9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – September 7th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Shadow of 377: Doctors offering ‘conversion therapy’ must be severely disciplined. NMC must ensure this

GS Paper 3

• Bengaluru today … Waterlogged plush areas of India’s tech capital are another grim warning to all cities
• Revdi culture debate: Why we need freebies in India
• What our new telecom regulatory law should look like
• Meaning of being fifth
• Unproductive fertiliser policy
• The supply side is back on policy radars across much of the world
• For a stronger economy: We need economic reforms beyond liberalisation

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• ‘Creative economy accounted for $121 billion of exports in 2019’
• Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST): Launching of a new I-STEM initiative
• India-Bangla trade, now set for CEPA boost
• Difficult to implement, what is the idea of climate reparation?
• Delhi: How national clean air plan has failed to make a dent
• Why Japan has ‘declared war’ on floppy disks (what’s that?)
• Lumpy skin disease is not a normal viral outbreak. A coordinated effort is needed
• India & UK conducts Counter Ransomware Exercise for 26 Nations
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission observes Rashtriya Poshan Maah
• Kushiyara River: Delhi, Dhaka sign river pact, first in 25 years

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Shadow of 377: Doctors offering ‘conversion therapy’ must be severely disciplined. NMC must ensure this

News: Based on the Madras High Court ruling on Conversion Therapy, the National Medical Commission(NMC) has written to all State Medical Councils banning conversion therapy and calling it a “professional misconduct.”

What is Conversion Therapy?

What did the Madras High Court ruled on Conversion Therapy?

What are the challenges in enforcing the ban?

Prejudice among medical fraternity: A study of medical school students, interns and postgrads in India has found that only around 20% of respondents believe homosexuality is not an illness.

The Indian Psychiatric Society de-pathologised homosexuality only in 2018, two years after Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality.

Adolescents are more vulnerable: US data indicates that around half the persons receiving conversion therapy are adolescents. Their cooperation is often extracted from their desire to be a ‘better’ son or daughter.

What should be done to improve the life of the LGBTQIA+ community?

a) The NMC needs to practise what it has been asked to preach. For instance, NMC must ensure severe disciplinary action against such practitioners, b) Parents, especially the educated ones, should change their opinion on the LGBTQIA+ community.

GS Paper 3

Bengaluru today … Waterlogged plush areas of India’s tech capital are another grim warning to all cities

News: Two days of heavy rain in Bengaluru left many areas waterlogged in the city. This again highlights the economic boom, poor urban planning and real estate greed in Indian cities.

How did development led to flooding in Bengaluru?

Before the IT boom, Bengaluru was as much a city of lakes and tanks with interconnected channels as it was a city of parks.

An intricate ecosystem meant for irrigation underwent a rapid change in character with the pace of the city’s development. This led to rise in land prices and scarcity of land.

Many water channels have been choked by concrete from all sides. Few lakes and tanks have been filled up without dredging for years. Changing rainfall patterns aggravated this vulnerability.

What is the status of other Indian cities on flooding?

Hyderabad, another city of lakes and tanks, is regularly hit by waterlogging, including “flash floods”.

Cities with rivers flowing through them like Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi also face the risks spawned by rapidly depleted floodplains.

What should be done to avoid flooding in Bengaluru and other Indian cities?

Creation of stormwater drainages: In recent flooding in Bengaluru, areas which underwent stormwater drainage repair did not get waterlogged. So, other cities have to implement such systems and repair them regularly.

Decentralisation of power: Megacities like Bengaluru generating thousands of crores in revenue have not to be micromanaged by a state government. Decentralising governance and devolving powers are key to the new planning and development paradigm.

Bad/corrupt planning and political machinations should be avoided at all costs.

Revdi culture debate: Why we need freebies in India

News: Freebies have often been in debate for a while and there is an argument that SC (Supreme Court) and EC (Election Commission) must step in to check these. The article discusses the importance of freebies and the requirement of SC and EC intervention.

Is judicial or SC intervention required to tackle the issue of freebies?

Promises made by the political parties can be divided into two types: Promises made before the elections are announced and those made after.

The government cannot announce new schemes after the declaration of poll dates because of the model code of conduct. However, the promises made in the manifestos do not attract the model code of conduct.

Thus, the EC cannot question the manifestos as they are perfectly legal, even if the promises are infeasible.

