Daily Current Affairs 4 May 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Aarogya Setu app

Ministry wants Aarogya Setu app made disabled-friendly

Background:

Downloading the Aarogya Setu app has been made mandatory for all government staff by the Department of Personnel and Training.
The Union Home Ministry has also made it mandatory for all employees in the public and private sectors.

Details:

In the light of the Aarogya Setu app is not accessible to persons with disabilities (PwD), particularly those with hearing and visual challenges, the Social Justice Ministry’s Department of Empowerment of PwD (DEPwD) has written to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the app developer, the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The inaccessibility of the app amounts to a violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Suggestions:

For persons with visual impairment, provision for an audio guide for navigation, audio description of color used, need to be incorporated.
The Aarogya Setu app needs to have a separate section with specific information for persons with hearing impairment with sign language interpretation.

About Aarogya Setu app

In the fight against Coronavirus COVID-19 in India, the Government launched a mobile application Aarogya Setu to connect essential health services with the citizens of India.
Aarogya Setu is a COVID-19 tracking app that uses GPS and Bluetooth features of smartphones to track the infection. It helps in determining whether the person has been in close contact with any other infected person or not.
To take a step forward for protecting the citizens, the government has launched the app in 11 different languages. Through Aarogya Setu people will be able to know or track the infection in close vicinity more accurately and effectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Aarogya Setu. The mobile app has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Objectives of Aarogya Setu

The Aarogy Setu is developed keeping in mind the following objectives:
To spread awareness of the novel Coronavirus outbreak among Indian citizens.
To augment the Government of India’s initiatives, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to the users and informing them about the risks, best practices, and relevant advisories relating to the containment of COVID-19.
To establish a connection between the government and the people of India for health services, facilities, and updates from the health ministry nationally and state-wise.

Source: The Hindu

2) USCIRF report may prompt concerns

The US Commission of International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) latest report places India in the “Countries of Particular Concern” list.

Background:

The Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) in the State Department and the USCIRF were created by the American International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Details:

Indian government’s response:

The Indian government has unequivocally dismissed the USCIRF’s latest report, claiming that it had no locus standi or official standing in India’s domestic matters.
The government’s stand is consistent with its policy on the USCIRF, which it has refused to cooperate with, and has disallowed its officials to visit India since 2009.

Concerns:

The USCIRF has recommended that India be put on the CPC list by the State Department, which is due to publish its annual report on religious freedom in the coming weeks.
Such a designation would have a significant effect, as it could bring punitive actions.
According to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 of the U.S., the President is obligated to take one of 15 possible actions, ranging from a demarche to cancellation of bilateral exchanges, to travel sanctions against specified officials, within 3-6 months.

Conclusion:

The U.S. State Department hasn’t always followed the USCIRF’s recommendations and has followed its own procedure to designate states. The USCIRF’s recommendations are non-binding on the State Department.

BACKGROUND

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has downgraded India to the lowest ranking, “countries of particular concern” (CPC) in its 2020 report.

Details:

USCIRF had placed India on CPC and watch list in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010.
In its 2019 report, India continued to remain a Tier 2 country, a list it has been unable to get off of since 2009.
Tier 2 countries are those in which violations engaged in or tolerated by the government are serious and characterized by at least one of the elements of systematic, ongoing, and egregious (horrible)’.
The 2020 report, released in Washington by the federal government commission that functions as an advisory body, placed India alongside countries including China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
This is the first time since 2004 that India has been placed in this category.
CPC is designated to a nation guilty of particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. The term ‘particularly severe violations of religious freedom’ means systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.

Why has India been moved to Countries of Particular Concern?

The commission noted in its report that “India took a sharp downward turn in 2019, which included specific concerns about the Citizenship Amendment Act, the proposed National Register for Citizens, anti-conversion laws and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“The national government used its strengthened parliamentary majority to institute national-level policies violating religious freedom across India, especially for Muslims.”
The panel said that the CPC designation was also recommended because “national and various State governments also allowed nationwide campaigns of harassment and violence against religious minorities to continue with impunity, and engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence against them”.
However, three of the 10 USCIRF commissioners, dissented with the panel’s recommendation on India as being ‘too harsh’ and that ended up placing the country alongside what they termed as “rogue nations” like China and North Korea.

Concerns:

The commission also recommended that the U.S. government take stringent action against India under the “International Religious Freedom Act” (IRFA).
It called on the administration to “impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States under human rights-related financial and visa authorities, citing specific religious freedom violations”.
In 2005, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was at the time the Chief Minister of Gujarat was censured by the USCIRF.
The commission had recommended sanctions against Mr. Modi for the 2002 riots and the U.S. government had subsequently canceled his visa.
The USCIRF 2020 report makes specific mention of Home Minister Amit Shah, for not taking what is deemed as sufficient action to stop cases of mob lynching in the country, and for referring to migrants as termites.
In December 2019, the USCIRF had also asked the U.S. government to consider sanctions against Mr. Shah and other principal leadership over the decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF):

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a bipartisan, independent federal government commission in the US.
It was created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.
USCIRF’s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
The Commission on International Religious Freedom issues an annual report that includes policy recommendations to the U.S. government based on the report’s evaluation of the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations worldwide.

