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PLUTUS IAS Weekly

CURRENT AFFAIRS

PLUTUS IAS Weekly

CURRENT AFFAIRS

PLUTUS IAS Weekly

CURRENT AFFAIRS

PLUTUS IAS WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS 16-08-2021 to 22-08-2021

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Every Experience is a Lesson, Every loss is a Gain (GS PAPPER4, Attitude Source- The Hindu, pib, Indian Express)

The constitution of India is often called a living document. It has stood the test of times and kept our country united and democratic. This has been possible due to the knowledge and wisdom of our constitution framers who learned from their struggle during the freedom struggle and used that experience to create a solid constitution for the benefit of the country. It is often said that failure is the best teacher and those who refuse to learn from it often fail to gain. Similarly, experience is the best guide, be it of self or of others. Such valuable lessons should never be wasted if one has to move ahead and be happy in life. This world is filled with examples of people who have used experience and failures as a stepping stone to their success. Our late President Dr. Abdul Kalam is one such example, in his early years at DRDO while developing the missiles he used to face continuous failure, criticism day in and day out. But he continued to learn from such failures and also documented all the reasons, shared his experience with others, and took advice from others. In the end, the result was the astonishing success of DRDO in developing various missiles such as Prithvi and Agni. Today, Dr. Kalam is remembered as the missile man of India. A similar example is of Gandhiji, who learned from his experience in South Africa, Champaran satyagraha and Ahmedabad Mill strike, and Kheda Satyagraha. He used this lesson to create a larger pan India movement and launch Non- cooperation movement in 1919, the Civil Disobedience movement in 1930-31, and the Quit India movement in 1942. Gandhi also never wasted a chance to convert loss into again. When British judges ordered Gandhiji to leave the Champaran district in order to make the movement a failure, Gandhiji disobeyed the court orders thus gaining more popularity and widening the movement. Internationally, the example of Rwanda is often discussed that how a country that was torn 25 years ago today has one of the highest human development indexes in Africa. The reason is simple, after the experience of decolonization from Belgium and facing failures such as poverty, hunger and civil wars. The leaders of Rwanda began to create a society that was based on merit, respect the rule of law, and free from corruption. They did all this due to their experiences and lessons from the past. A similar example has been of Indian military planners. After a humiliating defeat by China in 1962 and the suboptimal performance of the Armed forces in the 1965 war against Pakistan. The Indian military went back to the drawing board. The military reduced its vulnerability, increased the jointness of all three wings (land, sea, and air), and optimized itself. The result was shown in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, where within 14 days India was able to obtain the unconditional surrender of East Pakistan forces, and hence a new nation named Bangladesh was born. Actors such as Rajkumar Rao and Nawazuddin Sidique are living examples of people who have come from top to bottom because they had the patience and courage to learn from their experience and to convert their loss into gains. The present Covid-19 crisis presents to us a similar situation where we have to make sure that every experience becomes a lesson and every loss is converted into a gain. The government has brought a series of reforms in sectors of labour , agriculture and banking to ensure that India emerges much stronger and resilient from this crisis of Covid-19. Because if we do not

