• It ranks 180 countries, topped by Norway followed by Finland and Denmark, while Eritrea is at the bottom.
• China is ranked 177, and is only above North Korea at 179 and Turkmenistan at 178.
• In the South Asian neighbourhood, Nepal is at 106, Sri Lanka at 127, Myanmar (before the coup) at 140, Pakistan at 145 and Bangladesh at 152.
• The report said that Asia Pacific’s authoritarian regimes have used the Covid-19 pandemic to perfect their methods of totalitarian control of information.
  • It also highlighted that the ‘dictatorial democracies’ have used it as a pretext for imposing especially repressive legislation with provisions combining propaganda and suppression of dissent.
• The report noted that only 12 of the Index’s 180 countries (7%) can claim to offer a favourable environment for journalism.
• It shows that journalism, the main vaccine against disinformation, is completely or partly blocked in 73% of the 180 countries ranked by the organisation.

• India has not slipped further on the World Press Freedom Index 2021.
  • India is ranked 142 after it had consistently slid down from 133 in 2016.
• It continues to be counted among the countries classified “bad” for journalism.
  • India shares the “bad” classification with Brazil, Mexico and Russia.
• India is termed as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their jobs properly.
• The latest report has blamed an environment of intimidation created by government supporters for any critical journalist, who is marked as “anti-state” or “anti-national”.
• The journalists are exposed to every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.

• It is an annual report published every year since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
• It is a qualitative analysis combined with quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists during the period evaluated.
• The countries have been given scores ranging from 0 to 100, with 0 being the best possible score and 100 the worst, ever since the 2013 index.
• The Index ranks 180 countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
• It is a snapshot of the media freedom situation based on an evaluation of pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework and safety of journalistsin each country and region.
• It does not rank public policies even if governments obviously have a major impact on their country’s ranking.

• It is an international journalism not-for profit body based in Paris.
• It is an independent NGO with consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF).
• It was founded by four journalists in the southern French city Montpellier in 1985.

Supreme Court paves way for appointment of ad-hoc judges in HCs  Recently, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for appointment of retired judges as ad-hoc judges in High Courts under Article 224A of the Constitution to deal with mounting backlog of cases. Key Highlights

• It is a first step with the hope and aspiration that all concerned would cooperate and retiring/retired judges would come forth and offer their services in the larger interest of the judiciary.
• The Indian judiciary is facing with the ground reality of almost 40% vacancies remaining in the regular appointments [both permanent and additional judges] over the last two years.
• The fulfilment of vacancies remains an unfulfilled challenge to bring the appointment process to such numbers as would be able to cover the vacancies existing and arising.

• The court ruled that the Chief Justice of a High Court may initiate the process of recommending a name if:
  • The number of judges’ vacancies is more than 20 per cent of the sanctioned strength; or
  • Cases in a particular category are pending for over five years; or
  • More than 10 per cent of pending cases are over five years old; or
  • Percentage of the rate of disposal is lower than the institution of the cases either in a particular subject matter or generally in the court.
• The apex court said that the Chief Justice should prepare a panel of judges after personal interaction with the concerned judge to take their consent.
• The court said the appointments can follow the procedure laid down in theMemorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges.
• The number of ad-hoc judges in the court should be in the range of two to five for the time being depending on the strength of the High Court and the problem faced by it.
• The court ruled that in case there is a need to constitute a Division Bench to hear a matter, it would comprise of only ad-hoc judges and not a mix of ad-hoc and sitting judges.
  • It also barred ad-hoc appointees from performing any other legal work i.e. advisory, arbitration or appearing in court for clients.
• Their emoluments and allowances should be on a par with a permanent judge of that court minus the pension and they will be entitled to allowance/ perks/ perquisites as are available to permanent/ additional judge(s).

• The President can appoint duly qualified persons as additional judges of a high courtfor a temporary period not exceeding two years when:
  • There is a temporary increase in the business of the high court; or
  • There are arrears of work in the high court.
• The President can also appoint a duly qualified person as an acting judge of a high court when a judge of that high court (other than the chief justice) is:
  • Unable to perform the duties of his office due to absence or any other reason; or
  • Appointed to act temporarily as chief justice of that high court
• Tenure: An acting judge holds office until the permanent judge resumes his office.
  • The Constitution provides that both the additional or acting judge cannot hold office after attaining the age of 62 years.

