DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 14 SEPTEMBER 2019

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

14 SEPTEMBER 2019

IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY

BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ

1.India’s GDP growth rate ‘much weaker’ than expected: IMF(GS-3)

CONTEXT:India’s economic growth is “much weaker” than expected, according to the IMF, which attributed it to the corporate and environmental regulatory uncertainty and lingering weaknesses in some non-bank financial companies.
India’s GDP growth rate slipped to 5% in the first quarter of 2019-20, the lowest in over six years, according to latest official data.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July projected a slower growth rate for India in 2019 and 2020, a downward revision of 0.3%t for both the years, saying its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will now grow respectively at the rate of 7% and 7.2%, reflecting a weaker-than expected outlook for domestic demand.
Sharp deceleration in manufacturing output and subdued farm sector activity pulled down India’s GDP growth to over six-year low of 5% in the April-June quarter of 2019-20, according to official data released last month.
The previous low in GDP growth was recorded at 4.3% in January-March quarter of 2012-13. India’s economic growth stood at 8% in the same quarter of 2018-19.

GDP

GDP: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total money value of final goods and services produced in the economic territories of a country in a given year. Total value of goods and services produced in India for 2014-15 is projected to be around 100 lakh crore Indian rupees or around 2 trillion US dollars at current market prices. This is the value of Indian GDP when expressed at current market price.
GDP stands for total value of goods and services produced inside the territory of India irrespective of whom produced it – whether by Indians or foreigners.
GNP: Gross National Product (GNP) is the total value of goods and services produced by the people of a country in a given year. It is not territory specific. If we consider the GNP of India, it can be seen that GNP is lesser than GDP.
GDP PER CAPITA: It’s the average contribution of a citizen to a country’s GDP.
GDP Per Capita = National Income ÷ Population.
Neither GDP nor GNP is considered a good measure of economic development. HDI or Human Development Index is often selected as a good measure of economic development.

Gross Value Added (GVA)

Gross Value Added (GVA) is a measure of total output and income in the economy. It provides the rupee value for the amount of goods and services produced in an economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have gone into the production of those goods and services.
It also gives sector-specific picture like what is the growth in an area, industry or sector of an economy.
At the macro level, from national accounting perspective, GVA is the sum of a country’s GDP and net of subsidies and taxes in the economy.
Gross value added = GDP + subsidies on products - taxes on products
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
GDP gives the economic output from the consumers’ side. It is the sum of private consumption, gross investment in the economy, government investment, government spending and net foreign trade (difference between exports and imports).
GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government investment + government spending + (exports-imports)

Comparison Between GVA and GDP

While GVA gives a picture of the state of economic activity from the producers’ side or supply side, the GDP gives the picture from the consumers’ side or demand perspective. Both measures need not match because of the difference in treatment of net taxes. This is one of the reasons that in the first quarter of 2015, GDP growth was stronger at 7.5%, while GVA growth was 6.1%.
GVA is considered as a better gauge of the economy because a sharp increase in the output, only due to higher tax collections which could be on account of better compliance or coverage, may distort the real output situation.
A sector-wise breakdown provided by the GVA measure helps policymakers decide which sectors need incentives or stimulus and accordingly formulate sector-specific policies. But GDP is a key measure when it comes to making cross-country analysis and comparing the incomes of different economies.

The International Monetary Fund (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.

2.GST Council meets on Sept. 20; tax rate cut to hinge on revenue position(GS-3)

CONTEXT:The all-powerful GST Council will at its Goa meeting next week consider demands for reducing taxes on products ranging from cars to biscuits keeping in mind the revenue position as any cut will have a direct impact on earnings of states, a senior government official has said.
The GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising representatives of all states and Union Territories (UTs), is scheduled to meet on September 20 in Goa amidst a clamour for a cut in tax rates from various industries to beat the slowdown in the economy.
The economic growth hit a six-year low of 5% for the first quarter of the current fiscal and the government has announced a slew of measures to reinvigorate the sagging growth.

GST COUNCIL:

The GST council is the key decision-making body that will take all important decisions regarding the GST. The GST Council dictates tax rate, tax exemption, the due date of forms, tax laws, and tax deadlines, keeping in mind special rates and provisions for some states. The predominant responsibility of the GST Council is to ensure to have one uniform tax rate for goods and services across the nation.

