Include Chin refugees in citizenship Bill: Chakma NGOs

GS PAPER  - 01 SOCIETY - Population and associated issue

 

Context:

★The Chakma NGOs have submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday, 29 January, asking the Government of India to further amend the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the forthcoming Budget Session.

 

Memorandum by Chakma NGOs:

★The memorandum by the eight Chakma NGOs was made on the basis of a January 2009 report by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.

★The report, ‘The Chin People of Burma: Unsafe in Burma, Unprotected in India,’ said there were an estimated 1,00,000 Chins in Mizoram, accounting for 20% of Myanmar’s total Chin population.

★Manipur, too, has an unspecified number of Chins, who are ethnically related to the majority Mizos of Mizoram and the Kuki-Zomi groups in Manipur.

         

Where is Chin State? ★The Chin state is a mountainous region in west Myanmar, bordering India and Bangladesh. Who are chin people? ★The Chins are one of the major ethnic groups in Myanmar, and are mostly Christians Why did the chin people become refugees? ★Chins, who are mostly Christians, have been fleeing their homeland following the attempt by the majority community in Myanmar to make Buddhism the state religion, reportedly leading to their persecution on religious grounds. ★Many refugees have also fled complaining of arbitrary arrests, sexual assault and repression by security forces after the 1988 declaration of martial law. Status of chin peoples : ★The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has decided to lift the refugee status over the Chins of Myanmar from August 1, 2018. ★The UN refugee agency has said that the situation in the Chin State of Myanmar has become “stable and secure” for them to return home and, therefore, they don’t need “international protection”.

 

Chin’s in India:

★The exact number of Chins residing in India is contested.

★While there are about 4,000 Chin refugees are registered with the UNHCR office in New Delhi and have been issued refugee cards, many are residing in the national capital without any UNHCR assistance.

★Most Chins stay in the West Delhi colonies of Janakpuri, Vikaspuri, Sitapuri, Bindapur, Budhela etc.

★About one lakh of them are said to have entered Mizoram over the years as it shares a 404 km border with the Chin State.

                                                                                                              Source:- The Hindu

Rajasthan Zika strain is endemic to Asia, says new study

GS PAPER  - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

 

Context:

★According to a new study published in the journal Infection, Genetics and Evolution The Zika virus that infected 159 people in an outbreak in Rajasthan last year, could have been circulating in India for several years and is endemic to Asia.

 

Key findings:

★The finding that the outbreak was caused by an endemic virus is quite important

★It suggests that people in the region may have been previously exposed to the virus, building herd immunity that may limit future outbreaks.

★The Rajasthan Zika strain is not closely related to the Brazilian one.

★It appears that the Indian strain has been around for a while…The Brazilian strain diverged more recently,

★the phylogenetic analysis in the paper, along with previous research, suggests that the virus has been in Asia for “at least 50 years”.

★While this is good news, because it implies that a portion of the population could be immune, it could also mean that Zika-related birth defects such as microcephaly were occurring even before the virus was first detected in India.

         

Zika Virus: ★Zika virus is the virus that causes the infection known as zika fever or zika virus disease. ★The virus is a member of the Flaviviridae virus family and the genus Flavivirus. ★It was named ‘zika’ because the virus was isolated for the first time in the Zika Forest which is in Uganda. ★The zika virus is related to the yellow fever, dengue, West Nile and the Japanese encephalitis viruses. ★The zika virus, because it is a Flavivirus, is icosahedral and enveloped. It has a single-stranded and non-segmented, positive-sense RNA genome. It belongs to the Spondweni sero group.

                                                                                                                      Source:- The Hindu

139 polluted cities not on clean air plan: report

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT -  Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

 

Context:

★A Greenpeace India report, which identified 139 cities where air pollution level exceeds national standards

★Over 130 highly polluted cities violating the national air quality standards have been left out of the recently launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), a new study has revealed.

★The NCAP was launched by the government earlier this month and is a ₹300 crore initiative to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024

 

Highlights of the Report:

★The report title ‘Airpocalypse III’ analysed air pollution data of 313 cities and towns for the year 2017.

★Of these 313 cities, 241 (77%) had PM10 levels beyond the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These specify upper limits to a range of airborne chemicals and compounds.

★While 102 of these cities were included in the NCAP, the remaining 139 cities were left out. That’s because the government’s list of 102 cities relied on average pollution data until 2015, whereas Airpocalypse III used data updated up to 2017.

★Even if the NCAP were to able to reduce pollution by 30% by 2024, 153 cities would still be left with pollution levels exceeding the NAAQS.

