPs) raised by NBFCs from investors will come up for redemption in the next three months.
CPs are debt instruments issued by companies to raise funds for a time period of up to one year.
As the NBFCs are cash-strapped, there is a looming fear that they will default on the CPs.
The sources also said the RBI board during the two-day meeting ended on Tuesday took stock of the NBFC sector and cash crunch faced by them.
The central bank is keeping a tab on the liquidity position of these firms on a monthly basis and recently asked NBFCs with assets over ₹5,000 crore to appoint a chief risk officer (CRO).
The primary role of the risk officer will be identification, measurement and mitigation of risks and all credit products (retail or wholesale) shall be vetted by the CRO from the angle of inherent and control risks. The CRO's role in deciding credit proposals shall be limited to being an adviser. (Source: Livemint)


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RBI not in favour of special credit window for NBFCs.

Post Fani, Odisha proposes disaster immune mobile infra along coastal zones - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Post Fani, Odisha proposes disaster immune mobile infra along coastal zones.

Since conventional mobile towers are easily assailed by high-speed, cyclonic winds, the state govt is batting for towers that can withstand gusty winds with speeds of 200 kmph and beyond

After heavy reverses suffered by Odisha's telecom infrastructure due to extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani, the state government has set the ball rolling to create disaster resilient mobile infrastructure. Such disaster proof telecom infrastructure is planned for coastal zones with high vulnerability to recurring cyclones.
Fani pummeled Odisha's eastern coast near Puri on May 3. Back in October 2013, Phailin, another tropical storm of massive proportion had immensely devastated power and telecom infrastructure.

“Telecom falls under the jurisdiction of the central government. In the future, we are going to suggest them (Centre) for deployment of disaster resilient telecom infrastructure in the coastal parts of the state”, said a senior government official.
Sources close to the development said the state administration has taken up the matter with the central team which visited Odisha for assessing the damage wrought by the cyclone.
Since conventional mobile towers are easily assailed by high-speed, cyclonic winds, the Odisha government is batting for towers that can withstand gusty winds with speeds of 200 kilometers per hour (kmph) and beyond. Laying of optical fibre cables is another viable remedy to counter the effects of a severe storm.
Knowing Odisha's vulnerability to disastrous cyclones, Reliance Jio has installed Monopole towers with antennas mounted on the exterior. A monopole tower consists of a single tower or pole anchored to the ground. Such a tower is designed to withstand high velocity, cyclonic winds and are tested by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay. By contrast, the traditional lattice towers of truss towers- the four-legged freestanding framework towers are susceptible to gusty winds.
“The service disruption in the aftermath of the cyclone was because of damage caused to fibre infra and fibre cut at multiple locations triggered by felling of trees. As a measure of precaution, several BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) were lowered down in some of the low lying areas to escape the fury of winds”, an industry source said.
Fani cyclone has wrought large scale damage to telecommunications infrastructure in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. A whopping 91 per cent of about 800 BTSes (Base Transceiver Stations) were damaged extensively in Puri where the cyclone had made a landfall on May 3.
In the cyclone's immediate aftermath only 35 per cent of BTS were in shape in Bhubaneswar region. In Cuttack district, barely 38 per cent were operational. The critical damage had crippled mobile and landline services in the Twin city region. While Bhubaneswar boasts of around 1800 towers, 1200 towers are installed in Cuttack district.
Barring Puri, telecom operators have largely restored their services in the other affected districts. The companies mobilized cell on wheels (CoW) and the state government supported the telcos by providing generators vital for running the services.
For providing telecom services in the remote locations affected by the cyclone, the department of telecommunications has permitted Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) which allows users to use services of other network operators in Odisha. (Source: Livemint)


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Post Fani, Odisha proposes disaster immune mobile infra along coastal zones.

India, Singapore Begin SIMBEX 2019 Naval Exercises in South China Sea - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India, Singapore Begin SIMBEX 2019 Naval Exercises in South China Sea.

The latest iteration of the SIMBEX exercise is taking place in the South China Sea.

The Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy began a major bilateral naval exercise on Sunday in the South China Sea. The exercise, code-named SIMBEX 19, will run through May 22. Last year’s exercises took place in the Indian Ocean, off India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

On the Indian side, two vessels that have been on a two-month-long deployment to East Asia are participating. INS Kolkata, the lead ship of the Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers, and INS Shakti, a Deepak-class fleet tanker, participated in the exercise.
Singapore, meanwhile, was represented by RSN Steadfast, a Formidable-class frigate, and RSN Valiant, a Victory-class corvette. Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft and Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 fighters also participated.
This year’s exercise will include a live-fire sea phase exercise, which will encompass a range of maritime combat drills, including “firing on aerial/surface targets, advanced aerial tracking, coordinated targeting exercises and tactical exercises on surface/air scenarios,” according to a statement released by the Indian Navy.
Last year’s exercises also included a live-fire component and additionally featured anti-submarine warfare drills.
According to the Indian Navy, prior to SIMBEX 19, INS Kolkata and INS Shakti were in Singapore for the biennial maritime defense trade show IMDEX 19. “On successful completion of IMDEX 19, IN ships Kolkata and Shakti are continuing their stay at Singapore to participate in the annual Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise SIMBEX-2019,” the Indian Navy noted in a statement.
In recent years, India has increased its naval activities in the South China Sea. This month, for the first time ever, India joined the navies of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines for quadrilateral presence exercises, including “formation exercises, communication drills, [and] passenger transfers,” according to a U.S. Navy 7th fleet statement.
The quadrilateral activities followed the first phase of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Maritime Security Field Training Exercise (MS FTX) in the South China Sea.
INS Kolkata and INS Shakti, last month, participated in a major bilateral exercise with the Vietnam Navy. The two vessels also attended the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s 70th anniversary fleet review in Qingdao, China, and also visited Busan, South Korea, where the opening ceremony of the ADMM-Plus FS MTX took place.
Singapore and India have developed defense ties. In April 2019, the two countries held their annual joint army exercise, Bold Kurukshetra 2019. The two countries have expanded their defense cooperation since the signing of their Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2003.


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India, Singapore Begin SIMBEX 2019 Naval Exercises in South China Sea.

Govt plans introducing artificial intelligence system in MCA 21 portal - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt plans introducing artificial intelligence system in MCA 21 portal.

MCA 21 is the electronic backbone for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders, including the regulator, corporates and investors.

Corporate affairs ministry plans to introduce artificial intelligence system in the MCA 21 portal as it seeks to make compliance process easier as well as ensure routine enforcement activities are done round-the-clock on autopilot basis.
MCA 21 is the electronic backbone for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders, including the regulator, corporates and investors. All filings under the companies law are submitted to the ministry through this portal.
Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas has said the ministry would look to "introduce Artificial Intelligence in MCA 21 when version 3 of the portal is rolled out in about a year's time".

It will look to rationalise all the forms, follow the principle of a single source of truth so that one is not required to fill in known details again (as it will get filled automatically) and also interlink databases, so that routine enforcement is done 24x7 on autopilot basis," he said.
In the ministry's monthly newsletter, Srinivas also said that MCA 21 allows electronic filings of various documents under Companies Act, 2013 and has fully automated all processes related to enforcement and compliance monitoring under the Act.
Earlier this year, the ministry sought applications from service providers to develop as well as operate the upgraded version of MCA 21 system.
MCA 21 system was started in 2006. The first phase of the e-governance initiative of the ministry was implemented by Tata Consultancy Services and the second phase is being implemented by Infosys for the period from January 2013-July 2021. (Source: Livemint)


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Govt plans introducing artificial intelligence system in MCA 21 portal.

1/8th of flora & fauna face extinction due to degradation of biodiversity.- Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

1/8th of flora & fauna face extinction due to degradation of biodiversity.

Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history and its impact will see extinction of one million of the eight million estimated number of animal and plant species, many of them within decades, unless their habitats are restored.

Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history and its impact will see extinction of one million of the eight million estimated number of animal and plant species, many of them within decades, unless their habitats are restored, said the UN-backed inter-governmental body in a report released in Paris on Monday.
Blaming "human activities' for such threat, the body comprising 130 member countries including India, noted how humans have already severely altered 75% of land surface, 40% of marine environment and 50% of inland waterways, causing damage to the natural world through massive urbanisation, deforestation and agricultural intensification.
The report identified changes in land and sea use as the biggest culprit, followed by direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution and invasive alien species (from one habitat to another habitat). More than 2,500 conflicts over fossil fuels, water, food and land, currently occurring worldwide, are attributed to pressure on natural resources.
Though the report has not pin-pointed any country-specific damage, it assessed various findings which spoke in details about such damage in biodiversity hotspots even in India such as its Himalayan region, Indus Basin, Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and Western Ghats among others. Its details are expected to be published later this year.

