Daily Current Affairs 4 June 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) and Project Development Cells (PDCs)

• The Union Cabinet under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for setting up of an “Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) and Project Development Cells (PDCs) in Ministries/Departments of Government of India for attracting investments in India”. This new mechanism will reinforce India’s vision of becoming a US$ 5 trillion economy by 2024-25.
• The government is determined to put in place an investment-friendly ecosystem that strongly supports the domestic investor as well as FDI and will boost the economy manifold. DPIIT proposes the strategic implementation of an integrated approach that will eventually bring about synergies between Ministries/Departments and among the Central and State Governments in our investment and related incentive policies.
• Amid the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, India is presented with an opportunity to attract FDI inflows into the country especially from large companies that seek to diversify their investments into new geographies and mitigate risks. Also, ramping up production across product lines will help to serve big markets in the US, EU, China, and elsewhere. The proposal aims to take advantage of these opportunities from the global economic situation to make India among the largest players in the global value chain.
• To provide support and facilitation to investors for investing in India and to boost growth in key sectors of the economy, an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) is approved with the following composition and objectives:
• Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson)
• CEO, NitiAayog (Member)
• Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Member Convenor)
• Secretary, Department of Commerce (Member)
• Secretary, Department of Revenue (Member)
• Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (Member)
• Secretary of Department concerned (to be co-opted).

Objectives of EGoS:

• To bring synergies and ensure timely clearances from different departments and Ministries.
• To attract increased investments into India and provide investment support and facilitation to global investors.
• To facilitate investments of top investors in a targeted manner and to usher policy stability & consistency in the overall investment environment.
• To evaluate investments put forward by the departments based on their (i) project creation (ii) actual investments that come. Further, these departments would be given targets for the completion of various stages by the Empowered Group.

Project Development Cell (PDC)

• A ‘Project Development Cell’ (PDC) is also approved for the development of investible projects in coordination between the Central Government and State Governments and thereby grow the pipeline of investible projects in India and in turn increase FDI inflows. Under the guidance of the Secretary, an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary of each relevant central line Ministry, who will be in charge of the PDC will be tasked to conceptualize, strategize, implement, and disseminate details concerning investable projects.

PDC will have the following objectives:

• To create projects with all approvals, land available for allocation, and with the complete Detailed Project Reports for adoption/investment by investors.
• To identify issues that need to be resolved to attract and finalize the investments and put forth these before the Empowered Group.

Source: PIB

2) Cabinet approves MoU between India and Bhutan on Cooperation in the areas of Environment

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Royal Government of Bhutan on Cooperation in the areas of Environment.

Details:

• The Memorandum of Understanding will enable establishment and promotion of closer and long-term cooperation between the two countries in the field of environment protection and management of natural resources based on equity, reciprocity, and mutual benefits, taking into account the applicable laws and legal provisions in each country.
• Keeping in view the bilateral interest of both sides and mutually agreed on priorities, a Memorandum of Understanding covering the following areas of the environment has been considered:
• Air;
• Waste;
• Chemical Management;
• Climate Change;
• Any other areas jointly decided upon.
• This Memorandum of Understanding shall enter into force on the date of signature and shall continue to remain in force for ten years. The Participants intend to encourage organizations, private companies, government institutions at all levels, and research institutions on both sides to establish cooperation activities aimed at fulfilling the objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding. The Participants also intend to hold Joint Working Group / bilateral meetings to review and analyze the progress of activities and shall keep their respective Ministries/Agencies, duly informed of progress and achievements.

Major Impact including Employment Generation Potential:

• The Memorandum of Understanding shall facilitate the exchange of experiences, best practices, and technical know-how through both public and private sectors and shall contribute to sustainable development. The Memorandum of Understanding provides the possibility for joint projects in areas of mutual interest. However, no significant employment generation is envisaged.

Expenditure:

• The financial implications of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding are limited to the holding of the bilateral meetings / Joint Working Group meetings which shall meet alternatively in India and Bhutan. The sending side shall bear the travel cost of their delegation while the receiving side is to meet the cost of organizing the meetings and other logistic arrangements. These are the limited financial implications of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding.

