MOST IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS 26TH AUGUST 2019 BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ

IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY 

BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ        26THAugust 2019 

1.CVC sets up panel to probe bank fraud(GS-2,3)

• CONTEXT:The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted an Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF) headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T.M. Bhasin to examine bank fraud of over RS 50 crore and recommend action.
• The panel in its previous avatar was called the
• Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds.
• The ABBF, formed in consultation with the RBI
• , would function as the first level of examination of all large fraud cases before recommendations or references are made to the investigative agencies by the respective public sector banks (PSBs), the CVC said in an order.
• Central Vigilance Commission
• is the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority, monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government and advising various authorities in Central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing and reforming their vigilance work.
• Vigilance means to ensure clean and prompt administrative action towards achieving efficiency and effectiveness of the employees in particular and the organization in general, as lack of Vigilance leans to waste, losses and economic decline.
• The CVC was set up by the Government in February, 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam. In 2003, the Parliament enacted CVC Act conferring statutory status on the CVC.
• The CVC is not controlled by any Ministry/Department. It is an independent body which is only responsible to the Parliament.
• 
  
• Functions
• The CVC receives complaints on corruption or misuse of office and to recommend appropriate action. Following institutions, bodies, or a person can approach to CVC:
• Central government
• Lokpal
• Whistle blowers 
• A whistleblower is a person, who could be an employee of a company, or a government agency, or an outsider (like media, higher government officials, or police) disclosing information to the public or some higher authority about any wrongdoing, which could be in the form of fraud, corruption, etc.
• It is not an investigating agency. The CVC either gets the investigation done through the CBI or through chief vigilance officers (CVO) in government offices.
• It is empowered to inquire into offences alleged to have been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 by certain categories of public servants.
• Its annual report gives the details of the work done by the commission and points to systemic failures which lead to corruption in government departments. 
• Improvements and preventive measures are also suggested in report.
• History
• The Special Police Establishment (SPE) which was set up in 1941 by the Government of India. 
• The functions of the SPE then were to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in transactions with the War & Supply Department of India during World War II.
• Even after the end of the War, the need for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption by Central Government employees was felt.
• The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was therefore brought into force in 1946.
• After promulgation of the Act, superintendence of SPE was transferred to the Home Department and its functions were enlarged to cover all departments of the Government of India. 
• The jurisdiction of SPE was extended to all the Union territories and the Act provided for its extension to States with the consent of the State Government.
• By 1963, the SPE was authorised to investigate offences under 91 different sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 16 other Central Acts besides offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947.
• A growing need was felt for a Central Police Agency at disposal of the Central Government which could investigate not only cases of bribery and corruption, but also: 
• violation of Central fiscal laws,
• major frauds relating to Government of India departments,
• public joint stock companies,
• passport frauds,
• crimes on the high seas,
• crimes on the Airlines,
• and serious crimes committed by organised gangs and professional criminals.
• On the recommendations of the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was established by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 1, 1963. 
• Later, it was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel and now it enjoys the status of an attached office.
• In 1964, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was set up by the Government on the recommendations of Santhanam Committee, to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance.
• The Supreme Court in the judgement of Vineet Narain & Others vs. Union of India (1997), gave directions regarding the superior role of CVC. 
• In this case the role of the Central Bureau of Investigation was criticised and the court directed that CVC should be given a supervisory role over CBI.
• The Government promulgated an Ordinance in 1998, conferring statutory status to the CVC and the powers to exercise superintendence over functioning of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (CBI), and also to review the progress of the investigations pertaining to:
• alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 conducted by them.
• The Commission was given statutory status by the enactment of “The Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003”. 
• After enactment of CVC Act, 2003, the Commission became a multi-member body consisting of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairperson) and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners (Members), to be appointed by the President.
• The Supreme Court in a Writ Petition filed after the murder of Shri Satyendra Dubey in 2003, a whistle-blower, directed that a machinery be put in place for acting on complaints from whistle-blowers till a law is enacted. 
• In pursuance of that direction, the Government of India notified the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers Resolution (PIDPI), 2004: 
• This Resolution is popularly known as “Whistle Blowers” Resolution and it designated the Central Vigilance Commission as the agency to receive and act on complaints or disclosure on any allegation of corruption or misuse of office from whistle blowers.
• The Commission has been entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the identity of the complainant secret while lodging a complaint under PIDPI Resolution, in order to provide protection to whistle blowers from victimisation.
• The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Person Making the Disclosures (PIDPPMD) Bill 2010 renamed as “The Whistle Blowers’ Protection Bill, 2011” was enacted by the Central Government in Parliament as “The Whistle Blowers’ Protection Act, 2014”.
• Through subsequent ordinances and legislations the Government has added to the functions and powers of the Commission.
• In 2013, the Parliament enacted the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. 
• This act has amended CVC Act, 2003 whereby the Commission has been empowered to conduct preliminary inquiry and further investigation into complaints referred by the Lokpal.
• On the issue of overlap of jurisdiction between the CVC Act and The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, the Commission has communicated its suggestions to the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice during its examination of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas and Other Related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
• Governance
