EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

Dec 15, 2021

WHOLESALE PRICE INFLATION SPIKES TO A RECORD AS FOOD, FUEL SURGE Recently India’s wholesale prices inflation surge in food, mineral, fuel, power, oil and gas prices. Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
  • It is an index that measures and tracks the changes in the price of goods in the stages before the retail level.
  •  This refers to goods that are sold in bulk and traded between entities or businesses.
  • Publish by: Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
  • Base year:2011-12
Components of WPI
  • Primary articles: Food Articles and Non-Food Articles.
    • Food Articles include items such as Cereals, Paddy, Wheat, Pulses, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk, Eggs, Meat & Fish, etc.
    • Non-Food Articles include Oil Seeds, Minerals and Crude Petroleum
  • Fuel & Power: tracks price movements in Petrol, Diesel and LPG
  • Manufactured Goods: Textiles, Apparels, Paper, Chemicals, Plastic, Cement, Metals etc.
    • It also include manufactured food products such as Sugar, Tobacco Products, Vegetable and Animal Oils, and Fats.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
  • It is an index measuring retail inflation in the economy by collecting the change in prices of most common goods and services.
  • CPI is calculated for a fixed list of items including food, housing, apparel, transportation, electronics, medical care, education, etc.
  • It is also a helpful pointer in understanding the real value of wages, salaries and pensions, the purchasing power of a country’s currency and regulating prices.
Types
  • CPI for Industrial Workers (IW)
  • CPI for Agricultural Labourers (AL)
  • CPI for Rural Labourers (RL) and
  • CPI for Urban Non-Manual Employees (UNME).
Publish by:
  • While the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation collects CPI (UNME) data and compiles it, the remaining three are collected by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour.
APART COMES UP WITH COMPETITIVE FUNDING MECHANISM FOR AGRI SECTOR IN ASSAM Recently, Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) has established the AgriFin “Xamahar” to support ecosystem/mechanisms in the agricultural domain in the state.
  • Aim: To deliver financial services at a scale in the agribusiness sector in the state.
  • The project intends to partner with select 8 to 12 sub-projects from the financial services sector benefitting 125,000 beneficiaries of which 30% will be women.
  • The fund will support the testing and up scaling of innovations by financial service providers.
INDIA VOTES AGAINST U.N. DRAFT RESOLUTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Recently, India voted against a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) linking climate to security.
  • The resolution was sponsored by Ireland and Niger, and it did not pass, with 12 UNSC members voting for it, India and Russia voting against it and China abstaining
India’s concerns over the Draft:
  • The decisions in UN Security Council could be taken without consensus or the involvement of most developing countries.
    • Thus, it is not fair to decide on climate issues in UNSC, on which only few countries can decide on all climate-related issues.
  • Developing and least developed countries had worked over the last two decades to make common but differentiated responsibilities, a fundamental tenet of climate action.
    • Common but differentiated responsibilities CBDR): It says that all states are responsible for addressing global environmental destruction yet not equally responsible.
    • Under CBDR, developed countries were supposed to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing countries as a whole, by 2020.
      • They had not met their promises with regard to climate action till now.
      • India alone would need a trillion dollars by 2030 to achieve its climate ambitions.
UN Security Council:
  • UNSC is one of the six main organs of the UN.
  • The first session was held in 17 January 1946, London.
  • Headquarters: New York, US.
  • Aim: Maintaining international peace and security.
  • It consists of 15 members; five permanent and 10 non-permanent members.
  • The five permanent members are the US, UK, Russia, China and France.
  • Every year five non-permanent members are elected for a tenure of two years.
Objectives:
  • To maintain international peace and security.
  • To develop friendly relations among nations.
  • To cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights.
  • To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
 Powers of Permanent and Non-Permanent Members:
  • The permanent members have a veto power.
    • This allows any of the five countries to block the adoption of a resolution.
  • However, they cannot end or prevent a debate through this power.
  • The non-permanent members do not have veto power.
    • However, they have collective right of veto, any resolution of the UNSC has to be passed by at least seven non-permanent members even if all the permanent members support it.
  • Every member-country of the council including the non-permanent members, assumes the presidency of the council every month.
    • The presidency is determined in an alphabetical order.