CURRENT AFFAIRSCURRENT AFFAIRSAUgUST 2021AUgUST 2021

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convert this crisis of Covid-19 into an opportunity then we will be making the same mistakes we have been making in the past, such as over-reliance on subsidies for growth or government spending-led growth rather than investment-led growth. History is ripe with examples of people, communities, and countries who do not learn from experience and do not use mistakes as a stepping stone to gain success. The communal violence present in our society is one such glaring example, where we as a country should have emerged more united, but with each clash, we become more divided as we don’t learn from the past and don’t care about lessons we have suffered. A similar experience is of traffic accidents where every accident must provoke thought in society, where more than 3 lakh deaths per year on roads must call for stricter laws and better building procedures. But rather what we have is a greater number of minors on the roads, more and more pot-holes on the roads, and an increasing number of youths who are over-spending on drinking and driving. The same is the case with urban planning, year after year a crisis is wasted to learn something new and the crisis repeats itself. The best example is the regular flooding of Mumbai during the monsoon. Internationally we can see USA which has invaded one country after another be it Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan and it has failed in its original objectives due to the simple reason that it has refused to learn from its experiences and has not properly assessed its failures so that it can use them to better its experience. Pakistan is also a basket case, the country has used hatred for India, terrorism, and drug smuggling to fight its proxy war. But in the end, it has only destroyed itself. Today it has become a global outcast and has been grey-listed by FATF, but still, the country continues to engage in these uncivilized measures thus going further down with time. Because the country has not learned its lessons, be it from the attack on Peshawar school or various bomb blasts in the country. The constitution of India is often called a living document. It has stood the test of times and kept our country united and democratic. This has been possible due to the knowledge and wisdom of our constitution framers who learned from their struggle during the freedom struggle and used that experience to create a solid constitution for the benefit of the country. It is often said that failure is the best teacher and those who refuse to learn from it often fail to gain. Similarly, experience is the best guide, be it of self or of others. Such valuable lessons should never be wasted if one has to move ahead and be happy in life. This world is filled with examples of people who have used experience and failures as a stepping stone to their success. Our late President Dr. Abdul Kalam is one such example, in his early years at DRDO while developing the missiles he used to face continuous failure, criticism day in and day out. But he continued to learn from such failures and also documented all the reasons, shared his experience with others, and took advice from others. In the end, the result was the astonishing success of DRDO in developing various missiles such as Prithvi and Agni. Today, Dr. Kalam is remembered as the missile man of India. A similar example is of Gandhiji, who learned from his experience in South Africa, Champaran satyagraha and Ahmedabad Mill strike, and Kheda Satyagraha. He used this lesson to create a larger pan India movement and launch Non- cooperation movement in 1919, the Civil Disobedience movement in 1930-31, and the Quit India movement in 1942. Gandhi also never wasted a chance to convert loss into again. When British judges ordered Gandhiji to leave the Champaran district in order to make the movement a failure, Gandhiji disobeyed the court orders thus gaining more popularity and widening the movement. Internationally, the example of Rwanda is often discussed that how a country that was torn 25 years ago today has one of the highest human development indexes in Africa. The reason is simple, after the experience of decolonization from Belgium and facing failures such as poverty, hunger, and civil wars. The leaders of Rwanda began to create a society that was based on merit, respect the rule of law, and was free from corruption. They did all this due to their experiences and lessons from the past. A similar example has been of Indian military planners. After a humiliating defeat by China in 1962 and the suboptimal performance of the Armed forces in the 1965 war against Pakistan. The Indian military went back to the drawing board. The military reduced its vulnerability, increased the jointness of all three wings (land, sea, and air), and optimized itself. The result was shown in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, where within 14 days India was able to obtain the unconditional surrender of East Pakistan forces, and hence a new nation named Bangladesh was born. Actors such as Rajkumar Rao and Nawazuddin Sidique are living examples of people who have come from top to bottom because they had the

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patience and courage to learn from their experience and to convert their loss into gains. The present Covid-19 crisis presents to us a similar situation where we have to make sure that every experience becomes a lesson and every loss is converted into again. The government has brought a series of reforms in sectors of labor, agriculture, and banking to ensure that India emerges much stronger and resilient from this crisis of Covid-19. Because if we do not convert this crisis of Covid-19 into an opportunity then we will be making the same mistakes we have been making in the past, such as over-reliance on subsidies for growth or government spending-led growth rather than investment-led growth. History is ripe with examples of people, communities, and countries who do not learn from experience and do not use mistakes as a stepping stone to gain success. The communal violence present in our society is one such glaring example, where we as a country should have emerged more united, but with each clash we become more divided as we don’t learn from the past and don’t care about lessons we have suffered. Similar experience is of traffic accidents where every accident must provoke a thought in society, where more than 3 lakh deaths per year on roads must call for stricter laws and better building procedures. But rather what we have is a greater number of minors on the roads, more and more pot-holes on the roads and an increasing number of youths who are over-spending on drinking and driving. The same is the case with urban planning, year after year a crisis is wasted to learn something new and the crisis repeats itself. The best example is the regular flooding of Mumbai during the monsoon. Internationally we can see the USA which has invaded one country after another be it Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan and it has failed in its original objectives due to the simple reason that it has refused to learn from its experiences and has not properly assessed its failures so that it can use them to better its experience. Pakistan is also a basket case, the country has used hatred for India, terrorism, and drug smuggling to fight its proxy war. But in the end, it has only destroyed itself. Today it has become a global outcast and has been grey-listed by FATF, but still, the country continues to engage in these uncivilized measures thus going further down with time. Because the country has not learned its lessons, be it from the attack on Peshawar school or various bomb blasts in the country.

