9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – August 9th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Challenges faced by parliamentarians: A Disruption-mukt Parliament
• GDP And Our Judges
• What game theory tells us about China-Taiwan face-off
• C Raja Mohan writes | India, Bangladesh, Pakistan: What east can teach west
• India got Swaraj in 1947. It must now strive for Suraj or good governance
• Launch a national tribal health mission

GS Paper 3

• Experts Explain: What it will take to fulfill India’s solar power dream
• PMLA verdict — due process will be bulldozed
• The employment-income crisis
• New terms of trade

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Explained: What is Taiwan’s ‘porcupine strategy’ to protect itself if China attacks?
• Indian Army launches ‘Him Drone-a-thon’ programme
• Researchers identify fungus for pyrene remediation
• Deciphering of physical characteristics of a rare class of supernovae hint towards advanced stage of evolution of special class of very hot & massive stars
• MoHUA constitutes committee to identify and designate institutions as Centres of Excellence
• Ex Vajra Prahar: India, US joint special forces exercise begins in Himachal’s Bakloh
• What is an IMEI number, how can police use it in cases of mobile phone theft?
• Union Agriculture Minister lays the foundation stone for Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables
• Study of rock agama gives insights into urbanization, conservation

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Challenges faced by parliamentarians: A Disruption-mukt Parliament

News: In a deliberative democracy, Parliament works as a special purpose vehicle for the legislative scrutiny of bills, grievance redressal and debate on policies and related governance issues. The inability of Parliament to transact any business and the lack of serious deliberation must be a matter of grave concern for all.

What are the challenges faced by parliamentarians?

Firstly, for any parliamentarian, it is extremely disappointing to be unable to speak in the House. When this happens too often, their enthusiasm to speak reduces significantly.

Secondly, When it comes to bills, opposition members argue vehemently that better scrutiny of the bill. But a close look at the percentage of members attending the meetings of standing committees makes one doubt the sincerity behind their demands.

Thirdly, systems work effectively when wrongdoers are punished and rule-abiding people are rewarded. What happens currently is exactly the opposite, especially in the context of coverage of parliamentary proceedings in mainstream media.

Those who make a reasonably good speech — well argued and supported by statistics, examples or case studies — rarely get adequate attention.

Fourthly, Only the politics of pandemonium(Chaos) grabs headlines in the news.

What should be done?

Perhaps presiding officers can emulate the courts of law. Like in courts, the presiding officers can conduct what is called in-camera proceedings in their chambers, especially for Zero Hour and Question Hour.

In-camera conduct of Zero and Question Hours will be a smart way to prevent punishing those who observe discipline.

As the Parliament of independent India enters the eighth decade of its history and prepares to enter a new, more well-equipped and modern Parliament House, it is the right time to think about systemic reforms.

GDP And Our Judges

News: Recently, A Supreme Court bench proposed to create an expert committee of Election Commission, Finance Commission, NITI Aayog, and RBI officials alongside political representatives. It will look into the economic impact of freebies doled out by governments.

What are the issues in the judicial interventions in the areas of economic growth, as per the article?

(1) Climate of uncertainty: The Judicial verdicts entail economic implications. An uncertain legal scenario is a great dampener for the private sector. The Covid pandemic has set back economic growth. Similarly, economic growth is being impacted by climate change. This has complicated environmental decision-making too.

(2) Threat of criminality: The bona fide decisions of the civil servants are being reopened in the courts. This will lead to delays in decision-making within the bureaucracy as civil servants are fearful of criminal charges. For example;

(a) In 2021, a two-judge SC bench directed CBI to inquire into the two-decade-old case of strategic disinvestment of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), where a preliminary inquiry was closed by CBI itself.

(b) Former SBI chairman Pratip Chaudhuri was arrested on a magistrate court’s order, for an asset reconstruction case, long after retirement. Ironically, the right forum to hear that matter was NCLAT.

(3) Judiciary decisions that override economic growth or which reopen already settled matters are putting the executive and judiciary at cross-purposes. In fact, both organs have a larger public interest in mind.

(5) The government has economic imperatives. Political executives are equally concerned about both the economy and the environment. For example, the GOI has taken the lead in renewable energy, and electric vehicles, addressing climate change and meeting SDGs.

(6) The governments are accountable to citizens for providing them a good standard of living. Further, The Judiciary doesn’t have the expertise in many matters.