★Of the 139 cities that have not been included in the non-attainment list under the NCAP, there are several cities that have a population of more than 1 million, and PM levels (recorded in 2017) above NAAQS.

★These include: Ranchi, Dhanbad (Jharkhand); Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh); Chennai, Madurai (Tamil Nadu); Meerut (Uttar Pradesh); Pimpri-Chindwar, Thane, (Maharashtra); Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara (Gujarat); and Howrah (West Bengal).

 

WHO report on Air Pollution:

★The World Health Organisation’s database on air pollution over the years has listed Tier I and Tier II Indian cities as some of the most polluted places in the world.

★In 2018, 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities were in India.

★A study in the journal Lancet ranked India as No.1 on premature mortality and deaths from air pollution.

         

National Clean Air Programme: ★The Centre has launched the National clean air programme to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024. ★The National Clean Air Programme is a pollution control initiative that was launched by the Ministry of Environment with the intention to cut the concentration of coarse (particulate matter of diameter 10 micrometer or less, or PM10) and fine particles (particulate matter of diameter 2.5 micrometer or less, or PM2.5) by at least 20% in the next five years, with 2017 as the base year for comparison. ★ The NCAP focuses on collaborative and participatory approach covering all sources of pollution and coordination between relevant Central Ministries, State Governments, local bodies and other stakeholders. ★In order to ensure use of new technologies to combat the rising challenge of air pollution in India, a separate component on ‘Technology Assessment Cell’ has been envisaged under NCAP to evaluate the technologies for  prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.” Objectives: ★The overall objective is to augment and evolve effective ambient air quality monitoring network across the country besides ensuring comprehensive management plan for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.

                                                                                                           Source:- The Hindu

Decision put off on Institutes of Eminence

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

 

Context:

★The University Grants Commission has deferred a decision on which institutions should be granted the prestigious Institutes of Eminence tag as an expert committee has recommended more names than the government scheme allowed for.

 

More about the news:

★The expert committee recommended 30 names, 15 in each category. But the government scheme said we had to select ten in each category [of public and private institutions]

 

Background:

★The empowered expert committee headed by former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami had initially recommended 11 institutions for the tag in July 2018.

★ In December, the committee recommended 19 more names, taking the total list to 30.

 

Institution of Eminence Scheme:

★The institutes of eminence scheme under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.

★The selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.

★The government will run 10 of these and they will receive special funding.

★The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.

★Eligibility: Only higher education institutions currently placed in the top 500 of global rankings or top 50 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) are eligible to apply for the eminence tag.

★The private Institutions of Eminence can also come up as greenfield ventures provided the sponsoring organisation submits a convincing perspective plan for 15 years.

                                                                                                                     Source:- The Hindu

Why no experts on RTI panels, asks SC

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Context:

★The Supreme Court on 29 Jan 2019, asked why Right to Information bodies, especially the apex forum of Central Information Commission (CIC), were almost completely manned by bureaucrats.

 

More about the news:

★The bench demanded to know why the government was only appointing bureaucrats as information commissioner's when the law permits it to pick up experts in a myriad fields such as law, technology, journalism, et

★Justice A.K. Sikri, who led a Bench comprising Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, pointed out that the Right to Information Act of 2005 mandates that people with a range of experience and from various fields should serve as information commissioners.

★Justice Sikri pointed out that out of 280 applications received for the post of information commissioners at the CIC recently, 14 were shortlisted, and they were almost all bureaucrats.

         

Central Information Commission (CIC): ★CIC was established in 2005 by Central Government under provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act (2005). ★The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission. ★The general superintendence, direction and management of affairs of Commission are vested in Chief Information Commissioner who is assisted by Information Commissioners. ★CIC hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority, and also addresses major issues concerning the RTI Act. ★CIC submits annual report to Union government on the implementation of the provisions of RTI Act. ★The central government inturn places this report before each house of Parliament. ★The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of – The Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of the committee; the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister. Powers and Functions: ★It can order inquiry into any matter if there are reasonable grounds. ★It can secure compliance of its decisions from the public authority. ★It can recommend steps to be taken for promoting such conformity, if public authority does not conform to provisions of RTI Act. ★It receives and inquires into a complaint from ★It examines any record which is under control of the public authority and which may be withheld from it on any grounds during the enquiry. While inquiring, it has powers of civil court

                                                                                                                           Source:- The Hindu

China outreach to Bhutan poses fresh challenge to India

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS  - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context:

★China’s Bhutan outreach poses a significant foreign policy challenge for India in the neighbourhood, not least because the new government in Thimphu is likely to look at Beijing more and more as a potential partner in its efforts to diversify its economy.