Khyati Khare

India’s fate is Tied to the Rest of the World (The Hindu, International Relations)

Context:India’s fate has been closely tied to the rest of the world not only after independence but from ancient times. A newly independent,large, impoverished, and impossibly diverse country required active engagement for its survival, security, and development. But the international environment is constantly evolving and presents India not just with opportunities but numerous challenges. An overview of problems:-

• India has many Troubles that may seem Plenty:

▶ It ranges from COVID 19 pandemic and its adverse effects on economic growth prospects to intensifying competition with China and turmoil in Afghanistan.

• But India has some measures to tackle: ▶ it is by some measures the sixth-largest economy in the world ▶ Boasts a well trained and professional military ▶ India has a growing network of international strategic and economic partners.

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The long and Winding Road:• India adopted a foreign and security posture even before August 15, 1947.• India initially received the bulk of development and military assistance from the West• The Soviet Union extended support from the mid 1950s onwards. • India also played an activist role in the decolonizing world, extending diplomatic and (in some cases)

security assistance to independence movements from Asia to Africa, and India also sent military missions to Korea and the Congo.

• There were also important economic achievements which included the Green Revolution, undertaken with considerable foreign technical and financial assistance.

• The Indo- Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and the Bangladesh war altered India’s relations with both superpowers and changed the relations and the rivalry with Pakistan.

• This period also saw security challenges ▶ These are ranging from the peaceful nuclear explosion, the annexation of Sikkim, competition with

Pakistan over Siachen, a stand off with China, an intervention in Sri Lanka to a countercoup in the Maldives.

After the Cold War:• The 1991 Gulf war outcome was a crisis in the balance of payments and this crisis was turned into an

opportunity by the liberalization of the economy.• The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi along with the 1993 Mumbai bombings, and the insurgency in Jammu

and Kashmir gave new security challenges. • Much things was done by P.V. Narasimha Rao:

▶ The advent of the Look East Policy ▶ India has sought to maintain close relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ▶ The establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel ▶ India has signed a border peace and tranquility agreement with China. ▶ Initial military contracts with the U.S., and preparations for nuclear tests.

• The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government: ▶ India conducted a series of tests in 1998 further negotiating a return to normal relations with most

major powers within two years at the same time concluding an important set of agreements with China in 2003.

▶ Efforts Were made at normalizing ties with Pakistan were frustrated by the Kargil war, the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 to Kandahar (Afghanistan), and the 2001 attack on India’s Parliament.

▶ During these years a rapid growth also witnessed in the Indian economy. ▶ A boom in information and communication technology companies coupled with the services sector,

and a rising consumer market has reached a continuum high.

• After 2004, the Manmohan Singh Government: ▶ We have worked to resolve the question of India’s nuclear status. ▶ India has eliminated barriers to ‘dual use’ technologies and equipment and acted as a host of

associated export controls ▶ India established robust defence relations with the U.S. and its allies during this time and India also

drifted to the same.

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▶ The global financial crisis during 2008 -09 has pressed india to have a slight change in approach, whereby India sought to partner with China and other rising powers on institutional reform, financial lending, climate change, and sovereignty.

• From 2013: ▶ China began to test India on the border by asserting its claims through millatry. ▶ China at the same time began to undermine Indian interests in South Asia and the Indian Ocean

Region.• late 2014

▶ A more competitive India-China relationship emerged. ▶ There were Standoffs at Doklam and Ladakh between 2017 and 2021 ▶ India has opted to boycott China’s Belt And Road Initiative, raise barriers to Chinese investment,

ban some Chinese technology and at the same time consult more closely with other balancing powers in the Indo Pacific.

▶ India has given a greater emphasis on neighbourhood connectivity.

• An international India:• India’s objectives have been broadly consistent:

▶ Development, regional security ▶ A balance of power in india ocean region as well as around the world. ▶ India’s means to achieve its aim and the international landscape have completely changed so the

domestic political factors. ▶ India had different approaches to international engagement between 1947 and 1962, between 1971

and 1991, and between 1991 and 2008 which can be clearly seen in the above paragraph.

