Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals over a period of Financial Year 2020-21 to 2028-29.

The Scheme will benefit domestic manufacturers, help in creating employment and is expected to contribute to the availability of wider range of affordable medicines for consumers.

The scheme is expected to promote the production of high value products in the country and increase the value addition in exports. Total incremental sales of Rs.2,94,000 crore and total incremental exports of Rs.1,96,000 crore are estimated during six years from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

The scheme is expected to generate employment for both skilled and un-skilled personnel, estimated at 20,000 direct and 80,000 indirect jobs as a result of growth in the sector.

It is expected to promote innovation for development of complex and high-tech products including products of emerging therapies and in-vitro Diagnostic Devices as also self-reliance in important drugs. It is also expected to improve accessibility and affordability of medical products including orphan drugs to the Indian population. The Scheme is also expected to bring in investment of Rs.15,000 crore in the pharmaceutical sector.

The scheme will be part of the umbrella scheme for the Development of Pharmaceutical Industry. The objective of the scheme is to enhance India's manufacturing capabilities by increasing investment and production in the sector and contributing to product diversification to high value goods in the pharmaceutical sector. One of the further objectives of the scheme is to create global champions out of India who have the potential to grow in size and scale using cutting edge technology and thereby penetrate the global value chains.

The salient features of the Scheme are as follows:-

Target Groups:

The manufacturers of pharmaceutical goods registered in India will be grouped based on their Global Manufacturing Revenue (GMR) to ensure wider applicability of the scheme across the pharmaceutical industry and at the same time meetthe objectives of the scheme. The qualifying criteria for the three groups of applicants will be as follows-

(a) Group A: Applicants having Global Manufacturing Revenue (FY 2019-20) of pharmaceutical goods more than or equal to Rs 5,000 crore.

(b) Group B: Applicants having Global Manufacturing Revenue (FY 2019-20) of pharmaceutical goods between Rs 500 (inclusive) crore and Rs 5,000 crore.

(c) Group C: Applicants having Global Manufacturing Revenue (FY 2019-20) of pharmaceutical goods less than Rs 500 crore. A sub-group for MSME industry will be made within this group, given their specific challenges and circumstances.

Background:

Indian pharmaceutical industry is 3rd largest in the world by volume and is worth USD 40 billion in terms of value. The country contributes 3.5% of total drugs and medicines exported globally. India exports pharmaceuticals to more than 200 countries and territories including highly regulated markets such as USA, UK, European Union, Canada etc. India has a complete ecosystem for the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals with companies having state of the art facilities and highly skilled/technical manpower. The country also has a number of renowned pharmaceutical educational and research institutes and a robust support of allied industries.

At present, low value generic drugs account for the major component of Indian exports, while a large proportion of the domestic demand for patented drugs is met through imports. This is because the Indian Pharmaceutical sector lacks in high value production along with the necessary pharma R&D. In order to incentivize the global and domestic players to enhance investment and production in diversified product categories, a well-designed and suitably targeted intervention is required to incentivise specific high value goods such as bio-pharmaceuticals, complex generic drugs, patented drugs or drugs nearing patent expiry and cell based or gene therapy products etc. (Source: pib)

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Cabinet approves Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals.

Two-thirds of poor countries slashed education budget due to COVID-19: World Bank, UNESCO - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Two-thirds of poor countries slashed education budget due to COVID-19: World Bank, UNESCO.

Cuts can last for a long time as the pandemic continues to cause economic losses and make fiscal positions worse, warns report

Two-thirds of low- and lower-middle-income countries cut public education budgets since the onset of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a recent United Nations report flagged.

Among upper-middle and high-income countries, only a third did so, according to Education Finance Watch (EFW) 2021, released February 19, 2021.

Education budgets have not adjusted proportionately to the challenges brought about by COVID-19, especially in poorer countries, the report by World Health Organization and UNESCO said.

Only one-third of upper-middle and high-income countries reduced their budgets, it added.

In 2018-19, high-income countries spent on average $8,501 per every child, way more than $48 in low-income countries. The pandemic has only widened this spending gap between rich and poor countries, the report added.

It warned that the cuts could last for a long time as the pandemic continues to cause economic losses and make fiscal positions worse.

It observed that the challenge was also about improving the effectiveness of funding. It found that despite increases in public education spending before the pandemic, the funding has only resulted in relatively small improvements in educational outcomes.

Although access to education has improved in low and middle-income countries, the learning poverty rate — the proportion of 10-year-olds unable to read a short, age-appropriate text — was at around 53 per cent compared to only nine per cent for high-income countries in pre-COVID-19 times.

COVID-19-related school closures are likely to increase this 53 per cent share to as much as 63 per cent in poorer countries, the report cautioned.

Global spending on education increased 21 per cent over the last 10 years, it said. From 2010-14, global spending on educational aid took a hit in the aftermath of the recession; but since 2014, aid to education increased 30 per cent, reaching its highest recorded level of $15.9 billion in 2019.

Funding for education grew most rapidly in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where the gaps between the funding needed to achieve the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals and current allocations are the widest.

The pandemic also highlighted the critical importance of monitoring the patterns and trends in funding of education.

Tackling the global learning crisis and monitoring the impacts of the pandemic will require better information on how well education systems are functioning. This includes better information on the levels and sources of funding and how these funds are used to ensure that education is available to all.

The report has shown that more can be done with existing data sources to sharpen the picture of education financing. But efforts to build capacity and systems to collect and track education spending are also needed to improve both the quality and coverage of existing sources. (Source: downtoearth)

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Two-thirds of poor countries slashed education budget due to COVID-19: World Bank, UNESCO.

State of India’s environment: Quality of air, water, land worsened in India’s industrial clusters - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

State of India’s environment: Quality of air, water, land worsened in India’s industrial clusters.

Tarapur in Maharashtra emerged the most polluted cluster between 2009 and 2018

A new monitoring mechanism is indicating that industrial pollution levels continue to worsen in India. An evaluation of 88 industrial clusters identified by central and state pollution control boards (CPCB and SPCBs) as polluted industrial areas has thrown up a bleak picture of air, water and land contamination in the country, said the 2021 State of India’s Environment (SoE) report.

SoE is an annual publication brought out by Down To Earth in association with Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit. The report will be released February 25, 2021 at an online event by over 60 environmental thinkers and activists, journalists and academics from across India.

In 2009, the Central Pollution Control Board had developed the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI), which characterises the environmental quality of a location and identifies severely polluted industrial areas. According to CEPI data, air pollution worsened in 33 of the 88 industrial clusters between 2009 and 2018.

In Delhi’s Najafgarh drain basin, the CEPI air quality score went up from 52 in 2009 to over 85 in 2018. Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) had a score of 48 in 2009, which shot up to 86 in 2018.

The Bulandshahr-Khurja area in Uttar Pradesh nearly doubled its score, from 42 in 2008 to over 79 in 2018. Gajraula (Uttar Pradesh) and Siltara (Chhattisgarh) scored over 70 in 2018.

The quality of water deteriorated in 45 of the 88 clusters in this same period. Sanganer (in Rajasthan) and Gurugram (in Haryana) had a CEPI water quality score of more than 70 in 2018. Tarapur (Maharashtra), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Varanasi-Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) — all indicated scores that were 80 or above.

The comparison of CEPI 2009 and 2018 data shows that land pollution has increased in 17 of the 88 clusters. The worst performer here has been Manali, whose CEPI score went to over 71 in 2018 from 58 in 2009.

In terms of overall CEPI scores, 35 of the clusters have indicated a rise in environmental degradation. Tarapur (in Maharashtra) has had the ignominy — says the SoE — of the highest overall CEPI score of over 96 in 2018. (Source: downtoearth)

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State of India’s environment: Quality of air, water, land worsened in India’s industrial clusters.

Lessons that China learnt from the Ladakh standoff - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Lessons that China learnt from the Ladakh standoff.

Everyone’s favourite subject these days is the Ladakh standoff and the current status of the agreement to disengage and de-escalate. The reading public is getting a surfeit of fairly good strategic literature to remain well informed.

Most issues revolve around the trust deficit with China, the possibility that Beijing will pause and recommence a standoff at some other point of the long border with India, and the need for our nation to develop its infrastructure and its armed forces to match that of its northern neighbour in the eventuality of serious exchanges across the border.