• The Central Vigilance Commission has its own Secretariat, Chief Technical Examiners' Wing (CTE) and a wing of Commissioners for Departmental Inquiries (CDI). For investigation work, CVC has to depend on two external sources CBI and Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO).
• The Central Vigilance Commission
• Multi-member Commission consists of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairperson) and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners (Member).
• The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Minister of Home Affairs (Member) and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People (Member).
• The term of office of the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners is four years from the date on which they enter their office or till they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• Secretariat
• The Secretariat consists of a Secretary, four Additional Secretaries, thirty Directors/Deputy Secretaries (including two Officers on Special Duty), four Under Secretaries and office staff.
• Chief Technical Examiners' Organisation (CTEO)
• The Chief Technical Examiner's Organisation constitutes the technical wing of the Central Vigilance Commission and is manned by two Engineers of the rank of Chief Engineers (designated as Chief Technical Examiners) with supporting engineering staff. The main functions assigned to this organisation are:
• Technical audit of construction works of Governmental organisations from a vigilance angle; Investigation of specific cases of complaints relating to construction works;
• Extension of assistance to CBI in their investigations involving technical matters and for evaluation of properties in Delhi;
• and Tendering of advice/assistance to the Commission and Chief Vigilance Officers in vigilance cases involving technical matters.
• During the year 2017, CTEO undertook intensive examinations of 66 procurement cases, covering 52 organizations. Some of the organizations where intensive examinations were undertaken are: 
• Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRT&H),
• Central Public Works Department (CPWD),
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),
• Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC),
• Central University of Punjab, Airports Authority of India (AAI),
• North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC),
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC),
• Bank of Baroda (BoB)
• Commissioners for Departmental Inquiries (CDIs)
• There are fourteen posts of Commissioners for Departmental Inquiries (CDI) in the Commission, 11 in the rank of Director and 03 in the rank of Deputy Secretary.
• The CDIs function as Inquiry Officers to conduct Oral inquiries in departmental proceeding initiated against public servants.
• Integrity Index Development (IID)
• IID reflects the transparent, accountable and efficient governance of public organisations.
• CVC has appointed the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to undertake a research-based approach to create an integrity index that various organizations can use to measure themselves and which will evolve with changing needs.
• CVC Investigation by External Agencies
• CVC has no investigation wing of its own as it depends on the CBI and the Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO) of central organizations, while CBI has its own investigation wing drawing its powers from Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.
• Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO)
• Vigilance administration in Departments/Organisations is headed by the Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO) and the Commission’s activities concerning inquiry or causing inquiry are supported by/carried out through the CVOs.
• Complaints received in the Commission are scrutinised thoroughly and wherever specific and verifiable allegations of vigilance nature are noticed, the complaints are forwarded to the CVO/CBI to conduct inquiry/investigation into the matter and report to the Commission expeditiously.
• CVOs in all Departments/organisations are appointed after prior consultation with the Commission.
• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
• CBI works under the overall supervision of CVC in matters related to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. 
• The important role of CBI is prevention of corruption and maintaining integrity in administration.
• The CVC act provides for a security of two year tenure in office for CBI Director.
• The CVC heads the Committee for the selection of the Director of CBI and other officers of the rank of SP and above in the CBI (DSPE-An investigation wing of CBI).
• CVC’s Jurisdiction
• CVC Act 2003
• Members of All India Service serving in connection with the affairs of the Union and Group A officers of the Central Government
• Officers of the rank of Scale V and above in the Public Sector Banks
• Officers in Grade D and above in Reserve Bank of India, NABARD and SIDBI
• Chief Executives and Executives on the Board and other officers of E-8 and above in Schedule ‘A’ and ‘B’ Public Sector Undertakings
• Chief Executives and Executives on the Board and other officers of E-7 and above in Schedule ‘C’ and ‘D’ Public Sector Undertakings
• Managers and above in General Insurance Companies
• Senior Divisional Managers and above in Life Insurance Corporations
• Officers drawing salary of Rs.8700/- p.m. and above on Central Government D.A. (Dearness Allowance) pattern, as on the date of the notification and as may be revised from time to time in Societies and other Local Authorities.
• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
• The Act has amended some provisions of CVC Act, 2003 whereby the Commission has been empowered to conduct preliminary inquiry into complaints referred by Lokpal in respect of officers and officials of Group 'B', 'C' & 'D', besides: 
• Group 'A' officers, for which a Directorate of Inquiry for making preliminary inquiry is to be set up in the Commission.
• The preliminary inquiry reports in such matters referred by Lokpal in respect of Group A and B officers are required to be sent to the Lokpal by the Commission.
• The Commission is also mandated to cause further investigation (after preliminary enquiry) into such Lokpal references in respect of Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ officials and decide on further course of action against them.
• The Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014
• The Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014 empowers the Commission as the competent authority: to receive complaints relating to disclosure on any allegation of corruption or wilful misuse of power or wilful misuse of discretion against any public servant and to inquire or cause an inquiry into such disclosure,
• and to provide adequate safeguards against victimisation of the person making such complaint and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.
• Limitations of CVC
• CVC is often considered a powerless agency as it is treated as an advisory body only with no power to register criminal case against government officials or direct CBI to initiate inquiries against any officer of the level of Joint Secretary and above.
• Although CVC is “relatively independent” in its functioning, it neither has the resources nor the power to take action on complaints of corruption.
• Conclusion
• In the recent past, India has emerged as a progressive and vibrant economy. With the rapid growth in all sectors of the economy, huge investments were made in country’s infrastructure; construction, retail and many other sectors in the government. Rapid growth in economy throws up CVCs’ challenges in the fight against the menace of corruption.
• There is greater need in such times to address the shortcomings in the system of CVC.