Often described as the "IPCC for biodiversity", the body - Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) - however expressed hope to save the nature through sustainable practices.
"The report also tells us that it is not too late to make a difference, but only if we start now at every level from local to global," said IPBES chair Robert Watson.
Based on the systematic review of about 15,000 scientific and government sources, the report also draws (for the first time ever at this scale) on indigenous and local knowledge and even flags roles of indigenous people and local communities in protecting biodiversity.
Ringing alarm bells on how human activities are degrading resources fast, it noted that the plastic pollution alone has increased tenfold since 1980; 300 to 400 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other wastes from industrial facilities are dumped annually into the world's waters while fertilisers entering coastal ecosystems have produced more than 400 ocean "dead zones", totalling more than 2,45,000 sq km - a combined area greater than that of the UK.
Compiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, the report assesses changes over the past five decades, providing a comprehensive picture of the relationship between economic development pathways and their impact on nature. (Source: The Economic Times)
It noted that availability of native species in most of the land-based habitats has declined by 20%, mostly since 1900. Similarly, more than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef-forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened.
"At least 680 vertebrate species had been driven to extinction since the 16th century and more than 9% of all domesticated breeds of mammals used for food and agriculture had become extinct by 2016, with at least 1,000 more breeds still threatened," said the report.

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1/8th of flora & fauna face extinction due to degradation of biodiversity.

India, China to benefit most from climate policy, reduced emissions: Study. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India, China to benefit most from climate policy, reduced emissions: Study.

Strongest potential near-term health benefits are in China and India, which face among the highest death rates from air pollution India and China, which face the highest burden of death from air pollution, will reap the biggest health benefits of a robust climate policy aimed at reducing carbon emissions, a study has found.

Researchers from the University of Vermont in the US and colleagues found that the price tag for cutting global emissions may seem expensive, until the human toll of deaths from air pollution and climate change are factored in.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that immediate, dramatic cuts in carbon emissions -- aggressive enough to meet the Paris Climate Agreement -- are economically sound if human health benefits are factored in.
"Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also reduce deaths from air pollution in communities near the emissions reductions," said Mark Budolfson from the University of Vermont.
"These health 'co-benefits' of climate change policy are widely believed to be important, but until now have not been fully incorporated in global economic analyses of how much the world should invest in climate action," said Budolfson.
By factoring in these additional co-benefits and co-harms, the researchers identified a climate policy that would bring immediate net benefits globally, both in health and economic terms.
The strongest potential near-term health benefits are in China and India, which face among the highest death rates from air pollution, researchers said.
By adding air pollution to global climate models, Budolfson and colleagues found that economically, the optimal climate policy would be more aggressive than previously thought, and would produce immediate net benefits globally.
The health benefits alone could reach trillions of dollars in value annually, depending on air quality policies that nations adopt, to help offset climate investments, researchers said.
"We show the climate conversation doesn't need to be about the current generation investing in the further future," said Budolfson.
"By making smart investments in climate action, we can save lives now through improved air quality and health," he said.
The team's work builds on the RICE climate model, which was developed by Nobel laureate William Nordhaus.
Researchers considered the costs and benefits of air pollutant emissions, which produce aerosols.
Aerosols have never been fully incorporated into this type of modelling, and are important for two reasons.
Aerosol pollution worsens human health, but aerosols also act to cool the earth, counterbalancing some of the warming generated by greenhouse gases.
"Some developing regions have been understandably reluctant to invest their limited resources in reducing emissions," said Noah Scovronick from Emory University in the US.
"This and other studies demonstrate that many of these same regions are likely to gain most of the health co-benefits, which may add incentive for them to adopt stronger climate policies," Scovronick said.
The researchers find that the dramatic efforts needed to meet the Paris Agreement targets of limiting global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius is economically defensible.
This is because the health benefits resulting from air pollution reductions can offset the near-term costs.
Prior economic studies on this issue did not support such a strict climate target.
"The climate problem has several features that make it particularly difficult to solve," said Marc Fleurbaey of Princeton University in the US. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India, Germany, Brazil, Japan 'absolutely needed' at UNSC as permanent members: France. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India, Germany, Brazil, Japan 'absolutely needed' at UNSC as permanent members: France.

India and nations like Germany, Brazil and Japan are "absolutely needed" as permanent members of a reformed and enlarged UN Security Council to better reflect contemporary realities and the addition of these key members to the UN high-table is among France's "strategic" priorities, the French envoy to the UN has said.