Background:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the Government of the Republic of India and the National Environment Commission (NEC) of the Royal Government of Bhutan on 11th March 2013. This MoU expired on 10th March 2016. Noting the benefits of the earlier MoU, both sides have decided to continue cooperation and collaboration in the field of Environment.

Source: PIB

3) Boost to Rural India

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on 3rd June 2020. Several landmarks and historic decisions were taken in the meeting, which will go a long way in helping India’s farmers while also transforming the agriculture sector.

Historic Amendment to Essential Commodities Act

• The Cabinet approved a historic amendment to the Essential Commodities Act. This is a visionary step towards the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers’ income.
• Background
• While India has become surplus in most agri-commodities, farmers have been unable to get better prices due to lack of investment in cold storage, warehouses, processing, and export as the entrepreneurial spirit get dampened due to the hanging sword of Essential Commodities Act. Farmers suffer huge losses when there are bumper harvests, especially of perishable commodities. With adequate processing facilities, much of this wastage can be reduced.
• Benefits
• With the amendment to the Essential Commodities Act, commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion, and potatoes will be removed from the list of essential commodities. This will remove fears of private investors of excessive regulatory interference in their business operations.
• The freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute, and supply will lead to harnessing economies of scale and attract private sector/foreign direct investment into the agriculture sector. It will help drive up investment in cold storages and modernization of the food supply chain.
• Safeguarding interest of consumers
• The Government, while liberalizing the regulatory environment, has also ensured that the interests of consumers are safeguarded.  It has been provided in the Amendment, that in situations such as war, famine, extraordinary price rise, and natural calamity, such agricultural foodstuff can be regulated.  However, the installed capacity of a value chain participant and the export demand of an exporter will remain exempted from such stock limit imposition to ensure that investments in agriculture are not discouraged.
• The amendment announced will help both farmers and consumers while bringing in price stability.  It will create a competitive market environment and also prevent wastage of agri-produce that happens due to lack of storage facilities.

Barrier-free trade in agriculture produce

• Cabinet approved 'The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020'.
• Background
• Farmers in India today suffer from various restrictions in marketing their produce. There are restrictions for farmers in selling agri-produce outside the notified APMC market yards. The farmers are also restricted to sell the product only to registered licensees of the State Governments. Further, Barriers exist in the free flow of agriculture produce between various States owing to the prevalence of various APMC legislation enacted by the State Governments.
• Benefits
• The Ordinance will create an ecosystem where the farmers and traders will enjoy the freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce. It will also promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations. This is a historic-step in unlocking the vastly regulated agriculture markets in the country. 
• It will open more choices for the farmer, reduce marketing costs for the farmers, and help them in getting better prices. It will also help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers of regions with shortages, lower prices. The ordinance also proposes electronic trading in the transaction platform for ensuring a seamless trade electronically.
• The farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their products under this Act. Further, there will be a separate dispute resolution mechanism for the farmers.
• One India, One Agriculture Market
• The ordinance basically aims at creating additional trading opportunities outside the APMC market yards to help farmers get remunerative prices due to additional competition. This will supplement the existing MSP procurement system which is providing stable income to farmers.
• It will certainly pave the way for creating One India, One Agriculture Market, and will lay the foundation for ensuring golden harvests for our hard-working farmers.

Farmers empowered to engage with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters

• Cabinet approved ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’.
• Background
• Indian Agriculture is characterized by fragmentation due to smallholding sizes and has certain weaknesses such as weather dependence, production uncertainties, and market unpredictability. This makes agriculture risky and inefficient in respect of both input & output management.
• Benefits
• The ordinance will empower farmers for engaging with processors, wholesalers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters, etc., on a level playing field without any fear of exploitation. It will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor and also enable the farmer to access modern technology and better inputs. It will reduce the cost of marketing and improve the income of farmers.
• This Ordinance will act as a catalyst to attract private sector investment for building supply chains for the supply of Indian farm produce to global markets. Farmers will get access to technology and advice for high-value agriculture and get a ready market for such products.
• Farmers will engage in direct marketing thereby eliminating intermediaries resulting in full realization of price. Farmers have been provided with adequate protection. Sale, lease, or mortgage of farmers’ land is totally prohibited and farmers’ land is also protected against any recovery. An effective dispute resolution mechanism has been provided with clear timelines for redressal.