SC judgment: The SC in its judgment accepted that the promises in manifestos cannot be taken as corrupt practice under the RP Act. However, SC directed the EC to frame guidelines with regard to the content of manifestos in consultation with all the recognized political parties.

However, political parties argued that it is their right and duty towards the voters to make promises through their manifestos. Thus, status-quo maintained. Therefore, neither the EC nor the SC should get involved in this legal and legitimate democratic instrument.

If the promises are unrealistic and absurd it is the duty of the media and opposition to expose them.

The matters of economic policy lie in the hands of elected representatives and neither the EC nor the SC should intervene in the political domain of the legislature.

Why freebies are important?

Rising inequalities: Oxfam’s 2022 annual report on inequality in India shows –

1. The number of poor doubled to 134 million as its dollar billionaires’ wealth doubled.
2. The richest 1 per cent have amassed 51.5 per cent of the total wealth while the bottom 60 per cent of the population a mere 5 per cent.
3. The reduced funding to local administrations due to the growing privatization in the health and education sectors has further increased inequalities.

Corporate tax cuts: The government recently reduced corporate tax rates for domestic companies resulting in a loss of 1.5 lakh crore, as per oxfam report. To compensate for the shortfall in direct taxes indirect taxes were increased during the pandemic.  This led to a rise in fuel prices impacting the prices of essential commodities such as foodgrain.

Fundamental responsibility of state: According to the World Food Program, our nation is home to a quarter of the world’s undernourished people. Providing its citizens with food, education and employment is the most fundamental responsibility of a democratic state.

Socio-economic benefits: Promises like cheap foodgrains and free items of utility have been useful for our society. For example, Starvation deaths haven’t occurred since Rs 1-2 kg rice was introduced. The distribution of bicycles had improved enrollment and retention of girls in schools in Bihar.  Employment guarantee schemes have brought visible relief to the rural poor.

What our new telecom regulatory law should look like

News– The article gives suggestions related to the newly proposed regulatory system by the government of India for the telecommunications sector.

What is the current regulatory structure in the telecommunication sector?

It is regulated by Telegraph Act,1985. It is the colonial era legislation which has been interpreted many times. Its meaning has been extended well beyond the original intent and license has become its predominant feature.

Government has come up with a consultation paper to develop a new regulatory framework that emphasizes on simplification, comprehensibility and regulatory certainty to promote investment.

What are the suggestions that can  be incorporated in the proposed regulatory structure ?

(a) Government should do away with the license regime. It should encode regulatory obligation into the law.

(b) Authorization to provide a service should be granted through a simple approval letter that incorporates by reference the provisions of law and specific rules that will apply.

(c) We need to do away with licenses that are redundant. It refers to the service that is no longer required or can be provided through software more efficiently. One example is Audiotex license that regulates conference call services.

(d) We need to simplify the complex set of categories and sub-categories for the services provided by the telecom sector. We need to categorize telecom companies solely based on whether they provide carriage or access service. For example;

Carriage service provider-They build and maintain the infrastructure of telecom networks that connects operators in different locations. They should be authorized to provide service to telecom service providers and not directly to customers.

Access service provider-They should be authorized to deal with customers. They can be further divided by function whether they provide only data service or both voice and data service.

(e) All these regulations should be technology neutral by design to save them from becoming redundant on technology change. The regulatory distinction between plain voice service and voice over internet protocol should be removed so that they can be freely converted to each other.

Meaning of being fifth

News-Article explains the growth pattern of Indian economy and other economic indicators over a three year period from 2019 to 2022.

India has overtaken the United Kingdom to become fifth largest economy. The economy has followed V-shaped recovery after COVID-19.

The growth in the Indian economy is the highest at 3.83% in three year period.

What is the impact of fiscal boost following COVID-19?

Countries across the world expanded fiscal spending enormously following Covid. It led to high increase in inflation, but prevented a major decline in GDP growth.

India is an outlier among these countries as three year growth is highest even when inflation over the last one year is almost the same. Other countries’ growth was driven exclusively by fiscal spending and India’s growth was driven both by fiscal spending as well as supply side measures.

What is the situation of various components of GDP? 