• The SC had asked all 25 high courts to respond to a public interest litigation filed by Lucknow-based non-profit organisation, Lok Prahari, asking for the appointment of retired judges as ad-hoc judges under Article 128 of the Constitution.
• Article 128 talks about “attendance of a retired judge” as the judge of the Supreme Court.
  • It states that the Chief Justice of India at any time, with the previous consent of the President, may request any person who has held the office of a judge of the Supreme Court or the high court to sit and act as a judge of the Supreme Court.
• Under Article 224A, the retired high court judges can be appointed as ad-hoc judges to HCs.

• The report stated that the extreme weather combined with COVID-19 is a double blow for millions of people in 2020.
• The pandemic-related economic slowdown failed to put a brake on climate change drivers and accelerating impacts.
• It highlighted that the year 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record, despite a cooling La Nina event.

• Greenhouse Gases: Notwithstanding the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emission of major greenhouse gases increased in 2019 and 2020 and the level of greenhouse gas emission will be higher in 2021.
  • The report found out that if the CO2 concentration follows the same pattern as in previous years, it could reach or exceed 414 ppm in 2021.
  • Globally averaged mole fractions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have already exceeded 410 parts per million (ppm).
• Oceans: In 2019, the oceans had the highest heat content on record and it has broken this record further in 2020.
  • The report highlighted that over 80 per cent of the ocean area experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2020.
  • The percentage of the ocean that experienced “strong” marine heat waves (45 per cent) was greater than that which experienced “moderate” marine heat waves (28 per cent).
• Sea-level rise: There was a blip in summer of 2020 that recorded a drop in sea level due to the La Nina induced cooling.
  • The sea level has recently been rising at a higher rate partly due to the increased melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
• The Arctic and the Antarctica: In 2020, the Arctic sea-ice extent came down to second lowest on record.
  • The 2020 Arctic sea-ice extent minimum after the summer melt was 3.74 million square kilometre.
  • In a large region of the Siberian Arctic, temperatures in 2020 were more than 3°C above average, with a record temperature of 38°C in the town of Verkhoyansk.
  • The Antarctic ice sheet has exhibited a strong mass loss trend since the late 1990s.
  • It accelerated around 2005, and currently, Antarctica loses approximately 175 to 225 Gt per year, due to the increasing flow rates of major glaciers in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula.

• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
• The rising temperatures are leading to the loss of species and ecosystems, which can reduce agricultural and fishing yields, contributing to food insecurity and affecting livelihoods (SDGs 1, 2, 14 and 15).
• The extreme weather and climate events can increase health risks, damage infrastructure and lead to water scarcity (SDGs 1, 3, 6, 9 and 11).
• The uneven distribution of such risks across populations and regions can reinforce or worsen existing inequalities (SDG 10).

• Costliest tropical cyclone: Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall on May 2020 near the India-Bangladesh border in the eastern Bay of Bengal, was the costliest tropical cyclone on record for the North Indian Ocean.
  • It reported economic losses in India of approximately USD 14 billion.
  • The large-scale evacuations of coastal areas in India and Bangladesh meant that casualties from Amphan were far lower than the number of casualties from previous comparable cyclones in the region.
• Large displacement of population in India: About 2.4 million people were displaced in India, mostly in West Bengal and Odisha, and 2.5 million were displaced in Bangladesh due to the cyclone.
  • The report also noted that India had one of its two wettest monsoon seasons since 1994, with nationally-averaged rainfall above the long-term average.
  • More than 2000 deaths were reported during the monsoon season in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Myanmar.

• It requires sizeable reductions in carbon emissions to meet the aim of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
  • It aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• A push in green infrastructure investment combined with steadily rising carbon prices could deliver the emission reductions needed to limit the increase in temperatures and to put the global economy on a more sustainable growth path.
• The introduction of environmental policies has been accompanied by increases in global innovation and investment in clean energy technologies.
  • It has made important contributions to the reallocation of innovation, electricity generation, and employment towards low-carbon activities.
• A green infrastructure investment push and subsidies for renewable energy generation, combined with pre-announced gradually increasing carbon prices, would lead to the emissions reductions that are needed to keep temperature increases to safer levels.
• The adaptation policies aimed at enhancing resilience to a changing climate, such as investing in disaster-proof infrastructure and early warning systems, can limit the impact of weather-related shocks.