Source: The Hindu

3) No country for migrant workers

Issue of migrant workers in other countries.

Concerns:

Migrant workers:

In the face of lockdowns in many countries, there has been a drastic decline in the wages and employment of migrant workers. This severely impacts the financial position of the migrant workers who live on subsistence wages.
Many of the migrant workers from the south Asian region working in other parts of the world are having limited access to healthcare. There have been reports of increasing infections among the stranded migrants.
Given the uncertainty due to the crisis, the prospects of future employment appear bleak. This might force the migrant workers to undertake reverse migration.

Effect on source countries:

Global remittances are projected to decline sharply by about 20% due to the economic crisis induced by COVID-19. This would badly impact many economies which are largely dependent on remittances to keep up economic growth momentum.
A recent World Bank report notes that the remittances to low- and middle-income countries may fall by 19.7% to $445 billion, representing a loss of a crucial financing lifeline for many vulnerable households.
Remittances to Bangladesh and other South Asian nations are forecast to decline by 22% to $109 billion in 2020.
The growing pressure on the source countries to evacuate their citizens would pose a challenge.
The possibility of permanent reverse migration would necessitate governmental aid and resources for the migrant workers and would also strain the labor market.

Way forward:

As countries respond to the COVID-19 crisis, there is a strong case for supporting the migrant workforce, which is vital to many economies.
The government should support stranded migrants and their access to health, housing, and other social services, and offer incentives to reduce the cost of remittance services.

Source: The Hindu

4) NIAB develops portable coronavirus detection kit

Development of testing kits.

Background:

The Health Ministry had set itself the target of being able to produce RT-PCR and antibody test kits domestically by the end of May 2020.

Details:

Researchers from the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, have developed a biosensor that can detect the novel coronavirus in saliva samples.
Previously, biosensors have been used across the world to detect toxins, narcotic drugs, and are also considered as a reliable tool to detect infectious diseases.

Mode of functioning:

The new portable device named eCovSens consists of a carbon electrode and the coronavirus antibody.
The antibody is capable of binding with the spike protein found on the outer layer of the virus. An electrical signal is generated when the antigen and antibody binds.
Electrical components in the device further amplify this signal, process it, convert it to digital readings on an LCD display.
The signal’s intensity was found to be proportional to the concentration of the antigen in the sample.

Significance:

The device can be battery-operated as it uses a very low voltage of 1.3V to 3V.
The device is portable and can be taken to the bedside of the patient too.
The device is stable and when built-in bulk can drastically bring down the cost of testing.

Source: The Hindu

5) NMCG & NIUA organized IDEAthon on ‘The Future of River Management’

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) organized an IDEAthon on “The future of River Management’ to explore how the COVID-19 crisis can shape River Management strategies for the future. Dealing with the COVID-19 crisis has been a challenge for most countries across the globe which has witnessed some sort of lockdown in most of the places. While the general narrative around this crisis has been that of anxiety and concern, the crisis has also thrown up some positive developments. One of these is the visible improvement in the natural environment. Rivers have become cleaner. The air has become fresher. There has been a significant drop in GHG emissions. Animals and birds are returning to and enjoying their habitats. Purely from a river management point of view, in India, there has been a noticeable improvement in the water quality of the Ganga and Yamuna in the last few weeks. During the last year or so, the Gangetic Dolphin, an indicator species, has been showing improvements with sightings at several stretches of the river. The sighting of this is more frequent during the lockdown in Ganga and its tributaries. Venice’s (in) famously polluted canals have become clearer as tourists stay away. For the first time in recent history, dolphins are back in the waterways of Italy as navigation has stopped.
National Mission for Clean Ganga had initiated this IDEAthon to garner more attention towards river management and also highlight the interconnectivity of Cities with the River. A different perspective than traditional urban planning methods, the River cities need a special focus to capitalize on not only the socio-cultural significance of the river but also the ecological importance and economic potential which can help the city, if properly planned.
The Sustainable Development Goals which have a very definitive vision for water governance, are what governments should be aiming towards, especially given the significance of river basin management for India. It necessitates a shift towards multi-stakeholder and inter-ministerial approaches, as well as integrated information systems. NMCG is also working with GIZ in developing the River Basin Organization and also River Basin Planning and Management Cycle to develop an adaptive framework under Namami Gange for Ganga river basin management.
A baseline integration of data systems acquired and accumulated by various Ministries will be helpful in better management and implementation of action plans. Water governance of the future will have to integrate efforts not only within the government infrastructure but those of communities, societies, NGOs, action groups, startups, and individuals as well. Though it is very difficult to calculate the economic value of intangible things economic evaluation of the ecosystem services is also one of the areas where the focus is needed for better management of natural resources. Elaborating further, Mr. Mishra spoke about the concept of ‘Arth Ganga’ envisioned by the Prime Minister while chairing the National Ganga Council. Government expenditures on irrigation, flood control, and dams, interventions like promotion of organic farming, fisheries, medical plantation, tourism, and transportation and biodiversity parks are some of the proven models of Arth Ganga.
These key drivers included the impact of climate change on the river for future planning, how it will impact the water system, and what can be done to lower that impact. He stressed the need to look at the Upstream and Downstream of the river where mostly the downstream suffers the impact of activities occurring at the upstream. A river entering a city boundary should leave with at least the same quality of water as it entered with. Hydropower projects that are being developed on the rivers, should be studied along with their impacts such as floods, low e-flow, sedimentation, etc. There should be provision for trans-boundary Environmental Impact Assessment for all the new big projects coming up on the river. Financial support and Public participation are key aspects of a river management plan. It is very important to create a database and use artificial intelligence for the preparation of a river management plan. Dr. King brought out an innovative thought process to look at the COVID crisis as ‘Learn from Nature’. He urged the participants to study the above aspects from Nature’s perspective and learn from what nature has taught us during this Crisis.