Maintaining Peace and Security: When a complaint concerning a threat to peace is brought, the council may:
  • Set forth principles for such an agreement
  • Undertake investigation and mediation in some cases
  • Dispatch a mission
  • Appoint special envoys
  • Request the Secretary-General to use his offices to achieve a pacific settlement of the dispute.
When a dispute leads to hostilities, the council may:
  • Issue ceasefire directives that can help prevent an escalation of the conflict.
  • Dispatch military observers or a peacekeeping force to help reduce tensions, separate opposing forces and establish a calm in which peaceful settlements may be sought.
  • Economic sanctions, arms embargoes, financial penalties and restrictions, and travel bans.
  • Severance of diplomatic relations.
  • Blockade
  • Collective military action.
WHAT DOES SOUTH KOREA’S END OF KOREAN WAR COMMENT REALLY MEAN Recently, the South Korea’s President announced a formal end to the Korean War. Korean War: History:
  • The Korean peninsula was ruled by the Joseon Dynasty from 1392 to 1897.
  • By signing the treaty of Shimonoseki,Japan formed the Korean Empire after defeating China in the Sino- Japanese war of 1895.
    • Korea was effectively under the rule of the Japanese during the World War II and after the fall of Japan, Korean War started.
Causes:
  • The present-day Korean conflict is born primarily from the seeds sown during Cold War – between USSR and USA.
  • Korea was occupied by the United States and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.
  • The United States proposed temporarily dividing the country along the 38th Parallel as a way to maintain its influence on the peninsula, which bordered Russia.
  • In 1948, the American-backed, anti-communist southern administration declared itself the Republic of Korea.
  • Soon after, the Soviet-backed, communist northern administration, based in Pyongyang, declared itself the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Who were the combatants?
  • The war pitted South Korea and the United States, fighting under the auspices of the United Nations, against North Korea and China.
  • The Soviet Union supported North Korea at the beginning of the war, giving it arms, tanks and strategic advice.
    • But China soon emerged as its most important ally, sending soldiers to fight in Korea as a way to keep the conflict away from its border.
How did it end?
  • Technically, the Korean War did not end.
  • The fighting stopped when North Korea, China and the United States reached an armistice in 1953.
  • But South Korea did not agree to the armistice, and no formal peace treaty was ever signed.
    • Since 1953 there has been an uneasy coexistence between North and South Korea.
GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD HABITAT: GOVT URGES SC TO MODIFY ORDER ON UNDERGROUND CABLES The Centre has urged the Supreme Court to modify its directions to put all transmission cables in the habitat of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) underground. National Bustard Recovery Plans
  • Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate change (MoEF&CC) has developed the National Bustard Recovery Plans.
  • Objective-
    • to check the dwindling numbers of the endangered Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican.
    • to protect the habitat of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
Need for modification: Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps):
  • It is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
  • It is the state bird of Rajasthan.
  • Habitat-dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent
  • Physical Features:
    • Long legs and a long neck.
    • Male and female are of same size.
    • Male-
      • Black feathers on the top of the head.
      • whitish neck
      • Brown wings highlighted by black and grey markings.
    • Female-
      • Smaller black crown on the top of the head.
    • Food- grass seeds, insects, small rodents and reptiles.
    • Protection Status:
      • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
      • CITES: Appendix I
      • CMS: Appendix I
      • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
    • Threats:
      • Electrocution with power transmission lines.
      • Irrigation and farming technology.
      • Hunting and Poaching.
      • Habitat Loss.
    • Conservation Efforts:
    • Project Great Indian Bustard-
      • When- World Environment Day.
      • Initiated by-Rajasthan Government
      • Aim- To provide secure breeding enclosures in areas outside protected areas.
    • Conservation breeding facility in Desert National Park
      • Established by- Rajasthan government and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
CLIMATE CHANGE INFLICTING INFECTIOUS DISEASES ON KIDS: STUDY Study was conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Mahamana Center of Excellence in Climate Change Research, BHU. Highlights:
  • Climate change driven by anthropogenic activities is challenging the gains in public health.
  • India, particularly, ranks high in the list of climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
  • Globally, it is estimated that children are to bear most of the burden of disease due to climate change.
  • The higher risk associated with children is due to the combination of physiological vulnerability as well as the risk of exposure.
  • Climate parameters like temperature, humidity, rainfall, solar radiation, and wind speed were significantly associated with the infectious diseases.