 

 China’s interest in Bhutan:

★Bhutan’s new government wants to reduce the mountainous country’s excessive reliance on hydropower which it exports to India.

★China's vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou visited Thimphu, had discussed the boundary issue with Bhutan leaders then and also invited Bhutan to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and share China’s “development dividend”.

★Bhutan is the only Indian neighbour to have resisted the temptation so far to join BRI

 

India and Bhutan Relation:

★Newly elected Bhutan PM first overseas visit was to India

★India provided grant assistance of 4500 Cr for Bhutan’s 12th 5YP

★India also provided transitional Trade Support Facility of 400Cr over 5 year to strengthen bilateral trades and economic linkages.

                                                                                                                     Source:- Times Of India

Think universal basic capital [ Editorial / Opinion ]

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

 

Context:

★India’s GDP is growing quite well, though there are disputes about whether it grew faster under the present or previous governments.

★There can be no dispute though that India needs to do much better to improve overall human development, in which it continues to be compared with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

★Even its poorer sub-continental neighbours are improving health and education faster. Benefits of India’s economic growth must trickle down much faster to people at the bottom of the pyramid: to poorer farmers, landless rural labour, and hundreds of millions of workers living on the edge in low-paying, ‘flexible’ forms of employment with no social security.

 

3 Structural Problem:

★Economists seem to be offering three solutions to the economy’s structural problems:

(a) that there is no problem.

(b) more privatisation.

(c) a universal basic income (UBI) to be provided by the state.

 

Ground Still to Be covered:

★Many economists are juggling with statistics to prove that the Indian economy is doing quite well. It is providing enough jobs, they say. And, statistically, poverty has reduced a lot. However, even these economists admit that a lot more must be done to improve education and health care, and to address the persistent informality and small scale of enterprises that are providing most of the employment in the country.

★An ideological solution, accompanied with evidence that the government is unable to provide them, is more privatisation of public services.

As U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, government is not the solution, it is the problem. However, the private sector is structurally not designed to provide affordable public services equitably.

★It is important to note that Milton Friedman, who too is often cited, said, the business of business must be only business. Businesses must be run with a profit motive. They cannot take on the burden of subsidising citizens who cannot pay for their services.

 

Disruption and Basic Income:

★Structural forces within the global economy have been driving down wages and creating insecure employment while increasing the mobility of capital and increasing incomes from ownership of capital.

★Thomas Piketty and Oxfam have also drawn attention to increasing economic inequalities around the world. ‘Industry 4.0’, which has not yet spread too far, is expected to worsen these problems.

★An economic consequence of declining growth of wage incomes will be reduction of consumption. Which will create problems for owners of capital and automated Industry 4.0 production systems. For, who will buy all the material and services that these systems will produce?

★Therefore, some experts have opined that the UBI has appeared as a silver bullet solution. It will be an income provided to everybody by the very state that the capitalists say should get out of their way, and to whom they are unwilling to pay more taxes.

★The beauty of a ‘universal’ basic income, its proponents say, is that it avoids messy political questions about who deserves assistance. It also side-steps the challenge of actually providing the services required: education, health, food, etc. Just give the people cash: let them buy what they need.

★However, if the cash will not provide citizens with good quality and affordable education and health, because neither the government nor the private sector is able or willing to, this will not solve the basic human development problems that must be solved.

 

Quasi-universal basic rural income (QUBRI):

★Some economists who were proponents of UBI have now begun to dilute their simplistic concept of UBI to make it financially and politically feasible.

★They propose a QUBRI (quasi-universal basic rural income), targeted only at poorer people in the rural areas.

 

Limitations:

★The scheme is no longer universal.

★It will exclude the not-so-poor in rural areas as morally it should.

★Political questions about who should be included will have to be addressed.

★It will not cover the masses of urban poor working for low and uncertain wages.

★Therefore, some other schemes will have to be drawn up for the urban sector, and entitlement and measurement issues will have to be addressed for these schemes too.

★All the schemes (rural and urban) could be cash transfer schemes, which Aadhar and the digitisation of financial services will facilitate.

★However, this still begs the question about how to provide good quality public services for people to buy.

 

Way forward:

★Focus on building state capacity- strengthening of institutions of the state to deliver basic services such as public safety, justice, and basic education and health, which should be available to all citizens regardless of their ability to pay for them

★It is also important to regulate delivery of services by the private sector and ensure fair competition in the market

★Strengthen the missing middle-level institutions for aggregation of tiny enterprises and representation of workers.

★Universal Basic Capital: The heart of the idea is to give all citizens equal access to capital. In this alternative approach to UBI, people own the wealth they generate as shareholders of their collective enterprises.

                                                                                             Source:- The Hindu

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