Khyati Khare

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The Message from the IPCC Report (The Hindu, GS-3)

Context:The Working Group I of IPCC contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) having titled ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, talks about global warming at length.

Findings of the Report:• Global surface temperature is now higher by 1.07oC since the pre-industrial era which shows the

anthropogenic contributions. • The impact of climate change on the atmosphere, oceans, and land is because of human origin and this

impact is picking up pace.• It is a high hitting fact that there is no part of the inhabited world that is now untouched by the impact

of global warming.• Aerosols contribute to reducing the impact of warming by other greenhouse gases which can be

estimated to almost a third.• Methane reduction is particularly significant only as part of the big game as the drastic reduction of

aerosols actually leads to an increase in warming.• The value of equilibrium climate sensitivity• Climate sensitivity is the measure of how a specified increase in carbon dioxide concentration translates

into long term surface temperature rise.• This climate sensitivity is in the range of 2.5oC to 4.0oC, with a best estimate of 3 oC, compared to the

Fifth Assessment Report range of 1.5oC to 4.5oC. • There will be an increase in climate extremes due to global warming, with heat waves, extreme rainfall

events and occurrence of extreme sea levels all expected to intensify and be more frequent.• The extraordinary disasters from the global North, unprecedented rain and flooding, including massive

forest fires, and record heat.

Restrict Cumulative Emissions • This report suggests that air pollution reduction and steep climate change mitigation are not

complementary goals but require independent efforts over the short and medium term. • This is most important as this report claims of such a linkage have been used to argue that India, for

instance, must cease the use of coal immediately.• The IPCC report clearly states that reaching net zero was not the determining factor for the world to

limit itself to a 1.5oC , or 2oC, or indeed any specific temperature increase. • The report is also gives the suggestion that it is the cumulative emissions in reaching net zero that

determine the temperature rise

Little cheer for Global South• Our world is set to cross the 1.5oC limit within 10 to15 years.

▶ Three big emitters which are the U.S., the European Union and China must enhance and have their deep cuts in the emission, even the prospect of a mild overshoot of the limit followed by a later decline is likely to be foregon

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• India cannot save the world from the consequences of global warming because the people who should have taken the responsibility have already shed it.

• India has contributed less than 5% of global cumulative emissions to date, with per capita annual emissions a third of the global average.

• India is also the only nation among the G20 nations with INDC commitment under the Paris Agreement that are even 2oC warming compatible.

• India must widen its space urgently to cope with the future, one where global temperature increase may be closer to 2oC.

• India’s annual emissions rest on 3 billion tonnes in carbon dioxide equivalent terms such as the total cessation of emissions for the next 30 years.

Solution:• Focusing on definite cumulative emission targets by keeping equity and historical responsibility into

consideration.• Immediate emission reductions by the developed countries with phase out dates for all fossil fuels• Massive investment in new technologies such as renewable, eclectic vehicle etc and their deployment• A more serious push to the mobilization of adequate climate finance is the need of the hour.

Source:- PIB, The Hindu

Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) (GS PAPER-3, SOCIETY SOURCE: The Hindu, Pib)

Context:DAY-NRLM aims at mobilizing rural poor households into Self Help Groups in a phased manner and provide them long-term support to diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes, empower them and improve their quality of life and betterment of society.

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• Most of Mission’s interventions are being implemented and scaled up by the Self Help Groups of women themselves who are trained as community resource persons (CRPs) such as Krishi Sakhis, Pashu Sakhis, Bank Sakhis, Bima Sakhis, Banking Correspondent Sakhis, etc.

• The Mission is also working on empowering and developing the SHG women through awareness generation and behavior change, developing communication on issues such as domestic violence, women’s education, and other gender-related concerns, nutrition, sanitation, health, hygiene, etc.

Poverty reduction Programme in India• According to the erstwhile Planning Commission which used the Tendulkar expert group methodology:-• Says that the overall poverty ratio came down from 45.3% in 1993 -94 to 37.2% in 2004- 05.• This poverty further came down to 21.9% in 2011 -12. • The goodness about the data is that there is a per year reduction in percentage points in poverty ratio

between 2004 05 and 2011 12 was 2.18.• The schemes such as Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Extended Food Security Scheme

paid a high dividend.