Source: PIB

6) R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20

According to the Research & Development (R&D) Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 report, India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 and scientific publications have risen placing the country internationally among the top few.

The R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 is based on the national S&T survey 2018 brought out by the National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS).
The report on R&D indicators for the nation is an important document for the

Evidence-based policymaking and planning in higher education,
R&D activities and support,
Intellectual property,
Industrial competitiveness.

Key Findings of the Report

According to the report, R&D is driven mainly by the government sector.
Expenditure on R&D:

The Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) of India nearly tripled between 2007- 08 to 2017-18.
India’s per capita R&D expenditure has also increased by 1.5 times.
Increase in Extramural R&D support by central Science & Technology agencies.

Women's participation in extramural R&D projects has also increased significantly to 24% in 2016-17 from 13% in 2000-01.
These extramural expenditures are the expenditures on R&D that is performed abroad but financed by domestic institutions.

India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, While the same among other developing BRICS countries were Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1%, and South Africa 0.8%.

Researchers and scientific publications:

The number of researchers per million populations has doubled since 2000.
India occupies 3rd rank in terms of the number of Ph.D. awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E) after the USA and China.
India is placed 3rd among countries in the scientific publications as per the NSF database.

Patent filing:

India is ranked at 9th position in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity in the world.

During 2017-18 out of total patents filed in India, 32% of patents were filed by Indian residents.
Patent applications filed in India are dominated by disciplines like Mechanical, Chemical, Computer/Electronics, and Communication.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), India’s Patent Office stands at the 7th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world.

National Science and Technology Management Information

The National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS) is a division of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
It has been entrusted with the task of building the information base continuously on resources devoted to scientific and technological activities for policy planning in the country.

Source: PIB

7) Concerns Over Use of BCG Vaccine: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted a few critical issues over the use of the BCG vaccine for Covid-19.
BCG, or bacille Calmette-Guerin, is a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease.

Key Points

WHO emphasizes the importance of randomized controlled trials of the vaccine to understand its safety and efficacy before using it on healthcare workers.

Randomized controlled trials using the BCG vaccine are underway in the Netherlands and Australia to find out whether the vaccine can reduce the incidence and severity of Covid-19.

According to an earlier study, there is an association between countries that have a universal BCG vaccination and reduced coronavirus cases.

It argues that countries that have deployed the BCG vaccine in their immunization programs have seen fewer deaths from Covid-19.
The BCG vaccine enhances the innate immune response to subsequent infections which might reduce viral load after Covid-19 exposure, with a consequent less severe Covid-19 and more rapid recovery.

Views in India:

According to the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, the vaccine can prevent intracellular infections, so its protective effects against Covid-19 is a biologically plausible hypothesis.
It will be premature for India, which has had a consistent TB vaccination policy since 1968, to take comfort from the study.

Five reasons countries should wait for the results of the BCG vaccine randomized controlled trials:

The association of fewer Covid-19 cases in countries that have a universal BCG vaccination program is based on population rather than individual data.
The benefits of the BCG vaccine given at birth are unlikely to reduce the severity of Covid-19 decades later.

The beneficial effects of the BCG vaccine might be altered by the subsequent administration of a different vaccine and become less effective after longer periods.

There is a remote possibility that the BCG vaccine ramps up the immune system leading to the worsening of Covid-19 in a small population of patients with severe disease.

Coronavirus induces cytokine storm in some patients, leading to further complications and even death.