(8) There are cases of judicial overreach, i.e., courts are acting somewhat arbitrarily against government decisions and decision-makers. For example;

(a) In 2019, the SC suspended the MOPA Airport project’s Environmental Clearance (EC) despite the Environment Assessment Committee and NGT following due process and ruled in favour of an EC being awarded.

(b) In the Goa Foundation vs Sesa Sterlite case, the SC halted the iron ore mining.  Four years have passed and a vast number of jobs have been lost.

How SC can get it right?

(1) The SC can take its own precedent and chart a long-term road map and framework. For example, in the Shivashakti Sugars Limited vs Shree Renuka Sugar Limited verdict, SC observed that the economic impact and effect of a decision ought to be kept in mind.

(2) The Judges start looking into economic impacts or cost-benefit analysis while arriving at responsible and sustainable judgments.

(3) By Institutionalization of dispute assessment. The SC can constitute an independent committee of experts, that can assist the court to help balance its final assessment by offering quantifiable analysis.

(4) Judicial interventions having economic implications require further deliberation, external expertise, a new assessment framework, and a macro-perspective.

(5) The courts must stop criminalizing bona fide decisions of the civil servants.

What game theory tells us about China-Taiwan face-off

News: Recently, Chinese forces have encircled Taiwan by sea. They have blocked all global supplies to Taiwan by cutting off the entry of sea cargo.

History of China-Taiwan Conflict

China-Taiwan tension has long been in existence, right from the mid-20th century. It is an indirect game being played between China and the US (as the chief backer of Taiwan’s self-rule).

China wants to integrate Taiwan’s governance with its own. It prefers a peaceful reunification, but without giving up the use of force as an option to achieve that goal.

The Game Theory in International Relations

Game Theory is an important model which helps analyze the strategic interactions in international relations.

The basic elements of this Game:

(1) There are some decision-makers who interact, called ‘players’. For example, in the context of the China-Taiwan crisis, these are the heads of both adversaries.

(2) Players have a range of possible actions that they could take to secure benefit, and such actions are called ‘strategies’. For example, Chinese and Taiwanese head have their own strategies.

(3) Once both sides of the game choose theirs, an outcome is realized wherein both receive ‘payoffs’, which may be thought of as the utility of their specific actions.

(4) The decisions depend on the visible actions of others. Further, the decision-makers also pay attention to alternate scenarios of potential action taken by others.

(5) There may be a ‘dominant strategy’ or ‘Nash equilibrium’ in the game. It refers to an action that is better no matter what the other country does, and a pair of opposing strategies are said to be at a Nash equilibrium.

Thus, the scenario in question could be depicted as a ‘two-player, or two-strategy’ game.

However, strategies and decisions taken in the game are not based on a perfect information scenario. There is a lack of information on what others may do results in asymmetry.

The ongoing China-Taiwan tension is one such scenario that could be analyzed from a Game Theory perspective.

The policymakers of China, as well as Taiwan, have little information in the form of knowledge about each other’s strategic choices.

The Game Theory helps identify the possible best situations in the China-Taiwan confrontation. However, there are multiple ‘best’ situations and the theory doesn’t tell us which one would occur.

First consider a scenario in which there is a ‘two-player, or two strategy game (China and Taiwan).

(1) If China and Taiwan go to war, both combatants would lose weapons, soldiers, and peace. However, the net payoff or advantage, in this case, might be far better for China

(2) Taiwan is a small country and has much tighter limitations on the weaponry and soldiers it can deploy. Therefore, Taiwan might not respond to Chinese provocations and submit to Beijing. Then it is advantageous for China. This explains why Beijing is showcasing its military strength by firing missiles and using other armed maneuvers to intimidate Taipei. China is expecting to obtain Taiwan’s submission this way.

(3) If both countries choose the option of not going to war. This is the best solution for both. Both will sign a sort of bilateral agreement wherein Taiwan would have to adhere to a set of conditions. Although not mutually acceptable to them, it would lead to a suboptimal solution.

In the case of China and Taiwan, there would not be any ‘dominant strategy’ or ‘Nash equilibrium’. Because both countries would try to adopt optimal strategies, keeping each other in consideration.

Second, alternative scenarios when the US also enters into the game as the third player.  Here, the USA strategy cannot be predicted and so a clear payoff for it cannot easily be worked out.

In case the US also enters into the game, there may be a dominant strategy or Nash equilibrium in the game.

The China-Taiwan standoff has the possibility of solutions that could be worked out through peace deliberations, but for this to happen, the US should not enter into the game.