The one issue very few are looking at is the host of lessons that China would have drawn from this standoff and will no doubt analyse very deeply for the future.

It must start with the word being bandied around the most—‘trust’. By agreeing to a special engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to guide their militaries after Doklam in 2017, and then deliberately undertaking a mission to create border tension, China lost not only India’s trust but that of much of the world. There is a difference between military and political trust. For the military, deception is something to always expect as part of the profession, but international norms dictate something else when it comes to political trust.

Leaders of nations as big and important as China and India, both members of some exclusive international groupings such as BRICS and SCO, cannot depart from understandings and agreements or use these to create military deception.

Indian analysts must emphasise this to the world and place moral pressure on China, which will need to find better ways of dealing with nations that it clearly cannot bully on the basis of some presumptions. Will China attempt to create trust and reliability through greater predictability in the future? The nature of its relationship with India and its geostrategic perceptions of India’s potential threats to Chinese interests may force it to look for alternate ways of conflict initiation while retaining international credibility.

China could attempt to take some measures to show how sensitive it is to ensuring implementation of agreements. The rapid disengagement in Ladakh appears to project this as visible proof of it. Yet we should also expect that attempts to embroil India and paint it as the villain will probably gain more ground in the future.

It should be reasonably clear to China that its ability to use coercion to dictate terms to India and caution it against joining anti-China strategic equations is quite limited. In messaging the world and India on China’s apparent superior military capability, it would realise that it needs to do much more and perhaps run the risk of going over the top in situations in which it may have little control. With India mirroring China’s deployment in Eastern Ladakh, the latter did not resort to opening other fronts, indicating a deep caution against over-commitment. This is what also happened at Nathu La (1967), Sumdorong Chu (1986) and Doklam (2017)—China preferred to keep the standoffs localised. Will it do anything different the next time? It has an untested set of armed forces that was bested by Vietnam the last time it fought conventionally. Demonstration of its optimum ability in an all-out war is fraught with unacceptable risk; the PLA will need to find innovative means of conflict initiation on multiple fronts without resorting to full war and hope to achieve its aims.

If China’s aim was to dent India’s strategic confidence, it would have realised that it will take much more than just a standoff and border friction. In 1969, it had border friction with the then Soviet Union. The Soviets, renowned for their use of massed artillery, fired one of history’s biggest crunches of multi-barrel rocket artillery on the PLA; it was at Damansky Island in the Ussuri River, a salvo so big that the flow of the Ussuri changed after the explosions. It was China that learnt its lessons from it and went on to create artillery with one of the largest missiles and rocket forces. It would recall that never again after 1969 did the PLA engage with the Soviets or later just the Russians.

Would it attempt to use these tactics against India in a future standoff: striking with rockets and missiles to cause extensive casualties on Indian soldiers and warfighting wherewithal without crossing the LAC? It is food for thought because our ability to respond and neutralise remains relatively weak.

China would have observed the growing strength of information operations and influence warfare in current-day standoffs. It is almost 30 years since it adopted ‘war under informationised conditions’. The rising tide of alternatives to conventional war will no doubt tempt the Chinese to experiment in areas where deniability is high; that includes facets of hybrid war. In the current situation, I did expect it to use various shades of grey zone warfare, resort to enhanced cultivation of separatist trends in the Northeast and use its media to brand India the villain. It did not. That could be a lesson for its future strategy: that it is easier to employ indirect threats and resort to direct confrontation only when the stage is set for enhanced hybridity.

Two significant issues remain: first Pakistan and second the maritime zone. Very briefly, China will realise that initiating the Ladakh standoff without directly involving Pakistan has led to the creation of the following perception in Indian military circles—that India’s focus must go to the northern borders with China, with Pakistan the second priority.

Will China wish to create a greater dilemma for the Indian leadership by getting Pakistan to use its calibration capability to ratchet up the threats in J&K and the western borders? We may need to brace for that even though Pakistan has very little capability to do China’s bidding. On the maritime front, much has been written and spoken about the Quad and how it received a new lease due to the Ladakh standoff.

China will try to find the strategic diplomatic leverage to prevent the actualisation of the Quad, which is clearly not in the interests of Beijing’s bid to contest the Indo Pacific. Seeking to appease Australia and raising Russian doubts about India’s strategic partnership with the US are two domains that it can use effectively. (Source: defencenews.in)

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Lessons that China learnt from the Ladakh standoff.

States roll out immunisation programme Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

States roll out immunisation programme Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0.

It will cover children and pregnant women who missed the routine immunisation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

States/Union Territories (UTs) have rolled out Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0 to cover children and pregnant women who missed the routine immunisation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Ministry said in its release issued on Tuesday, adding that more than 29,000 children and 5,000 pregnant women were covered on Day 1.

“Various States and UTs have started implementation of the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0, a campaign aimed to reach those children and pregnant women who have been missed out or been left out of the Routine Immunisation Programme. This is aimed to accelerate the full immunisation of children and pregnant women through a mission mode intervention. The first phase has been rolled out from 22nd Feb. for 15 days,” it said.

The campaign is scheduled to have two rounds of immunisation lasting 15 days (excluding routine immunisation and holidays). It is being conducted in pre-identified 250 districts/urban areas across 29 States/UTs in the country. Beneficiaries from migration areas and hard to reach areas will be targeted as they may have missed their vaccine doses during the pandemic. As per the guidelines released for IMI 3.0, the districts have been classified to reflect 313 low risk; 152 medium risk; and 250 high risk districts.

The Ministry said that adherence to COVID-Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) during the immunisation activities has been strongly emphasised. States have been asked to follow “staggered approach” to avoid crowding at the session sites and even plan break-up sessions if a staggered approach is not effective to avoid crowding. The sessions are also planned in such a way that not more than 10 beneficiaries are present at the session site at one given point in time. (Source: The Hindu)

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States roll out immunisation programme Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0.

Tripura Gets First-Of-Its-Kind Road Constructed Using Plastic Waste - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

Tripura Gets First-Of-Its-Kind Road Constructed Using Plastic Waste.

Apart from the road constructed using plastic waste, the Tripura Chief Minister today inaugurated four other development projects in Agartala.

In a first-ever initiative in Tripura, the state has started using non-recyclable plastic waste in the construction of roads with an aim to reduce plastic waste and make the environment plastic-free, said Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Monday.

Speaking to ANI at the inauguration of the first such road, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said, "This is for the first time in Tripura that waste plastic was collected and recycled, and used in constructing a 680 metre long road in front of the Women's College near BK Road. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Tripura and through this, I would like to set an example of how plastic waste is reduced by putting it to judicious use. This initiative is a beautiful example of how we can make our environment plastic-free and use plastic waste in public welfare projects."

Apart from the road constructed using plastic waste, the Tripura Chief Minister today inaugurated four other development projects in Agartala.

Talking about the initiative and other projects inaugurated by the Chief Minister today, Shailesh Kumar Yadav, District Magistrate of West Tripura district who also is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ASCL said, "Today five projects were undertaken by the Agartala smart city Limited under the Smart City Mission, were inaugurated here. Talking about the first project, 680-meter road near B K road has been constructed by mixing waste plastic along with bitumen at a cost of around ₹ 70 lakh on a trial basis. He added that this is just a trial but in the coming days, more such plastic roads will be constructed to reuse the plastic waste generated.

He also stated that generally, plastic which has high usage in our daily life is a menace as waste, that affects environmental quality and ecosystem health and globally scientists and environmentalists are worried about unmanageable plastic pollution.

"Experiments are going on to find the impact of the use of plastic in road construction along with bitumen particularly in rainy areas and where waterlogging is common. AgartalaMunicipal Corporation almost generates 19 tonnes of plastic daily and such initiatives are expected to help the authority in better managing the plastic waste," he added. (Source: ndtv)

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Tripura Gets First-Of-Its-Kind Road Constructed Using Plastic Waste.

Isro says India's second Mars mission Mangalyaan-2 will be an orbiter mission - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Isro says India's second Mars mission Mangalyaan-2 will be an orbiter mission.