How is the GST Council structured?

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is governed by the GST Council. Article 279 (1) of the amended Indian Constitution states that the GST Council has to be constituted by the President within 60 days of the commencement of the Article 279A.

According to the article, GST Council will be a joint forum for the Centre and the States. It consists of the following members:

The Union Finance Minister will be the Chairperson
As a member, the Union Minister of State will be in charge of Revenue of Finance
The Minister in charge of finance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State government, as members.

GST Council recommendations:

Article 279A (4) specifies that the Council will make recommendations to the Union and the States on the important issues related to GST, such as, the goods and services will be subject or exempted from the Goods and Services Tax

3.Kenya becomes 3rd country to roll out malaria vaccine(GS-2,3)

CONTEXT:Health authorities in Kenya on Friday started administering doses of the world’s only licensed malaria vaccine to young children in rural areas facing high transmission rates.
Kenya became the third African country to introduce the vaccine, after Malawi and Ghana. The aim is to reach about 360,000 children per year across the three countries.
The Health Ministry described the milestone on Twitter as “a historic day” for the East African country as the Health Minister launched vaccinations in remote Homa Bay county.
Malaria is a top killer in many African countries. According to the World Health Organization, the region accounted for 92% of the cases and 93% of malaria deaths in 2017.
The parasitic disease kills about 435,000 people every year, most of them children under 5 in Africa.
In neighboring Uganda, health officials last month reported a surge in malaria cases as cases rise even among adolescents. They cited global warming and longer wet seasons for the increase.

MALARIA:

Malaria has been one of the world's deadliest diseases. It kills more than 4,00,000 people a year worldwide and causes illness in millions of others.
In the past two decades, existing interventions have reduced the malaria burden. And India, too, has made good progress in malaria control. The disease burden has declined by 59%. The fight against the disease got another shot in the arm when the world’s first malarial vaccine got launched in Malawi.
A large scale pilot project, that has been called the world’s first malaria vaccine, to give partial protection to children has begun in Malawi. The vaccine called RTS,S will be available to everyone under the age of two. After the rollout in Malawi, vaccination will begin in Ghana and Kenya. Approximately, 3,60,000 children will get the vaccine annually. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the effort could immunize more than one million children by the year 2023.

Malaria Vaccine

Known by its lab initials as RTS,S but branded as Mosquirix, the vaccine has passed lengthy scientific trials that found it to be safe and reducing the risk of malaria by nearly 40%, the best ever recorded.
It was developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) company and approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2015.
The RTS,S vaccine trains the immune system to attack the malaria parasite (Plasmodium (P.) falciparum, the most deadly species of the malaria parasite) which is spread by mosquito bites.
This vaccine took 30 years to be developed. The efficiency of the RTS,S vaccine was established in a phase 3 clinical trial that concluded in 2014.
The vaccine only prevents four in ten malarial cases and must be given as four injections over 18 months.
WHO wants the vaccine to be used alongside other preventive measures such as treated bednets, insecticides, repellents and anti malarial drugs.
Malawi is first of the three countries chosen for the pilot program to roll out the vaccine. Soon, Ghana and Kenya will join in as part of a large scale pilot program backed by the WHO.
These three countries were selected for the rollout because their malaria rates are high.
The vaccine is not registered in India. Before registration, the trial is must. Also, so far, no vaccine has been tried in India against Malaria.

World Malaria Report, 2018

70% of malaria cases in the world are concentrated in India and 10 African countries.
The ten African countries reported an increase in cases of malaria in 2017 compared to 2016.
Nigeria, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo showed the highest rise. In contrast, India reported 30 lakh fewer cases in the same period.
Children aged under 5 years accounted for 61% of all malaria deaths worldwide. The highest number of deaths- 19% was recorded in Nigeria.
Expenditure on Malaria has remained more or less stable since 2010.
In 2017, like the previous years, America was the largest international source of malaria financing contributing 120 crore dollars.
In 2015, it was decided by the World Health Assembly that by 2030, malaria has to be completely eliminated in at least 35 countries. In order to achieve this goal, annual expenditure on programmes related to malaria must be increased by 660 crore dollars by 2020.
Globally, the scope of malaria eradication has increased.
There were no cases of malaria in China and El Salvador in 2017.
WHO declared Paraguay a malaria free country in 2018.
Algeria, Argentina and Uzbekistan have requested the WHO to declare them malaria free.