• The report stated that the extreme weather combined with COVID-19 is a double blow for millions of people in 2020.
• The pandemic-related economic slowdown failed to put a brake on climate change drivers and accelerating impacts.
• It highlighted that the year 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record, despite a cooling La Nina event.

• Greenhouse Gases: Notwithstanding the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emission of major greenhouse gases increased in 2019 and 2020 and the level of greenhouse gas emission will be higher in 2021.
  • The report found out that if the CO2 concentration follows the same pattern as in previous years, it could reach or exceed 414 ppm in 2021.
  • Globally averaged mole fractions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have already exceeded 410 parts per million (ppm).
• Oceans: In 2019, the oceans had the highest heat content on record and it has broken this record further in 2020.
  • The report highlighted that over 80 per cent of the ocean area experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2020.
  • The percentage of the ocean that experienced “strong” marine heat waves (45 per cent) was greater than that which experienced “moderate” marine heat waves (28 per cent).
• Sea-level rise: There was a blip in summer of 2020 that recorded a drop in sea level due to the La Nina induced cooling.
  • The sea level has recently been rising at a higher rate partly due to the increased melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
• The Arctic and the Antarctica: In 2020, the Arctic sea-ice extent came down to second lowest on record.
  • The 2020 Arctic sea-ice extent minimum after the summer melt was 3.74 million square kilometre.
  • In a large region of the Siberian Arctic, temperatures in 2020 were more than 3°C above average, with a record temperature of 38°C in the town of Verkhoyansk.
  • The Antarctic ice sheet has exhibited a strong mass loss trend since the late 1990s.
  • It accelerated around 2005, and currently, Antarctica loses approximately 175 to 225 Gt per year, due to the increasing flow rates of major glaciers in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula.

• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
• The rising temperatures are leading to the loss of species and ecosystems, which can reduce agricultural and fishing yields, contributing to food insecurity and affecting livelihoods (SDGs 1, 2, 14 and 15).
• The extreme weather and climate events can increase health risks, damage infrastructure and lead to water scarcity (SDGs 1, 3, 6, 9 and 11).
• The uneven distribution of such risks across populations and regions can reinforce or worsen existing inequalities (SDG 10).

• Costliest tropical cyclone: Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall on May 2020 near the India-Bangladesh border in the eastern Bay of Bengal, was the costliest tropical cyclone on record for the North Indian Ocean.
  • It reported economic losses in India of approximately USD 14 billion.
  • The large-scale evacuations of coastal areas in India and Bangladesh meant that casualties from Amphan were far lower than the number of casualties from previous comparable cyclones in the region.
• Large displacement of population in India: About 2.4 million people were displaced in India, mostly in West Bengal and Odisha, and 2.5 million were displaced in Bangladesh due to the cyclone.
  • The report also noted that India had one of its two wettest monsoon seasons since 1994, with nationally-averaged rainfall above the long-term average.
  • More than 2000 deaths were reported during the monsoon season in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Myanmar.

• It requires sizeable reductions in carbon emissions to meet the aim of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
  • It aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• A push in green infrastructure investment combined with steadily rising carbon prices could deliver the emission reductions needed to limit the increase in temperatures and to put the global economy on a more sustainable growth path.
• The introduction of environmental policies has been accompanied by increases in global innovation and investment in clean energy technologies.
  • It has made important contributions to the reallocation of innovation, electricity generation, and employment towards low-carbon activities.
• A green infrastructure investment push and subsidies for renewable energy generation, combined with pre-announced gradually increasing carbon prices, would lead to the emissions reductions that are needed to keep temperature increases to safer levels.
• The adaptation policies aimed at enhancing resilience to a changing climate, such as investing in disaster-proof infrastructure and early warning systems, can limit the impact of weather-related shocks.

• It is a multi-role chopper with the Shakti engine manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• The Mk III version of the ALH has an all glass cockpit and will be used for search and rescue, special operations and coastal surveillance.
• It is a step up from Mk 1 which will be able to mitigate low visibility during search and rescue operations even at night.
• The indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-DHRUV)is a twin engine, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 ton weight class.
• It is fitted with Composite Air Frame and Glass Cockpit along automatic flight control system (AFCS).
• The Helmet Pointing System (HPS) adds to the display of helicopter’s flight and platform information, mission data, target information as well as additional enhanced application capabilities.
• It is loaded with Integrated Self Protection Suite (IDAS) which provides warning and situational awareness to the crew in a hostile threat environment.