    • Disease like gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, vector-borne diseases, skin diseases in children are common.
  • Climate parameters accounted for 9-18% of the total infectious disease cases.
    • Non-climate parameters account for the rest.
  • Upper respiratory tract infection (mostly cold and flu) and gastrointestinal infections (mainly diarrhea) constitute 78% of the disease burden.
  • Due to socio-economic condition and modified climatic conditions, children are also suffering from stunting, wasting, and underweight conditions.
RBI INTRODUCES PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION FRAMEWORK FOR NBFCS Recently, the Reserve Bank of India extended Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
  • It will come into effect on October 1 2022 on the basis of their financial position on or after March 31.
Highlights of PCA framework for NBFCs
  • It puts restrictions on para-banks when vital financial metrics dip below the prescribed threshold.
  • It follows the scale-based regulations and revision in non-performing asset (NPA) norms brought in by the regulator for the sector.
  • It gives power to the central bank to take any action irrespective of the size of an NON-Banking Financial Company (NBFC).
  • The framework will apply to:
    • all deposit-taking NBFCs.
    • all non-deposit taking NBFCs in the middle, upper and top layers, including investment and credit firms, core investment firms, infrastructure debt funds, infrastructure finance firms and microfinance institutions.
  • It has excluded NBFCs not accepting or not intending to accept public funds, primary dealers and housing finance firms, along with government-owned ones.
  • Lenders showing deterioration in performance metrics like capital, asset quality, and leverage have to be restricted on paying dividends and opening branches.
Benefits:
  • It brings NBFCs closely integrated with the banking system.
  • It is a step taken by RBI to harmonise the regulatory framework between banks and NBFCs
  • It ensures safer functioning of overall financial system
    • NBFCs have been growing in size and have substantial inter-connectedness with other segments of the financial system.
Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework:
  • Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework is a set of guidelines for banks that are weak in terms of identified indicators including:
    • poor asset quality
    • insufficient capital
    • insufficient profit or losses.
  • It is initiated by Reserve Bank of India in 2002 to discipline banks when they report poor and risky financial performance.
  • It acts as a tool for effective market discipline.
  • Objectives:
    • To enable supervisory intervention at the appropriate time
    • To initiate and implement remedial measures in a timely manner, so as to restore its financial health.
PCA thresholds:
  • PCA mentions three risk thresholds and three yardsticks of measurement.
    • A breach of any criterion triggers PCA action.
  • There will be three risk thresholds:
    • The first risk threshold of the PCA will be triggered when the capital adequacy ratio of the NBFC falls below the regulatory minimum of 15 per cent.
    • The second risk threshold will be triggered, if the ratio falls below 12 per cent.
    • The third will be triggered when the ratio falling below 9 per cent.
  • The three yardsticks to measure them are:
    • capital adequacy ratio
    • tier-1 capital ratio
    • net NPA ratio
  • The restrictions against an NBFC get progressively tightened as it breaches higher threshold levels.
What happens if PCA framework is imposed?
  • The NBFC will face restrictions on dividend distribution and
  • The promoters will be asked to infuse capital and reduce leverage.
    • On risk threshold 2: the NBFC will be prohibited from opening branches, while
    • on risk threshold 3: capital expenditure will be stopped other than for a technological upgrade.
CJI BATS FOR MORE WOMEN JUDGES Chief Justice of India promised to take up the demand for more women judges with the Supreme Court Collegium recently.
  • The collegium has recommended 68 names for appointment in total across 12 high courts.
Current Scenario of women in judiciary in India:
  • The Supreme Court currently has the highest number of women judges.
  • Out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges, the Supreme Court has four women judges.
  • Out of 677 sitting judges in both the Supreme Court and high courts, only 81 are women.
    • This makes the representation of women judges in the total working strength to 12%.
  • Among the 25 high courts, only Madras high court has women judges in double digits.
    • Out of the working strength of 58 judges, the Madras HC has 13 women, which is more than 22% representation.
  • High courts of Manipur, Meghalaya, Bihar, Tripura and Uttarakhand do not have even a single woman judge.
  • The sanctioned strength of judges across 25 high courts in India is 1,098.
    • 465 posts were vacant as of September 1.
Impact of having women in Judiciary:
  • Women judges enhance the legitimacy of courts.
  • They contribute far more to justice than improving its appearance: they also contribute significantly to the quality of decision-making.