"In terms of policy, France and Germany have strong policy which is to work together to enlarge the Security Council and to succeed in terms of the negotiations that should lead to the enlargement of the Security Council that we consider absolutely needed to better reflect the world as it is. There is no question about it,” France's Permanent Representative to the UN François Delattre told reporters here last week.
Speaking along side German envoy to the UN Christoph Heusgen at the end of Germany's Presidency of the Council for April, Delattre emphasised that France considers that “Germany, Japan, India, Brazil and a fair representation of Africa in particular are absolutely needed at the table to get towards a fairer representation of the Security Council. This is for us a matter of priority."
He underlined that Paris believes the enlargement of the Security Council with the addition of a few key members is "one of our strategic priorities."
Noting that when France and Germany launched their alliance for multi-materialism, he said it signifies that the two nations strongly believe in the UN as the core of today's global governance and that they strongly believe in "multi-lateralism and means that we are actively working to reform and in some respects to refound, reinvent multi-lateralism so that it is really efficient for the decades to come.”
India is at the forefront of efforts at the UN to push for the long-pending reform of the Security Council, emphasising that it rightly deserves a place at the UN high table as a permanent member.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, speaking at the informal meeting of the Plenary on the Intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council earlier this year, had said that on the issue of ‘Categories of Membership', a total of 113 Member States, out of 122 who submitted their positions in the Framework Document, support expansion in both of the existing categories specified in the Charter.
“In short, more than 90 per cent of the written submissions in the document are in favour of expansion in both categories of membership specified in the Charter,” he had said.
Akbaruddin had said that while reform at the UN is a process rather than an event, “there is no process known to us here that has traversed winding pathways in the manner as this process of the Reform of the Security Council."
“In terms of inertia too, it has no peer. While the world is not what it was when we began the process, the objections to moving forward remain the same. While the global challenges of the 21st century have multiplied, we remain divided even about the process to adopt in order to move forward,” he had said.
France has maintained that if the crises of recent times have confirmed the centrality of the UN, they have also reinforced the need to make the organisation more effective and more representative of the current balances in the world.
"That is why France pushes for the expansion of the Security Council by supporting the accession to a permanent seat of Germany, Brazil, India, Japan, as well as a greater presence of African countries," according to the Permanent Mission of France. (Source: defencenews.in)


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India, Germany, Brazil, Japan 'absolutely needed' at UNSC as permanent members: France.

India, UK in talks to build Naval supercarrier under ‘Make in India’: Report. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India, UK in talks to build Naval supercarrier under ‘Make in India’: Report.

The talks are under way for the Indian Navy to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton British warship to build a so-called “copycat supercarrier” to be named INS Vishal in 2022, according to a British media outlet.

The United Kingdom is in talks with the Indian government on building a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier along the lines of Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the ongoing ‘Make in India’ negotations, according to a media report.
The talks are under way for the Indian Navy to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton British warship to build a so-called “copycat supercarrier” to be named INS Vishal in 2022.
“An Indian delegation has already visited Rosyth dockyard in Scotland where HMS Queen Elizabeth was assembled and where a second supercarrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is now being built,” the Sunday Mirror reported.
“If a deal can be agreed, the new warship would be built in India but UK companies could supply many of the parts,” the media outlet claimed.
The report noted that such a new Naval carrier would serve alongside India’s 45,000-ton carrier INS Vikramaditya — bought from Russia in 2004 — and the currently under-construction 40,000-ton INS Vikrant, and could give India a larger carrier fleet than Britain.
“We have regular discussions with India on a range of equipment and capability issues. It would be inappropriate to comment further,” UK Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said, declining to comment on the reports.
The design for UK aircraft carriers is owned by the British and French aerospace giants BAE and Thales.
“Discussion have begun with India. The design can be modified to meet Indian Navy and local industry requirements,” a BAE spokesperson said.
The reported India-UK Naval deal would follow the sale of Britain’s Falklands War carrier HMS Hermes to India in 1987, which was renamed INS Viraat and decommissioned two years ago. (Source: The Hindu)


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India to launch an 'All Weather Radar Imaging Military Satellite' on May 22. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India to launch an 'All Weather Radar Imaging Military Satellite' on May 22.

Highlights
• Isro will launch its latest radar imaging satellite (Risat-2BR1) from Sriharikota on May 22
• The new imaging satellite will boost all-weather surveillance capabilities of Indian security forces
• "The Risat satellite can take images of a building or an object on the earth at least 2 to 3 times a day," a source said
India is set to get another 'eye in the sky' as Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch its latest radar imaging satellite (Risat-2BR1) from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on May 22.

