Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

India’s economic growth is expected to decline to 5.7% this year from 8.2% in 2021, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Trade and Development Report 2022 projected citing higher financing cost and weaker public expenditures.

The UNCTAD report on India’s GDP estimate for 2022-23 makes for disturbing news as India’s economic growth is expected to decline to a shocking 5.7% this year from 8.2% from last year.

Concerns

• Higher financing cost and weaker public expenditures
• High level of joblessness and distress –  5,907 MSMEs have shut shop in the last two years.
• Lack of contribution by the informal sector –  2017-18 contribution was as much as 52% which has now plummeted to less than 20%.
• Unemployment levels have consistently remained well above 8% for the past two years.

UNCTAD

• It is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.
• It is part of the UN Secretariat and also the United Nations Development Group(UNDP).
• It reports to the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council but has its own membership, leadership, and budget.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland 

Reports

• The Trade and Development Report 
• The World Investment Report 
• Technology and Innovation Report
• Digital Economy Report

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti. 

About: 

Shyamji Krishna Varma (1857 – 1930) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer and journalist.

• Born in 1857 in modern-day Gujarat, Shyamji Krishna Varma completed his education in India, before moving on to teach Sanskrit at the Oxford University.

• Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS): It was an Indian organisation founded in London in 1905 that sought to promote the cause of self-rule in British India. The organisation was founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma, with support from Bhikaji Cama, Dadabhai Naoroji and S.R. Rana.
• India House: He founded India House in London. It was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 which was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britain.
• Indian Sociologist: He founded Indian Sociologist in London. The monthly Indian Sociologist became an outlet for nationalist ideas.
• Varma became the first President of Bombay Arya Samaj.
• He was an admirer of Dayanand Saraswati, and he inspired Veer Savarkar who was a member of India House in London.
• Varma also served as the Divan of a number of states in India.
• A memorial called Kranti Teerth dedicated to him was inaugurated in 2010 near Mandvi, Kutch, Gujarat.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The SASTRA Ramanujan Prize for 2022 will be awarded to Yunqing Tang, Assistant Professor with the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.

The award, instituted by the Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA) in 2005 with a cash prize of $10,000, is presented annually to individuals aged 32 and below, who made outstanding contributions in the field of mathematics, influenced by Srinivasa Ramanjuan in a broad sense.

Ms. Yunqing’s works “display a remarkable combination of sophisticated techniques, in which the arithmetic and geometry of modular curves and of Shimura varieties play a central role, and her results and methods are bound to have major impact on future research in this area.”

About SASTRA Ramanujan Prize:

• The award, instituted by the Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA) in 2005 with a cash prize of $10,000, is presented annually to individuals aged 32 and below, who made outstanding contributions in the field of mathematics, influenced by Srinivasa Ramanjuan in a broad sense.

Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920)

• Born on 22nd December, 1887 in Erode, Tamil Nadu and died on 26th April 1920 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India.
• In 1911 Ramanujan published the first of his papers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society.
• In 1913 he began a correspondence with the British mathematician Godfrey H. Hardy which led to a special scholarship from the University of Madras and a grant from Trinity College, Cambridge.
• In 1918 he was elected to the Royal Society of London.
• Ramanujan was one of the youngest members of Britain’s Royal Society and the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

Following the death of 66 children in Gambia, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised an alert over four fever, cold and cough syrups made by an Indian company, urging people to not use them. All the four syrups 

• Promethazine Oral Solution, 
• Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, 
• Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and 
• Magrip N Cold Syrup 

All are made by Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

• Laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants. 
• India’s apex drug regulatory authority – the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) – has already launched an investigation into the matter.
• Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol can cause toxic effects, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury that may lead to death.
• These medicinal products are substandard and unsafe for use, especially in children, and may result in serious injury or death, as per WHO.

Measures to be taken

• Individuals are advised to seek immediate medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional and report the incident to the National Regulatory Authority or National Pharmacovigilance Centre.
• Countries should increase surveillance of the supply chains to detect and remove the substandard products including surveillance of informal or unregulated markets.