2.CSIR to certify air quality monitoring sensors

• (GS-3)
• CONTEXT:The Union Environment Ministry has tasked the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) with certifying air quality monitoring instruments. This is in anticipation of a rising demand by States — against the backdrop of the National Clean Air Campaign — for low cost air quality monitoring instruments that can monitor levels of nitrous oxides, ozone and particulate matter. “The Central Government hereby designates the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) as national verification agency for certifying instruments and equipments for monitoring emissions and ambient air... CSIR-NPL shall develop necessary infrastructure, management system, testing and certification facilities conforming to international standards,” according to a notification dated August 22.
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Physical Laboratory 
• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research abbreviated as CSIR was established by the Government of India in September of 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the largest research and development organisation in India.
• As of 2013, it runs 38 laboratories/institutes, 39 outreach centers, 3 Innovation Centers and 5 units throughout the nation, with a collective staff of over 14,000, including a total of 3987 scientists and 6454 technical and support personnel.Although it is mainly funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, it operates as an autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• The research and development activities of CSIR include aerospace engineering, structural engineering, ocean sciences, life sciences, metallurgy, chemicals, mining, food, petroleum, leather, and environmental science.
• Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of DST took additional charge as director general of CSIR, with effect from August 24, 2018.
• In terms of Intellectual property, CSIR has 2971 patents in force internationally and 1592 patents in force in India.CSIR is granted more than 14000 patents worldwide since its inception. CSIR is awarded the National Intellectual Property (IP) Award 2018 in the category “Top R&D Institution / Organization for Patents and Commercialization” by Indian Patent Office.
• In late 2007, the Minister of Science and Technology, Kapil Sibal stated, in a Question Hour session of the Parliament, that CSIR has developed 1,376 technologies/knowledgebase during the last decade of the 20th century.
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL):
• The CSIR- National Physical Laboratory of India, situated in New Delhi, is the measurement standards laboratory of India. It maintains standards of SI units in India and calibrates the national standards of weights and measures.
• The National Physical Laboratory, India was set up in 1900) is one of the earliest national laboratories set up under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of NPL on 4 January 1947. Dr. K. S. Krishnan was the first Director of the laboratory. The main building of the laboratory was formally opened by Former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 21 January 1950. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, inaugurated the Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Laboratory on 23 December 1975.
• NPL Charter:-
• The main aim of the laboratory is to strengthen and advance physics-based research and development for the overall development of science and technology in the country. In particular its objectives are:
• To Establish, maintain and improve continuously by research, for the benefit of the nation, National Standards of Measurements and to realize the Units based on International System (Under the subordinate Legislations of Weights and Measures Act 1956, reissued in 1988 under the 1976 Act). To identify and conduct after due consideration, research in areas of physics which are most appropriate to the needsof the nation and for advancement of field
• To assist industries, national and other agencies in their developmental tasks by precision measurements, calibration, development of devices, processes, and other allied problems related to physics.
• To keep itself informed of and study critically the status of physics.
• National Clean Air Campaign:
• The Centre has launched a programme to reduce particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024.
• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was formally unveiled on Thursday, is envisaged as a scheme to provide the States and the Centre with a framework to combat air pollution.
• What is the NCAP?
• 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.
• Which cities will fall under this?
• Following reports by WHO and the air quality data obtained, 102 cities from 23 States and UTs have been chosen as non-attainment cities. With the exception of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, most of those chosen are tier two cities.
• Maharashtra tops the list with 17 cities in the list, including Pune and Nagpur, while Uttar Pradesh is second with 15 cities chosen, including Lucknow and Varanasi. A city from Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal too are in the list. Meanwhile, no cities from Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Kerala, Goa and Haryana figure in the list.
• Who all will participate?
• Apart from experts from the industry and academia, the programme is expected to be a collaboration between the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, NITI Aayog, and Central Pollution Control Board.
• What do experts say?
• Critics have pointed out that the absence of clarity on funding provisions and lack of legal framework might dilute the effectiveness of the programme. That only a paltry amount of Rs. 300 crore has been set aside for this too has been roundly criticised.
• “It is good to see the final version of NCAP out after a long wait with the vision of reducing air pollution levels across the country. The silver lining in the plan is the potential reduction of 20 – 30% by 2024," said Sunil Dahiya, Senior Campaigner of Greenpeace India. However, he pointed out that it was expected to be much stronger in providing sector wise targets, specific targets for cities. Similarly, the lack of strong legal backing to take action against non implementation is also absent, he observed.

3.Modi, Johnson agree to step up bilateral cooperation(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a “good” meeting with his British counterpart Boris Johnson here on Sunday and they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas like trade, investment, defence and education.
• Mr. Modi met Mr. Johnson on the sidelines of the
• G7 summit. The Prime Minister arrived in Biarritz from Manama, the capital of Bahrain after concluding the first-ever prime ministerial visit to the Gulf nation.
• This is the first meeting between the two leaders after Mr. Johnson became Prime Minister last month, the third in fairly quick succession since Britain voted to leave the EU in June 2016 - following on from David Cameron and Theresa May.
• Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan.
• India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality
• G7 summit:
• G7 is a collective of seven of the world's most industrialized and developed economies. Their political leaders come together annually to discuss important global economic, political, social and security issues.
• 45th G7 summit: Aim
• This year, the 45th G7 summit will be held on August 24-26, 2019, in Biarritz, France. It will focus on fighting income and gender inequality and protecting biodiversity.
• In March 2014, the G7 declared that a meaningful discussion was currently not possible with Russia in the context of the G8. Since then, meetings have continued within the G7 process.
• 
  
• Seven members of G7
• The seven members of the group are the following:
• France
• Italy
• Japan
• Germany
• Canada
• United States
• United Kingdom
• The European Union is also represented at the G7 summit.
• G7 Summit: First summit
• Its first summit was held at Rambouillet, France, in 1975.
• What does the G7 do?
• The G7 was formed initially to discuss economic and political concerns prompted by the 1973 oil crisis - when members of OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries, increased the price of oil and cut global supplies to countries seen as having backed Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
• Since then, the group has expanded its brief to cover a large number of international issues, including energy security, trade, climate change, global health issues, gender equality, poverty - and any other topic the country holding the G7 presidency chooses to put on the agenda.
• Today, the G7 are reckoned as the seven wealthiest and most advanced nations in the world because China, which holds the second largest net worth in the world, nonetheless has a low net worth per individual and an economy that has not yet fully modernized.
• The G7 fill out numerous global top lists:
• Leading export countries
• Largest gold reserves
• Largest nuclear energy producers
• Top contributors to the UN budget
• Other international organisations invited by G7 group
• The group of seven i.e. G7 started a tradition of inviting other international organizations to the summits in the late 1990s, a list that has included:
• International Monetary Fund
• World Bank
• United Nations
• World Trade Organization
• African Union
• International Energy Agency
• Other nations have also been invited to participate from time to time, such as the G20 and the G8+5, each of which are simply different groups of nations with growing economic interests.