Three engines of growth- These are represented by consumption, investment, and export. Over last year indicators have grown respectively at 26%, 20%, and 15%. Over a three-year period, they have grown respectively at 9%, 20%, and 3.6%. Collectively all these three have grown by 22%.

Fiscal policy must continue to be supportive of growth as all economies are still emerging from COVID shock.

Higher capital expenditure is the need of the day as it has multiplier effects and it does not lead to higher inflation.

The rise in imports at 37% over last  year can be explained by the fact that oil contributes about a quarter of India’s imports, which doubled over the last year. Increase in oil import bill contributes about two third of 37% increase in imports over the last year.

Fears about rising current account deficit are overestimated. India has faced a macroeconomic  crisis only when faced with a Current Account Deficit to GDP ratio greater than 2.5% combined with double digit inflation and very high fiscal deficit. With moderate inflation, comfortable tax revenue, there is no danger of impending macro-instability due to high CAD.

What needs to be done to boost the economy?

We needs to implement completely the reforms announced as part of Atamnirbhar Bharat, labour law reforms and privatization to boost the economic efficiency.

Unproductive fertiliser policy

News-The article explains about the issues related to the “one nation, one fertiliser policy”. The new policy mandates fertiliser product of different companies to be marketed under single brand name of “Bharat”.

What are the issues related to the new fertiliser policy?

Although all fertilisers carry a subsidy of almost 80 to 90%, it does not justify government claims to their brand value.

First, it denies opportunities to companies to create their own market space through brand promotion.

Second, it impinges upon farmer rights to buy the fertiliser of their choice.

Third, it is unclear whether this step conforms to provision of law concerning brands and trademarks.

Fourth, it creates disincentive for fertiliser companies to take up field programmes to introduce efficient methods of nutrient application as part of their market promotion activities.

Fifth, the instructions to the fertiliser company to carry on bags the logo of the new scheme called PM Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna has political connotations.

What are the government arguments in support of policy?

Present system results in higher subsidy outgo, especially the freight subsidy by encouraging criss-cross movement of fertiliser from one state to another.

But the argument is flawed as the Fertiliser Control Order,1985 has enough provisions to curb such practices.

What should be done?

It should provide direct subsidies to farmers. The database and infrastructure for direct benefit transfer already exist with the government. The government should not further mess up with fertiliser sector.

The supply side is back on policy radars across much of the world

News- There is increased focus of central banks and economies towards the sharp increase in inflation and supply side constraints faced by economies across the world. These were the main focus areas of  recently held central bankers meeting at Jackson Hole.

What was the practice followed by central bankers to conduct monetary policy in recent times?

Main focus area of monetary policy, especially in advanced economies, has been to manage aggregate demand.

It has been assumed that the supply side would easily adapt to change in aggregate demand as the rise of China expanded labor supply and productive capacity on a global scale.

Temporary supply side disruptions were ignored as steady inflationary expectation and responsive supply side would not lead to higher wages and higher prices.

The moderate level of inflation ensured that the government could provide fiscal stimulus to boost the economy.

How has the scenario changed in the last two years?

Many of the monetary policy assumptions have been challenged due to supply side disruptions, rising energy prices and issues related to food shortage.

The situation may persist due to geopolitical tensions and rising protectionism across the world. The prominent economist and bankers are talking about rising inflationary pressure and supply side constraints.

What are the important questions raised by the current scenario?

Whether the rigid supply side situation will persist and rise of protectionist sentiment will lead to loss of resilience for the world economy as a whole.

Second is related to supply shocks as the world will learn to adapt to climate change and transition to new forms of mobility, energy and living.

Third is related to the actual micro structure of the economy. Recently the shortage of semiconductors has upset the production of car companies across the world. The complex supply chain across world is vulnerable to shocks even if one link of chain breaks

For a stronger economy: We need economic reforms beyond liberalisation

News: The Indian economy was expected to collapse due to the pandemic. Appropriate counter-cyclical policy enabled the recovery and it worked because reforms had reached a threshold of adequacy.

New reforms and measures are required to tackle current economic situation.

What new reforms are required from India?

Liberalization has reached a point of diminishing returns and new reforms are needed to overcome the current economic situation.

The focus should be on adopting the measures that currently favor India.

These include a) the digitization, where India has a comparative advantage, b) supply chain diversification, c) moving to a net zero economy and d) using green initiatives as a source of investment and innovation.