C Raja Mohan writes | India, Bangladesh, Pakistan: What east can teach west

News: India is going to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Independence and mark the partition of the Subcontinent. However, the news from India’s western frontier with Pakistan is rarely positive. There are in fact talks of a 100-year war between India and Pakistan on the Indian Subcontinent. In contrast, India and Bangladesh are celebrating “Swarna Adhyay” or “Golden moment”

What are the issues in the India-Pakistan Relations?

The persistence of cross-border terrorism, the conflict over Kashmir, the militarization of the frontier, little connectivity, poor trade relations, and no formal inter-governmental negotiations between the two countries.

History of reinventing the Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relations

Both India and Bangladesh have reinvented their bilateral relationship through their recent foreign policies.

(1) The resolution of the land and maritime territorial disputes transformed the bilateral relations between the two:

(a) In 2015, the Parliament of India approved the settlement of the land boundary between India and Bangladesh that had been pending for decades.

(b) Bangladesh had moved to the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the settlement of the maritime dispute between India and Bangladesh. The Indian government accepted the award of the international arbitration on settling the maritime boundary dispute between Delhi and Dhaka.

(2) Cross-Border Terrorism: Both are cooperating on cross-border terrorism, which helped build much-needed political trust between the two national security establishments.

(3) Both have reopened the border that was largely shut down after the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. For example, India opened the Indian market for Bangladeshi goods, and Dhaka allowed Indian goods to transit to India’s northeast. Further, transboundary bus services, reopening of railway lines, and the revitalization of waterways are restoring connectivity in the eastern subcontinent that was severed.

(4) Bilateral trade volumes have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, touching nearly $16 billion last year. For example, Bangladesh is one of India’s top export markets.

India and Bangladesh have also developed inter-connected power grids facilitating Dhaka’s purchase of power from India.

(5) Geopolitical: Bangladesh has discarded the temptation to balance India. Instead, It has embarked on a cooperative strategy with India, focusing on its economic growth and lifting itself in the regional and global hierarchy.

Lessons to be learnt from India’s eastern frontier with Bangladesh

(1) Pakistan and India should learn that it is indeed possible to transcend the bitter legacies of Partition and build a mutually-beneficial relationship. For example, Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Narender Modi have proclaimed a “sonali adhyay” or “golden chapter” in Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relations.

(2) There are a number of benefits that both countries are enjoying due to smoothening of Indo-Bangladesh Relations:

(a) The north-eastern states have realized the immense benefits of deeper economic engagement with Bangladesh. These states want to end the geographic isolation of the region, which can be done by deepening economic ties with Bangladesh.

(b) For India, the expansive partnership with Bangladesh has significantly eased its security challenges and laid the basis for peace and prosperity in the eastern subcontinent.

Challenges in learning from Indo-Bangladesh lessons in the India-Pakistan Relations

There were efforts by India to replicate these kinds of moves with Pakistan. But Islamabad and Rawalpindi have not been ready to accept even the simplest of initiatives on trade, connectivity, or transborder energy cooperation.

The Way Forward

Instead of focusing on the western frontier, India should focus on consolidating its “golden moment” in the eastern frontier. A lot of issues are still to be resolved in the east between Delhi and Dhaka. For example, protecting the rights of minorities, sharing the waters of more than 50 rivers, promoting cross-border investments facilitating trade and preventing illegal migration, etc. Otherwise, the issues can threaten to destabilise the growing strategic partnership.

The 75th anniversary of independence offers Delhi and Dhaka a special opportunity to elevate the ambition for their bilateral partnership.

India got Swaraj in 1947. It must now strive for Suraj or good governance

News: It is 75 years since India got independent. Now is the time to look back and assess, the ancient values of India that have been left behind.

What are the ancient cultural ethos that present India needs to follow?

(1) Gandhi ji weaponized ahimsa or non-violence to resist the colonial tyranny of the British by making it one of the cornerstones of the freedom struggle. Many sacrificed their lives for these values. The mantra of ahimsa is rooted in the cultural and civilizational ethos of our great nation.

(2) Long-drawn freedom struggle of India teaches us the lessons of resilience and hope in difficult times. Neither invaders nor the colonizers could sever the cultural and civilizational continuity that bind us together.

(3) Cultural ethos of ancient India dearly held up the idea of equality, unity, and inclusivity.

(4) India’s ancient scriptures are filled with examples of the worship of the divine in the elements — rivers, mountains, holy plants, and trees. It encourages us to conserve nature.

What are the issues that need to be resolved?

Present India is suffering from issues like poverty, illiteracy, gender discrimination, corruption, and inequalities.

What should be done?