4.Residue of burnt e-waste removed from banks of river Ramganga: Uttar Pradesh(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:It’s being stored safely in a scientific manner at a temporary site, it tells NGT
• Black powdery residue of burnt electronic waste (e-waste) has been removed from the banks of river Ramganga in Moradabad, an important tributary of the Ganga, a report by the Uttar Pradesh government has said.
• The State government recently submitted the report before a bench of the National Green Tribunal pursuant to its directions.
• The work of disposal of black powder from the banks of the river is divided into two phases — first the removal and storage of the black powder in a scientific manner and the second phase comprises permanent disposal of the powder in the proposed
• Treatment Storage Disposal Facility (TSDF) in Amroha district
• E-waste
• has been defined as "waste electrical and electronic equipment, whole or in part or rejects from their manufacturing and repair process, which are intended to be discarded".
• The main factors identified to be responsible for the increased consumption and productions of electrical and electronic equipment are rapid economic growth, coupled with urbanization and industrialization. The Indian Information Technology (IT) sector is one of the major contributors to the global economy. At the same time, it is responsible for the generation of the bulk of
• E-waste or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in India. Although the global E-waste problem has been able to attract attention across the world, not much emphasis has been given to the E-waste engendered in developing countries. Developing countries like India, today, is burdened with the colossal problem of E-waste which is either locally generated or internationally imported, causing serious menace to human health and environment. The hazardous components in electrical and electronic equipment are a major concern during the waste management phase. In the context of India, recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment is not undertaken to an adequate degree.
• Environment concerns and Health hazards
• E-waste is highly complex to handle due to its composition. It is made up of multiple components some of which contain toxic substances that have an adverse impact on human health and environment if not handled properly. Often, these problems arise out of improper recycling and disposal methods. This underlines the need for appropriate technology for handling and disposal of these chemicals.
• Pollutants or toxins in e-waste are typically concentrated in circuit boards, batteries, plastics, and LCDs (liquid crystal displays). The waste from electronic products include toxic substances such as cadmium and lead in the circuit boards; lead oxide and cadmium in monitor cathode ray tubes (CRTs); mercury in switches and flat screen monitors; cadmium in computer batteries; polychlorinated biphenyls in older capacitors and transformers; and brominated flame retardants on printed circuit boards, plastic casings, cables and PVC cable insulation that releases highly toxic dioxins and furans when burned to retrieve copper from the wires. Many of these substances are toxic and carcinogenic. The materials are complex and have been found to be difficult to recycle in an environmentally sustainable manner even in developed countries.
• E-waste typically contains complex combinations of materials and components down to microscopic levels. The wastes are broken down in not just for recycling but for the recoverable materials such as plastic, iron, aluminium, copper and gold. However, since e-waste also contains significant concentration of substances that are hazardous to human health and the environment, even a small amount of e-waste entering the residual waste will introduce relatively high amount of heavy metals and halogenated substances. Such harmful substances leach into the surrounding soil, water and air during waste treatment or when they are dumped in landfills or left to lie around near it. Sooner or later they would adversely affect human health and ecology.
• Unless suitable safety measures are taken, these toxic substances can critically affect the health of employees and others in the vicinity - who manually sort and treat the waste - by entering their body through respiratory tracts, through the skin, or through the mucous membrane of the mouth and the digestive tract. 
• When burnt or land-filled, these PVCs release dioxins that have harmful effects on human reproductive and immune systems. Mercury (Hg), which is used in lighting devices in flat screen displays, can cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys and brain, and can even be passed on to infants through breast milk.
• Management of E-waste in Indian Context 
• The main sources of electronic waste in India are the government, public and private (industrial) sectors, which account for almost 70 per cent of total waste generation. The contribution of individual households is relatively small at about 15 per cent; the rest being contributed by manufacturers. Though individual households are not large contributors to waste generated by computers, they consume large quantities of consumer durables and are, therefore, potential creators of waste.
• In India, it has been observed that in most of the cases, electronic items are stored unattended because of lack of knowledge about their management. Such electronic junks lie in houses, offices, warehouses etc. Generally, these wastes are mixed with household wastes, which are finally disposed of at landfills. This necessitates implementation of appropriate management measures including stringent regulations. The management practices currently in operation in India have severe health and environmental implications
• In India, primarily two types of disposal options based on the composition are in practice. These are Landfilling and Incineration. However, the environmental risks from landfilling of E-waste cannot be neglected because the conditions in a landfill site are different from a native soil, particularly concerning the leaching behaviour of metals. In addition it is known that cadmium and mercury are emitted in diffuse form or via the landfill gas combustion plant. Landfilling does not appear to be an environmentally sound treatment method for substances, which are volatile and not biologically degradable (Cd, Hg, CFC), persistent (PCB) or with unknown behaviour in a landfill site (brominated flame retardants). As a consequence of the complex material mixture in E-waste, it is not possible to exclude environmental (long-term) risks even in secured landfilling.
• Advantage of incineration of E-waste is the reduction of waste volume and the utilization of the energy content of combustible materials. By incineration some environmentally hazardous organic substances are converted into less hazardous compounds. Disadvantage of incineration are the emission to air of substances escaping flue gas cleaning and the large amount of residues from gas cleaning and combustion. Waste incineration plants contribute significantly to the annual emissions of cadmium and mercury. The assessment of E-waste recycling sector in India indicates that E-waste trade starts from formal dismantling sector and moves to informal recycling sector. The entire E-waste treatment is being carried out in an unregulated environment, where there is no control on emissions. 
• E-Waste Management Rules, 2016
• The salient rules are:
• Manufacturer, dealer, refurbisher and Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) have been introduced as additional stakeholders in the rules.
• The applicability of the rules has been extended to components, consumables, spares and parts of EEE in addition to equipment.
• E-waste rules will now include Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and other mercury containing lamps, as well as other such equipment. 
• The new Rules will bring the producers under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), along with targets. Producers have been made responsible for collection of E-waste and for its exchange i.e. the bulk consumers have to collect the items and hand them over to authorized recyclers.
• Various producers can have a separate Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) and ensure collection of E-waste, as well as its disposal in an environmentally sound manner. 
• Under the new rules the role of State Governments is to ensure safety, health and skill development of the workers involved in dismantling and recycling operations. 
• Provision of penalty for violation of rules has been introduced.
• The process of dismantling and recycling has been simplified through one system of authorization and that the Central Pollution Control Board will give the single authorization throughout the country.
• Toxic constituents present in E-waste and their disposal mechanism affect human health and lead to various diseases thus the transportation of E-waste has been made more stringent. 
• Deposit Refund Scheme has been introduced as an additional economic instrument wherein the producer charges an additional amount as a deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and electronic equipment and returns it to the consumer along with interest when the end-of life electrical and electronic equipment is returned.
• Major Stakeholders/Responsibilities as mentioned in rules
• a) Producer is any person who, irrespective of the selling technique used; "manufactures and offers to sell electrical and electronic equipment under his own brand; or offers to sell under his own brand, assembled electrical and electronic equipment produced by other manufacturers or suppliers; or offers to sell imported electrical and electronic equipment" has to take authorization under these Rules for implementation of EPR. 
• b) Bulk Consumers are bulk users of electrical and electronic equipment such as central government or state government departments, public sector undertakings, banks, educational institutions, multinational organizations, international agencies and private companies that are registered under the Factories Act, 1948 and Companies Act, 1956; who has to maintain records on E-waste generated and channelized to registered/authorized collection centres/recycler/dismantler. 
• c) Extended Producer Responsibility is a responsibility of any producer of electrical or electronic equipment, for their products beyond manufacturing until environmentally sound management of their end of life products, the scope of which has to be clearly defined while issuing authorization to individual producers. 
• d) Collection Centre is a centre established individually or jointly or a registered society or a designated agency or a company or an association to collect e-waste who has to obtain authorization under E-Waste Rules, 2011. 
• e) Dismantler is any person or registered society or a designated agency or a company or an association engaged in dismantling of used electrical and electronic equipment into their components who has to obtain authorization and registration under HW (M, H&TM) Rules 2008 /E-Waste Rules, 2011. 
• f) Recycler is any person who is engaged in recycling or reprocessing of used electrical and electronic equipment or assemblies or their component, who has to obtain authorization and registration under HW (M, H &TM) Rules 2008 /E-Waste Rules, 2011. 
• g) SPCBs/PCCs have been given the responsibility as regulatory agencies for implementing the E-waste Rules in respective States 
• h) CPCB was given the responsibility to evolve the guidelines for implementation, oversee the progress made in implementing the Rules and also to implement RoHSS compliance.
• The inclusion of PROs is a welcome initiative in the draft rules. They are professional organisations authorised collectively by producers, but sometimes they also act independently or on a public-private partnership basis. PROs can take the responsibility of a group of producers for collection and channelisation of e-waste generated from the 'end of life' of their products. The concept works well in developed countries where a number of organisations come together to implement take back of e-waste financed by producers. 
• Another new feature that the draft rules have incorporated is the Deposit Refund Scheme. Under this, a portion of the sale price shall be retained by the producers and be refundable to consumers once the end-of-life products are channelised according to the prescribed methods.
• Criticism of rules
• First and foremost, it ignores the unorganized and small and medium sectors where 90 per cent of the e-waste is generated. The law currently does not provide for any plan to rehabilitate those involved in informal recycling.
• The Rules also do not recognize the magnitude of transboundary movement of e-waste under different categories, for example, under the pretext of metal scraps and secondhand electrical appliances.
• Penalty and punishment for non-compliance are in accordance with section 15 and 16 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 which says that whoever fails to comply with the rules will be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years or with fine which may extend to Rs 1 lakh. Stringent penal provisions are a must which can deter erring parties from violating rules. 
• Conclusion
• In India, the amount of E-waste generated is rising rapidly. With the increasing dependence on electronic and electrical equipment, the rise of E-waste generation is well expected in the country. However, the management of the same is a major challenge faced by the country. Indians are still to realize the associations between the cause of generation of E-waste and its effects including detrimental health and environmental effects.