Attention should also be given to a) developing skills and capabilities, b) improving employability, c) improving infrastructure, d) reducing logistics and other business costs through better Centre-state coordination, e) enhancing the quality of governance and counter-cyclical regulation with good incentives, f) improve data use and privacy g) functioning of courts and police.

Why should banks not be privatized?

There is a recommendation to privatise most public sector banks (PSBs).

There is an argument that PSBs drain taxpayers’ money but this argument is based on the experience of last decade. PSBs were doing better than private banks in 2000s.

NPA rose because PSBs were pushed to lend to infrastructure where there are inherent asset liability mismatches.

However, after some recent measures, like improvements in governance of PSBs and risk-based lending profiles, NPA ratios have decreased. Even social schemes are now financed through direct subsidies by the government which has benefitted PSBs.

PSBs are trusted by people throughout out the country and it is evident from the opening of 1.7 trillion Jan Dhan accounts.

PSBs can gain advantage in low-cost deposit deposits through many co-lending opportunities and partnerships.

Private banks alone cannot increase credit when lending from PSBs has slowed.

PSBs should be allowed to compete and raise resources on their own and only those PSBs which are weak can be privatized.

Why rupee should not be made completely market determined?

There are recommendations that the rupee should be completely market-determined. Also, it should be allowed to sink under foreign outflows since this would benefit exporters.

However, the effect of exchange rate depreciation is reflected faster in Indian imports. Because, they are dominated by dollar-denominated commodities such as crude oil.

Indian exporters have little market power and they are forced to bear the cost of depreciation.

Studies show that exporters do not gain from currency volatility and the gain that is earned is usually temporary.

The fall in the exchange rate of the rupee from about Rs 8 in the 1990s to about Rs 80 currently has not brought about a sustained rise in exports.

Lower volatility in the real exchange rate helps both gainers and losers when there are changes in the value of the rupee. The positive and negative deviations from equilibrium real rates are harmful.

Only a fraction of the foreign portfolio flows (FPI) that look for trading benefits gain from volatility.

Some rupee volatility is good and encourages firms to hedge currency risks.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

‘Creative economy accounted for $121 billion of exports in 2019’

Source: The post is based on the article “Creative economy accounted for $121 billion of exports in 2019” published in PIB on 3rd September 2022

What is the News?

Exim Bank has released its first of its kind study titled ‘Reflection & Development of India’s Creative Economy’.

The study analyzed seven different creative segments such as art & crafts, audio visuals, design and visual arts to map their export potential.

What is the Creative Economy?

The creative economy has no single definition. It is an evolving concept which builds on the interplay between human creativity and ideas and intellectual property, knowledge and technology. 

Essentially it is the knowledge-based economic activities upon which the ‘creative industries’ are based.

The creative industries – which include advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music among others are the lifeblood of the creative economy.

What does the Exim Bank study say about the Creative Economy in India?

India’s total exports of creative goods and services stood close to $121 billion in 2019, of which exports of creative services accounted for almost $100 billion.

In India, the contribution of the design segment was 87.5% of the total creative goods exports in 2019, and another 9% was contributed by the art and crafts segment.

Creative economy was significantly diversified in the country and industries such as the entertainment sector give an important push to the creative economy.

For instance, India ranks 6th globally outside the U.S., with respect to the top international box office markets by revenue.

What are the recommendations given by the study to promote a creative economy in India?

Creative economy in India must be promoted by: 1) Defining and mapping the creative industries in India, 2) Funding to finance creative industries, 3) Focusing on joint programmes, 4) Addressing the issue of copyrights, 5) Promoting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and local artisans, 6) Establishing creative districts and hubs and 7) Forming a specialized institution for creative industries.

Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST): Launching of a new I-STEM initiative

Source: The post is based on the article “Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST): Launching of a new I-STEM initiative” published in PIB on 6th September 2022

What is the News?

On Teachers Day, the Government of India has launched the Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST) Initiative.

What is the Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology(WEST) Initiative?

It is a new I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map) initiative.

Launched by: Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.

Aim: To cater to women with a STEM background and empower them to contribute to the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem. 

Key Features of the initiative

Pursue Research: Through the WEST initiative, I-STEM shall provide a separate platform to scientifically inclined women researchers, scientists, and technologists for pursuing research in basic or applied sciences in frontier areas of science and engineering. 