Types of Poverty:• Absolute Poverty: A condition where house hold or a person’s income is below a necessary level

to maintain basic living standards. Because it is absolute it is possible to compare between different countries and also over time.

▶ It was first introduced in 1990. According to the World Bank if a person doesn’t earn $1.90 a day on purchasing power parity basis then he is poor.

• Relative Poverty: It is defined from the social perspective which compares living standards to the economic standards of the population living in surroundings. It is one of the measures of income inequality.

• Generally, relative poverty is measured as the percentage of the population with income less than some fixed proportion of median income. It measures the headcounts ratio.

The measure of Poverty Estimation in India:• The first-ever Poverty estimation was done by Dadabhai Naoroji in 1901 which was published in his

book “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India”• The National Planning Committee of 1936 has estimated poverty in India during the Colonial rule. It

calculated poverty linking nutrition, clothing, and housing• The Planning Commission constituted a working group for the first time in 1962 to estimate poverty

nationally. This group was given a task about separate poverty lines for rural and urban areas. It has made Rs 20 and Rs 25 per capita per year respectively for rural and urban areas.

Why and how we have Reached this Point:• Growth requires more than reforms and these Reforms are the only necessary condition in the words

of economists. ▶ It is not at all-sufficient.

• In a developing economy, growth is driven by investment.

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• And in the Indian economy investment has declined at a rate of nearly five percentage points since 2010- 11.

• Reforms normally create a natural climate for investment which is a necessary condition for growth.• But ‘animal spirits’ i.e. market, are also influenced by non economic factors such as social cohesion.• Reforms must be supplemented by a careful investment climate which will spur growth again.

A Report that is at odds with Access to Knowledge (The Hindu,GS-3)

Context:In light of two judgments by the Supreme Court of India in the Miss Mohini Jain case and another, the right to education found a secure constitutional home in the fundamental rights chapter of the Indian Constitution. There is a recent amendment in copyright act 1957, and this bill was sent to the committee for discussion. Committee gave the recommendation on a very wide note which seems contradictory in the recent wake of COVID-19. What committee has looked into:-• The Committee, in its deliberations with legal associates and other relevant stakeholders, was informed

that Section 52 (1) of the Copyright Act, 1957 which stipulates widely-scoped exceptions to infringement of literary works is posing a detrimental impact on the publishing industry and authors who are mainly dependent on royalties. Section 52(1) provides exceptions and limitations to copyright for the purposes of creating certified copies made or supplied in accordance with any law, for reading and recitation of any literary or dramatic work in the public domain, and for 65 publication of any non-copyright matter with a bona fide intention of its use in educational institutes, etc.

• It was informed that the provisions of Section 52(1) were challenged vide the case The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Oxford and Others vs. Rameshwari Photocopy Services and Others, popularly known as the DU Photocopy Case, by the academic publishers of Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor & Francis against Rameshwari Photocopy Services and the University of Delhi. The case considered the legality in the act of making numerous copies of course material drawn from different books of the publishers by a photocopying store that was authorized by Delhi University.

What is the committee Recommendation:• The provisions pertaining to the renewal of Copyright Societies every 5 years, as provided under Section

33(3A) imposes an administrative burden on them. The Committee recommends the Department increase the renewal time of Copyright Societies from 5 to 10 years.

• Section 31D of the Act deals with statutory licensing for radio and television broadcasting of literary and musical works as well as sound recordings wherein the copyright owner gets the royalties at a rate fixed by the Copyright Board for broadcasting any content.

• it was suggested that Section 31D should be amended which must include OTT platforms, music apps, and any other, etc.

• Research Institutes like IIT and other educational institutes undertake research in various scientific fields and inventions in collaboration with industries. The problem faced by academicians is that they

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require publications at every step to improve their profile and get acknowledgments in their institutes. This is their prized possession which they cannot compromise for their career and ambitions. Another problem is that the funding is stopped midway and academia’s interest is jeopardized as the project is not complete.

• The industries, capital-driven, are more focused on return on their investments made in R&D given to the projects of institutes. The industries hold the copyright and publication rights on the research invention under the funding given to academia. However, to promote research and inventions, it is necessary to push forward the academia by funding and collaboration and giving their due share.