• The Republicans have called it the Green New Deal (GND) but it only takes in certain elements from the GND.

What is the Green New Deal?

• The US President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced a ‘New Deal’ in response to the Great Depression, which included social and economic reforms and public works projects.
• It calls for public policy proposals to address climate change, increase investment in renewable energy and resource efficiency, combining Roosevelt’s economic approach to create jobs and reduce economic inequality.
• It was central to the Green Party presidential campaign of Jill Stein in 2016 and has been part of the US Green Party’s platform for over a decade.
• The Green New Deal is a resolution, a roadmap for what America needs to do to address climate change and avoid a global catastrophe.
• The resolution says the US must take a leading role in reducing emissions.
  • The main goal is to reduce US’s greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2030along with creating jobs, establishing universal healthcare, high minimum wages and integrating the US through public transport.
  • The prime goal is to decarbonise the economy by reducing carbon emissions to net-zero by switching to 100 percent renewable energy sources.
    • It includes improvements to the public transport network to include more electric vehicles, and also investments in making the network more dense.
• It aims to possibly ban the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030.
• It aims to reduce emissions by implementing a zero-carbon standard for new buildings and funding for retrofitting of existing buildings that are dependent on natural gas for heating and cooling.

• The Republicans say the plan would devastate the economy and lead to tax increaseswith the fossil fuel industries witnessing huge job losses.
• The more rational critics argue that the 2030 goal is too optimistic and a more realistic one would be 2045 or 2050.
• There are questions about financing the plan that have been raised by Republicans and Democrats alike.
• The plan is unlikely to pass in either house without a concrete funding and investment strategy.
• People are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes that will contribute to the GND and has suggested tax rates of upto 60% – 70% for the ultra-rich.

• During the first US Presidential Debate in 2020, Biden said he didn’t support the GND, but in his climate change plan, the GND will pay for itself.
• Biden’s plan will accelerate actions against climate change by adopting renewable and cleaner energy sources and promote racial equality in the economy.
• Biden’s plan aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 whereas the GND sets it a slightly unrealistic 2030.
• The bill aims to launch a Climate Conservation Corps which will employ people to conserve public lands.
• It will increase spending in R&D and training a new workforce, an idea strongly highlighted in the GND.
• It shares the same principles with GND when it comes to providing minimum wage to employees, benefits, and freedom to join unions.

• It is a joint initiative of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE) at LEAD.
• It is a unique platform to establish a shared platform to generate awareness on NRLM’s gender interventions across the country, with a focus on hearing voices from the states and of SHG members.
• It is a bi-monthly webinar which will provide states with opportunities to exchange knowledge on how to:
  • Improve women’s agency,
  • Share international experiences of successful gender interventions,
  • Unpack implementation barriers in gender mainstreaming,
  • Create a ‘gender knowledge repository’ with resources to design and implement gender interventions across the country.
• The Gender Samvaad webpage is an open knowledge repository, hosted by IWWAGE.
  • It will include case studies and good practices to build advocacy focusing on gender issues across State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLMs) and the NRLM.
• It hopes to create a shared platform to spotlight gender interventions across the subcontinent with a focus on listening to voices from the states and of Self Help Group members.

• It is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development.
• It aims to address multi-dimensional poverty through building strong institutions for the poor.
• It is a centrally sponsored programme that aims at eliminating rural poverty through promotion of multiple livelihoods for the rural poor households across the country.

• It is an initiative of LEAD, an action-oriented research centre of IFMR Society.
• It aims to build on existing research and generate new evidence to inform and facilitate the agenda of women’s economic empowerment.
• It is an action-oriented research centre of IFMR Society (a not for profit society registered under the Societies Act).
• It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Recently, the ongoing second surge in Covid-19 cases has seen a huge rise in the demand for supplemental oxygen which makes the gas so vital in Covid-19 management.