On a day when Nasa's rover Perseverance landed on Mar to look for signs of past life on the Red Planet, chief of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) K Sivan said India would also send a second Mars mission and this mission is likely to be an orbiter.

However it is not yet known when this mission, named Mangalyaan-2, will be ready.

As per a report by news agency PTI, Sivan said Mangalyaan-2 will be undertaken only after the launch of Chandrayaan-3, India's upcoming Moon mission.

In Chandrayaan-3, Isro would be aiming to land a rover on the Lunar surface. This mission has been delayed due to the coronavirus-induced pandemic. It is expected that that the mission will lift off in 2022.

Speaking about the Mar's mission to PTI, Sivan said landing there is "more tough".

After its first Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was successful, Isro called for 'Announcement of Opportunities' on MOM-2.

Sivan said Mangalyaan-1, India's first Mars mission, is "still working good" and sending data.

"It is now planned to have the next orbiter mission around Mars for a future launch opportunity," according to the Announcement of Opportunities.

Sivan said the space agency had asked the scientific community for suggestions on possible experiments and it is in the process of receiving these. "Once we get these suggestions, we will prepare a project report and have discussion in (an expert) committee. Then we will go to Space Commission," Sivan was quoted as saying by PTI.

Speaking about Mangalyaan-2, he said it will only be an orbiter mission.

Mangalyaan-1 was launched in November 2013 and entered the Martian orbit in September 2014.

It was designed to work for six months but now the mission is in its seventh year.

Mangalyaan-1 or Mars Orbiter Mission was India's first Endeavour to successfully reach another planet.

The launch vehicle, spacecraft and ground segment cost Rs 450 crore, one of the cheapest missions to Mars so far.

The Mars orbiter has sent thousands of pictures to talling more than two terabytes. ISRO has other major projects lined up. After the Mars Orbiter Mission's success, it also decided to explore Venus.(Source:defencenews.in)

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Isro says India's second Mars mission Mangalyaan-2 will be an orbiter mission.

Explained: How Earth’s magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate change - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Explained: How Earth’s magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate change.

The ozone layer was destroyed, electrical storms raged across the tropics, solar winds generated spectacular light shows, Arctic air poured across North America with the geomagnetic reversal

The world experienced a few centuries of apocalyptic conditions 42,000 years ago, triggered by a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles combined with changes in the Sun’s behaviour. That’s the key finding of our new multidisciplinary study, published in Science.

This last major geomagnetic reversal triggered a series of dramatic events that have far-reaching consequences for our planet. They read like the plot of a horror movie: the ozone layer was destroyed, electrical storms raged across the tropics, solar winds generated spectacular light shows (auroras), Arctic air poured across North America, ice sheets and glaciers surged and weather patterns shifted violently.

During these events, life on earth was exposed to intense ultraviolet light, Neanderthals and giant animals known as megafauna went extinct, while modern humans sought protection in caves.

The magnetic north pole — where a compass needle points to — does not have a permanent location. Instead, it usually wobbles around close to the geographic north pole — the point around which the Earth spins — over time due to movements within the Earth’s core.

For reasons still not entirely clear, magnetic pole movements can sometimes be more extreme than a wobble. One of the most dramatic of these pole migrations took place some 42,000 years ago and is known as the Laschamps Excursion, named after the village where it was discovered in the French Massif Central.

The Laschamps Excursion has been recognised around the world, including most recently in Tasmania, Australia. But up until now, it has not been clear whether such magnetic changes had any impacts on climate and life on the planet. Our new work draws together multiple lines of evidence that strongly suggest the effects were indeed global and far-reaching.

Ancient trees

To investigate what happened, we analysed ancient New Zealand kauri trees that had been preserved in peat bogs and other sediments for more than 40,000 years. Using the annual growth rings in the kauri trees, we have been able to create a detailed timescale of how Earth’s atmosphere changed over this time.

The trees revealed a prolonged spike in atmospheric radiocarbon levels caused by the collapse of Earth’s magnetic field as the poles switched, providing a way of precisely linking widely geographically dispersed records.

The kauri trees are like the Rosetta Stone, helping us tie together records of environmental change in caves, ice cores, and peat bogs around the world,” says professor Alan Cooper, who co-lead this research project.

Using the newly-created timescale, we were able to show that tropical Pacific rain belts and the Southern Ocean westerly winds abruptly shifted at the same time, bringing arid conditions to places like Australia at the same time as a range of megafauna, including giant kangaroos and giant wombats went extinct.

Further north, the vast Laurentide Ice Sheet rapidly grew across the eastern US and Canada, while in Europe the Neanderthals spiralled into extinction.

Climate modelling

Working with a computer programme that simulated the global interactions between chemistry and the climate, we investigated the impact of a weaker magnetic field and changes in the Sun’s strength.

Importantly, during the magnetic switch, the strength of the magnetic field plummeted to less than 6% of what it is today. A compass back then would struggle to even find north.

With essentially no magnetic field, our planet totally lost its very effective shield against cosmic radiation, and many more of these very penetrating particles from space could access the top of the atmosphere.

On top of this, the Sun experienced several “grand solar minima” throughout this period, during which the overall solar activity was generally much lower but also more unstable, sending out numerous massive solar flares that allowed more powerful ionising cosmic rays to reach Earth.

Our models showed that this combination of factors had an amplifying effect. The high energy cosmic rays from the galaxy and also enormous bursts of cosmic rays from solar flares were able to penetrate the upper atmosphere, charging the particles in the air and causing chemical changes that drove the loss of stratospheric ozone.

The modelled chemistry-climate simulations are consistent with the environmental shifts observed in many natural climate and environmental change archives.

These conditions would have also extended the dazzling light shows of the aurora across the world — at times, nights would have been as bright as daytime. We suggest the dramatic changes and unprecedented high UV levels caused early humans to seek shelter in caves, explaining the apparent sudden flowering of cave art across the world 42,000 years ago.

It must have seemed like the end of days. (Source: down to earth)

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Explained: How Earth’s magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate change.

Biometric authentication to benefit farmers: Centre - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Biometric authentication to benefit farmers: Centre.

It will aid in tracking end use beneficiary: Piyush Goyal.

In a bid to cut out middleman and ensure greater transparency in the procurement of farm produce, the Centre is encouraging States to deploy biometric authentication of farmers.

The practice, already adopted in Uttar Pradesh and set to be rolled out in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha this year, will aid in tracking the end use beneficiary, Food Minister Piyush Goyal said at a press conference on Thursday.

Online payments

The initiative comes at a time when farmers are agitating for a legal guarantee that all their crops will be procured at a minimum support price (MSP), and demanding the repeal of three farm reform laws that they believe will weaken the current system of procurement at State-run markets. In States such as Punjab and Haryana, where the agitation has been strongest, middlemen who act as commission agents or arhitiyas are a key part of the procurement process at these mandis.

The Centre had already taken steps to roll out online payments to farmers who sell their produce to the government, said Food Ministry Additional Secretary Edwin Kulbhushan Majhi. It had directed the State governments of Haryana and Punjab to ensure payments in e-mode from the upcoming season, and was expecting all States to follow suit this year.

“We would like all payments released by the Central government to farmers, that we are able to track them online. There should not be any intermediaries, farmers should not be given cheques to be encashed. The money should go directly into the farmers’ accounts,” said Mr. Majhi.

Faster process

The next step was the biometric authentication scheme that U.P. had already rolled out. “The entire process of procurement has to be made faster. Once you have data of farmers available, and once they are bio-authenticated, the entire details are digitally available to the procurement machinery, the kind of crop he’s cultivating, the kind of landholding he has, all the details are available,” said Mr. Majhi.

This initiative reduced the need for extensive paperwork, prevented leakages and speeded up the process of procurement, with payment settlement being completed within 72 hours, he said, adding efficiency and greater cost-effectiveness to the system.

“The other advantage is that the farmer gets a receipt for his goods, showing the quantity and the MSP price, so nobody can cheat the farmer. He gets the full fair price,” said Mr. Goyal. He did not respond to a query whether bio authentication would be mandatory for farmers to participate in the procurement process.

“States are welcoming it, it is easier for the farmer, the farmer doesn’t have to depend on the middleman or the arhitiyas,” added Mr. Majhi.