5.Let us wage a war on plastic, says PM(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the people to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year as a day to make India plastic free and urged municipalities, NGOs and the corporate sector to come up with ways for safe disposal of accumulated plastic waste before Deepavali. The call for a mass movement came after his Independence Day’s address in which he had urged the people to shun single use plastic
• Swachhta Hi Seva ABHIYAAN…
• The Prime Minister has called for an unprecedented campaign called “Swachhta Hi Seva” from 14th of September to the 2nd of October to celebrate the third anniversary of the flagship programme “Swachch Bharat Mission”, launched on the 2nd of October 2017. “Swachhta Hi Seva” campaign aims at fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean India by mobilizing the masses and reinforcing “Jan Andolan” for sanitation. The campaign intends to mobilise people from various walks of life to undertake shramdaan (volunteering) for construction and cleanliness of toilets, make the country open defecation free. The campaign will see participation from people with diverse background, like Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, celebrities and legislators. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the convening Ministry for the Swachh Bharat Mission will take care of the coordination of the campaign.
• The hallmark of the campaign would be to reach out to the poor, marginalised and providing them with sanitation services that are sustainable. The campaign was launched by the President of India at Ishwarigunj in Kanpur that has attained the open defecation free status. The pledge will be administered by the President initiating simultaneous actions in all the Gram Panchayats and cities in India. To create awareness, “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”, a film that has an overwhelming message about access and usage of toilets will be premiered on Doordarshan. To encourage the masses to participate and make the campaign successful, a special portal and a web page have been created by the Ministry to upload pre and post intervention pictures of their shramdaan.
• Three Sundays during the period will be dedicated for large scale shramdaan for cleaning of public places, lakes and ponds and construction of toilets. On October 2nd which is Gandhi Jayanti and also Swach Bharat Diwas, awards will be given away to the winners who participated in paintings, essays etc focused on central police forces, schools, youth organisations besides general citizens.