  • They bring those lived experiences to their judicial actions, that tend toward a more comprehensive and empathetic perspective.
  • Adjudication is enhanced by preventing ill-considered or improper decisions, by elucidating how laws and rulings can be based on gender stereotypes etc.
Suggestions: Gender-Neutral Parenting
  • There is need to change the patriarchal mindsets of Indian society.
  • There is need to promote gender-neutral parenting so that future generations free themselves from the bonds of patriarchy.
Overhauling the Judicial Selection Procedure
  • There is a need for the reformation of the judicial selection procedure and ensure fair representation of women in the Indian Judiciary.
  • A more diverse judiciary would increase public confidence and instil greater support from its citizens.
Reservation Quota for Women
  • There must be a minimum 33% reservation quota for women in the judiciary.
  • It will ensure equal representation of women and also provide a fair opportunity to reach higher levels in the profession.
SAVING LIVES, SPENDING LESS: THE CASE FOR INVESTING IN NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Recently, World Health Organization released a report entitled, ‘Saving Lives, Spending Less: The case for investing in non-communicable diseases’. Highlights of the report:
  • Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are collectively responsible for the death of 41 million people each year.
    • 85 per cent of the global premature deaths (between age 30–69) from NCDs occur in low-and middle-income countries.
    • In sub-Saharan Africa, NCDs will be the leading cause of death by 2030.
  • It shows that investing $0.84 per person per year could save seven million lives
    • It is possible if low and lower middle-income countries make an additional investment in the prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
  • It reveals the financing needs and returns on investment of WHO’s “best buy” policies to protect people from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs),
    • Best Buy policies also offers protection against the impacts of the pandemic.
  • The cost-effective “best buy” interventions include:
    • Increasing health taxes such as increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol.
    • Healthy diet instructions such as reducing salt intake through the reformulation of food products.
    • Restrictions on marketing and sale of harmful products.
    • Information and education policies such as, administering drug therapy and counselling for people who have had a heart attack or stroke.
    • Vaccination policies including vaccinating girls aged 9─13 years against human papillomavirus and screening women aged 30─49 years for cervical cancer.
    • Actions connected to managing metabolic risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes, in order to prevent complications.
  • These interventions can make the world achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.4to reduce premature death from NCDs by one-third by 2030.
Non-communicable Diseases:
  • Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), are chronic diseases of long duration.
  • NCDs are medical conditions but are not caused by infectious agents.
  • They are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.
  • The main types of NCD are:
    • Cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke)
    • Cancers
    • Chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma)
  • It most commonly affects people in low- and middle-income countries where more than three quarters of global NCD deaths occur.
  • People of all age groups, regions and countries are affected by NCDs.
Risk factors
  • Modifiable behavioural risk factors:
    • Modifiable behaviours, such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and the harmful use of alcohol, all increase the risk of NCDs.
  • Metabolic risk factors
    • Metabolic risk factors contribute to four key metabolic changes that increase the risk of NCDs:
      • raised blood pressure
      • overweight/obesity
      • hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels)
      • hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood).
WHY KERALA GOVERNOR ARIF MOHAMMED KHAN SAYS HE WANTS TO QUIT AS CHANCELLOR Recently, there has been a rift between the Governor and the government of Kerala over the appointment of Vice Chancellor of State Universities. Role of Governor in State Universities:
  • The Governor of the state is the ex-officio chancellor of the universities in that state.
  • The Governor’s powers and functions as the Chancellor are laid out in the statutes that govern the universities under a particular state government.
  • The Governor, as the Chancellor, presides over the university convocation and also appoints the Vice-Chancellor (VC).
    • Whether the governor has an absolute discretion over the choice of VC, depends on the statute of the individual state concerned.
Central Universities: Under the Central Universities Act, 2009:
  • The President of India shall be the Visitor of a central university. 
    • His role is limited to presiding over convocations.
    • He has the right to authorise inspections of academic and non-academic aspects of the universities and also to institute inquiries.
  • Chancellors in central universities are titular heads, who are appointed by the President in his capacity as Visitor.
  • The Vice Chancellors too are appointed by the Visitor from panels of names picked by search and selection committees formed by the Union government.