With regard to the Economic Survey’s recommendation for a hike in the subsidised prices of rice and wheat sold at ration shops, Mr. Goyal said it was not under consideration at the moment. “At present, there is no such proposal in the Ministry to increase the prices of products given under the [National] Food Security Act. It continues to be ₹3, ₹2 and ₹1 for rice, wheat and coarse grain [respectively],” he said.

The Economic Survey had urged that prices be hiked in order to reduce the burgeoning food subsidy bill. (Source: The Hindu)

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Biometric authentication to benefit farmers: Centre.

IIT scientists devise new method for accelerated evaporation of droplets - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

IIT scientists devise new method for accelerated evaporation of droplets.

The novel method can control the overall lifetime of droplet

Indian Institutute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati researchers have developed an advanced technique for rapid evaporation of droplets. It is a novel method of controlling the overall lifetime of droplet. The inferences drawn from this study could have far-reaching implications ranging from biomedical engineering to biological sample diagnostics, ink-jet printing, surface patterning and many more, the researchers claimed.

The new research focuses on manipulating small fluid volume using an externally applied magnetic field. This aspect of the field dynamics research is known as magnetofluidics. “We have developed a state-of-the-art method of mixing using externally applied magnetic fields of two different fluid volumes,” Mondal said.

“Mixing is important especially in the area of diagnostics. Very often we need to go to a pathological centre for diagnosis, but for the proper diagnosis, collected samples are needed to be mixed for different reasons. Our research will provide a new direction towards the development of a portable as well as cost effective device for the efficient mixing of fluid samples”, he claimed.

Also, using this magnetofluidics-based technique, researchers have explored a new avenue for controlling evaporation of small fluid volume. The evaporation of fluid volume is critical especially in applications such as inkjet printing, DNA patterning and surface patterning. Researchers have established in their recent study that using magnetic particles of small volume fraction and the externally applied magnetic field, the evaporation rate of small fluid volume can be expedited.

With the advent of miniaturisation, the effective transfer of mass between species has attracted significant attention of global communities because of its wide range of industrial applicability. In particular, rapid evaporation and mixing between droplets have an extensive range of engineering applications such as biological sample diagnostics, inkjet printing, surface patterning and many more.

Researchers have found that by tuning the strength of applied magnetic field as well as its frequency, it is possible to have precise control over the lifetime of the droplet containing suspended magnetic nanoparticles, which is an important area of biomicrofluidics. The research has shown that the evaporation rate of the droplet can be effectively controlled by varying the applied magnetic field frequency.

The results of this study have recently been published in the Soft Matter journal belonging to the Royal Society of Chemistry. The research team comprised of, apart from Mondal, his PhD scholar Sudip Shyam and Balkrishna Mehta of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Bhilai. (Source: downtoearth)

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IIT scientists devise new method for accelerated evaporation of droplets.

Zero waste systems can create thousands of jobs across world: Study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Zero waste systems can create thousands of jobs across world: Study.

Reuse creates over 200 times as many jobs as landfills and incinerators; recycling around 70 times more

Zero-waste programmes and policies have the potential to create good, environment-friendly jobs and help reduce pollution and improve community health, a recent study from Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) found.

GAIA is an alliance of more than 800 grassroots groups, non-profits and individuals whose vision is to create a toxic-free world without incineration, according to its website.

The study found:

• Reuse creates over 200 times as many jobs as using landfills and incineratorsmm

• Recycling creates around 70 times as many jobs as using landfills and incineratorsm

• Remanufacturing creates almost 30 times as many jobs as using landfills and incinerators

The report noted that the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused millions of people around the world to lose their jobs. To bolster their economies, local, provincial, and national governments are deploying considerable recovery funds to rebuild local economies.

Zero Waste is a comprehensive waste management approach that focuses on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators or the ocean.

Disposal-based systems, on the other hand, rely on incineration and landfills to handle most of the waste stream, resulting in higher economic costs and environmental consequences.

The study considered a recovery rate scenario in which each city recovered 80 per cent of recyclable and organic material in its waste stream, and uses the recycled material to remanufacture consumer goods. The team of researchers set the 80 per cent recovery target based on diversion rates in Canberra (Australia), Capannori (Italy), Fort Bonifacio, Taguig (Philippines), Kamikatsu (Japan), San Fernando (Philippines), San Francisco (the United States), and Toronto (Canada) — all of which have achieved 80 per cent diversion from disposal.

The results showed that recycling, remanufacturing, and composting alone created thousands of new jobs across the model cities. Job growth in the high recovery rate scenario was particularly dramatic in cities with low current recycling rates.

Cities with lower collection rates could see even greater job gains as municipal waste services were expanded. The analysis also showed that 10-60 jobs in composting, recycling, and remanufacturing were created for every job lost in disposal.

Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), for example, could both create over 18,000 jobs, and São Paulo (Brazil) could create 36,000 new jobs.

Neil Tangri, science and policy director at GAIA and author of the report, stated: “With the world still reeling from the pandemic, job creation is a top priority. Zero waste offers a strategy to create good jobs and reduce pollution without breaking the bank. It’s a triple win for the economy, the environment and the city.” (Source: downtoearth)

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Zero waste systems can create thousands of jobs across world: Study.

Explained: How glaciers, glacial lakes form and why they break - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Explained: How glaciers, glacial lakes form and why they break.

A number of imminent potentially deadly glacier burst and flood situations have been identified worldwide

The floods that slammed into two hydroelectric plants and damaged villages in Uttarakhand were set off by a break on a Himalayan glacier upstream.

How glaciers and glacial lakes form

Glaciers are found on every continent except Australia and some are hundreds of thousands of years old. A large cluster of glaciers are in the Himalayas, and Sunday’s disaster occurred in the western part of the Himalayas.

Glaciers are made of layers of compressed snow that move or “flow” due to gravity and the softness of ice relative to rock. A glacier's “tongue” can extend hundreds of kilometers from its high-altitude origins, and the end, or “snout," can advance or retreat based on snow accumulating or melting.

“Ice may flow down mountain valleys, fan out across plains, or in some locations, spread out onto the sea,” according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Proglacial lakes, formed after glaciers retreat, are often bound by sediment and boulder formations. Additional water or pressure, or structural weakness, can cause both natural and manmade dams to burst, sending a mass of floodwater surging down the rivers and streams fed by the glacier.

Why did this glacier burst?

It's not yet known what caused part of the Nanda Devi glacier to snap off Sunday morning, sending floodwater surging downstream toward power plants and villages in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand.

Seismic activity and a buildup of water pressure can cause glaciers to burst, but one particular concern is climate change. High temperatures coupled with less snowfall can accelerate melting, which causes water to rise to potentially dangerous levels.

“Most mountain glaciers around the world were much larger in the past and have been melting and shrinking dramatically due to climate change and global warming,” said Sarah Das, an associate scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Can such disasters be predicted?

Past deadly or highly destructive glacial floods have occurred in Peru and Nepal. But the remote locations of glaciers and a lack of monitoring mean we don't have a clear understanding of how often they occur and if they are increasing, Dr. Das said.

“Given the overall pattern of warming, glacier retreat, and increase in infrastructure projects, though, it seems natural to hypothesize that these events will occur more frequently and will become overall more destructive if measures are not taken to mitigate these risks,” said Dr. Das.

A number of imminent potentially deadly glacier burst and flood situations have been identified worldwide, including in the Himalayas and South American Andes. But while monitoring is possible, the remoteness of most glaciers presents challenges.

“There are many glaciers and glacial dammed lakes across the Himalayas, but most are unmonitored,” Dr. Das said. “Many of these lakes are upstream of steep river valleys and have the potential to cause extreme flooding when they break. Where these floods reach inhabited regions and sensitive infrastructure, things will be catastrophic."

A 2010 information page published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development called for more glacier monitoring in the Hindu Kush Himalayas to better understand “the real degree of glacial lake instability.” The region where the glacial burst occurred is prone to landslide and flash flooding, and environmentalists have cautioned against building in the region. (Source: The Hindu)

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Explained: How glaciers, glacial lakes form and why they break.

Explained:The disengagement plan between India and China along the LAC - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Explained:The disengagement plan between India and China along the LAC.