6.PM Modi launches $4.2 mn redevelopment project of Hindu temple in Bahrain(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:MANAMA (BAHRAIN): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the $4.2 million redevelopment project of the 200-year-old Lord Sri Krishna temple in the Bahraini capital during his two-day visit to the Gulf nation. The facelift for the Shreenathji (Shree Krishna) temple in Manama will kick off later this yeaR. Bahrain–India relations
• Bahrain–India relations are the political, socio-economic, military and cultural ties between India and Bahrain. India is a close ally of Bahrain. As per Indian officials, the Kingdom along with its GCC partners are amongst the world's most prominent supporters of India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and Bahraini officials have urged India to play a greater role in international affairs. For instance, over concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, Bahrain's Crown Prince requested India to play an active role in resolving the crisis.
• Relations between India and Bahrain go back generations, with many of Bahrain's most prominent figures having close ties: poet and constitutionalist Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh grew up in Bombay, while 17th century Bahraini theologians Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani and Sheikh Ja`far bin Kamal al-Din were influential figures in the Kingdom of Golkonda and the development of Shia thought in the sub-continent.
• Bahraini politicians have sought to enhance these long standing ties, with Parliamentary Speaker Khalifa Al-Dhahrani in 2007 leading a delegation of parliamentarians and business leaders to meet Indian President Pratibha Patil, opposition leader L K Advani, and take part in training and media interviews. Politically, it is easier for Bahrain's politicians to seek training and advice from India than it is from the United States or other western alternative.
• In December 2007, the Bahrain India Society was launched in Manama to promote ties between the two countries. Headed by the former Minister of Labour Abdulnabi Al-Shoala, the Society seeks to take advantage of the development in civil society to actively work to strengthen ties between the two countries, not only business links, but according to the body's opening statement in politics, social affairs, science and culture. India's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs E Ahmed and his Bahraini counterpart Dr Nazar Al-Baharna attended the launch. 
• According to a United States diplomatic cable dated 4 November 2009, revealed by WikiLeaks during the United States diplomatic cables leak, King Hamad holds a positive view of India and urged the US to use India's help in Afghanistan.
• Bahrain's ruler Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa visited India in February 2014 during which the two countries signed a number of MOUs during which US$450 million of bilateral trade and investment were signed. The Prime minister, the President and various ministers from India met and discussed trade and the 350,000+ Indians staying and living on the island. India expressed its support for Bahrain's bid for a non-permanent seat in the Security council in 2026-27.
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bahrain on 24-25 August 2019, the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the countrY