Skill Development: The Skill Development programmes under the WEST initiative will provide training for women with S&T backgrounds to brush up on their abilities and become engaged “in the field” filling crucial gaps in the R&D infrastructure of the country.

Support to women S&T Startups: Under the WEST initiative, the current support being provided to S&T startups by women entrepreneurs by I-STEM will be enhanced. For instance, access to R&D facilities and R&D software platforms (COMSOL, MATLAB, LABVIEW, AUTOCAD) will be available through the I-STEM portal.

A digital consortium “Connect Quickly” for an online discussion and immediate support has also been established through the I-STEM WhatsApp and Telegram platforms.

India-Bangla trade, now set for CEPA boost

Source: The post is based on the article “India-Bangla trade, now set for CEPA boost” published in Indian Express on 7th September 2022

What is the News?

India and Bangladesh will soon commence negotiations on a Bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA).

What is the current bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh?

In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trade partner for India in South Asia and the fourth-largest destination for Indian exports worldwide.

India is Bangladesh’s second-biggest trade partner and its largest export market in Asia.

India’s main exports to Bangladesh are raw cotton, non-retail pure cotton yarn, and electricity, and its main imports from the country are pure vegetable oils, non-knit men’s suits and textile scraps.

What will be the focus of CEPA negotiations between India and Bangladesh?

The CEPA is likely to focus on trade in goods, services, and investment with a key objective being the reduction of the trade gap between the two countries. 

Note: As Bangladesh is scheduled to become a developing nation by 2026 — after which it may no longer qualify for trade benefits that it currently enjoys as a least-developed country — it is keen to sign the CEPA in a year.

What are the current trade and investment frameworks between India and Bangladesh?

Trade agreement: In 2015, the two countries renewed the bilateral trade agreement for a period of five years with a provision for auto renewal.

Tariffs: Under the provisions of the South Asian Free Trade Area(SAFTA), Bangladesh extends preferential tariffs to Indian exports of products outside the ‘sensitive list’ of 993 items. In 2011, India announced duty-free, quota-free access to Bangladesh for all tariff lines except tobacco and alcohol.

Investment: An Agreement on Promotion and Protection of Investments has been in force since 2011. 

Inland Waterways: To facilitate trade and transit through inland waterways, a Protocol on Inland Waterways Trade and Transit (PIWTT) has been in place since 1972. The protocol allows the movement of goods by barges/ vessels on eight routes between points in India and Bangladesh as well as between points in India through Bangladesh.

Direct Sea Trade: Direct sea movement of containerized/ bulk/ dry cargo began after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Coastal Shipping in 2015. This has reduced the shipping time between India and Bangladesh from 30-40 days to 7-10 days.

Ports: MoUs were signed in 2015 on the use of the Chittagong and Mongla Ports for the Movement of Goods to and from India.

Border Haats: Currently, four Border Haats — two each in Meghalaya (Kalaichar and Balat) and Tripura (Srinagar and Kamalasagar) — are functional. Work on setting up two more haats on the Tripura-Bangladesh border and four on the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border is underway.

Difficult to implement, what is the idea of climate reparation?

Source: The post is based on the article “Difficult to implement, what is the idea of climate reparation?” published in Indian Express on 6th September 2022

What is the News?

Pakistan has been facing the worst flooding disaster in its history. Due to this, Pakistan has been demanding Climate Reparations or compensation from the rich countries that are mainly responsible for causing climate change. 

What is Climate reparations?

Climate reparations are about rectifying climate injustice. It is a framework where those most responsible for climate change must provide support to those who have been wronged.

This demand for climate reparations is an extension of the universally acknowledged “Polluter Pays” principle. This principle makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.

Who is historically responsible for Climate Change?

In the climate change framework, the burden of responsibility falls on those rich countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions since 1850, generally considered to be the beginning of the industrial age.

The United States and the European Union including the UK, account for over 50% of all emissions during this time.

If Russia, Canada, Japan, and Australia too are included, the combined contribution goes past 65% or almost two-thirds of all emissions.

Historical responsibility is important because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, and it is the cumulative accumulation of carbon dioxide that causes global warming.

What about developing countries like India and China?

A country like India, currently the third largest emitter, accounts for only 3% of historical emissions.