First, universal and affordable access to quality education and healthcare.

Second, improving rural infrastructure across the country on a fast track basis.

Third, the promotion of the mother tongue will revolutionise the educational landscape by making it more inclusive and equitable.

Fourth, conservation of environment for the future generations.

Launch a national tribal health mission

Context: The health of the Tribal in India is in a dismal state. A health revolution for the tribal people of India is the need of the hour.

Nearly 11 crore tribal people (Scheduled Tribes (ST) as per Census of India (2011) live in India. It is the second-highest population in the world. However, their health state is in dismal condition.

As per the Lancet report, 2016, India has the second-highest infant mortality rate for the tribal people. Pakistan tops this list.

Another report, i.e. the first national report on the state of India’s tribal people’s health, highlights the health state of the Tribal in India.

What are the findings of the report?

1) When it comes to Tribal welfare, the government’s major focus goes on the scheduled areas. However, it is found that half of the tribal population lives outside the scheduled areas, where they are found to be mostly powerless.

2) Despite the significant reduction in the Child Mortality rate among tribal from 135 in 1988 in the NFHS-1 to 57 in 2014 NFHS-4, the percentage of the excess of under-five mortality among STs compared to others has widened.

3) Child malnutrition is 50% higher in tribal children: 42% compared to 28% in others.

4) Malaria and tuberculosis are three to 11 times more common among the tribal people.

5) Even the incidence of non-communicable diseases is increasing. For example; the cases of hypertension and diabetes, and worse, mental health problems such as depression and addiction leading to cancer and suicide, are increasing.

6) Tribal people heavily depend on government-run public health care institutions. However, there is a 27% to 40% deficit in the number of such facilities in tribal areas. There is a 33% to 84% deficit in medical doctors.

7) There is hardly any participation from tribal people in designing health care facilities.

8) The official policy of additional allocation under Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) has been flouted by the state governments. There is even no accounts of accountability on how much of the allocated amount has been spent.

What should be done?

Following are some recommendations given by a government-formed committee for the health of tribal people:

First, launch a National Tribal Health Action Plan to bring the status of health and healthcare to par with the respective State averages in the next 10 years.

Second, the committee suggested nearly 80 measures to address the 10 priority health problems, the health care gap, the human resource gap, and the governance problems.

Third, the allocation of additional money so that the per capita government health expenditure on tribal people becomes equal to the stated goal of the National Health Policy (2017), i.e. 2.5% of the per capita GDP.

Government must seriously consider the implementation of these recommendations.

GS Paper 3

Experts Explain: What it will take to fulfill India’s solar power dream

News: From less than 10 MW in 2010, India has added significant solar PV capacity over the past decade, achieving over 50 GW by 2022.

By 2030, India is targeting about 500 GW of renewable energy deployment, out of which ~280 GW is expected from solar PV. This necessitates the deployment of nearly 30 GW of solar capacity every year until 2030.

About Solar PV panels

A typical solar PV value chain consists of first fabricating polysilicon ingots which need to be transformed into thin Si wafers that are needed to manufacture the PV mini-modules. The mini-modules are then assembled into market-ready and field-deployable modules.

The bigger size of solar wafer there is an advantage in terms of silicon cost per wafer, as this effectively means lower loss of silicon during ingot to wafer processing.

What are the challenges that need to be overcome in solar PV manufacturing?

Higher Imports: India currently does not have enough module and cell manufacturing capacity. Hence, Indian solar deployment or installation companies depend heavily on imports.

India’s current solar module manufacturing capacity is limited to ~15 GW per year. India only produces ~3.5 GW of cells currently. India has no manufacturing capacity for solar wafers and polysilicon ingots, and currently imports 100% of silicon wafers and around 80% of cells even at the current deployment levels.

Size and technology: In terms of cell technology, most of the manufacturing still uses Al-BSF technology, which can typically give efficiencies of ~18-19% at the cell level and ~16-17% at the module level. By contrast, cell manufacturing worldwide has moved to other newer technologies, yielding module efficiency of >21%.

Raw materials supply: Silicon wafer, the most expensive raw material, is not manufactured in India. More than 90% of the world’s solar wafer manufacturing currently happens in China.

Other key raw materials such as metallic pastes of silver and aluminium to form the electrical contacts too, are almost 100% imported. India is more of an assembly hub than a manufacturing one.

Academics plus industry: India has hardly invested in creating high-quality high-TRL technology centres that can help the industry to try and test the technologies in a cost-effective manner. Examples of the such centres include IMEC Belgium or the Holst Centre in the Netherlands.