7.IMF report flags several delays in India’s data reporting(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:n 2018, India failed to comply with multiple requirements prescribed in the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) mandatory for all IMF members
• Even as questions have been raised about the delays in data dissemination from various government agencies — the most recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau dates back to 2016 and accident statistics have not been updated since 2015 — a recent report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), shows that inconsistencies have crept into into the dissemination of fiscal datasets as well.
• According to the IMF’s “Annual Observance Report of the Special Data Dissemination Standard for 2018”, India failed to comply with multiple requirements prescribed in the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) — a practice mandatory for all IMF members — whereas comparable economies comprising the BRICS grouping of Brazil, China, South Africa and Russia, have maintained a near impeccable record in the same period. Also, India’s non-compliance in multiple categories in 2018 and to an extent in 2017 breaks with an otherwise near perfect dissemination record.
• Importance of SDDS
• The IMF launched the SDDS initiative in 1996 to guide members to enhance data transparency and help financial market participants with adequate information to assess the economic situations of individual countries. India subscribed to the SDDS on December 27, 1996.
• The yearly observance report for each member country lists the compliances and deviations from the SDDS under each data category for that year. There are over 20 data categories which IMF considers for this report to capture a nation’s economic health including national accounts (GDP, GNI), production indices, employment, and central government operations.
• The report lists three types of deviations from SDDS. The first deals with delays in data dissemination from the periodicity prescribed in the SDDS. The second occurs when member countries do not list a data category in their Advance Release Calendars (ARC) despite the category being mandated by the SDDS. The third deviation occurs when data is not disseminated at all for a particular period
• IMF
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 189 member countries, each of which has representation on the IMF's executive board in proportion to its financial importance, so that the most powerful countries in the global economy have the most voting power.
• Objective
• Foster global monetary cooperation
• Secure financial stability
• Facilitate international trade
• Promote high employment and sustainable economic growth
• And reduce poverty around the world
• History
• The IMF, also known as the Fund, was conceived at a UN conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, in July 1944.
• The 44 countries at that conference sought to build a framework for economic cooperation to avoid a repetition of the competitive devaluations that had contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• Countries were not eligible for membership in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) unless they were members of the IMF.
• IMF, as per Bretton Woods agreement to encourage international financial cooperation, introduced a system of convertible currencies at fixed exchange rates, and replaced gold with the U.S. dollar (gold at $35 per ounce) for official reserve.
• After the Bretton Woods system (system of fixed exchange rates) collapsed in the 1971, the IMF has promoted the system of floating exchange rates. Countries are free to choose their exchange arrangement, meaning that market forces determine the value of currencies relative to one another. This system continues to be in place today.
• During 1973 oil crisis, IMF estimated that the foreign debts of 100 oil-importing developing countries increased by 150% between 1973 and 1977, complicated further by a worldwide shift to floating exchange rates. IMF administered a new lending program during 1974–1976 called the Oil Facility. Funded by oil-exporting nations and other lenders, it was available to nations suffering from acute problems with their balance of trade due to the rise in oil prices.
• IMF was one of the key organisations of the international economic system; its design allowed the system to balance the rebuilding of international capitalism with the maximisation of national economic sovereignty and human welfare, also known as embedded liberalism.
• The IMF played a central role in helping the countries of the former Soviet bloc transition from central planning to market-driven economies.
• In 1997, a wave of financial crises swept over East Asia, from Thailand to Indonesia to Korea and beyond. The International Monetary Fund created a series of bailouts (rescue packages) for the most-affected economies to enable them to avoid default, tying the packages to currency, banking and financial system reforms.
• Global Economic Crisis (2008): IMF undertook major initiatives to strengthen surveillance to respond to a more globalized and interconnected world. These initiatives included revamping the legal framework for surveillance to cover spill-overs (when economic policies in one country can affect others), deepening analysis of risks and financial systems, stepping up assessments of members’ external positions, and responding more promptly to concerns of the members.
• Functions
• Provides Financial Assistance: To provide financial assistance to member countries with balance of payments problems, the IMF lends money to replenish international reserves, stabilize currencies and strengthen conditions for economic growth. Countries must embark on structural adjustment policies monitored by the IMF.
• IMF Surveillance: It oversees the international monetary system and monitors the economic and financial policies of its 189 member countries. As part of this process, which takes place both at the global level and in individual countries, the IMF highlights possible risks to stability and advises on needed policy adjustments.
• Capacity Development: It provides technical assistance and training to central banks, finance ministries, tax authorities, and other economic institutions. This helps countries raise public revenues, modernize banking systems, develop strong legal frameworks, improve governance, and enhance the reporting of macroeconomic and financial data. It also helps countries to make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Governance
• Board of Governors: It consists of one governor and one alternate governor for each member country. Each member country appoints its two governors.
• It is responsible for electing or appointing executive directors to the Executive Board.
• Approving quota increases, Special Drawing Right allocations,
• Admittance of new members, compulsory withdrawal of member,
• Amendments to the Articles of Agreement and By-Laws.
• Board of Governors is advised by two ministerial committees, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and the Development Committee.
• Boards of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank Group normally meet once a year, during the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings, to discuss the work of their respective institutions.
• Ministerial Committees: The Board of Governors is advised by two ministerial committees,
• International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC): IMFC has 24 members, drawn from the pool of 189 governors, and represents all member countries.
• It discusses the management of the international monetary and financial system.
• It also discusses proposals by the Executive Board to amend the Articles of Agreement.
• And any other matters of common concern affecting the global economy.
• Development Committee: is a joint committee(25 members from Board of Governors of IMF & World Bank), tasked with advising the Boards of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank on issues related to economic development in emerging market and developing countries.
• It serves as a forum for building intergovernmental consensus on critical development issues.
• Executive Board: It is 24-member Executive Board elected by the Board of Governors.
• It conducts the daily business of the IMF and exercises the powers delegated to it by the Board of Governors & powers conferred on it by the Articles of Agreement.
• It discusses all aspects of the Fund’s work, from the IMF staff's annual health checks of member countries' economies to policy issues relevant to the global economy.
• The Board normally makes decisions based on consensus, but sometimes formal votes are taken.
• Votes of each member equal the sum of its basic votes (equally distributed among all members) and quota-based votes. A member’s quota determines its voting power.
• 
  
• IMF Management:
• IMF’s Managing Director is both chairman of the IMF’s Executive Board and head of IMF staff. The Managing Director is appointed by the Executive Board by voting or consensus. IMF Members: Any other state, whether or not a member of the UN, may become a member of the IMF in accordance with IMF Articles of Agreement and terms prescribed by the Board of Governors.
• Membership in the IMF is a prerequisite to membership in the IBRD.
• Pay a quota subscription: On joining the IMF, each member country contributes a certain sum of money, called a quota subscription, which is based on the country’s wealth and economic performance (Quota Formula).
• It is a weighted average of GDP (weight of 50 percent)
• Openness (30 percent),
• Economic variability (15 percent),
• International reserves (5 percent).
• GDP of member country is measured through a blend of GDP—based on market exchange rates (weight of 60 percent) and on PPP exchange rates (40 percent).
• Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) is the IMF’s unit of account and not a currency.
• The currency value of the SDR is determined by summing the values in U.S. dollars, based on market exchange rates, of a SDR basket of currencies
• SDR basket of currencies includes the U.S. dollar, Euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling and the Chinese renminbi (included in 2016).
• The SDR currency value is calculated daily (except on IMF holidays or whenever the IMF is closed for business) and the valuation basket is reviewed and adjusted every five years.
• 
  