Punchhi Commission:
  • The Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations in its report published in March 2010 recommended removing Governors from the post of Chancellor of state universities.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS IDENTIFY GAPS IN DRAFT BILL, SEEK COMMUNITY-BASED REHAB Recently, survivors of trafficking have demanded that the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) draft Bill 2021 should define and include provisions of funds for the rehabilitation of survivors as well to investigate cases, often across states and even countries. Features of the Draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill 2021
  • The bill addresses certain loopholes and hitherto missed aspects very of the previous Bill's provisions effectively and comprehensively.
Key features of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) draft Bill
  • Applicability: the law will apply to all citizens of India, within and outside the country.
  • Investigation agency: Cases will be probed by NIA (National Investigation Agency). The faster arrest of offenders (most often operating in syndicates and organised criminal groups).
  • Penalty: Stricter punishment to the perpetrator if the victim of trafficking is a child. Aggravated crime to get deservedly stricter punishment.
  • Bill includes a provision that says that physical movement or transportation of the victim is not necessary to define the crime of tracking.
  • Has the provision of protection homes for immediate protection of victims and rehabilitation homes for long term rehabilitation.
    • This will help the victims to come out of the trauma and seamlessly assimilate into society later.
  • Proposes a proposal for the provision of separate protection and rehabilitation homes for transgenders.
  • The rehabilitation is to begin immediately once the FIR is registered.
  • Provides immediate relief to the victim within 30 days of the filing of FIR.
  • The compensation will be awarded to the victim under the State Victim Compensation Scheme.
    • The Proceeds of crime collected and accumulated by traffickers will be used for the relief and rehabilitation of the victim.
  • Bill makes re-tracking an aggravated form of tracking with higher punishment of not less than 10 years which can go up to life imprisonment and a fine which can be up to Rs 10 lakh.
  • Women, children and physically and mentally disabled persons are given extra protection in the law by including them under the provision of “presumption of offences”.
WHY NITISH KUMAR HAS FALLEN BACK ON HIS DEMAND FOR SPECIAL STATUS FOR BIHAR Recently, The Chief Minister of Bihar has raised the demand for the status of special category state for Bihar. Special Category Status
  • Special Category Status (SCS)is a classification given by the Central government to assist in the development of those states that face geographical and socio-economic disadvantages.
    • Such as hilly terrains, strategic international borders, economic and infrastructural backwardness, and non-viable state finances.
  • The decision to grant special category status lies with the National Development Council.
    • It is composed of the prime minister, union ministers, chief ministers and members of the planning commission, who guide and review the work of the commission.
 Criteria for special category status:
  • Hilly and difficult terrain
  • Low population density or sizeable share of tribal population
  • Strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries
  • Economic and infrastructural backwardness
  • Non-viable nature of state finances
Can special category status be granted to more states now?
  • In the present scenario, no more states can be given the status of a special category state.
  • The Constitution of India does not include any provision for the categorization of any state in India as a 'special category state.
  • A wide range of provisions is available to as many as 10 states that have been listed under Articles 371, 371-A to 371-H, and 371-J.
Benefits states confer with special category status:
  • The central government bears 90 percent of the state expenditure on all centrally-sponsored schemes.
  • Concession on excise duty to attract industries to the state.
  • 30 percent of the Centre's gross budget also goes to special category states.
  • The states can avail the benefit of debt-swapping and debt relief schemes.
  • States with special category status are exempted from customs duty, corporate tax, income tax and other taxes to attract investment.
  • Special category states have the facility that if they have unspent money in a financial year, then it does not lapse and gets carried forward for the next financial year.
  DELHI HIGH COURT ORDERS COMPLETE DISCLOSURE OF VEG, NON-VEG INGREDIENTS OF FOOD ITEMS Delhi high court said that those who manufacture food items should disclose the ingredient code name along with the source from where they have originated. E631
  • It is known as disodium inosinate.
    • It is the disodium salt of inosinic acid.
  • It is used as a food additive and often found in instant noodles, potato chips, and a variety of other snacks.
  • As a relatively expensive product, disodium inosinate is usually not used independently of glutamic acid.
Origin:
  • Disodium inosinate is generally produced from meat, including chicken.
  • It also may be produced from tapioca starch without any animal products involved in the production.
  • In some cases it can be labeled as "vegetarian" in ingredients lists when produced from plant sources.
 






POSTED ON 15-12-2021 BY ADMIN
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