What are the government initiatives to promote solar PV panels?

Firstly, there is a 40% duty on the import of modules and 25% duty on the import of cells, and a PLI scheme to support manufacturing capex.

Secondly, it is mandatory to procure modules only from an approved list of manufacturers (ALMM) for projects that are connected to state/ central government grids; so far, only India-based manufacturers have been approved.

What can be done?

Although India is making great progress in the deployment of solar PV modules for power generation, its path to becoming a manufacturing hub for the same requires more than just putting tax barriers and commercial incentives in the form of PLI schemes, etc.

a) India will have to work on technology tie-ups to make the right grade of silicon for solar cell manufacturing, b) In long term, it would be beneficial to move up the value chain by making components that could drive the price and quality of both cells and modules, c) India needs to create industry-like centres to work on specific technology domains with clear roadmaps and deliverables for the short and long term, d) Strong industry-academia collaboration in an innovative manner to start developing home-grown technologies.

PMLA verdict — due process will be bulldozed

News: The Supreme Court of India in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary vs Union Of India found all the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (“PMLA”) as constitutional.

The Court compared the intensity of money laundering with terrorism while disagreeing with its earlier judgment, where the Court had made a distinction between the two.

What are the significant provisions of PMLA?

The PMLA is meant to deal with prosecution and punishment for the offence of “money laundering.” An accused commits laundering when s/he has relation with any process or activity with the “proceeds of crime.”

So, for the PMLA to come into action, there must have been another crime — independent of the PMLA — from which monies were derived.

What are predicate offences?

The other crime, which is a necessary precondition for an offence under the PMLA is described as the predicate offence.

These predicate offences can be various offences under regular penal law such as the Indian Penal Code 1860, the Prevention of Corruption Act, etc. These are governed by the regular criminal process.

What are the challenges associated with PMLA?

a) Non-supply of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) to the accused/arrested person, b) Power to make any person (including existing or future accused) state the truth on oath even though it may amount to self-incrimination, c) Once a person is accused of committing the offence of money laundering, the burden of proving that proceeds of the crime are untainted property shall be on the accused, d) Blanket common and non-graded punishment for anyone associated with money laundering.

What are the concerns raised against the judgment?

1) Legislative intent can be a beginning point of constitutional analysis. i.e., whether the state has a legitimate purpose in making a law. But the Court treated legislative intent as the end point of its analysis.

2) The overemphasis on the seriousness of money laundering. There are so many offences under regular penal law that are punishable with life imprisonment or even death, where none of these draconian provisions applies.

3) Legislative intent is reflected by Parliament as part of its normal law-making power, whereas the constitutional due process is incorporated in the Constitution itself and is meant to define the limits of parliamentary law, irrespective of its intent.

Hence, elevating legislative intent can bulldoze any constitutional argument/reasoning that due process has been completely compromised in PMLA cases.

The employment-income crisis

News: India is the fastest growing large economy in the world. However, the Indian Economy is facing a number of challenges.

What are the challenges to addressing the employment-income crisis?

India is facing the biggest crisis of the unemployed and unemployable graduates, or secondary school drop-outs. This has caused disaffection among youth.

Some Measures Taken to solve the crisis

Education: Today, 50.2% of men and 41.0% of women have 10 or more years of schooling in the 15-49 age group.

Skilling: (1) Sector Skills Councils were set up from 2009-10 onwards. (2) The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was set up in 2014 with a strong focus on standardisation, and (3) Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), polytechnics, and other skill-oriented institutions were brought on a common platform.

The states and districts are playing a vital role in the implementation of skill programs.

The government launched Skill Hubs linking schools to ITIs/polytechnics, apprenticeship/internship embedded courses, credit equivalence frameworks, and so on.

What are the issues in the measures taken so far?

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, has pointed out that there has been misreporting of employment due to incentivized thrust on employment.

Colleges and high schools had some apprenticeship and vocational opportunities, but not on a transformational scale.

Some solutions to fight the challenges outlined above through a reform of the education–skill continuum

(1) There should be meaningful skilling for enterprises and jobs in the rural areas. For example, the promotion of high-value activities in the agriculture and allied sector. Basic IT and communication skills should be part of every skilling program.

For example, Madhya Pradesh has launched a pilot in some villages for full employment through the Livelihood Mission.

(2) There should be an education-skills continuum. Skilling should be linked with formal education. For example, there can be certificates, diploma courses, and bachelor’s degrees in vocational education like counseling, tourist guides, accountancy, IT skills, etc. Thus, BA/B.Sc./B.Com graduates can be made employable on a large scale with modest investments.