Once complete disengagement is achieved at all friction areas, both sides will undertake de-escalation along the LAC.

Starting in April 2020, China amassed a large number of troops and armaments along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and other areas along the 3,488 km LAC, leading to stand-offs and skirmishes at Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso (lake), Gogra-Hot Springs and other areas. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) moved into Indian territory and built fortified structures and defences, changing the status quo on the ground. While there are differences in perception on the alignment of the LAC, over the years both sides concluded a series of agreements to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border, while talks continued to resolve the dispute.

At Pangong Tso, PLA troops moved up to Finger 4 from Finger 8, and then a major clash occurred on the night of May 5, which resulted in injuries to over 70 Indian soldiers. On the north bank, India’s perception of the LAC lies at Finger 8 and the Army regularly carries out patrols till there, which were blocked as a result of the Chinese ingress.

On the night of May 9, clashes were reported at Naku La in North Sikkim. India responded by mobilising additional troops and equipment to match the Chinese build-up. Since then, several friction points emerged in eastern Ladakh and both sides initiated diplomatic and military talks aimed at disengagement and de-escalation, with India pushing for the restoration of status quo ante of pre-April.

How did earlier efforts at disengagement unfold?

India and China earlier reached an understanding for phased disengagement from all friction points followed by de-escalation from the depth areas along the LAC. It was during this initial process of disengagement that the violent clash occurred on June 15 at Patrolling Point (PP) 14 in Galwan Valley, resulting in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, including a Commanding Officer, and an unknown number of PLA casualties. This marked the biggest clash since 1967.

Despite that, disengagement continued at PP14 and PP15 in the Hot Springs area, and partial disengagement was undertaken at Hot Springs and on the north bank of Pangong Tso. The aim was to create a buffer at these locations with a small group of soldiers retained and rest moving back to their permanent locations. However, PLA troops continued to sit on the ridgelines of Finger 4 overlooking Indian positions, which was a matter of significant concern to India as it would alter the status quo on the ground.

Fresh tensions occurred in the end of August on the south bank of Pangong Tso, as the Indian Army pre-empted Chinese moves and occupied several dominating peaks on the Kailash range on the Indian side of the LAC, which gave tactical advantage to India. This resulted in a massive deployment of troops and tanks in very close proximity a couple of hundred metres of each other, at some locations. Several incidents of firing of warning shots also occurred, the first firing since 1975. This stalled the earlier disengagement process. Both sides amassed around 50,000 troops and heavy equipment in eastern Ladakh and undertook preparations to remain deployed through the harsh winters in the high altitude region. On September 10, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow where they agreed on a five-point resolution to take forward the talks.

What is the latest agreement?

India and China on February 11 announced an agreement for disengagement on the north and south bank of Pangong Tso to cease their forward deployments in a “phased, coordinated and verified manner”, which according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will “substantially” restore the situation to that existing prior to commencement of the stand-off last year.

As per the agreement, the Chinese side will move back its troops on the north bank to east of Finger 8 while Indian troops will move to their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3. “A similar action would be taken in the south bank area by both sides,” Mr. Singh said in the Rajya Sabha.

The agreement also entails that any structures that had been built by both sides since April 2020 in both north and south bank area will be removed and the landforms will be restored. There is also a moratorium on patrolling in this area until a resumption is discussed by both sides through diplomatic and military talks.

What is the way forward?

The Defence Ministry said last week that Mr. Singh’s statement made clear there were outstanding problems to be addressed, including at Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang, and these issues would be taken up within 48 hours of the completion of the Pangong Tso disengagement, which could take two weeks or longer. Once complete disengagement is achieved at all friction areas, both sides will undertake de-escalation along the LAC. (Source: The Hindu)

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Explained:The disengagement plan between India and China along the LAC.

Govt announces radical changes to mapping policy - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt announces radical changes to mapping policy.

The changes have been introduced keeping in view the government's vision to make India self-reliant. The government is looking forward to see India emerge as a mapping power.

The Centre on Monday announced sweeping changes to the country's mapping policy, which it said will benefit Indian companies. The changes have been made in the policy keeping in mind the the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.

Announcing this on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the policy change is a massive step in the government's vision to make India self-reliant.

"The reforms will unlock tremendous opportunities for our country’s start-ups, private sector, public sector and research institutions to drive innovations and build scalable solutions. This will also generate employment and accelerate economic growth."

The country's farmers will benefit by leveraging the potential of geo-spatial and remote sensing data. "These reforms demonstrate our commitment to improving ease of doing business in India by deregulation," PM Modi said in another tweet on the matter.

According to radical changes announced by the government, what is readily available globally does not need to be restricted in India and therefore geospatial data that used to be restricted will now be freely available in India, according to Ministry of Science and Technology.

The changes also seek to remove unnecessary red tape and obstacles in innovation.

"The existing regime imposed significant restrictions on the mapping industry - from creation to dissemination of maps, requiring Indian companies to seek licenses, follow a cumbersome system of pre-approvals and permissions. Compliance with these regulatory restrictions has subjected startups in India to unnecessary red tape, hindering Indian innovation in map technologies for decades," Ministry of Science and Technology said in a release.

"Our corporations and innovators are no longer subject to restrictions nor do they require prior approvals before they collect, generate, prepare, disseminate, store, publish, update digital Geospatial Data and Maps within the territory of India," it added.

The ministry also said that the government is looking forward to see India emerge as a mapping power. (Source: Hindustantimes)

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Govt announces radical changes to mapping policy.

Indian government gifts 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria to strengthen food security - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian government gifts 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria to strengthen food security.

The first consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice was handed over by India Ambassador to Syria, Hifzur Rahman to the Minister of Local Administration and Head of Supreme Relief Committee Hussain Makhlouf on Thursday.

India has gifted 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria with an aim to strengthen food security in the middle eastern country.

The first consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice was handed over by India Ambassador to Syria, Hifzur Rahman to the Minister of Local Administration and Head of Supreme Relief Committee Hussain Makhlouf on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

The remaining 1000 metric tonnes of rice is expected to reach Syria on February 18. The rice is being supplied in response to a request from the Syrian government for emergency humanitarian assistance.

"India and Syria have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations," the statement read.

The Indian government, the ministry said, has always "stood in solidarity with the people of Syria, and our bilateral engagement has continued apace even during the years of internal conflict there through a number of development and capacity building projects".

Syria's civil war began during the Arab Spring in 2011 as a peaceful uprising against the country's president, Bashar al-Assad. It has since escalated -- shattering the lives of Syrians, destroying cities, straining global politics, and spurring diplomatic efforts that are constantly questioned as the world is witnessing the horrors of ongoing warfare.

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Indian government gifts 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria to strengthen food security.

Counter-insurgency a priority over human security in J&K: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Counter-insurgency a priority over human security in J&K: Report.

A report by the Forum on Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir has concluded that counterinsurgency concerns continue to be prioritised over public, civilian and human security, “leading to vitiation of protections such as habeas corpus, prevention of illegal detention and strict restrictions on arrest and detention of children”.

Noting instances of abductions by militants, custodial killings and assassination of civilians and political workers, a report by the Forum on Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir has concluded that counterinsurgency concerns continue to be prioritised over public, civilian and human security, “leading to vitiation of protections such as habeas corpus, prevention of illegal detention and strict restrictions on arrest and detention of children”.

In its latest report, the forum states that in 18 months since August 5, 2019, “arbitrary detentions continue, public assembly is still prohibited under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (CrPC), and hundreds, including minors and several elected legislators of Jammu and Kashmir remain under preventive detention.”

The forum – chaired by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan B Lokur, and former J&K interlocutor Radha Kumar – notes in its second report that statutory agencies to which people could go to seek redress for human rights, women and child rights, anti-corruption and the right to information have not been reinstated, even though UTs are also entitled to independent statutory bodies for oversight.

The second report emphasises a “near-total alienation” of the people of Kashmir Valley from the Union government, and states that while alienation of the people of Jammu is not as severe, their concerns over economic and educational losses, as well as policies such as the new domicile rules and reversed land laws, are as substantial.