Source: PIB

4) Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H)

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to re-establish Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as Subordinate Office under Ministry of AYUSH by merging into it Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL)- the two central laboratories established at Ghaziabad since 1975.
• Presently, the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) is an autonomous body under the aegis of the Ministry of AYUSH established since 2010. The merger is aimed at optimizing the use of infrastructural facilities, technical manpower and financial resources of the three organizations for enhancing the standardization outcomes of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs towards their effective regulation and quality control.
• This merger will facilitate the focused and cohesive development of standards of AYUSH drugs and publication of pharmacopeias and formularies. It is also intended to accord legal status to the merged structure of PCIM&H and its laboratory by making the necessary amendment and enabling provisions in the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Consultation in this regard has been done with the Director General Health Services, Drugs Controller General and Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani Drugs Technical Advisory Board (ASUDTAB), which is a statutory body under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 meant for advising Central and State Governments in regulatory matters of ASLT drugs. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has concurred the proposal of realigning the posts and hierarchical structure of the merged organizations.
• PLIM & HPL being the subordinate offices and PCIM&H- an autonomous organization under the Ministry of AYUSH are going to be merged to establish PCIM&H, as a subordinate office of the Ministry with common administrative control.
• Post-merger PCIM&H will have an adequate administrative structure under the Ministry to strive for augmenting the capacity and outcomes of pharmacopoeial work, achieving harmonization of pharmacopoeial standards of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs, preventing duplication and overlapping of drug standardization work and optimal utilization of resources in an effective manner.

Source: PIB

5) Renaming of Kolkata Port Trust as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Trust

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to rename Kolkata Port as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.
• The Board of Trustees of Kolkata Port Trust in its Meeting held on 25th February 2020 has also passed a Resolution to re-name Kolkata Port as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata considering his multifaceted genius as an eminent jurist, academician, thinker, and leader of the masses.
• On the occasion of the inaugural ceremony of Sesquicentenary Celebrations of Kolkata Port on 12th January 2020, keeping in view the sentiments of the people of West Bengal, it was announced that Kolkata Port will be re-named after Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, one of the most deserving sons of West Bengal and a front-runner in national integration, dreamer of Bengal's development, the inspiration for industrialization and ardent votary of one law for one nation.

Background:

• The Kolkata Port is the first Major Port as well as the only riverine port of the country. It came to be governed by a Trust on 17th October 1870 on the appointment of the Commissioners for Improvement of the Port of Calcutta as per Act V of 1870. It features at Serial Number 1 in The First Schedule, Part I—Major Ports of the Indian Ports Act, 1908 and is governed by the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. Kolkata Port has traversed 150 years and in this journey, it has been India's gateway to trade, commerce, and economic development. It has also been a witness to India's struggle for independence, World Wars l & II, and socio-cultural changes taking place in the country, especially in Eastern India.
• Generally, the Major Ports in India are named after the city or the town in which they are situated. Some ports, however, in special cases or in due consideration of contribution made by eminent leaders have been re-named after great national leaders in the past. Nhava Sheva Port Trust was renamed as Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust by the Government in the year 1989. The Tuticorin Port Trust was renamed as V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in the year 2011 and the Ennore Port Limited has been re-named as Kamarajar Port Limited in the honor of Shri K Kamarajar, eminent freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Recently, in 2017 Kandla Port was re-named as Deendayal Port. Besides, many airports have also been named after the great national leaders in India.