China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years now, has contributed about 11% to total emissions since 1850.

What are the institutional mechanisms for climate finance?

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (1994): It lays down the broad principles of the global effort to fight climate change. It explicitly acknowledges this differentiated responsibility of nations.

– It makes it very clear that rich countries must provide both finance and technology to developing nations to help them tackle climate change.

– It is this mandate that later evolved into the $100 billion amount that the rich countries agreed to provide every year to the developing world.

– While this promise is yet to be met, this $100 billion per year amount is not meant for loss and damage.

Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM): The WIM for Loss and Damages, was set up in 2013. It was the first formal acknowledgement of the need to compensate developing countries struck by climate disasters.

– However, the progress on this front has been painfully slow. No funding mechanism, or even a promise to provide funds, has come about.

Have developed countries provided funds for Climate reparations?

Developed countries are struggling to even put together the $100 billion per year flow that they had reluctantly agreed to provide.

Further, loss and damage claims can easily spiral into billions of dollars or even more. According to a UN report, annual funding requests related to climate-linked disasters averaged $15.5 billion in the three-year period between 2019 and 2021. 

The report also said that the United States alone is estimated to have inflicted more than $1.9 trillion in damages to other countries due to its emissions.

Delhi: How national clean air plan has failed to make a dent

Source: The post is based on the article “Delhi: How national clean air plan has failed to make a dent” published in TOI on 7th September 2022

What is the News?

An analysis by the Center for Science and Environment(CSE) has found that there is barely any difference in trends in particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) between the group of cities under the National Clean Air Programme(NCAP) and those outside its ambit.

What is the National Clean Air Programme(NCAP)?

Launched in: 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change(MoEFCC).

Aim: To bring a 20%-30% reduction in pollution levels from PM2.5 and PM10 particles by 2024, using 2017 pollution levels as a base year.

Cities covered: The program covers 132 of India’s most polluted or so-called non-attainment cities. This is defined as a city whose air quality did not meet the national ambient air quality standards from 2011 to 2015. 

Funding: Under the programme, cities are required to quantify improvement starting 2020-21, which requires a 15% and more reduction in the annual average PM10 concentration and a concurrent increase in “good air” days to at least 200. Anything fewer will be considered ‘low’ and the funding consequently reduced.

Note: For disbursing funds, the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) only considers levels of PM10, the relatively larger, coarser particles. However, PM2.5, the smaller, more dangerous particles, aren’t monitored as robustly in all cities mostly due to the lack of equipment.

What is the analysis of CSE on the NCAP programme?

Performance of NCAP cities on PM2.5 levels (2019-21): Only 43 NCAP cities have adequate PM 2.5 data for the period 2019-2021.Out of this, only 14 of 43 (NCAP) cities registered a 10% or more reduction in their PM2.5 levels.

– On the other hand, out of 46 non-NCAP cities with adequate data, 21 recorded significant improvement in their annual PM2.5 value with 5% or more decline between 2019 and 2021.

Only about half of NCAP cities have real-time monitoring: In 2019, only 51 out 132 NCAP cities had real-time monitoring stations. The number grew to 63 in 2021; six more NCAP cities have installed real-time monitors in 2022 so far. 

Why Japan has ‘declared war’ on floppy disks (what’s that?)

Source: The post is based on the article “Why Japan has ‘declared war’ on floppy disks (what’s that?)” published in Indian Express on 7th September 2022

What is the News?

Japan’s Digital Ministry has announced that it will finally do away with floppy disks and other outdated technology in a bid to modernize its bureaucracy.

What are Floppy Disks?

A floppy disk is a removable disk storage device used to save computer data and programmes. They were popularly used between the 1970s and 1990s.

The first floppy disk developed by IBM was able to store about 800 KB of data which is about 0.0008 GB. To put that in perspective, today one can find hard drives with storage of up to 20 TB (20,000 GB).

When floppy disks were first introduced in the 1970s, they were considered a massive technological breakthrough. But later with the introduction of CDs, pen drives and eventually the cloud, floppy disks grew redundant in most parts of the world. 

Are Floppy Disks still used in Japan?

The Japanese government has found that about 1,900 government procedures still mandated the use of specific storage devices — including the floppy disk, CD and mini disk.

Hence, the digital minister said that the government would change its regulations, so people will be able to use online services instead.