Malaria Cases in India

With 9.5 million malaria cases, India reported almost 3 million fewer malaria cases in 2017 or a 24% decrease over the previous year.
India’s reduction- the sharpest within a year, means that the country accounts for just 4% of the world’s total malaria cases and is no longer among the world’s top three countries in terms of number of cases.
Nearly half of all malaria cases were reported from Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and parts of West Bengal which have a sizeable tribal population living in the remote rural areas.

India’s Missions Against Malaria

In 1953, government launched the National Malaria Control Program with the focus on indoor residual spraying of DDT. Within five years, the program helped to dramatically reduce the annual incidence of malaria.
The National Malaria Eradication Program was launched in 1958 which further reduced the number of malaria cases and also eliminated deaths from the disease.
After 1967, mosquito’s resistance to insecticides and anti malarial drugs led to a resurgence of the disease countrywide.
In order to combat malaria in high transmission areas of the country, an enhanced Malaria Control Project was launched with the World Bank’s help in 1997.
In 2003, malaria control was integrated with other vector borne diseases under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).
In 2005, the Government also launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to control vector-borne diseases including malaria.
In 2017, India launched its 5-year National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination that shifted focus from Malaria control to elimination and provided a roadmap to end malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently established ‘Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India) which is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control.

Malaria

Predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia, malaria is a life threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites.
The parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Four types of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium Vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. falciparum.
Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax are the most common types that infect humans.
Plasmodium falciparum causes a more severe form of the disease leading to higher risk of death.
When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite is released into the bloodstream, it then travels to the liver where it matures.
After some days, mature parasites start infecting the red blood cells. Within 48 to 72 hours, the parasites inside the red blood cells multiply causing infected cells to burst open.
Malaria signs and symptoms typically begin within a few weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito. However, some types of malaria parasites can lie dormant in body for upto a year.
It is preventable as well as curable.

Symptoms

Malaria symptoms typically develop within 10 days to four weeks following the infection. Common symptoms of malaria include:
Shaking chills that can range from moderate to severe high fever.
Sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Diarrhoea, Anaemia, muscle pain and convulsions.
Severe plasmodium falciparum infection can lead to coma, permanent brain failure and even death.
Some people who have malaria experience cycle of malaria attacks.
Such attacks start with shivering and chills followed by a high fever, sweating and return to a normal temperature.

Treatment

Treatment of malaria aims at eliminating the plasmodium parasite from the bloodstream through medication. Chemotherapy is an option.
Those without symptoms may be treated for the infection to reduce the risk of disease transmission in surrounding population.

Prevention

Vector control is the main way to prevent and reduce malaria transmission.
If coverage of vector control interventions within a specific area is high enough then a measure of protection is needed to be conferred across the community.
Most malaria carrying mosquitoes bite at night, so insecticide treated mosquito nets can be a life saving barrier.
Doses of antimalarials during pregnancy can protect both mother and child.
Getting rid of pools of stagnant water, clearing bushes from around the houses and planting lemon grass can all reduce the number of mosquitoes nearby.
Health education, an important aspect for preventing malaria and malaria deaths, is needed for improving people’s understanding of the disease which includes awareness of the symptoms, treatments and preventive steps.

4.Big leap for Naval variant of LCA Tejas(GS-3)

CONTEXT:The naval variant of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas made a successful short arrested landing on the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) in Goa on Friday. This is a big step forward in the delayed project for the LCA to eventually operate from an aircraft carrier.“Today, the first-ever arrested landing of LCA [Navy] at the shore-based test facility, INS Hansa Goa, which will pave the way for this indigenous platform to undertake aircraft carrier landing demonstration on board INS Vikramaditya,” the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said in a statement.

A Light combat aircraft

A Light combat aircraft is a light multirole jet military aircraft most coming from advanced trainers that have been modified or designed for engaging in light combat missions, either in light strike or attack missions, reconnaissance or interdiction roles while some keeping its trainer role.They are also slower than their bigger counterparts and most are only capable of subsonic speeds though some are capable of reaching mach 1+.