Source: PIB

6) SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support)

• To make the best of our skilled workforce returning to the country due to the ongoing pandemic, the Government of India has launched a new initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct a skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission. This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of External Affairs which aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skillsets and experience to tap into and fulfill the demand of Indian and foreign companies.
• The collected information will be shared with the companies for suitable placement opportunities in the country. The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES Skills Card. The card will facilitate a strategic framework to provide the returning citizens with suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders including State Governments, Industry Associations, and Employers. MSDE’s implementation arm National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is supporting the implementation of the project.
• The spread of COVID-19 across the globe has had a significant economic impact with thousands of workers losing their jobs and hundreds of companies shutting down globally. Many of our citizens returning to the country through the Vande Bharat Mission of the Government of India may be facing uncertainty regarding their future employment opportunities. Lakhs of citizens have registered at the various Indian missions requesting to return to the country and so far, more than 57,000 people have already returned to the country.
• The online form available on www.nsdcindia.org/swades has been created to gather the required details of the returning citizens. The form contains details such as details related to the work sector, job title, employment, years of experience. A Toll-free call center facility has also been set up to support the citizens for any queries related to filling the form
• The SWADES Skill Form (online) was made live on 30th May 2020 and has garnered around 7000 registrations till 3rd June 2020 ( 2 pm).  Amongst the data gathered so far, the top countries from where the citizens are returning are UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. As per the skill mapping, these citizens had been primarily employed in sectors such as oil & gas, construction, tourism & hospitality, Automotive, and Aviation.   The data also suggests that the States which have shown the highest returning labor are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

Source: PIB

7) Union Power Minister launches pan-India Real-Time Market in electricity

• Shri R. K. Singh, the Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy & Minister of State (Skill Development and Entrepreneurship),  launched pan-India Real-Time Market in electricity This has placed Indian electricity market amongst a league of few electricity markets in the world, which have a real-time market.
• The real-time market is an organized market platform to enable the buyers and sellers pan-India to meet their energy requirements closer to real-time operation. The introduction of a real-time market will bring the required flexibility in the market to provide real-time balance while ensuring optimal utilization of the available surplus capacity in the system. It will also help manage diversity in the demand pattern in the country with an organized market at a national level.
• The real-time market would be for every 30 minutes in a day based on a double-sided closed auction with a uniform price. The concept of “Gate Closure” has been introduced for bringing in the desired firmness in schedules during the hours of market operation. Buyers/Sellers shall have the option of placing buy/sell bids for each 15-minute time block. The proposed real-time market would provide an alternate mechanism for Discoms to access larger markets at a competitive price. On the other hand, generators would also benefit from participating in the real-time market with their un-requisitioned capacity. A mechanism has been provided for generators having a long-term contract and participating in this market to share the net gains with the Discoms. National Load Despatch Centre-POSOCO is facilitating necessary automation in coordination with power exchanges to ensure faster transactions and settlements in the real-time market framework.
• The Government of India’s target of 175 GW RE Capacity by 2022 is driving accelerated renewable penetration pan-India. The real-time market would help to mitigate challenges to the grid management due to the intermittent and variable nature of renewable energy generation and therefore, help to integrate higher quantum of renewable energy resources into the grid.
• It is expected that shorter bidding time, faster scheduling, and defined processes (e.g. gate closure) are expected to enable the participants to access resources throughout the all India grid, promoting competition. It would lead to better portfolio management by the utilities with efficient power procurement planning, scheduling, despatch, and imbalance handling.
• The distribution companies would be able to manage their power purchase portfolio optimally and need not tie up excess capacity. It would lead to cost optimization of power purchase and serving the consumers with reliable supply as any last-minute requirement of power can easily be bought from the Real-Time market. The earlier regime of managing the grid by load shedding due to last-minute changes can be easily avoided. Thus, it is a win-win for all stakeholders generators having the opportunity to sell their surpluses, better management of variability of RE generation, better utilization of transmission systems, discoms opportunity to buy or sell power, and finally consumer getting reliable power supply. 