For Example, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have higher women’s work participation due to numerous technical and service-oriented institutions and courses.

(3) There should be a re-orientation of the ITIs and polytechnics. The focus should be on reskilling and upskilling through changes in curriculum development and course design.

(4) local governments and community organisations like women’s self-help groups (SHGs) and youth organisations should be involved in the skilling plan for a local area.

In addition, there should be a database of all men and women seeking employment or enterprise support for each and every local body, rural or urban.

(5) Skills and credit have to go hand in hand. The newly-trained individuals or groups who want to develop their enterprises must be provided with credit. There can be innovative technology-enabled financing through community collectives like community cadre of Bank Sakhis and Bank Mitras.

(6) Apprenticeship or skill programs managed by potential employers must be encouraged to enable a more need-based development of skills.

(7) The Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) should be leveraged in districts. They can run courses in partnership with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) like mechanisation and modernisation of agriculture and allied activities. Further, SHGs, farmers producer organisations (FPOs), primary agricultural cooperative societies, etc., can work with RSETIs for skill and credit linkage.

(8) The certification and assessment should be developed in accordance with the systems for higher education.

New terms of trade

News: In the last fiscal year, India’s merchandise export rose by over 40% in the last fiscal year. However, India’s merchandise export growth has seen a moderation in recent.

Causes of the recent moderation

(1) The surge in India’s merchandise export was driven by global commodity prices. Therefore, it was not going to sustain for a longer period of time.

(2) Moderation is partly because of the imposition of export restrictions to contain domestic inflation.

(3) In recent years, India’s participation in the global value chain has declined. Consequentially, it has affected exports.

(4) The World Bank data shows that India’s exports of goods and services as a percentage of gross domestic product steadily declined from a high of 25.4% in 2013 to 18.7% in 2020.

Importance of attaining and maintaining higher levels of India’s merchandise exports

High Merchandise export is an important driver for attaining higher sustainable economic growth.

Some measures were taken by the government – the government restructured the department of commerce.

(1) Now, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) will look at regulations and the promotion of foreign trade. It will not be involved in the making of the foreign trade policy.

(2) Further, the trade policy division has been bifurcated to handle bilateral trade negotiations and multilateral trade negotiations. This will help in providing focused attention to negotiations on free-trade agreements that India is currently engaged in with a number of countries.

However, the reorganization of the commerce department cannot solve the problem. Instead, it should be seen as a starting point.

Other Potential areas for interventions

In addition, the government must bring domain experts into the system of the department of commerce.

India needs to build institutional capacity in the trade policy establishment. This will help India to take a practical position in trade negotiations. For example, India’s decision to not join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been severely criticized in various quarters. India lost an opportunity to become part of the most dynamic trading bloc in the world.

India needs to integrate with global value chains (GVC) to boost its merchandise trade sustainably. For example, If India remains out of an RCEP-like trade agreement and increases tariffs to protect domestic businesses, then it would be difficult for India to become an integral part of any value chain.

The Way Forward

India should build on the momentum that it has gained after the pandemic and sustains a reasonable rate of export growth over the medium term.

The government should use the restructuring of the commerce department to build institutional strength.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Explained: What is Taiwan’s ‘porcupine strategy’ to protect itself if China attacks?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: What is Taiwan’s ‘porcupine strategy’ to protect itself if China attacks” published in Indian Express on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

China has launched aggressive and unprecedented military exercises near Taiwan in response to the US House Speaker’s visit to the island that China claims as part of its territory.

In response, Taiwan has said that it is adopting a porcupine strategy to fight back in case China attempts to occupy it by force.

What is a Porcupine Strategy?

The “porcupine doctrine” was proposed in 2008 by US Naval War College research professor William S Murray.

It is a strategy of asymmetric warfare focused on fortifying a weak state’s defences to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses rather than taking on its strengths.

It is about building defences that would ensure that Taiwan could be attacked and damaged but not defeated, at least without unacceptably high costs and risks.

What are the three defensive layers in porcupine strategy?

The outer layer is about intelligence and reconnaissance to ensure defence forces are fully prepared.

Behind this come plans for guerrilla warfare at sea with aerial support from sophisticated aircraft provided by the US.

The innermost layer relies on the geography and demography of the island.

What is the need for such a strategy?