The forum records concerns of human rights issues, health, media, civilian security, women and children and recommends release of all remaining political detainees who were taken into preventive detention on or after August 4, 2019, as well as repeal of the stringent Public Safety Act.

The second report emphasises a “near-total alienation” of the people of Kashmir Valley from the Union government, and states that while alienation of the people of Jammu is not as severe, their concerns over economic and educational losses, as well as policies such as the new domicile rules and reversed land laws, are as substantial.

The forum records concerns of human rights issues, health, media, civilian security, women and children and recommends release of all remaining political detainees who were taken into preventive detention on or after August 4, 2019, as well as repeal of the stringent Public Safety Act.

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Counter-insurgency a priority over human security in J&K: Report.

India lost crops on 18 million hectares to extreme floods from 2017-2019: Govt - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India lost crops on 18 million hectares to extreme floods from 2017-2019: Govt.

Madhya Pradesh hardest-hit; figures show gross underestimation of crop losses due to floods.

India has suffered a huge crop loss on 18.176 million hectares (mha) of land, roughly 8.5 per cent of the total gross cropped area due to floods from 2017-2019, according to data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha February 11, 2021.

Of this, 10.68 mha was affected in 2019 alone. In 2018 and 2017, 2.515 mha and 4.973 mha of cropped area was lost in India. The intensity of extreme floods has increased in the country, affecting newer areas that were not flood-prone earlier.

The flood-prone states of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh saw extreme floods. They were also witnessed in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to ‘excess’ or ‘large excess’ rainfall in these states, combined with extremely heavy rainfall in a short span of time.

Madhya Pradesh was the hardest-hit among all. It had zero crop loss in both 2017 and 2018. However, it suffered the highest loss of 6.047 mha among all states in 2019 due to extreme rainfall, according to the reply given by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria.

In 2019, the state also saw the second highest claims, after Maharashtra, by farmers for crop insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Other states where crop losses were comparatively more were Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Maharashtra’s data was missing from the reply, along with several other states and Union territories like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, that had not reported the data for one year or the other. This also indicates gross underestimation of losses to crops due to floods.

Also, the figures for 2020 were not shared in the reply.

Kataria said the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) scheme for flood management worked in the entire country. River management activities and works related to border areas, with an outlay of Rs 3,342 crore, was under implementation from 2017-18 to 2019-20 and later extended upto March, 2021, he added.

Central assistance amounting to Rs 6,409.96 crore had been released till March, 2020 under this programme.

“The Government of India launched the Flood Management Programme during Eleventh Plan period for providing central assistance to the state governments for taking up works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, restoration of damaged flood management works and anti-sea erosion works that was continued during the Twelfth Plan,” the reply stated. (Source: downtoearth)

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India lost crops on 18 million hectares to extreme floods from 2017-2019: Govt.

UK, South African, Brazilian: A virologist explains each COVID-19 variant, what they mean for the pandemic - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

UK, South African, Brazilian: A virologist explains each COVID-19 variant, what they mean for the pandemic.

The take-home message is that variants will emerge, and we need to closely monitor their spread

Australia has recently seen SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the novel coronavirus disease) escape several times from hotel quarantine, including in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne.

These incidents have been particularly concerning because they involved people infected with “variants” of the virus.

But what exactly are these variants, and how concerned should we be?

What’s a variant?

Viruses can’t replicate and spread on their own. They need a host, and they need to hijack the cells of the host to replicate. When they replicate in a host, they face the challenge of duplicating their genetic material. For many viruses, this isn’t an exact process and their offspring often contain errors — meaning they’re not exact copies of the original virus.

These errors are referred to as mutations, and viruses with these mutations are called variants. Often, these mutations don’t affect the biological properties of the virus. That is, they don’t have any effect on how the virus replicates or causes disease.

Some mutations can impair the virus’s ability to replicate and/or transmit. Variants with such mutations are quickly lost from the viral population.

Occasionally, however, variants emerge with an advantageous mutation, one that means it’s better at replicating, transmitting, and/or evading our immune system. These variants have a selective advantage (in biological terms, they are “fitter” than other variants) and may rapidly become the dominant viral strain.

There’s some concern we’re seeing a growing number of variants with advantageous mutations, contributing to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ‘UK variant’ — B.1.1.7

This variant was first detected in the United Kingdom towards the end of 2020. It has a large number of mutations, many of which involve the virus’ spike protein, which helps the virus invade human cells.

It has spread rapidly throughout the UK since it emerged, and to at least 70 other countries, including Australia.

The fact it has spread so rapidly, and quickly replaced other circulating variants, suggests it has some sort of selective advantage over other variants.

After examining the evidence surrounding the new variant, the UK New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) concluded it “had moderate confidence” the variant is substantially more infectious than other variants.

This may be the result of one of the mutations in the spike protein of the variant — a mutation called “N501Y”. One preprint manuscript, uploaded last month and yet to be peer reviewed, found N501Y is associated with increased binding of the virus to a receptor found on the surface on many of our cells, called “ACE2”. This could mean the variant is even more efficient at entering our cells.

Although initially the variant wasn’t associated with more severe COVID-19 symptoms, more recent data have led NERVTAG to conclude there’s “a realistic possibility” that infection with the variant “is associated with an increased risk of death” compared with non B.1.1.7 viruses.

However, the group acknowledged there are limitations of the available data, and this remains an evolving situation.

The ‘South African variant’ — B.1.351

This variant was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in October 2020. Since then it has been found in more than 30 countries.

Similar to the UK variant, it quickly outcompeted other SARS-CoV-2 variants in South Africa. It now accounts for more than 90 per cent of SARS-CoV-2 samples in South Africa that undergo genetic sequencing.

Like the UK variant, it also has the N501Y mutation in the spike protein, meaning it’s more efficient at gaining access to our cells to replicate. This may help to explain its rapid spread.

It also contains several other concerning mutations. Two of these, called “E484K” and “K417N”, are bad news for our immune system. They can reduce how well our antibodies bind to the virus (though this is also based on preprint data awaiting peer review).

But there’s no evidence yet to suggest the South African variant is more deadly than the original variants.

The ‘Brazilian variant’ — P.1

This variant was first detected in Japan in a group of Brazilian travellers in January 2021.

It’s now highly prevalent in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, and has been detected in countries including South Korea and the United States.

Like the South African variant, the Brazilian variant has the spike protein mutations N501Y, E484K and K417N (as well as numerous other mutations).

While there’s no evidence this variant causes more severe disease, there’s concern it has facilitated a wave of reinfections in Manaus, the largest city in Amazonas, which was thought to have reached “herd immunity” in October last year.

What does this mean for vaccines?

Major vaccine developers are testing the efficacy of their vaccines against these and other variants. Generally, the currently licensed vaccines protect relatively well against the UK variant.

But recent phase 2/3 data from both Novavax and Johnson & Johnson suggest reduced protection against the South African variant. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine group also released data over the weekend suggesting its vaccine offers only minimal protection against mild-moderate disease caused by this variant.

However, it’s important to recognise reduced protection doesn’t mean no protection at all, and that data are still emerging.

What’s more, numerous vaccine manufacturers are now investigating whether tweaks to the vaccines can improve their performance against the emerging variants.

The take-home message is that variants will emerge, and we need to closely monitor their spread. However, there’s every indication we’ll be able to adapt our vaccine strategies to protect against these and future variants. (Source: downtoearth)

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UK, South African, Brazilian: A virologist explains each COVID-19 variant, what they mean for the pandemic.

Rajya Sabha passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 giving greater autonomy to major ports in country - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Rajya Sabha passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 giving greater autonomy to major ports in country.

Rajya Sabha passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 today. The Bill was put to Division Voting wherein 84 members supported the bill and 44 voted against it.

The bill seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of major ports in the country and provide greater autonomy to these ports. It seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. The legislation provides for the creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port. These Boards will replace the existing Port Trusts.

Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya while replying after the discussion on the bill said that it will make the major ports in the country more autonomous and provide major thrust in the maritime sector. He said, the bill will help the ports develop world class infrastructure and will also enhance transparency in their functioning. He stressed that the development of ports will pave way for port led development as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Allaying apprehensions raised by opposition members, Mr. Mandaviya informed that the bill does not in any way privatise the ports in the country. He asserted that it empowers the ports by making them more competitive when compared to private ports.