• It is important that links are strengthened between academia and industry, to aid the exchange of knowledge and to enable researchers to work more easily at the interface between the two.

• The Committee recommends that the Department should assign a devoted agency for establishing linkages between industry and academia so that India can be positioned on top in the field of innovations and inventions of our research and educational institutes.

• The Committee, therefore, recommends that the catapult system of the UK may be emulated along with scaling up funding by Government Sector and industries along with defining modalities and sectors. The Committee also recommends that to encourage innovation, certain schemes may be introduced by applying a lower rate of corporate tax to any profits from patented inventions and tax incentives on R&D.

What is the issue with the Recommendations:• Committee recommendations are based on a misunderstanding of the raison d’etre for granting copyright

in educational content. As per the judgment in the DU photocopy case, the purpose of copyright is to increase the: “harvest of knowledge, motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public”. But here committee gave preference to the economic rights of publishers.

• The Committee flawed the idea in assuming that the rights of publishers were not duly accounted for in the DU photocopy judgments.

• Having quantitative restrictions on the extent of permissible copying would be inappropriate because any limit can be arbitrarily arrived at by the violators.

Way Forward:• We must accept the Indian realities and its development needs of making access to education more

equitable and fairer in a context of deepening socio economic inequalities.

Swarn Singh

What is ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ (Gs Paper-2, Policy Source – Pib)

Context:• It is a nationwide celebration of Bharat Ka Amrut Mahotsav to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence. • Three survivors and warriors who were earlier affected by HIV, Tuberculosis and Thalassemia shared

how the schemes of the Government of India have helped and supported them in their fight against these diseases.

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• Union Health Minister noted,“Swami Vivekananda was the first to recognise and nurture the power of youth in pre-independent India. In his footsteps, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji started many schemes and institutions for the benefit of youth including the Skill Development Ministry and ‘Khelo India’ programme.

• Most of the TB patients are also in the age-group of the younger generation. When the youth of the villages intend that there will be no more TB patients in the village, they will achieve it.”

• Speaking on the ‘Azadi ka Amrut’ Mahotsav’ being held on India’s 75th Independence Day. “The Prime Minister of India has asked the young generation of India to set the goal for themselves on what they wish to achieve in the next 25 years and actively participate in building the new India on its century year of independence.

Swarn Singh

Social Security Schemes for Organised and Unorganised Sector (GS PAPER-3, Indian Society Source- Pib)

Context:As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which was recently carried out by the National Sample Survey Organisation of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in the year 2017-18, the total employment in both sectors organized and unorganized in the country was near around 47 crores. Out of this, approximately 9 crores are engaged in the organized sector and the remaining 38 crores are vested in the unorganized sector.The categories of these workers have been divided into three categories i.e.1. Establishments with 10 or more workers;2. Establishments with 20 or more workers;3. Workers engaged in unorganized sector

Key Highlights:The ESI Act, 1948 is Social Security legislation that is applicable to all factories & notified establishments employing 10 or more persons, which are designated in ESI notified areas, and as such it is not applicable to the unorganized sector.

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• Employees who are earning wages up to Rs 21,000 per month (Rs 25,000/- in the case those persons with disability) are eligible under this ESI Scheme and are applicable to avail of all benefits provided under the ESI Act, 1948.

• In the present scenario, the ESI Scheme stands extended to 575 districts in 35 States and Union territories of India.

• The total number of Insured Persons covered under this ESI Scheme as of 31.03.2020 is approximately 3.41 crore and the total beneficiaries are approximately 13.24 crore.

• ESI contributions are at the rate of 4% should be paid by employers of which the employees or workers contribute to the extent of 0.75% of their wages and the employers contribute to the extent of approximately 3.25% of their wages.

• Such contributions make all benefits available under the ESI Act.• The benefits of these social securities to the workers employed in the organized sector establishments

with 20 or more workers employed under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 are extended through the following three schemes:

1. The Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952;2. The Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995;3. The Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme, 1976.4. The Employer and Employee both should have to make a contribution at the rate of 12% of wages

towards the provident fund. ▶ Out of this, 8.33% is diverted towards the Pension Fund. Employers also contribute to the EDLI

Scheme at the rate of 0.5 % of wages. ▶ During the year 2019-20, 4.89 crores members contributed under the Scheme.