However, he has faced tremendous pushback from several government officials who have said that the floppy offers a degree of security and authenticity that an email just cannot.

Lumpy skin disease is not a normal viral outbreak. A coordinated effort is needed

Source: The post is based on the article “Lumpy skin disease is not a normal viral outbreak. A coordinated effort is needed” published in Indian Express on 7th September 2022.

What is the News?

Lumpy skin disease(LSD) has infected around 11.25 lakh cattle, caused nearly 50,000 deaths and spread to 165 districts in 12 states. Despite this, there seems to be no coordinated national effort for dealing with this viral outbreak.

What is Lumpy Skin Disease?

Click Here to read

What are the steps that need to be taken against Lumpy Skin Disease?

Firstly, step up the supply of goat pox and sheep pox vaccines. Since LSD belongs to the same capripoxvirus genus, these vaccines can provide at least partial cross-protection against the former even if that is specific to cattle. At present, only the goat pox vaccine has been approved for administering to cattle against LSD. The same may be extended to sheep pox vaccines.

Secondly, the government must expedite the commercialisation of the ICAR’s Lumpi-ProVacInd vaccine. It could consider granting emergency use authorisation to enable large-scale production and roll-out, similar to that for Covid vaccines. 

Thirdly, the vaccination should be done on mission mode with the push coming from the top and not the department of animal husbandry and dairying.

India & UK conducts Counter Ransomware Exercise for 26 Nations

Source: The post is based on the article “India & UK conducts Counter Ransomware Exercise for 26 Nations” published in PIB on 6th September 2022

What is the News?

India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the UK Government in collaboration with BAE Systems has successfully conducted the virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Resilience for 26 Countries.

About Virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Resilience

Conducted by: India’s National Security Council Secretariat(NSCS) and the UK Government in collaboration with BAE Systems 

Part of: The exercise has been conducted as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience Working Group which is being led by India under the leadership of the National Cyber Security Coordinator(NCSC).

Aim of the exercise: To allow participating countries to test their capability to respond to a major ransomware incident and to demonstrate the benefit of sharing information and collaborating during a major cyber incident.

Participating countries: Around 26 countries and their respective organizations participated in the exercise.

Theme of the exercise: It is based on the Energy Sector in which the respective National Cyber Crisis Management Teams of the participating nations will have to deal with a ransomware attack on multiple electricity distribution companies. 

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission observes Rashtriya Poshan Maah

Source: The post is based on the article “Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission observes Rashtriya Poshan Maah” published in PIB on 6th September 2022

What is the News?

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is celebrating the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Mah during the month of September 2022.

The Ministry of Rural Development(M/oRD) through its Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission is leveraging this occasion to intensively disseminate key messages to all intended beneficiaries on positive nutritional behaviors and practices. 

What is Rashtriya Poshan Maah?

Rashtriya Poshan Maah is being celebrated as part of the POSHAN Abhiyaan

Aim: To serve as a platform to bring focus to the discourse of nutrition and good health.

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development being the nodal Ministry for POSHAN Abhiyaan is celebrating it in convergence with partner Ministries and departments at the National, States/UTs, Districts and grass root levels. 

Themes for 2022: The activities during the month will be centred on key themes like Mahila and Swasthya, Bachcha and Shiksha – Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi, gender-sensitive water conservation and management, and traditional food for women and children in tribal areas.

Kushiyara River: Delhi, Dhaka sign river pact, first in 25 years

Source: The post is based on the article “Delhi, Dhaka sign river pact, first in 25 years” published in Indian Express on 7th September 2022

What is the News?

India and Bangladesh have signed an interim water sharing agreement for the Kushiyara river.

Who signed the interim water sharing agreement for Kushiyara River?

Signed by: India and Bangladesh 

Significance: This is the first such pact between them in over 25 years — the Ganga water treaty was signed in 1996.

– The pact will benefit people in southern Assam and Sylhet in Bangladesh. Under the pact, the two countries will also share the data on floods.

About Kushiyara River

Kushiyara River is a distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam. It forms on the India-Bangladesh border as a branch of the Barak River when the Barak separates into the Kushiyara and Surma. 

The waters of the Kushiyara originate in the state of Nagaland and pick up tributaries from Manipur, Mizoram and Assam.