About CDSCO

• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is the Central Drug Authority for discharging functions assigned to the Central Government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. CDSCO has six zonal offices, four sub-zonal offices, 13 port offices and seven laboratories under its control.

Major functions of CDSCO

• Regulatory control over the import of drugs
• approval of new drugs and clinical trials
• meetings of Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) and Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB)
• approval of certain licenses as Central License Approving Authority is exercised by the CDSCO headquarters.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The Mediation Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in December, 2021, with the Parliamentary Standing Committee being tasked with a review of the Bill.

• The Bill aims at institutionalisation mediation and establishing the Mediation Council of India.
• In its report, submitted to Rajya Sabha, the Committee recommends substantial changes to the Mediation Bill.

Need for Mediation Bill

• The Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee of the Supreme Court of India describes mediation as a tried and tested alternative for conflict resolution.
• While there is no standalone legislation for mediation in India, there are several statutes containing mediation provisions. This includes:
• Code of Civil Procedure, 1908,
• Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996,
• Companies Act, 2013,
• Commercial Courts Act, 2015, and
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• India is a signatory to the Singapore Convention on Mediation (formally the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation).
• Hence, it is appropriate to enact a law governing domestic and international mediation.

Key Features of the Bill:

Pre-litigation mediation: Parties must attempt to settle civil or commercial disputes by mediation before approaching any court or certain tribunals.

Disputes not fit for mediation:

• The Bill contains a list of disputes which are not fit for mediation.
• These include disputes: (i) relating to claims against minors or persons of unsound mind, (ii) involving criminal prosecution, and (iii) affecting the rights of third parties. The central government may amend this list.

Applicability:

• The Bill will apply to mediations conducted in India: (i) involving only domestic parties, (ii) involving at least one foreign party and relating to a commercial dispute (i.e., international mediation), and (iii) if the mediation agreement states that mediation will be as per this Bill.
• If the central or state government is a party, the Bill will apply to: (a) commercial disputes, and (b) other disputes as notified.

Mediation process:

• Mediation proceedings will be confidential, and must be completed within 180 days (may be extended by 180 days by the parties).
• A party may withdraw from mediation after two sessions.
• Court annexed mediation must be conducted as per the rules framed by the Supreme Court or High Courts.

Mediators:

• Mediators may be appointed by: (i) the parties by agreement, or (ii) a mediation service provider (an institution administering mediation).
• They must disclose any conflict of interest that may raise doubts on their independence.
• Parties may then choose to replace the mediator.

Mediation Council of India:

• The central government will establish the Mediation Council of India.
• The Council will consist of a chairperson, two full-time members (with experience in mediation or ADR (Alternative dispute resolution)), three ex-officio members (including Law Secretary, and Expenditure Secretary), and a part-time member from an industry body.
• Functions of the Council include: (i) registration of mediators, and (ii) recognising mediation service providers and mediation institutes (which train, educate, and certify mediators).

Mediated settlement agreement:

• Agreements resulting from mediation (other than community mediation) will be final, binding, and enforceable in the same manner as court judgments.
• They may be challenged on grounds of: (i) fraud, (ii) corruption, (iii) impersonation, or (iv) relating to disputes not fit for mediation.

Community mediation:

• Community mediation may be attempted to resolve disputes likely to affect the peace and harmony amongst residents of a locality.
• It will be conducted by a panel of three mediators (may include persons of standing in the community, and representatives of resident welfare associations).