For the workers engaged in the Unorganised sector, social security benefits will be provided through the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, of 2008. This Act will empower the Central Government to provide Social Security benefits to the unorganized sector workers by formulating suitable welfare schemes on matters which is relating to-(i) life and disability cover, (ii) health and maternity benefits,(iii) old age protection and(iv) any other benefit as may be determined by the Central Government.The State Governments are also empowered to formulate suitable welfare schemes on the matters regarding housing, provident funds, educational schemes, skill upgradation, old age homes etc.

Khyati Khare

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The Police we Need (The Hindu, GS-2,3 Governance, Ethics)

Context:An Indian Police Service (IPS) probationer from Haryana named Ranjeeta Sharma has bagged the honour recently of commanding the passing out parade at the National Police Academy (NPA). The Best Allround IPS Probationer and the Sword of Honour for the Best Outdoor Probationer awards won by Ranjeeta Sharma and the most Interesting thing is that Best Probationer of last year went to a woman officer named Kiran Shruthi.

What are the Qualities of Good Police Offices:• Passing out the parade of the probationer commanding is reasonably objective.

▶ This award is based on both the outdoor performance and classroom performance of a trainee. ▶ The Best Probationer award recognises good conduct, tolerance, empathy, and a quick reflex. ▶ These are the ideal qualities which a police personnel must possess to intervene in dangerous

situations and also go to the rescue of the poorest when they are harassed by anti-social elements.

Issues are Itself is an Example:• Former Mumbai Police Commissioner has been alleged of extortion.• In Tamil Nadu, A senior IPS officer, was recently served a charge sheet in court in connection with a

case pertaining to the sexual harassment of a woman officer.

Way Forward:• objectivity and skill are the main components in an ideal world which shows brilliant and straight

forward officials will take these values on the face value.• Implementation of nolan committee.• Application of prakash singh case judgement.• Honest and hard working officers must be the gold stone which must shine along with the others.

Let’s talk about Police Issues and their Reforms:Statistics:• Crime per lakh persons has increased by 28% from 2005 to 2015.• Currently, State police forces have 24% vacancies.• State police forces account for about 3% of the central and state government budgets.• Sanctioned police strength was 181 police per lakh persons in 2016• Actual strength was 137 police.• The United Nations recommended standard is 222 police per lakh persons.• 86% of the state police comprises constabulary rank.

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Responsibilities of centre and states with regard to Police:-

Swarn Singh

A Picture Behind the Headline Numbers (Source The Hindu, PIB GS-3, Economics)

Context:The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data’s third annual round was released, which was conducted during July 2019 - June 2020. We shall discuss the findings and how we can further improve the data.

What is the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)?• The National Statistical Office (NSO) which lies under the Ministry of Statistics & Programme

Implementation launched this survey.

The PLFS captures key Indicators:• Labour market which includes the labour force participation rate (LFPR) • Worker population ratio (WPR)• Unemployment rate (UR) • What is Labour market such as the labour force participation rate (LFPR)?• The labour force participation rate or LFPR is a measure of the percentage of a country’s working-age

population that engages actively in the labour market either by working or looking for work• It also provides an indication of the size of the supply of available labour which can be engaged in the

production of goods and services, relative to the population at working age.• LFPR(%) = Persons employed + persons unemployed x 100. Working-age population

What is the Worker population ratio (WPR)?• It is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the total population.

What is the Unemployment rate (UR)?• Unemployment rate (UR) is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in

the labour force.

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Activity Status:

▶ Usual Status: The activity status of a person is determined on the basis of the activities pursued by the person during the specified reference period. When the activity status is determined on the basis of the reference period of last 365 days preceding the date of survey, it is known as the usual activity status of the person.

▶ Current Weekly Status (CWS): The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status (CWS) of the person.

Findings of Survey PLFS 2019-20:

• Our labour market is in distress followed by dwindling GDP growth and a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic .

• There is a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.8% in 2019 -20 which is the lowest in three years.

• According to usual status, data shows a fall from 6.1% in 2017 -18 to 4.8% in 2019 -20.

• LFPR has increased from 36.9% to 40.1% along with WPR increased from 34.7% to 38.2% during the same period.