China enjoys overwhelming military superiority over Taiwan. Over the past decade, China has developed far more accurate and precise weapon systems to target Taiwan and has been vocal about its intention to “reunite” the island with the mainland, by force or coercion if needed.

Indian Army launches ‘Him Drone-a-thon’ programme

Source: The post is based on the article “Indian Army launches ‘Him Drone-a-thon’ programme” published in PIB on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Indian Army in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India has launched the ‘Him Drone-a-thon’ programme.

What is Him Drone-a-thon programme?

Launched by: Indian Army in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India 

Aim: To catalyze and provide focused opportunities to the Indian drone ecosystem to develop path-breaking drone capabilities for meeting the requirements of frontline troops.

Under the programme, the following categories of drones will be developed initially: 1) Logistics/ Load carrying Drone in High Altitude Areas, 2) Autonomous Surveillance/ Search & Rescue, 3) Drone and Micro/ Nano Drones for Fighting in Built Up Areas.

Activities planned under the programme: The activities planned include a) interactions & ideation between users, development agencies, academia, b) visits by development agencies to operational locations to understand the ground perspective & requirements & c) on-ground trials and actual conduct & evaluation of drone products.

Researchers identify fungus for pyrene remediation

Source: The post is based on the article “Researchers identify fungus for pyrene remediation” published in Down To Earth on 1st August 2022.

What is the News?

Researchers at the CSIR have identified a fungus capable of removing toxic and carcinogenic Pyrene or Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAHs) from the environment.

What is Pyrene?

Pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH) consisting of four fused benzene rings. It has several carcinogenic and mutagenic properties.

They originate from multiple sources including combustion of petrogenic fossil fuels and incomplete incineration of municipal wastes and biomass.

They get lodged into the environmental matrices like soil, water and atmosphere resulting in widespread environmental pollution necessitating adequate remediation of contaminated environmental matrices.

What have the researchers found?

Researchers have found a fungus named white-rot fungus Trametesmaxima IIPLC-32 which has the potential to cause microbial degradation of pyrene.

Growing on dead plants, this fungus causes pyrene degradation using special enzymes. This fungus also acts to decrease the pollution level of the soil.

Hence, this fungus may prove to be helpful in the remediation of pyrene.

Deciphering of physical characteristics of a rare class of supernovae hint towards advanced stage of evolution of special class of very hot & massive stars

Source: The post is based on the article “Deciphering of physical characteristics of a rare class of supernovae hint towards advanced stage of evolution of special class of very hot & massive stars” published in PIB on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

A team of scientists has deciphered the physical characteristics of a rare class of supernovae called Type Ibn Supernovae (SNe).

What are Supernovae?

Supernovae are a kind of energetic explosions were the core of massive stars (a few times that of mass of our Sun) go to a catastrophic phase of explosion liberating huge amounts of energy. 

What is Type Ibn Supernovae(SNe)?

Type Ibn supernovae are a rare class of stripped-envelope supernovae interacting with a helium-rich dense circumstellar medium(CSM). 

These SNe are unique and essential because they help to explore the typical density, velocity, and composition of the nearby SN environment. 

They are more luminous than normal supernovae(SNe) which are huge stellar explosions releasing a humongous amount of energy.

What are Wolf-Rayet stars?

Wolf-Rayet stars represent a final burst of activity before a huge star begins to die. These stars, which are at least 20 times more massive than the Sun, “live fast and die hard”.

MoHUA constitutes committee to identify and designate institutions as Centres of Excellence

Source: The post is based on the article “MoHUA constitutes committee to identify and designate institutions as Centres of Excellence” published in PIB on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has constituted a committee to identify and designate institutions as Centres of Excellence.

Why is this committee constituted?

In Budget 2022-23, the Finance Minister has announced that for developing India-specific knowledge in urban planning and design and to deliver certified training in these areas, up to five existing academic institutions in different regions will be designated as centres of excellence.

These centres will also be provided endowment funds of Rs. 250 crores each. 

Hence, in order to steer the process of identifying and designating institutions as Centers of Excellence (CoEs), this committee has been constituted.

What is the composition and terms of reference of the committee?

Composition: The committee consists of officials from MoHUA, Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education), All India Council for Technical Education, NITI Aayog and leading domain experts. 

The terms of Reference of the Committee are

– To identify the parameters for evaluating the institution’s capacity to undertake training and capacity-building programmes.

– To lay down the process for the selection of institutions to be designated as CoEs.

– To recommend five CoEs, one from each region, based on the challenge competition.

– To suggest a list of subjects on which India-specific knowledge may be created and training and capacity building may be provided by the CoEs.