Concerns with the Bill

• Pre-litigation mediation: According to the Bill, pre-litigation mediation is mandatory for both parties before filing any suit. Parties who fail to attend pre-litigation mediation without a reasonable reason may incur a cost.
• Cross-border mediation in India
• The Bill considers international mediation to be domestic when it is conducted in India and the settlement under the latter is given the status of a judgment or decree of a court.
• It will be disastrous when one party is foreign because the Singapore Convention does not apply to settlements which already have the status of a judgment or decree.
• As a result, conducting cross-border mediation in India will exclude the tremendous benefits of worldwide enforceability.
• Controversy around Clause 26 of the bill
• According to Clause 26 of the Bill, court-annexed mediation, including pre-litigation mediation, will be conducted in accordance with the directions or rules framed by the Supreme Court or High Courts.
• However, the Parliamentary Committee found this provision as against the spirit of the Constitution.
• In countries that follow the Common Law system, it is a healthy tradition that in the absence of statutes, apex court judgments and decisions carry the same weight.
• However, the moment a law is passed, it becomes the guiding force rather than the instructions or judgments given by the courts.
• Therefore, Clause 26 is unconstitutional.
• Non-Applicability to Non-Commercial Disputes:

• The members questioned the non-applicability of the provisions of the Bill to disputes/matters of non-commercial nature involving the Government and its agencies.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

According to the government data, 69% houses under PMAY in rural India are owned by women.

• Over 69% of houses constructed under the Prime Minister’s special housing scheme are either wholly or jointly owned by women in rural areas.
• A total of two crore houses had been constructed out of the 2.46 crore houses that were sanctioned.
• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) was launched by the Prime Minister in 2016 with the aim of constructing 2.95 crore houses.
• Beneficiaries are identified using parameters from Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data and verified by Gram Sabhas.
• Concerned Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin:

• Ministry of Rural Development in 2016 launched it.
• The aim is to provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all rural families by the end of March 2022. People who are homeless or living in kutcha or dilapidated houses are eligible for benefits.

Key Features of the Scheme:

• Beneficiaries are identified as per the housing deprivation parameters and exclusion criteria prescribed under Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011. Gram Sabha verifies the eligible beneficiaries.
• The scheme had a target of construction of 2.95 crore pucca houses for eligible rural households by March 2022.
• The Centre and the states share the grants under the scheme in the ratio of:
• 90:10 in case of NE States, Himalayan States & Himalayan UTs.
• For all other States, funds are shared in the ratio of 60:40 by the Centre and the States.
• In cases of other UTs, entire funds are provided by the Centre.
• The programme implementation is being monitored not only electronically but also through community participation (Social Audit), Member of Parliament (DISHA Committee), Central and State Government officials, National Level Monitors, etc

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Svante Pääbo, a Swedish scientist, was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology (Medicine) for his discoveries about the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.

His Research

• Svante Pääbo accomplished something near impossible by sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal, an extinct relative of modern humans, and also made the sensational discovery of a previously unknown hominin, Denisova.
• Hominins are an extinct ape species assumed to be related to modern humans.
• He invented a completely new scientific discipline called paleogenomics, which focuses on reconstructing the DNA and genetic information of extinct hominins.
• Pääbo also discovered that gene transfer occurred from these now-extinct hominins to Homo sapiens following the 70,000-year-old migration out of Africa.
• An example of the relationship between evolution and biology is when Pääbo extracted DNA from bone specimens from extinct hominins, from Neanderthal remains in Germany’s Denisova caves.
• The Denisovan version of the gene EPAS1 confers a survival advantage at high altitudes and is common among modern Tibetans.

Significance:

• The work appears to have been focused on human evolution and the role it has played in shaping our health and biological systems over time.
• This could result in a one-of-a-kind resource that the scientific community can use to better understand human evolution and migration.
• Svante Pääbo’s groundbreaking discoveries will serve as the foundation for investigating what makes us uniquely human.
• We now know that archaic gene sequences from our extinct ancestors influence the physiology of modern humans.
• This ancient gene flow to modern humans has physiological implications, such as influencing how our immune system responds to infections. 

Nobel Prize

• Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the highest honors available in their respective fields.
• According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Nobel Prize is five separate prizes (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Peace), awarded annually to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

• Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer and industrialist best known for inventing dynamite.
• In his will, he directed that all of his “remaining assets” be used to establish five prizes known as the “Nobel Prizes.”

• Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901, five years after Nobel’s death.