Risat-2BR1 is much more advanced than the previous Risat-series satellite. "Its launch is due on May 22. Though the new satellite looks same as the old one from outside, its configuration is different from the earlier one launched. The new satellite, therefore, has enhanced surveillance and imaging capabilities," a source in Isro told TOI. Risat's X-band synethic aperture radar (SAR) possesses day-night as well as all-weather monitoring capability. The radar can even penetrate clouds and zoom up to a resolution of 1 metre (means it can distinguish between two objects separated by 1 m distance).
"The Risat satellite can take images of a building or an object on the earth at least 2 to 3 times a day," the source said. Therefore, it can help keep an eye on the activities of jihadi terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and infiltrators at terror launchpads along the LoC.
The new imaging satellite will boost all-weather surveillance capabilities of Indian security forces and will help detect any potential threat around the Indian borders. As the satellite can also track hostile ships at sea, it can be used to keep a hawk-eye on Chinese naval vessels in the Indian Ocean and Pakistani warships in the Arabian Sea. The images from old Risat-series satellites were earlier used to plan the surgical strike in 2016 and the air strike on a Jaish camp in Pakistan's Balakot this year. Risat also enhanced Isro's capability for disaster management applications.
After the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008, Risat-2 satellite programme took priority over Risat-1 because of the advanced radar system, manufactured in Israel, and was launched in April 20, 2009 to boost surveillance capabilities of security forces. From 536km altitude, the satellite monitors Indian borders 24x7 and helps security agencies keep an eye on infiltrators.
The synethic aperture radar uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide finer spatial resolution than conventional beam-scanning radars. The distance the SAR satellite travels over a target in the time taken for the radar pulses to return to the antenna creates the large synthetic antenna aperture.
Typically, the larger the aperture, the higher the image resolution will be, regardless of whether the aperture is physical (a large antenna) or synthetic (a moving antenna) - this allows SAR to create high-resolution images with comparatively small physical antennas.(Source: Livemint)


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India to launch an 'All Weather Radar Imaging Military Satellite' on May 22

India warns WTO about EU’s proposal for e-commerce rules.- Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India warns WTO about EU’s proposal for e-commerce rules.

• India has opposed the proposal on the grounds that it will impact domestic industry and job creation
• EU’s proposal will be discussed along with proposals from other countries on 13-15 May at Geneva
India has expressed apprehensions about the European Union’s (EU’s) proposal on Friday to create new e-commerce rules on grounds that the high standards being proposed could decimate both the goods and services tariff rules under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), impacting its domestic industry and job creation.

Addressing the informal Trade Negotiations Committee of the Heads of Delegates on Friday, India’s permanent representative at the WTO J.S. Deepak said most developing countries including India are not ready for binding rules in e-commerce. “We fear the impact of some of the e-commerce rules being proposed under the Joint Initiative on e-commerce, on existing trade rules, particularly the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) tariffs, which protect our industry, and General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) schedules that provide us useful flexibilities. Both the GATT and GATS could wither away due to the onslaught of the so-called ‘high standard’ e-commerce elements," he added. While the GATT rules regulate goods trade among WTO members, rules of GATS govern the trade in services among member countries.
The EU, US, Japan and China are among 76 members of the WTO that launched negotiations to set future rules and obligations in electronic commerce in January at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. India has opposed any such move to set e-commerce rules outside the ambit of WTO and has insisted that the current multilateral programme on e-commerce under WTO should be taken to its logical conclusion. “In our view, going against this exploratory mandate and starting negotiations on e-commerce, strikes at the very roots of the multilateral system," Deepak said.
The EU on Friday made public the text of its initial negotiating proposals for e-commerce that include tackling barriers that prevent cross-border sales today; addressing forced data localization requirements, while ensuring protection of personal data; prohibiting mandatory source code disclosure requirements; and permanently banning customs duties on electronic transmissions, among others.
India is currently drafting a national e-commerce policy, which seeks to use India’s data for its own development rather than allow its value to be appropriated by others. “It also proposes to preserve our flexibility of imposing customs duty on electronic transmissions to protect domestic industry and leverage technology for creating jobs and wealth, by ensuring competition and a level playing field. We are also keen to assess the extent of sacrifice of revenue involved, and the distribution of this loss among Members, when new technologies like additive manufacturing will result in electronic transmissions cascading and many dutiable goods being manufactured by digital printing," Deepak said in his statement.
While the EU’s e-commerce proposal will be discussed along with proposals from other participating countries on 13-15 May at Geneva, India has decided to hold an informal WTO ministerial meeting of select developing countries on 13-14 May in New Delhi to finalize a Delhi Declaration on development and WTO reforms including on e-commerce.
Deepak in his speech said the topmost priority of WTO members has to be a reform agenda that is balanced and inclusive and solves problems that India faces in the WTO rather than that which imposes additional burdensome obligations. “At the same time, we need to protect and preserve the dispute settlement system at the WTO," he added.
Moreover, preserving special and differential treatment for all developing countries and LDCs (Least Developed Countries) which is a core principle of the WTO as well as addressing the asymmetries in Uruguay Round Agreements should be an overriding priority," he added. (Source: Livemint)


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G7 environment ministers meet to discuss climate crisis.- Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

G7 environment ministers meet to discuss climate crisis.

• Ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States gathered for the two-day meeting
• They were due to discuss measures to tackle deforestation, plastic pollution and the degradation of coral reefs and try to form alliances between nations to act on them
Environment ministers of the G7 nations met in France Sunday, a day ahead of the release of what is expected to be another alarming report on the state of the planet.
Ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States gathered for the two-day meeting in the northeastern city of Metz.

They were due to discuss measures to tackle deforestation, plastic pollution and the degradation of coral reefs and try to form alliances between nations to act on them.
Joining the ministers were delegations from the European Union as well as Chile, Egypt, the Fiji Islands, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Niger and Norway.
"We need to come out of this G7... with some very concrete things that go beyond speeches," said France's junior minister for ecological transition, Brune Poirson, as the meeting opened.
On Monday, the UN will publish an executive summary of a 1,800-page tome crafted by more than 400 experts -- the first UN global assessment of the natural world in 15 years.
Drafts of both documents obtained by AFP leave no doubt that it will paint a disturbing picture of widespread destruction wrought by man, some of it irreparable.
"We will agree on the best ways to enhance the place of biodiversity on the international stage...," said France's Minister for Ecological Transition, Francois de Rugy.
But Andrew Wheeler, the former coal lobbyist appointed by President Donald Trump to head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told the meeting too much attention was being paid to the worst-case scenarios on climate change.</
Outside the meeting, environmental campaigners "Alter G7" demonstrated to highlight what they say is the urgency of the global crisis. (Source: Livemint)

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Victory for India – JeM chief Masood Azhar designated ‘global terrorist’ by UN.- Prganya IAS Academy - News Analysis

Victory for India – JeM chief Masood Azhar designated ‘global terrorist’ by UN.

n a huge diplomatic win for India, the United Nations on Wednesday designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him under the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee.

“Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in @UN Sanctions list. Grateful to all for their support,” India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.
When asked whether China has lifted the hold, Akbaruddin told PTI that “yes, done.”
China removed its hold on the proposal, which was moved by France, UK and the US in the Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February just days after the horrific terror attack against Indians security forces in Pulwama carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish. PTI
The Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee met in New York on Wednesday and the issue of Azhar’s listing was considered.
Beijing had said on Tuesday that the vexed issue of designating Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN will be “properly resolved.
China had put a hold in March on a fresh proposal by the US, UK and France to impose a ban on the chief of the JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.
In 2009, India had moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar.
In 2016 again India moved the proposal with the P3 – the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the airbase in Pathankot in January 2016.
In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again.
However, on all occasions, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked India’s proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee.
“I can only say that I believe that this will be properly resolved,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.
He was responding to questions on the media reports that China has reportedly consented to lift its technical hold on a fresh proposal moved by France, the UK and the US to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
Keeping up the international pressure to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, the US, supported by France and the UK, moved a draft resolution directly in the UN Security Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror organisation’s head.
A UNSC designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo.
An assets freeze under the Sanctions Committee requires that all states freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.
The travel ban entails preventing the entry into or transit by all states through their territories by designated individuals.
Under the arms embargo, all states are required to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer from their territories or by their nationals outside their territories, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related material of all types, spare parts, and technical advice, assistance, or training related to military activities, to designated individuals and entities.
The efforts to resolve Azhar’s listing issue gathered momentum last week with the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Beijing to attend China’s 2nd Belt and Road Forum held from April 25-27.
During the visit, Khan held talks with Xi, besides meeting Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan during which India-Pakistan tension following the Pulwama terror attack as well as a listing of Azhar reportedly figured. (Source: rstv)


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Victory for India – JeM chief Masood Azhar designated ‘global terrorist’ by UN.

Global warming: Half of World Heritage glaciers may disappear by 2100.- Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

Global warming: Half of World Heritage glaciers may disappear by 2100.

The study, published in the journal Earth's Future, predicts glacier extinction by 2100 under a high emission scenario in 21 of the 46 natural World Heritage sites where glaciers are currently found

Glaciers from almost half of natural World Heritage sites -- such as the Khumbu Glacier in the Himalayas -- may disappear completely by 2100, if emissions continue at current rate, a study warns.
The research is the first-ever global study of World Heritage glaciers -- home to some of the world's most iconic glaciers, such as the Grosser Aletschgletscher in the Swiss Alps, and Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae, scientists said.