Source: PIB

8) Major Impact on climate due to extension of Amery Ice Shelf (AIS), NCPOR study reveals

• The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) predicts that there would be a 24% increase in the expansion of Ameri Ice Shelf (AIS) boundaries by 2021 and another 24% expansion by 2026 from its 2016 positions. The prediction made by NCPOR is based on a 16-year-long satellite-based observation that covered an area of 60,000 sq. km across the AIS. Scientists feel that this study would help understand the ongoing changes in the ocean and atmospheric forces better.
• The floating sheets of ice called the ice shelves to play a multi-faceted role in maintaining the stability of a glacier. Ice shelves connect a glacier to the landmass. The ice sheet mass balance, sea stratification, and bottom water formation are important parameters for the balancing of a glacier. Latent and sensible heat processes do play important roles here. 
• The AIS is one of the largest glacier drainage basins in the world, located on the east coast of Antarctica, at about 70ºS Latitude, 70ºE Longitude. The AIS dynamics and mass balance help in understanding the changes in the global climate scenario.
• The insulation of ice shelves from atmospheric forcing is dependent on a temperature gradient that the ocean cavity beneath the ice shelves provides. It is the pressure exerted by the ice shelves upon the ocean cavity that determines this temperature gradient.
• There is always a stress on the sea ice and ice sheets itself plays an indirect role in reducing the amplitude of the ocean swell. This is assisted by the freezing atmospheric temperature, which is capable of promoting a change in the morphology of ice shelves.
• NCPOR carried out this study based on the satellite data collected from 2001 to 2016. The data were collected during the austral (relating to the southern hemisphere) summer months of January to March to understand the advancement of AIS extension and the influence of ocean-atmospheric forcing in East Antarctica. The NCOPOR scientists observed a Spatio-temporal change in the ice shelf as reflected by the extension of the Prize and Mackenzie and the extension of a 200-km stretch between Mackenzie Bay (68.5ºS Latitude; 70.2ºE Longitude) and the Sandefjord Bay (69.65ºS Latitude; 74.3ºE Longitude), which is a part of the AIS.
• It becomes clear from the study that the AIS is losing its stability owing to the impact of a downstream giant glacial drainage system over the past 19 years, thereby advancing the ice shelf boundaries due to higher freezing rates than basal melting.
• NCPOR has also estimated the rate at which ice shelves have extended for the last three years (2017-2019). The AIS extended by about 550 m in 2017, 1470m in 2018, and 2200m in 2019. If this continues, it is entirely possible that in the next six years (2021 to 2026), the positions of the ice shelf would closely coincide with the actual boundary conditions.
• NCPOR observations also revealed a critical cooling of the sea surface temperature (SST), resulting in an advancement of the ice shelf by 88% in the past 15 years. These changes would contribute in a major way to climate variability.
• In the background of the global warming scenario, the study reveals that the advancement in the predicted ice shelf extent closely corresponds with the actual extent. The study clearly demonstrated the application of satellite observations and statistical techniques methods for the determination and validation; the reconstruction of the past; and the prediction of the future dynamism of ocean heat fluctuation and Antarctic Amery ice shelf mass shifting-extent. These are some of the groundbreaking methods crucial for monitoring and quantification of climate change effects and its consequences. The methods could be replicated elsewhere as they are necessary for the understanding of the response of global climate change, its monitoring for sustainable environmental management.

Source: PIB

9)  Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

• To ramp up infrastructure along the China border, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to spend 10% funds of a Centrally sponsored scheme only on projects in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
• The Border Area Development Programme (BADP) has been allocated ₹784 crores in the 2020­21 fiscal
• and the money is distributed to the border States and Union Territories depending on various criteria such as the length of the international border and population. In 2019­-20, ₹825 crores were granted for the scheme.
• According to the new guidelines, approved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah effective April 1, the projects for developing strategically important villages and towns in border areas that have been identified by the border guarding forces will be given priority. Around ₹78.4 crores have been parked for projects in areas inhabited along the 3,488 km China border
• Construction of roads, bridges, culverts, primary schools, health infrastructure, playfields, irrigation works, mini­stadiums, indoor courts for basketball, badminton, and table tennis can be undertaken within 10 km of the border.
• The creation of infrastructure would help integrate these areas with the hinterland, create a positive perception of care by the country and encourage people to stay on in the border areas leading to safe and secure borders
• The BADP, which was started in 1980 for the western border has over the years expanded to cover 396 blocks of 111 border districts in 16 States and two UTs.
• The new BADP guidelines said, “10% of the total allocated funds will be additionally allocated to the States/UTs abutting Indo­China border [Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand] for taking up works/projects in the districts abutting Indo­China border.”
• It said that 10% of funds would be reserved as an incentive for the better performing States. Out of the remaining ₹638.2 crores, the northeastern States — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim — would get ₹255.28 crores or 40% of the remaining 80% funds. Around ₹382.9 crores, or 60%, would be allocated to Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the guidelines said. 
• Forces such as the Border Security Force (BSF), deployed along the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders; the Indo­Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on the China border; the Sashastra Seema Bal along the Nepal border; and the Assam Rifles stationed along the Myanmar border would provide independent feedback on the projects in the blocks concerned and may be tasked to conduct social audit of the works, it stated. 
• No NGO or private institution could be hired for infrastructure-related work, the guidelines said.