• The economics award, officially known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was established in 1968 by Sweden’s central bank, not by Nobel.
• The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Norway, while the other prizes are presented in Sweden.

• The Nobel Prize is administered by the Nobel Foundation and its winners (known as a “laureate”) are selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Each prize is worth 10 million kronor (nearly $900,000) and will be handed out with a diploma and gold medal on December 10 – the date of Nobel’s death in 1896.
• A prize may not be shared by more than three individuals, but the Nobel Peace Prize may be awarded to organizations with more than three members.
• Although Nobel Prizes are not given posthumously, if a person is nominated for one and dies before receiving it, the prize is still given.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

India’s first indigenous light combat helicopter was inducted into the IAF. The helicopter is capable of offensive operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh.

• Indian Air Force has formally inducted the indigenously developed multi-role Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Prachand.
• The Helicopter is suitable for operating in high-altitude battlefields, and capable of destroying enemy air defence and engaging in counter-insurgency operations.
• The Limited Series Production version of the light combat helicopter has around 45 per cent indigenous content by value.
• In due course, it will increase to more than 55 per cent for the Series Production version.

Features of Prachand

• The LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel.
• Designed as a twin-engine, it has the maximum take-off weight of 5.8 tonnes, maximum speed of 268 kilometers per hour, range of 550 kilometers.
• It has an endurance of over three hours and service ceiling — the maximum density altitude to which it can fly — of 6.5 kilometres.
• It is powered by two French-origin Shakti engines manufactured by the HAL.
• As far as weapons systems are concerned, a 20 mm turret gun, 70 mm rockets and air-to-air missile systems are onboard.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) cabinet approved the notification of the state’s fourth tiger reserve in the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in Chitrakoot district.

Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary(RWS)

• Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary(RWS) was founded in 1977. 
• It has no tigers of its own. 
• But pugmarks of the animals are frequently seen there as tigers from nearby Panna frequent it. 
• According to the Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA), RWS is an important corridor for the movement of tigers.
• Hence, Rani Tiger Reserve is being established there.

About Ranipur Tiger Reserve

• Ranipur Tiger Reserve will be the fourth in UP after Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Amangarh (buffer of Corbett Tiger Reserve). 
• It will be the first in the state’s portion of the Bundelkhand region which it shares with neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
• The Tiger Reserve has tropical dry deciduous forests and is home to fauna such as tigers, leopards, sloth bears, spotted deer, sambhar, chinkara and a number of birds and reptiles.
• A Ranipur Tiger Conservation Foundation will also be established for the protection and conservation of tigers in the region.

National Tiger Conservation Authority

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation.
• The authority consists of the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests ( as Chairperson), the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (as Vice-Chairperson), three members of Parliament, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and other members.
• The ‘Project Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, providing funding support to tiger range States for in-situ conservation of tigers in designated tiger reserves.

The objectives of NTCA are

• Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
• Fostering accountability of Centre-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
• Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
• Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the “world’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) terminal” at Bhavnagar in Gujarat. 

This is a three-year-old project that is expected to infuse Rs 4,000 crore in developing the existing port infrastructure at Bhavnagar.

Special lock-gate system at Bhavnagar port

• The consortium will repair and redevelop the tidal lock gate system, which will be the fourth largest such system in the world.
• Traditionally, because of the higher tidal range of approximately 10 meters, Bhavnagar creek attracts a significant amount of sediment in the form of silt.
• This lock gate system has been set up so that a minimal amount of sediment enters the port basin during high tide, thus bringing down the cost of dredging inside the port substantially.

Why is the Bhavnagar port important?

• The Bhavnagar port is in close vicinity to the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) and is expected to serve the industries that set up base in the region. 
• It is already connected to the northern hinterland through a railway line that extends to the existing berths at the port.

When is the CNG terminal expected to commence operations?

• The construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2023 after GMB approves the Detailed Project Report. 
• It is expected to be made operational by 2026. The proposed port terminal’s capacity is 4.65 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA), of which the capacity of the CNG terminal will be 0.3 MTPA.