Although equipped with either guns or short range air-to-air missilesit is usually for self-defense purpose or anti-hostile aircraft/helicopter missions not for air defense as lightweight fighters do, though some are capable of air to air combat or point air defense missions due to integrated or have variants capable of carrying powerful multi-mode radar systems,[most LCAs don't have such due to their small limited design or are less powerful.

However they can still be used to patrol the skies and implement border patrol or air policing.These aircraft are usually smaller and more lightly armed than the bigger multirole or strike aircraft such as the American F-18, F-15E Strike Eagle or Russian Mig-29. Most LCAs are armed with either bombs, rockets or gun pods used for COIN or CAS missions. Some aircraft have been developed to integrate more advanced armaments such as smart bombs and air to ground missiles, ECM pods(Electronic Countermeasure) and electronic targeting systems for better mission capability

HAL Tejas:

The HAL Tejas is an Indian single-engine, delta wing, multirole light fighter designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. It came from the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which began in the 1980s to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters. In 2003, the LCA was officially named "Tejas"

Tejas has a tail-less compound delta-wing configuration with a single dorsal fin. This provides better high-alpha performance characteristics than conventional wing designs.Its wing root leading edge has a sweep of 50 degrees, the outer wing leading edge has a sweep of 62.5 degrees, and trailing edge has a forward sweep of four degrees. It integrates technologies such as relaxed static stability, fly-by-wire flight control system, multi-mode radar, integrated digital avionics system and composite material structures. It is the smallest and lightest in its class of contemporary supersonic combat aircraft

The Tejas is the second supersonic fighter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after the HAL HF-24 Marut. As of 2016 the Tejas Mark 1 was in production for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the naval version was undergoing flight tests for Indian Navy (IN). The projected requirement for the IAF was 200 single-seat fighters and 20 twin-seat trainers, while the IN expected to operate atleast 40 single-seat fighters

5.Centre drops names of 312 Sikhs of Indian origin from ‘adverse list’: Reports(GS-2)
CONTEXT:The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday said that it had removed the names of 312 Sikhs of Indian origin from an “adverse list”, and only two individuals remained on the list, PTI reported, citing officials. This would allow them to apply for Indian visas and visit the country.

During the separatist movement in the 1980s, some Sikhs left India to avoid being arrested and became foreign nationals, an unidentified ministry official told PTI.
The Central Adverse List was prepared by the intelligence agencies and was available with various Indian missions abroad. Apart from making those on the list ineligible for visas, it also hampered the chances of their family members.
The official added that Sikhs mentioned in the list could eventually apply for registration as Overseas Citizens of India after they have applied for and held normal visas for a period of two years.

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cardholder(SOURCE:MINISTERY OF HOME AFFAIRS INDIA)

(a) The following categories of persons (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) are eligible to apply under OCI scheme:

Who is a citizen of another country, but was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after, the commencement of the constitution; or
Who is a citizen of another country, but was eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of the commencement of the constitution; or
Who is a citizen of another country, but belonged to a territory that became part of India after the 15th day of August, 1947; or

Who is a child or a grand-child or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or

(b) A person, who is minor child of a person mentioned in clause (a); or(c) A person, who is a minor child, and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or(d) Spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of india Cardholder registered under section 7A, Citizenship Act 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application under this section: Provided that no person, who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, shall be eligible for the registration as Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder.

Overseas Citizen of India

A person with OCI status is not an Indian citizen. The person does not have voting rights in India, nor can contest elections or hold any constitutional office.

An Overseas Citizen of India is however entitled to some benefits such as a multiple-entry, multi-purpose life-long visa to visit India.

They are exempted from police reporting for any length of stay in the country.

They are also granted all rights in parity with NRIs except, the right to acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

Non-Resident Indian

An Indian citizen who is ordinarily residing outside India and holds an Indian Passport.

A person is considered NRI if She is not in India for 182 days or more during the financial year Or;

If he/she is in India for less than 365 days during the 4 years preceding that year and less than 60 days in that year.

Importance of Overseas Indian

One of the greatest benefits of engaging with the 30-million-strong Indian diaspora has been in terms of remittances.