10) A3i: Unique Trait in Covid-19 in India

Recently, scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories have identified a coronavirus type (A3i) that maybe the second most prevalent in India and may comprise 3.5% of the genomes globally.

Key Points

• The scientists analyzed 213 genomes and found that 62% of them were A2a, making it the most dominant coronavirus clade in India.
• Clade: The coronavirus type or clade, is a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 viruses that share evolutionary similarities and are grouped together based on characteristic mutations or similarities in parts of their genomes. In layman terms, a clade can be understood as a strain of the virus.
• The newly identified A3i or Clade I/A3i comprised 41%, making it the second most common coronavirus type in India.
• The A3i clade stood out from other clades due to differences at four different places in its sequence.
• According to scientific analysis, the A3i clade mutates slowly compared to the A2a which is often disadvantageous for the virus.
• So far, there is no evidence of whether A3i is more virulent (extremely severe or harmful in its effects) and linked to more deaths.
• A3i is the predominant strain circulating in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Delhi.
• Significance of the Classification: Such classifications are useful in establishing whether certain strains are particularly virulent, spread more easily, how they are likely to evolve over time and whether some could be less vulnerable to certain kinds of vaccines.
• With the new clade, there are now 11 SARS-CoV-2 types identified globally with at least six of them identified in India.
• Previous studies have shown that while type O was the first ancestral family of the virus identified from China, it’s the A2a type, which is the most dominant in the world because of a mutation in its genes that allow that coronavirus’ spike to more efficiently infiltrate the lungs.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has so far maintained that there are three principal variants in India of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: those that came from Wuhan, the USA, and Europe via air travelers.

Source: The Hindu

11) Science Technology and Innovation Policy

Recently, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (Office of PSA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have jointly initiated the formulation of a new national Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020).

Key Points

• It will be the 5th STIP of India and is being formulated at a crucial juncture when India and the world are tackling the Covid-19.
• It will integrate the lessons of the pandemic including the building of an Atmanirbhar Bharat by leveraging India’s strengths in research and development, design, science and technology workforce and institutions, huge markets, demographic dividend, diversity, and data.
• The STIP 2020 formulation process will be six-months long and has been organized into 4 highly interlinked tracks:
• The track I: It involves an extensive public and expert consultation process through Science Policy Forum, a dedicated platform for soliciting inputs from larger public and expert pools during and after the policy drafting process.
• Track II: It comprises experts-driven thematic consultations to feed evidence-informed recommendations into the policy drafting process. 21 focused thematic groups have been constituted for this purpose.
• Track III: It involves extensive intra-state and intra-department consultation with Ministries and States.
• Track IV: It constitutes an apex level multi-stakeholder consultation.
• Previous Four STIPs:
• Scientific Policy Resolution 1958:
• India’s first major science policy can be traced back to the year 1958.
• SPR 1958 laid the foundation of the scientific enterprise and scientific temper in India.
• Technology Policy Statement 1983:
• The primary feature of TPS 1983 was technological self-reliance through the promotion and development of indigenous technologies.
• The adoption of indigenous technology would reduce vulnerabilities in critical areas and would help maximize the utilization of local (human and material) resources.
• Science and Technology Policy 2003:
• Its aim was to keep up the pace with science and technology, to stay competitive in an increasingly globalized world, and to meet the primary goal of equitable and sustainable development.
• It called to invest heavily in the research and development sector to increase investment to 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2013:
• The decade of 2010 to 2020 was declared as a decade of innovation.
• It was acknowledged that to stay globally competitive, it was necessary to make a transition into a knowledge-based economy.
• This policy document was a step in the direction towards building a robust national innovation ecosystem.