• Quotas are denominated (expressed) in SDRs
• . SDRs represent a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.
• Members’ voting power is related directly to their quotas (the amount of money they contribute to the institution).
• IMF allows each member country to choose its own method of determining the exchange value of its money. The only requirements are that the member no longer base the value of its currency on gold (which has proved to be too inflexible) and inform other members about precisely how it is determining the currency’s value.
• IMF and India
• International regulation by IMF in the field of money has certainly contributed towards expansion of international trade. India has, to that extent, benefitted from these fruitful results.
• Post-partition period, India had serious balance of payments deficits, particularly with the dollar and other hard currency countries. It was the IMF that came to her rescue.
• The Fund granted India loans to meet the financial difficulties arising out of the Indo–Pak conflict of 1965 and 1971.
• From the inception of IMF up to March 31, 1971, India purchased foreign currencies of the value of Rs. 817.5 crores from the IMF, and the same have been fully repaid.
• Since 1970, the assistance that India, as other member countries of the IMF, can obtain from it has been increased through the setting up of the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs created in 1969).
• India had to borrow from the Fund in the wake of the steep rise in the prices of its imports, food, fuel and fertilizers.
• In 1981, India was given a massive loan of about Rs. 5,000 crores to overcome foreign exchange crisis resulting from persistent deficit in balance of payments on current account.
• India wanted large foreign capital for her various river projects, land reclamation schemes and for the development of communications. Since private foreign capital was not forthcoming, the only practicable method of obtaining the necessary capital was to borrow from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (i.e. World Bank).
• India has availed of the services of specialists of the IMF for the purpose of assessing the state of the Indian economy. In this way India has had the benefit of independent scrutiny and advice.
• The balance of payments position of India having gone utterly out of gear on account of the oil price escalation since October 1973, the IMF has started making available oil facility by setting up a special fund for the purpose.
• Early 1990s when foreign exchange reserves – for two weeks’ imports as against the generally accepted 'safe minimum reserves' of three month equivalent — position were terribly unsatisfactory. Government of India's immediate response was to secure an emergency loan of $2.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund by pledging 67 tons of India's gold reserves as collateral security. India promised IMF to launch several structural reforms (like devaluation of Indian currency, reduction in budgetary and fiscal deficit, cut in government expenditure and subsidy, import liberalisation, industrial policy reforms, trade policy reforms, banking reforms, financial sector reforms, privatization of public sector enterprises, etc.) in the coming years.
• The foreign reserves started picking up with the onset of the liberalisation policies.
• India has occupied a special place in the Board of Directors of the Fund. Thus, India had played a creditable role in determining the policies of the Fund. This has increased the India’s prestige in the international circles.
• IMF‘s Criticism
• IMF’s governance is an area of contention. For decades, Europe and the United States have guaranteed the helm of the IMF to a European and that of the World Bank to an American. The situation leaves little hope for ascendant emerging economies that, despite modest changes in 2015, do not have as large an IMF voting share as the United States and Europe.
• Conditions placed on loans are too intrusive and compromise the economic and political sovereignty of the receiving countries. 'Conditionality' refers to more forceful conditions, ones that often turn the loan into a policy tool. These include fiscal and monetary policies, including such issues as banking regulations, government deficits, and pension policy. Many of these changes are simply politically impossible to achieve because they would cause too much domestic opposition.
• IMF imposed the policies on countries without understanding the distinct characteristics of the countries that made those policies difficult to carry out, unnecessary, or even counter-productive.
• Policies were imposed all at once, rather than in an appropriate sequence. IMF demands that countries it lends to privatize government services rapidly. It results in a blind faith in the free market that ignores the fact that the ground must be prepared for privatization.
• IMF Reforms
• IMF Quota: a member can borrow up to 200 percent of its quota annually and 600 percent cumulatively. However, access may be higher in exceptional circumstances.
• IMF quota simply means more voting rights and borrowing permissions under IMF. But it is unfortunate that IMF Quota’s formula is designed in such a way that USA itself has 17.7% quota which is higher than cumulative of several countries. The G7 group contains more than 40% quota where as countries like India & Russia have only 2.5% quota in IMF.
• Due to discontent with IMF, BRICS countries established a new organization called BRICS bank to reduce the dominance of IMF or World Bank and to consolidate their position in the world as BRICS countries accounts for 1/5th of WORLD GDP and 2/5th of world population.
• It is almost impossible to make any reform in the current quota system as more than 85% of total votes are required to make it happen. The 85% votes does not cover 85% countries but countries which have 85% of voting power and only USA has voting share of around 17% which makes it impossible to reform quota without consent of developed countries.
• 2010 Quota Reforms approved by Board of Governors were implemented in 2016 with delay because of reluctance from US Congress as it was affecting its share.
• Combined quotas (or the capital that the countries contribute) of the IMF increased to a combined SDR 477 billion (about $659 billion) from about SDR 238.5 billion (about $329 billion). It increased 6% quota share for developing countries and reduced same share of developed or over represented countries.
• More representative Executive Board: 2010 reforms also included an amendment to the Articles of Agreement established an all-elected Executive Board, which facilitates a move to a more representative Executive Board.
• The 15th General Quota Review (in process) provides an opportunity to assess the appropriate size and composition of the Fund’s resources and to continue the process of governance reforms.

8.IISER team’s find may help fight drug-resistant infections(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:Researchers determine structure of McrBC, which prevents viral infections in bacteria
• A team of scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune claims to have determined the atomic structure of McrBC — a complex bacterial protein which helps prevent viral infections in a bacterial cell and functions as a molecular scissor.
• The pathbreaking structure of the McrBC as determined by Dr. Kayarat Saikrishnan, an associate professor of biology and his team at the IISER, was published last month in two prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals — Nature Communications and Nucleic Acids Research (which is published by the Oxford university Press) — and is said to be a major step towards understanding the working of the molecular scissors.
• This is the first report of the high-resolution structure from India determined using electron cryomicroscopy, commonly known as cryo-EM.
• UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