The team from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) combines data from a global glacier inventory, a review of existing literature and sophisticated computer modelling to analyse the current state of World Heritage glaciers, their recent evolution, and their projected mass change over the 21st century.
The study, published in the journal Earth's Future, predicts glacier extinction by 2100 under a high emission scenario in 21 of the 46 natural World Heritage sites where glaciers are currently found.
Even under a low emission scenario, eight of the 46 World Heritage sites will be ice-free by 2100. The study also expects that 33 per cent to 60 per cent of the total ice volume present in 2017 will be lost by 2100, depending on the emission scenario.
"Losing these iconic glaciers would be a tragedy and have major consequences for the availability of water resources, sea level rise and weather patterns," said Peter Shadie, Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Heritage Programme.
"This unprecedented decline could also jeopardize the listing of the sites in question on the World Heritage list. States must reinforce their commitments to combat climate change and step up efforts to preserve these glaciers for future generations," Shadie said in a statement.
Several iconic landscapes found in World Heritage sites will be impacted by rising temperatures.
Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina contains some of the largest glaciers on Earth and a very large ice loss -- about 60 per cent of the current volume -- is predicted by 2100 within this site.,
In North America, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and Olympic National Park could also lose more than 70 per cent of their current glacier ice by 2100, even under drastically lowered carbon dioxide emissions.
In Europe, the disappearance of small glaciers is projected in the Pyrenees -- Mont Perdu World Heritage site before 2040.
Te Wahipounamu -- South West New Zealand, which contains three quarters of New Zealand's glaciers, is projected to lose 25 per cent to 80 per cent of the current ice volume over the course of this century.
Beyond these alarming results, the researchers emphasise the key role that glaciers play for ecosystems and societies at a global scale.
Glacier conservation could thus serve as a trigger to tackle the unprecedented issue of climate change.
"To preserve these iconic glaciers found in World Heritage sites, we urgently need to see significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions," said Jean-Baptiste Bosson, scientific advisor for the IUCN's World Heritage programme.
"This is the only way of avoiding long-lasting and irreversible glacier decline and the related major natural, social, economic and migratory cascading consequences," said Bosson. (Source: The Business Standard)


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Global warming: Half of World Heritage glaciers may disappear by 2100.

Environment Ministry constitutes committee to implement National Clean Air Programme. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

Environment Ministry constitutes committee to implement National Clean Air Programme.

Cities expected to implement specific measures

The Union Environment Ministry has constituted a committee to implement the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20%-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024.
The committee will be chaired by the Secretary, Union Environment Ministry and has among its members the Joint Secretary (Thermal), Ministry of Power; Director-General, The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), the Delhi-based think-tank; and Professor Sachidananda Tripathi, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K).

The NCAP unveiled in January is envisaged as a scheme to provide the States and the Centre with a framework to combat air pollution.
The committee would be headquartered in New Delhi and its remit includes ensuring “inter-ministerial organisation and cooperation, sharing information and resolving issues that could arise between ministries… The committee would also give overall guidance and directions to effectively implement the programmes,” said a ministerial note.
The NCAP is envisioned as a five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year. There would be a review every five years.
States in which the cities are located are expected to produce plans that include increasing the number of monitoring stations, providing technology support, conducting source apportionment studies, and strengthening enforcement. For achieving the NCAP targets, the cities would be expected to calculate the reduction in pollution, keeping 2017’s average annual PM levels as the base year.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) database on air pollution over the years has listed Tier I and Tier II Indian cities as some of the most polluted places in the world. In 2018, 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities were in India.
The NCAP requires cities to implement specific measures such as “ensuring roads are pothole-free to improve traffic flow and thereby reduce dust” (within 60 days) or “ensuring strict action against unauthorised brick kilns” (within 30 days). It doesn’t specify an exact date for when these obligations kick in. Experts have criticised the lack of mandatory targets and the challenge of inadequate enforcement by cities. (Source: The Hindu)


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Bad debt norms: RBI to seek Election Commission nod - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Bad debt norms: RBI to seek Election Commission nod.

Highlights
• It is now coming to the view that an explicit approval from the Election Commission is required as it is a new policy decision
• The EC code of conduct specifically exempted the conduct of monetary policy, which is considered crucial for the economy
After much deliberation, the RBI is expected to approach the Election Commission to put in place a new circular on bad debt resolution, paving the way for smooth implementation of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code and loan restructuring by banks.
The move is crucial after the Supreme Court set aside the controversial February 12 circular issued by then governor Urjit Patel. The RBI was initially planning to issue the revised circular that is expected to give more flexibility in restructuring stressed loans as against the rigid timelines for initiating bankruptcy under the older directive.
It is now coming to the view that an explicit approval from the Election Commission is required as it is a new policy decision.