Source: PIB

12) Global Economic Prospects: World Bank

Recently, the World Bank has released a part of the Global Economic Prospects (GEP) June 2020 report.

• The report highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic will be having a “severe” short and long term effects on economic growth.

Key Findings

• Impact on Global Poverty:
• The Covid-19 pandemic and economic shutdowns have devastated the poor around the world which is unprecedented in modern times.
• It has been estimated that 60 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020. These estimates are likely to rise further, with the reopening of advanced economies.
• These economic lockdowns have also damaged the multiple channels, including lower investment and innovation, erosion of the human capital, and a retreat from global trade and supply linkages.
• It has also lowered the potential growth and labor productivity.
• Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs):
• EMDEs are most vulnerable and may face health crises, restrictions, and external shocks like falling trade, tourism, and commodity prices, as well as capital outflows.
• These countries are expected to have a 3-8% output loss in the short term. But in the long term, these countries will experience a drop in the level of output with a lowering of potential output growth.
• Growth is likely to slow more in commodity-exporting EMDEs than in commodity-importing ones.
• Spillover Effect over EMDEs:
• EMDEs are also expected to witness the spillover effects of the U.S., the Euro Area, and China, which represent almost half of global output.
• As these countries are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels of output before the end of 2021.
• Issue of Loan Repayments:
• Earlier, G20 countries and commercial creditors had agreed to freeze loan repayments for low-income countries (starting 1st May 2020) till year-end. But these creditors had not yet implemented the same.
• The delay by commercial creditors to freeze loan repayment is deepening poverty in the debtor country.
• Most creditors are in advanced economies like the U.S., Europe, Japan, China, and the Gulf.
• Energy-Exporting Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs):
• The Energy-Exporting Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs) are facing a dual problem of the public health crisis with strained fiscal positions due to the recent collapse in oil revenues.
• The collapse in oil demand due to the worldwide economic lockdowns and a surge in oil inventories have made the steepest one-month decline in oil prices on record.
• Additionally, the low oil prices are unlikely to buffer the effects of the pandemic, though it may provide some initial support for the global recovery.

Steps Taken

• Some of the policy choices being implemented worldwide include greater debt transparency to invite new investment.
• Greater transparency is expected to assist borrowers, creditors, and the official sector in the ongoing assessment of debt dynamics and debt sustainability.
• The economies have also fastened their digital connectivity, and have also implemented an expansion of cash safety nets for the poor which intends to limit the damage and build a stronger recovery.

Suggestions

• Short Term Steps:
• Address Health Emergencies:
• The countries should try to moderate the short-term impact of the pandemic on economic activity and employment.
• Initially, countries need to address health emergencies and secure core public services to revive the economy.
• Allocation of New Capital:
• The worldwide economies should allow an orderly allocation of new capital toward sectors that would be productive in the new post-pandemic structures that emerge.
• It has also suggested fastening the adjustment of capital and labor.
• Long Term Steps:
• Business and Governance:
• The economies worldwide need to implement policies such as improving the environment for business, improving governance, and enhancing the outcomes of education.
• It also includes public health investments, encouraging the new types of businesses, jobs, and governance systems in the post-pandemic world.
• Financing and Productive Infrastructure.
• Countries need to speed litigation and the resolution of bankruptcies and reform the costly subsidies, monopolies.
• They also need to relook into the protected state-owned enterprises that have slowed development.

Way Forward

• The pandemic and the subsequent economic shutdowns have caused a severe blow to the global economy, especially poorer countries. There is a need to rebuild the economy and make growth more robust, resilient, and sustainable.
• There is also a need to make future economies more resilient to such economic shocks and capable of retaining more human and physical capital during the recovery.
• It will help to fulfill the post-pandemic need for the creation of the new types of jobs, businesses, and governance systems.

Source: The Hindu