Ex Vajra Prahar: India, US joint special forces exercise begins in Himachal’s Bakloh

Source: The post is based on the article “Ex Vajra Prahar: India, US joint special forces exercise begins in Himachal’s Bakloh” published in PIB on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

The 13th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “Ex Vajra Prahar 2022” commenced at the Special Forces Training School(SFTS), Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.

What is Exercise Vajra Prahar?

Exercise Vajra Prahar is a Special Forces joint military training exercise. 

It takes place alternately in India and the US since 2010.

Aim: To enable sharing of best practices and experiences in areas such as, joint mission planning capabilities and operational tactics.

Significance: The exercise is a significant step in strengthening the traditional bond of friendship between the special forces of both Nations as well as improve bilateral defence cooperation between India and the USA.

What are the other exercises between India and the US?

Click Here to read

What is an IMEI number, how can police use it in cases of mobile phone theft?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is an IMEI number, how can police use it in cases of mobile phone theft?” published in Indian Express on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

Due to rising cases of mobile phone snatching in Delhi, the Delhi Police is now planning to work with internet service providers and the department of telecommunications to block stolen or robbed phones.

This will be done by using the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

What is International Mobile Equipment Identity(IMEI)?

IMEI is a unique number that is used to identify a device on a mobile network. It has 15 digits and is like a phone’s unique identity. 

When one uses the internet or places a call through their cellular service provider, then this number is used to verify the identity of the device. If the person has a dual SIM phone, then s/he will have two IMEI numbers, one for each slot.

How is the IMEI number useful?

If we keep its operational use aside, the IMEI number can help network providers track down a device in case it gets stolen or is lost.

Once such loss or theft is reported, the carrier/s can deny the device access to the cellular network even with a new SIM card. This will practically render the device useless as it won’t be able to make or receive calls.

What are the challenges?

Mobile phones which don’t have a flexible operating system can be broken into. There is software that can change the IMEI numbers of the phones as well. This might cause trouble for law enforcement agencies in blocking stolen devices.

Union Agriculture Minister lays the foundation stone for Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Agriculture Minister lays the foundation stone for Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables” published in PIB on 8th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has laid the foundation stone of the Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables in Chandauli (Uttar Pradesh). 

About Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables

Purpose: It will act as a place where seeds and plants of improved vegetables will be cultivated and distributed to the farmers. Farmers can also sponsor the development of plants for themselves.

Role of Israel: The technology for the Center is provided by Israeli experts under the India-Israel Action Plan(IIAP) with funds for building infrastructure for demonstration purposes from Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).

What is the reason behind choosing Chandauli?

The climate of Chandauli district, which is known as the rice bowl of UP, is suitable for setting up the Center of Excellence for Vegetables. 

Significance: Centers of Excellence(CoEs) are being set up in the States based on Israeli technologies.These Centers act as demonstration and training centers for the latest technologies in the field of Horticulture. They also serve as a source of planting material for fruits and vegetables in protected cultivation.

About India-Israel Agriculture Cooperation

Click Here to read

Study of rock agama gives insights into urbanization, conservation

Source: The post is based on the article “Study of rock agama gives insights into urbanization, conservation” published in The Hindu on 6th August 2022.

What is the News?

A study was carried out by researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru to understand where the Peninsular Rock Agama reside in and around Bengaluru specifically.

What is Peninsular Rock Agama?

The Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis) is a type of garden lizard that has a strong presence in southern India.

Characteristics: This lizard is a large animal, strikingly coloured in orange and black. They do not generate their own body heat, so they need to seek warmth from external sources like a warm rock or a sunny spot on the wall.

– They are important in ecology from different aspects — they can indicate which parts of the city are warming, and their numbers show how the food web is changing.

Threats: Habitat loss and other such features of urbanization have affected the presence of animals in urban centres.

What are the findings of the study on Rock Agama?

The study has revealed that Rock Agama lizards are found mainly in rocky places and warm spots. Thus, the inference is that conservation efforts must point towards retaining rocky patches even while reviving landscapes by planting trees.

What is the significance of this study?

Usually, biodiversity conservation brings to mind large animals like tigers or elephants or even birds, but organisms like lizards also play an equally important role in the ecosystem. 

For instance, in cities such as Bengaluru, there is a lot of flora and fauna that is rapidly disappearing. The rock agama is one such species which is dependent on rocky scrub habitats which are being converted into buildings and plantations.

Hence, the study of this lizard could be a key indicator of the health of the ecosystem and need to be preserved too.