The Shipping Minister stressed that the NDA government will never allow privatisation of Ports in the country. He said the Maritime sector has seen a trajectory of growth in the last six years. Mr. Mandaviya informed that the major ports in the country have recorded double the profit from its figures in the previous regime. (Source: newsonair)

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Rajya Sabha passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 giving greater autonomy to major ports in country.

China funding airbase near Gwadar to block oil supply from W Asia to India - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

China funding airbase near Gwadar to block oil supply from W Asia to India.

China is funding development of an airbase near Gwadar port in Balochistan styled as Gwadar International airport for containing Indian Ocean Region (IOR) strategy of India and disrupting the oil supply lines from the Middle East to Indian shores.

The airbase will also help China in keeping an eye on Chabahar port of Iran where India has sanctioned USD 14 million for development of the port, sources tracking the development said.

The construction of the airbase began in January this year and the project is scheduled to be completed by the year end in December, they said.

The move, the sources further said, is also aimed at counterbalancing operationalisation of the Sukhoi base in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu by India. The Thanjavur air base is used for patrolling the Indian Ocean and also conduct joint exercises with the Australian and Japanese air forces. The base also gives leverage to India in patrolling the sea lanes through fighter jets on the oil and goods business supply routes between the Gulf nations and China.

The under-construction Gwadar airbase is designed to land heavy military transport aircraft.

As of now, Gwadar airport is dubbed as a transport base for heavy lift aircraft and military landings have not been specifically outlined but such runways are also capable of facilitating fighter jets’ landings.

The heavy military transport aircraft can also help Beijing in shipping men and military machines at short notice to check any major disruption in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that faces constant threat from the Baloch nationalists.

In the backdrop of the US administration under Joe Biden granting relaxations to sanctions clamped by his predecessor Donald Trump against Teheran, the Gwadar airbase can also be potentially exploited by the Iranians to smuggle in uranium and enrichment technology from China as there is no visa regime between Pakistan and Iran.

Amid India developing the Chabahar port in Iran which is close to the Gwadar port under Pakistani control, Beijing aims to counter Indian dominance in the IOR by keeping tabs on movements in the sea up to Mumbai where the ports receive hydrocarbon supplies from the Gulf countries.

To camouflage the Chinese game plan, the Gwadar airport is dubbed as a civilian facility while its construction is currently in full swing. (Source: defencenews.in)

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China funding airbase near Gwadar to block oil supply from W Asia to India.

Top of list, India has already seen ten Internet suspensions in 2021 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Top of list, India has already seen ten Internet suspensions in 2021.

India leads the global tally in suspension of Internet services over the past decade. In 2019 and 2020 alone, Internet and allied services remained suspended in India for more than 13,000 hours, with as many as 164 instances of shutdowns being enforced.

THE suspension of Internet services at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders of Delhi as well as adjoining areas again for a day on Saturday means that in less than 40 days of 2021, the Centre or state governments have suspended Internet across the country around 10 times.

Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri, which are seeing protests by farmers against the new agriculture laws, have had virtually no Internet services since January 26, when there was violence in the Capital during a tractor parade called by the protesters.

Internet, SMS and other services were suspended for more than 24 hours in at least two instances the past month, one each in Delhi and Haryana.

In the longest instance of high-speed Internet being suspended by an elected government, for 552 days, services that had been curtailed in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 were fully restored only on Friday.

The state with the maximum Internet suspensions after J&K is Rajasthan.

India leads the global tally in suspension of Internet services over the past decade. In 2019 and 2020 alone, Internet and allied services remained suspended in India for more than 13,000 hours, with as many as 164 instances of shutdowns being enforced, according to data collected by various independent auditors.

In 2019, Indian governments suspended the Internet for 4,196 hours, estimated to have resulted in economic impact in excess of $1.3 billion. In 2020, the total number of Internet blackout hours more than doubled to 8,927, with economic losses of more than $2.5 billion, according to data collected by Top10VPN.com, a global virtual private network (VPN) review website.

Internet was suspended 83 times in 2020 and 106 times in 2019. While at least six times this was for more than 24 hours, in four known instances, the services were cut off for more than 72 hours at a stretch, according to data available in the public domain and also compiled by the Software Freedom Law Centre, India, SFLC.in.

Between 2012 and 2020, Internet services were snapped 437 times, with a sharp increase in 2016. In 2018, the Internet was blacked out 134 times all over India.

While 4G services have now been restored in J&K, this is conditional for mobile Internet users, subject to proper verification by authorities.

The erstwhile state has borne the brunt of the Internet suspensions, with 251 such instances since 2012 of suspensions for at least 24 hours. In 2020, 2019 and 2018, Internet services were completely suspended 69, 55 and 65 times across J&K.

Rajasthan is the second highest in Internet suspensions since 2012, with 18 such instances in 2018, according to data available in public domain. Uttar Pradesh had snapped Internet services 29 times till January 2020.

Internet, voice, as well as other broadband telecom services can be suspended citing public safety and security, either by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) or by the order of an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary or above, authorised by the Centre or the state home secretary, in case of “unavoidable circumstances”.

For Internet shutdowns which are likely to continue for 24 hours or more, the orders have to be issued by the home secretary of the Central or state government under the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885. Such orders must contain detailed reasons for ordering the shutdown and be sent to a review committee the next day. (Source: The Indian Express)

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Top of list, India has already seen ten Internet suspensions in 2021.

New NASA model to help assess hange in carbon concentrations from forests - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

New NASA model to help assess hange in carbon concentrations from forests.

Tropical forests absorbed more carbon than other forest types, released more carbon into atmosphere due to deforestation, degradation, the study found.

Scientists have devised a new method to better understand the role of various forest types in the global carbon cycle. Tropical forests, for instance, are responsible for the largest component of global carbon fluctuations, according to a study published by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

A group of researchers, including NASA scientists, has created a new way to assess how the changes in forests over the past two decades impacted carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.

They found that tropical forest absorbed more carbon than other forest types and released more carbon into the atmosphere due to deforestation and degradation.

The study was published February 4, 2021. The method tapped into numerous sources, including ground, airborne and satellite data, to create the “first consistent global framework for estimating the carbon flux specifically for forests,” according to the research.

Forests around the world serve as carbon sinks: They absorbed around 15.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere each year between 2001 and 2019. At the same time, deforestation, fires, among other disturbances released 8.1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The study accentuated the lack of uniformity in data on global carbon estimates. The data varies between countries, but scientists expressed hope that the new method will help arrive at better data sets.

NASA’s Carbon Monitoring Systems Biomass Pilot is expected to further improve understanding of carbon removal rates across forest landscapes. It comprises:

• Satellite and field data to improve estimates of vegetation and carbon stocks

• NASA’s ICESat-2

• Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a laser-equipped instrument aboard the International Space Station that records the three-dimensional structures of the world’s temperate and tropical forests

The new approach, according to scientists, also helped identify the forest types that have higher uncertainties. The framework could help countries reduce carbon emissions for which accurate and current data is needed. (Source: Livemint)

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

New NASA model to help assess hange in carbon concentrations from forests.

Steps taken to promote entrepreneurship in North-Eastern Region - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Steps taken to promote entrepreneurship in North-Eastern Region.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Government has initiated and implemented several initiatives to promote entrepreneurship in North-Eastern Region. In a statement laid in the Lok Sabha today, he said, steps have been taken for improvement in enabling environment and vibrant ecosystem to enable entrepreneurs to tap the potential of the region.

Important connectivity projects for capital rail, air and road connectivity will be completed in the next two to three years. Development of Inland Waterways- National Waterways 2 and National Waterways 16 will provide connectivity to Haldia through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route and greatly benefit the eco-system by reducing cost.

Bamboo which has the potential to change the NE economy has got a boost with setting up of bio-refinery at Numaligarh, Assam; Bamboo Industrial Park at Dima Hasao, Assam; with reduced imports following enhancement of import duty to 25% on bamboo sticks for Agarbattis and amendment in Indian Forest Act, 1927.