• A small proportion of Covid-19 patients need oxygen support, when shortness of breath progresses to a more acute condition.
• Most patients with Covid-19 have a respiratory tract infection, and in the most severe cases their symptoms can include shortness of breath.
• In a small proportion of such cases, it can progress to a more severe and systemic disease characterised by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

• The shortness of breath occurs because of the way Covid-19 affects the patient’s respiratory system.
  • When a person inhales, the tiny air sacs in the lungs i.e. alveoli, expand to capture the oxygen, which is then transferred to blood vessels and transported through the rest of the body.
• The respiratory epithelial cells line the respiratory tract whose primary function is to protect the airway tract from pathogens and infections, and also facilitate gas exchange.
• The body’s immune system releases cells that trigger inflammation in order to fight such infections which attack the epithelial cells.
  • It impedes the regular transfer of oxygen in the lungs when this inflammatory immune response continues.
• The low levels of oxygen triggered by Covid-19 are inflammatory markers, which include elevated white blood cell counts and neutrophil counts.

• According to the clinical management protocol, a person is suffering from moderate disease when he or she is diagnosed:
  • With pneumonia with no signs of severe disease;
  • With the presence of clinical features of dyspnea (shortness of breath) and/or hypoxia (when the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level);
  • Fever, cough, including SpO2 (oxygen saturation level) less than 94% (range 90-94%) in room air
• In moderate cases, oxygen therapy is the primary form of treatment in which the target is to achieve 92-96% SpO2, or 88-92% in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
  • The devices for administering oxygen in moderate disease are nasal prongs, masks, or masks with breathing/non-rebreathing reservoir bags, depending on requirement.
  • The protocol also recommends awake proning (having patients lie on their stomachs) as a rescue therapy to increase oxygenation.
• The severe cases are defined in three categories i.e. severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and sepsis.
  • The clinical management protocol recommends oxygen therapy at 5 litres/min.
  • When respiratory distress and/or hypoxemia of the patient cannot be alleviatedafter receiving standard oxygen therapy, the protocol recommends that high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy or non-invasive ventilation can be considered.
• The patients with hypercapnia (exacerbation of obstructive lung disease), hemodynamic instability, multi-organ failure, or abnormal mental status should generally not receive High Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygenation (HFNO).

• The ISRO will support eight joint research projects mooted by the Space Technology Cell (STC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
• The projects will be coordinated by ISRO scientists at the Space Applications Centre (SAC), the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), the Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• The eight collaborative research projects on which the scientists from different ISRO centres and IIT Delhi will work jointly include:

• It will have widespread water resource applications, including drought and flood forecasting and understanding land-atmosphere interactions.

• The project aims to understand the plasma dynamics in electrode-less thrusters, which are used for electric propulsion.
• The electric propulsion schemes exhibit high fuel efficiency and lower thrust than the chemical propulsion schemes and are therefore preferred for deep space missions.

• It aims to develop an efficient finite element formulation to evaluate displacements and stresses in composite structures widely used in aerospace and space applications.

• It aims to provide real-time warning to the community, by assimilating information through sensor networks and corrected satellite products.

• It aims at real-time prediction of the vulnerability of the Indian coasts to tropical cyclones through satellite observations well in advance to minimize damages wreaked by a cyclone.

• It aims to develop advanced computational tools to simulate miniaturized electrospray thrusters to speed up the design of such thrusters for small spacecrafts.
• It addresses the need for a miniaturized propulsion system for manoeuvring and orbit control of the micro and nano satellites at a low cost.

• The aim of the project is to develop new glasses with improved thermal and mechanical performance, which can withstand conditions of extreme cold or hot weather in the outer space.

• Under RESPOND, projects in the advanced areas of relevance to Space programme are encouraged to be taken up by premiere universities/academic institutions.
• ISRO helps the academic institutions to establish the necessary technical facilitiesand also provide fellowships to researchers to work on cutting edge research topics.
• ISRO provides financial support to Academic Institutions in India for conducting research and development activities related to Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications.

• Its objective is to establish strong links with premiere academic institutions in the country to carry out research and developmental projects which are of relevance to Space.
• It aims to enhance academic base, generate quality human resources and infrastructure at the academic institutes to support the Indian Space programme.
• The research studies conducted by the STC/ Academia are expected to be directed towards some of the future Space activities, which would be a good supplement to various missions undertaken by ISRO.
• The research proposals received from academia for consideration under RESPONDare accepted for taking up research along with appropriate technical and financial support.