Remittances close to 69 billion dollar make an invaluable contribution by aiding in socio-economic development, poverty reduction and changes in consumption behaviour in rural areas.

NRIs are more prone to donating to domestic charities because of the strong cultural and emotional feelings that they nurse.

Diaspora acts as 'agents of change' facilitating and enhancing investment, accelerating industrial development, and boosting international trade and tourism.

Another tangible long-term advantage in nurturing ties with an active Diaspora is an accelerated technological sector.

A less tangible but important advantage in having a large emigrant group is “diaspora diplomacy” and they act as “bridge-builders” between their home and adopted countries.

Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal is a case in point, as ethnic Indians in United States successfully lobbied for clinching of the N-deal.

The migration of less-skilled labour (especially to West Asia) has also helped in bringing down disguised unemployment in India.

Migration of skilled labours to foreign countries and their eventual success bolstered the nation’s image.

Diaspora’s motives to invest in India are in contrast to non-diaspora FDI. Their investments are long lasting as many of them wish to establish a long-term base in India.

6.Govt. has failed to bring in Uniform Civil Code, says SC(GS-2)

CONTEXT:The Supreme Court said the nation has still not endeavoured to secure for its citizens a Uniform Civil Code. The government has till date taken no action, a Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose observed in a judgment delivered on Friday. Justice Gupta, who wrote the 31page judgment, said the founders of the Constitution had expressed their hope that one day the State would fulfil expectations of a Uniform Civil Code.

Whereas the founders of the Constitution in Article 44 in Part IV dealing with the Directive Principles of State Policy had hoped and expected that the State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territories of India, till date no action has been taken in this regard

The court said though the “Hindu laws were codifi??ed in the year 1956, there has been no attempt to frame a Uniform Civil Code applicable to all citizens of the country”

The judgment came in a case concerning the question whether succession and inheritance of a Goan domicile is governed by the Portuguese Civil Code, 1867 or the Indian Succession Act of 1925

Uniform Civil Code
What is uniform civil code?

Uniform civil Code is a proposal to have a generic set of governing laws for every citizen without taking into consideration the religion.

What the constitution says?

Article 44 of the Constitution says that there should be a Uniform Civil Code. According to this article, “The State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”. Since the Directive Principles are only guidelines, it is not mandatory to use them.

India needs a Uniform Civil Code for the following reasons:

A secular republic needs a common law for all citizens rather than differentiated rules based on religious practices.
Another reason why a uniform civil code is needed is gender justice. The rights of women are usually limited under religious law, be it Hindu or Muslim. The practice of triple talaq is a classic example.
Many practices governed by religious tradition are at odds with the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Indian Constitution.
Courts have also often said in their judgements that the government should move towards a uniform civil code including the judgement in the Shah Bano case.

Why is UCC is not desirable at this point?

Secularism cannot contradict the plurality prevalent in the country. Besides, cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the extent that our urge for uniformity itself becomes a reason for threat to the territorial integrity of the nation.

The term ‘secularism’ has meaning only if it assures the expression of any form of difference. This diversity, both religious and regional, should not get subsumed under the louder voice of the majority. At the same time, discriminatory practices within a religion should not hide behind the cloak of that faith to gain legitimacy.

What is needed now?

The way forward may not be UCC, but the codification of all personal laws so that prejudices and stereotypes in every one of them would come to light and can be tested on the anvil of fundamental rights of the Constitution. By codification of different personal laws, one can arrive at certain universal principles that prioritise equity rather than imposition of a Uniform Code, which would discourage many from using the law altogether, given that matters of marriage and divorce can also be settled extra-judicially.

7.U.N. meeting on desertification ends with vow to curb land degradation(GS-3)

CONTEXT:A two-week long United Nations-led Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) ended with a commitment to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030. Such neutrality is defined by the U.N. as ensuring that enough land is available across the world to ensure a sustainable future.
The Delhi Declaration, a consensus document, agreed upon by more than 100 countries “welcomed” the proposed adoption of a “voluntary” land degradation neutrality target by India, which has committed to restoring at least 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. The Declaration doesn’t detail commitments by other countries.
Almost 122 nations, including India, have made voluntary commitments in previous years to ensure that a certain percentage of their degraded land was restored. India had agreed, again on a voluntary basis, to restore 20 million hectares by 2020. Nearly 96 million hectares of land is deemed ‘degraded’ in India.
On August 14th, 2018, India claimed it had brought an area of 9.8 million hectares under restoration since 2011. Of the 9.8 million hectares, 94.4% was contributed by government agencies, while NGOs and private companies contributed 3.6% and 2% respectively.
The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues. Its 196 parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The meet drew almost 9,000 participants and saw ministers and heads of UN and other inter-governmental bodies attend several events around the conference.