If BCG vaccination is not effective against the novel coronavirus, it is likely to give a false sense of security to people, especially during the pandemic.
Using the vaccine without evidence of its benefits could further jeopardize the already short supply of the BCG vaccine.

Source: The Hindu

8) Kashmir Saffron got GI Tag

Recently, the Kashmir saffron got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag status.

Key Points

Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around the 1st Century BCE.

It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.
It is a very precious and costly product.

In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.
It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Uniqueness: The features which differentiate it from other saffron varieties available the world over are:

It is the only saffron that is grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m above mean sea level.
It has longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red color, high aroma, bitter flavor, chemical-free processing.
It also has a high quantity of crocin (coloring strength), safranal (flavor), and picrocrocin (bitterness).

Types: There are three types of saffron available in Kashmir — Lachha Saffron, Mongra Saffron, and Guchhi Saffron.
Uses:

Kashmir saffron is used globally as a spice. It also helps in revitalizing health.
It is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.

The benefit of tag: With the GI tag, Kashmir saffron would gain more prominence in the export market.

Iran is the largest producer of saffron and India is a close competitor.

Source: The Hindu

9) Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park

Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBBP), Karnataka has come out with the Animal Adoption Programme to conserve wildlife and allow people to adopt animals at the zoo during the lockdown period.

The program provides an opportunity to get involved with the feeding and veterinary care expenses for zoo animals with a provision for Income Tax rebate under 80G.
The BBBP has released a list of animals that can be adopted: King cobra, Indian rock python, Blackbuck, Sambar, Emu, Golden jackal, Indian leopard, Sloth bear, Hippopotamus, Bengal tiger, Giraffe, etc.

Key Points

In 2004, BBBP was carved out of the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) and brought under the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK).

BNP was declared a national park in 1974.

BBBP has four divisions: the zoo, the safari, the butterfly park, and the rescue center.

It is one of the few places in the world where wilderness is preserved so close to a big city.

The valley of Champakadhama hills is inside the park.
Objectives:

To complement and strengthen national efforts in ex-situ conservation of biodiversity.
To support the conservation of endangered species.
To provide opportunities for scientific studies, research, and documentation on conservation and creation databases.
To bring awareness to the public and provide recreational opportunities to visitors.

Flora: Scrub type (dry deciduous forests), southern tropical dry deciduous forests, southern tropical moist mixed forests.
Fauna: Elephant, Chital, Barking Deer, Striped Hyena, Porcupine, Peafowl, Grey Jungle Fowl, Partridges, crocodiles, tortoise, python, varieties of butterflies, etc.

Source: The Hindu

10) Economic recovery may take over a year, says CII

The country’s high performing economic districts should be allowed to play by different rules in the third phase of the lockdown, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
In a strategy paper submitted to the Centre, the CII called for changes in zone classification, saying that the 100-150 districts with the highest economic value — identified either through GDP contribution or density of industrial clusters — should be allowed to restart industrial activity, even in containment areas, if stringent rules are followed. It argued that the cost of 100% testing and aggressive health protocols is lower than continued shutdown in these areas
In a CII poll of 300-odd CEOs released, almost half said economic recovery would take over a year. More than half foresee job losses. Three out of four participants identified the complete shutdown of operations as their biggest problem, followed by a lack of demand, supply and distribution chain woes, and a credit crunch.
In such a situation, the industry body argued for a calibrated exit from the lockdown in the country’s most crucial economic regions.
Within these districts, small restricted areas such as the actual street, mohalla, building, or industrial complex where COVID19 cases have been identified should be treated as containment zone. An area of about 500m radius around these areas should be treated as an orange zone. The remaining area of the district should be classified as green zones
The CII suggested that full industrial operations could be restarted in these priority districts, even within containment zones, if aggressive door-to-door testing or group testing covering 100% of the population is carried out, and stringent sanitation and distancing protocols are followed.
Personal protective equipment would be provided free of cost for all within the industrial unit. Workers would have to be housed on the premises or within walking distance, and both raw materials and finished goods would be disinfected and kept in isolation for 72 hours before use.
At the end of the day, the CII argued that a cost-benefit analysis favors such an approach. The cost of undertaking precautionary measures by way of repeated sanitation, wearing of PPE, masks, monitoring, group testing, etc. will be much less than the economic loss if businesses in such high performing districts have to remain shut for a longer duration
The poll of CEOs, the majority of whom belong to the crucial MSME sector, showed that almost twothirds of respondents expect their revenues to fall more than 40% in the current April to June 2020 quarter. For the full financial year 202021, a third of respondents still expect a more than 40% revenue fall, while another third expect their topline to drop between 20% and 40%. Most of the firms polled expect domestic demand to recover faster than exports. Only 18% do not expect job losses in their sector. Only 35% have faced salary reductions in their own firms so far.

Source: The Hindu