The institutional framework for promotion of entrepreneurship is provided by several institutes in NER like Indian Institute of Entrpreneurship (IIE), Guwahati; three Indian Institutes of Information Technology(IIIT) in NER, Institutes of Hotel Management at Guwahati and Shillong, Film and Television Institute at Jollang-Rakap (Jote), Arunachal Pradesh, and National Institute of Design (NID), Jorhat, Assam. These institutes provide opportunity for skilling and nurturing young creative talent and design aspirants from North East Region and boost entrepreneurship. Further, KrishiUdaan Scheme to evacuate local produce, 586 Van DhanVikasKendras and Zoram Mega Food Park etc. will boost entrepreneurship, trade and commerce. In Assam and Meghalaya, the PMYUVA Pilot is being implemented in selected Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics, Pradhan MantriKaushal Kendra (PMKKs) centres and Jan SikshanSansthan (JSS). Under PMYUVA, 25 project institutes have been selected for the pilot project on Entrepreneurship Development in Assam and Meghalaya.

Entrepreneurs in NER have also been benefitted under various credit related schemes. Under Stand Up India Scheme, 3,449 loan accounts of SC/ST/Women beneficiaries were sanctioned for Rs. 714.83 crore and under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, a total of 1,07,26,209 loan accounts were sanctioned for Rs 48,868 crore in the 8 North Eastern States. Under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme 24,455 units were set up and employment for 1,95,640 persons was generated from 2017-18 to 31.12.2020; under Credit Guarantee Trust Fund of Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE), an amount of Rs.4684.55 crore was approved towards 98569 guarantees. An amount of Rs.21.26 crore was settled for 83393 beneficiaries under Interest Subvention Scheme for Incremental Credit to MSME since its inception in November, 2018.

The Start-up India Initiatives aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating and enabling eco-system. Under this, 408 startups have been recognized in the NER.

North East Development Finance Institution(NEDFI) has extended financial assistance to 6844 no. of projects with total sanctions and disbursement of Rs.5487.92 Cr. & Rs.4222.64 Cr. respectively, facilitating capital formation of around Rs.15922 Cr. during 1995 to 2020.The North East Venture Fund (NEVF), the first dedicated Venture Fund for NE has approved investments worth Rs 59.52 Crore in 29 ventures across sectors including healthcare, mobility, IT &ITeS, food processing/food tech, adventure tourism, agri-allied services and handicraft.

Under North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS), 2017, 202 units have been registered.

Organizations such as North East Handicrafts & Handloom Corporation (NEHHDC),Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) have launched E- Commerce portals i.e. www.purbashree.com, www.tribesindia.com, ekhadiindia.com which enable entrepreneurs including from North East to reach out to a wider market. The organizations like NEHHDC and TRIFED are also supporting the marketing of NE products through other e-commerce platforms. (Source: pib)

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

Steps taken to promote entrepreneurship in North-Eastern Region.

How will Centre double farmers’ income by next year? Union Budget 2021-22 has no answer - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How will Centre double farmers’ income by next year? Union Budget 2021-22 has no answer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the ambitious target in 2016.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a brief mention in her budget speech of the Centre’s plan to double farmers’ income, the deadline for which is 2022.

The target was announced on February 28, 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had said that by the time India celebrated its 75th Independence Day in 2022, farmers’ income would have doubled.

The Union Budget 2021-22 presented on February 1, 2021, was the penultimate budget before the deadline but the plan to achieve this ambitious target was not outlined in the document.

“Six years are going to end in 2022 and we haven’t heard from the government in the budget on how it plans to do this. There was no report card of current income levels of the farmers and nothing at all to show how to achieve this target,” said Kiran Kumar Vissa, national group member, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.

A report by the standing committee on agriculture submitted to Parliament on March 3, 2020 said that the Union government has asked all departments to work towards doubling farmer income. As part of the initiative, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Delhi, has prepared plans for each state and sent them for implementation. But there are no details on how states should work or how the government will analyse the progress.

In 2017, ICAR had decided to adopt and develop two villages as models in each district of the country, the report said, so that state governments can follow the schemes and practices and frame its own policies to double farmer incomes in other villages. Down To Earth had earlier reached out to these villages and found that there is no progress.

Amid extreme rural distress, experts have time and again called this plan unrealistic. Is the government indicating that it was merely sloganeering and the target is not an achievable? The current budget also does not inspire confidence in even increasing farmer incomes if not doubling.

Budget 2021-22 announced a 10 per cent increase in farm credit and higher allocations for fisheries, farmer produce organisations, aajeevika (rural livelihood mission) and recapitalisation of regional rural banks.

"Other than that, there is only stagnation or decline in many other scheme allocations like for crop insurance, interest subvention subsidy and even PM-KISAN (a direct benefit transfer scheme for farmers). Even MIS and PSS has much lower allocation than last year as only half of last year’s allocation was spent,” said Sukhpal Singh, professor, Centre for Management in Agriculture, IIM Ahmedabad.

“The only promise on the agri market front is more agricultural produce market committees (APMC) being planned to be linked to eNam (a national trading platform for agricultural products) and allowing APMCs to access agriculture infrastructure finds as loans. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna also has lower allocation than last year. It looks more like an interim budget,” he added.

In the budget speech, Sitharaman shared the procurement data of wheat and paddy and highlighted that the procurement has significantly gone up compared to 2013-14 and that the number of farmers benefitting from this has also increased. But these are just two crops which are procured from few states like Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

She also made a major announcement towards increasing agriculture credit target to Rs 16.5 lakh crore. (Source: downtoearth)

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How will Centre double farmers’ income by next year? Union Budget 2021-22 has no answer.

Clean energy, renewables, stubble burning: What the Union Budget 2021-22 missed - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Clean energy, renewables, stubble burning: What the Union Budget 2021-22 missed.

The budget lost the opportunity to address rural sector, where the Ujjwala Scheme will be extended to only one crore additional beneficiaries

Cleaner fuel for cooking, renewable energy targets and managing stubble burning remained conspicuously absent in the Union Budget 2021-22, presented by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman February 1, 2021.

The Budget lost the opportunity to address the rural sector as well, where the Union government’s Ujjwala Scheme will be extended to only 10 million additional beneficiaries. According to the last Census of India (2011), 63 per cent rural households used firewood as primary cooking fuel and 23 per cent crop residues and cow dung cakes.

Facilitating rural areas to shift to cooking gas will not only curb carbon emissions, but also reduce indoor air pollution and associated health issues.

The Budget also did not mention the Union government’s plan on dealing with crop residue, burning of which contributes heavily to air pollution in north India. A strategy on the collection and usage of crop residue could help building extra income for farmers, electricity generation from biomass and reduction in air pollution.

The Union government has recently been vocal about the achieving its renewable energy targets of 175 gigawatt by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030. The Budget, however, did not say anything about the government’s plans and the financial assistance available for the same.

India also failed to achieve its annual targets for solar installations in the last five years, according to the Economic Survey 2021.

Sitharaman in her Budget speech said, “To build up domestic capacity, we will notify a phased manufacturing plan for solar cells and solar panels”. This qualitative statement does not fit well with the aspirations of investors and manufacturers.

The industry was anticipating announcement roadmap and financial outlay for developing the solar manufacturing sector in India. Absence of a long-term strategy is a major disappointment and potentially wary off the industry. The safeguard duty on the solar cells and panels expired in July 2020.

Domestic manufacturers are unable to compete with cheap Chinese imports. However, the Union government has not announced long-expected basic custom duty on the solar cells and panels. It seems to have lost hope in developing solar manufacturing sector.

The Budget did announce duty on solar inverter: The big project developers with centralised biddings under state tenders (Solar Energy Corporation of India and others) will be covered under the change in law, but the small developers with private Power Purchasing Agreement (PPAs) will have to bear the heat of increased costs.

The solar rooftop sector will be largely affected as inverter cost component is higher due to heavy usage of string inverters.

The Budget has also been mute on tapping the potential of distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems in rural employment generation. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed industry structures and migrant issues. DRE would not only help in generating rural jobs but also in sustainable development. The Budget, however, missed this very important aspect of the Indian economy that could have helped streamline lives post-COVID-19. (Source; downtoearth)

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

Clean energy, renewables, stubble burning: What the Union Budget 2021-22 missed.