United Nations-led Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (SOURCE:UNCCD)
UNCCD History

The international community has long recognized that land degradation/desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem of concern to many countries in all regions of the world. In 1977 the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) adopted a Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD). Despite this and other efforts, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) concluded in 1991 that the problem of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas had intensified, although there were “local examples of success”. As a result, the question of how to tackle desertification was still a major concern for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Conference supported a new, integrated approach to the problem, emphasizing action to promote sustainable development at the community level.

The Rio Conference called on the United Nations General Assembly to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INCD) to prepare, by June 1994, a Convention to Combat Desertification, particularly in Africa.

In December 1992, the General Assembly agreed and adopted resolution 47/188 on this matter. Working to a tight schedule, the Committee completed its negotiations in five sessions. The Convention was adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994 and entered into force on 26 December 1996, 90 days after the 50th ratification was received. 196 countries and the European Union are Parties as at August 2018. The Conference of the Parties (COP), which is the Convention's supreme governing body, held its first session in October 1997 in Rome, Italy.

The 10-year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention for 2008-2018 outlined a clear vision to forge global partnerships to reverse and prevent desertification and land degradation, coupled with a mission to provide a worldwide framework to support the development and implementation of national and regional policies that contribute to the reduction of poverty.
At UNCCD COP13 that took place in September 2017 in Ordos, China, the countries have agreed on a new global roadmap to address land degradation. The new UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework is the most comprehensive global commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in order to restore the productivity of vast swathes of degraded land, improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people, and to reduce the impacts of drought on vulnerable populations.

8.Rajasthan launches information portal(GS-2)

CONTEXT:In a pioneering step, the first-ever public information portal was launched in Rajasthan on Friday promising to provide information about government authorities and departments suo motu to the public in the true spirit of the Right To Information Act. The portal has brought yet another distinction to Rajasthan, where the RTI movement had started in 1990s.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the portal at B.M. Birla Auditorium here in the presence of former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, former Law Commission chairman Justice A.P. Shah and a galaxy of RTI activists, including Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy.
The State government has collaborated with the civil society groups to develop the portal, the first of its kind in the country, initially giving information pertaining to 13 departments on a single platform. With different sections divided into districts, blocks and panchayats, the portal empowers the common people with access to useful information.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Gehlot said the new web portal, named the Jan Soochna Portal-2019, would ensure compliance with Section 4(2) of the RTI Act mandating the public authorities to disclose information in the public domain, so that the people need not file applications under the law to obtain information.
The State government will set up information kiosks in village panchayats and self-service e-mitra centres in the towns to enable the people to access the information useful for them. Initially, the information pertaining to 13 government departments — such as the number of beneficiaries of schemes, works undertaken in different areas, land records and social security pensions — will be available on the portal.

Right To Information Act

Right to Information (RTI) is act of the Parliament of India to provide for setting out the practical regime of the right to information for citizens and replaces the erstwhile Freedom of information Act, 2002. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen of India may request information from a "public authority" (a body of Government or "instrumentality of State") which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and to proactively certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.
This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 12 October 2005. Every day, over 4800 RTI applications are filed. In the first ten years of the commencement of the act over 17,500,000 applications had been filed.
In India, the organisation called Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan was instrumental in the passage of RTI Act. Aruna Roy is the mastermind behind the RTI Act 2005.RTI is a legal right for every citizen of India. The authorities under RTI Act 2005 are called quasi-judicial authorities. This act was enacted in order to consolidate the fundamental right in the Indian constitution 'freedom of speech'.
Information disclosure in India is restricted by the Official Secrets Act 1923 and various other special laws, which the new RTI Act relaxes. Right to Information codifies a fundamental right of the citizens of India. RTI has proven to be very useful, but is counteracted by the Whistleblowers Act