The EC code of conduct specifically exempted the conduct of monetary policy, which is considered crucial for the economy. The circular issued in February 2018 had caused consternation among banks and corporates for three reasons. First, it did away with all the debt restructuring scheme. Second, it forced lenders to arrive at a resolution acceptable to 100% of creditors within 180 days of a default failing which they had to initiate bankruptcy proceedings.
It made the process of resolution tougher as the plan had to certified by a rating agency and required a fifth of the principal to be repaid within a year. If the promoter was not in a position to repay within a year, the lenders would have to take the borrower to NCLT.
Lenders were expecting that the RBI would dilute a condition requiring 100% of approval among lenders. They were also expecting that it would relax restructuring norms so that banks are not forced to drag borrowers like power companies to NCLT where the scope of recovery would be dim given the nature of the projects which had little liquidation value. (Source: The Economic Times)


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Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor no longer listed under BRI umbrella - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor no longer listed under BRI umbrella.

South Asia is covered by three major undertakings—the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway, as well as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

India’s decision to skip the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) may have led to the exclusion of the Bangladesh- China- India- Myanmar (BCIM) Economic corridor from the list of projects covered by the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) umbrella.

In an annex tagged with the Joint Communiqué of the Leaders' Roundtable of the BRF, which concluded in Beijing on Saturday, the Chinese foreign ministry website has not listed the BCIM as a project covered by the BRI—the giant connectivity initiative speared by China to revive the ancient Silk Road across Eurasia and Africa.
Instead, South Asia is covered by three major undertakings—the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway, as well as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Citing “sovereignty” concerns, India, for the second time, has not officially participated in the BRF, as CPEC—a flagship of the BRI—passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The 2800 km BCIM corridor proposes to link Kunming in China’s Yunnan province with Kolkata, passing though nodes such as Mandalay in Myanmar and Dhaka in Bangladesh before heading to Kolkata.
Significantly, a report titled, “The Belt and Road Initiative Progress, Contributions and Prospects,” released by the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on April 22 does list the BCIM as a BRI project.
“Over the past five years or so, the four countries [of the BCIM] have worked together to build this corridor in the framework of joint working groups, and have planned a number of major projects in institutional development, infrastructure connectivity, cooperation in trade and industrial parks, cooperation and opening up in the financial market, cultural exchange, and cooperation in enhancing people's wellbeing,” says the report.
Last September, the BRI had got a high octane boost when Myanmar — facing the heat from the West because of the Rohingya refugee crisis — inked an agreement with Beijing to establish the CMEC.
The 1,700-km corridor provides China yet another node to access the Indian Ocean. The CMEC will run from Yunnan Province of China to Mandalay in Central Myanmar. From there it will head towards Yangon, before terminating at the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the Bay of Bengal. Last August, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) opened a new center in Yangon, which could help fund some of the CMEC driven projects, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency had reported.
The CMEC will also reduce Beijing’s trade and energy reliance on the Malacca straits — the narrow passage that links the Indian Ocean with the Pacific. Chinese planners worry that the military domination over the Malacca straits of the United States — a country with which it is already engaged in a trade war — can threaten one of China’s major economic lifeline.
Earlier, speaking to The Hindu, Long Xingchun, Associate Professor of China’s West Normal University, had said that, “The CMEC was proposed during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Myanmar in November 2017, because India has not been acting on the BCIM sub regional cooperation proposal. So it is better for China to go for bilateral cooperation with Myanmar and simultaneously wait for India’s participation.”
At a press conference ahead of the BRF, which was formally inaugurated on Saturday, Mr. Wang, the state councilor and foreign minister, was emphatic that ties between India and China were insulated from their differences on the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He had also stressed that China-India ties had a “bright future” and the two countries were preparing for a summit between their leaders as a follow-up to last year’s two-day across-the board Wuhan informal summit between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan connectivity network listed by the annex starts from Chengdu, from where it is linked to Tibet by the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, or the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. It is proposed that the railway from Tibet will be further extended to Kathmandu, via Ya’an, Qamdo, Lhasa and Shigatse. Chinese planners visualise that that railway will be eventually connected with the Indian railway network, linking China and India across the Himalayas. (Source: The Hindu)


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Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor no longer listed under BRI umbrella.