• So we can say that there was an increase in the share of the population in the labour force over the last three years along with a higher increase in the share of those who were able to find work so unemployment fell.

• The quarterly GDP growth rate has declined for successive quarters i.e. sliding from 8.2% in January- March 2018 to 3.1% in January- March 2020.

Swarn Singh

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The Abraham Accords as India’s West Asia bridge (The Hindu, GS-2, International Relations)

Context:Air Chief Marshal R.K. Bhadauria is an Indian Air Force chief recently visited to Israel which shows a window to study how New Delhi is taking advantage of the Abraham Accords. This abraham accord was signed between Israel and some Arab States led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020. The Indian contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will now visit Israel in October to take part in multilateral military exercises; some reports suggest this event in the future.

What are the India’s stake in west Asia: ▶ India imports 86% of its crude oil requirements and top of it 70% comes from West Asia. ▶ Regional states such as Saudi due it’s regional power hegemony, Israel due to direct security threat,

UAE etc also don’t want the deal to be restored, or if any talks prevail then these countries must be consulted.

▶ Iran has its own strength where China is giving her required oxygen, and Russia requires food. ▶ The Iranian ability to mobilize militants across the region is viewed by Israel + Gulf Arab state-> s

threatening their security, ▶ Countries are concerned about Iran’s influence with their Shia populations as well. ▶ Iran’s capabilities in precision missiles, drones and in other defense areas are also a matter of regional

anxiety. ▶ India’s diaspora is around 7-8 million. ▶ More than 50% of the remittances come from west Asia.

• Oil-> energy security• India’s investment will be safe in west Asia.• India’s reach to Afghanistan.• Iran will not have to be dependent on China.

Deepening Cooperation:• India conducted the ‘Zayed Talwar’ naval exercises with the UAE which secured India’s interest in the

extended Indian ocean region, Interest in West Asia.• M.M. Naravane has visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia and became the first chief of the Indian Army to

go to the Arab world.• Admiral Sunil Lanba the chief of the Indian Navy visited the UAE and Oman in 2017.• Duqm Port in Oman will provide access to the facility of ports to Indian including dry dock use by the

Indian Navy.

How this accord will be beneficial to India:• Israel inaugurated its first diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi at the same time direct flights, business and

tourism picking up between the two countries over the past few months.

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• India’s trajectory towards an increased strategic footprint in West Asia has been in development for some time now.

• India has hosted Iranian naval warships in 2018.• India took defence of the critical waterways in and around the Persian Gulf.• The extended Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Arabian Sea has taken the forefront in Indian strategic

thinking.• Tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States flared up recently in the Persian Gulf and to counter

this issue the Indian Navy orchestrated Operation Sankalp.• We must remember that despite India’s rare but arguable successes in a ‘non alignment’ approach in

West Asia India has taken one sided approach in the past which is evident from the examples such as training Iraqi Air Force cadets on MiG aircraft in 1958 to 1989 at the same time also maintaining good relations with former President Saddam Hussein.

Way Forward:• Iran will play a significant part in India’s outreach in west Asia and extended Indian ocean region in the

months to come as the crisis in Afghanistan deepens. • India must use Iranian airspace and its facilities during any evacuation of its diplomatic staff from

Kandahar in July showcases a level of strategy.

• Recent visits by India’s External Affairs Minister along with Defense Minister followed by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami’s visit to India highlight a revitalized strategic cooperation between the two countries despite multiple obstacles in the bilateral relations the Gulf and Iran via proxy battles in theatres such as Yemen, Syria and beyond.

Swarn Singh

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The fall of Kabul, the future of Regional Geopolitics (International relations, GS-2, The Hindu)

Context:USA President Joe Biden has set the September 11 deadline for all American troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. This withdrawal will end 20 years of the invasion by the United States. There were peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban that started in Doha last year.

A History about this Conflict:• A terrorist attack in America on 11 September 2001, This attack killed nearly 3,000 people in America.

Osama Bin Laden was identified as the man responsible for this attack. He was the head of Islamist terror group al-Qaeda

• The Taliban protected Bin Laden and refused to hand him over. A month after the 9/11 attack the US launched airstrikes against Afghanistan.

• The US was joined by an international coalition and NATO forces. This ousted the Taliban from power. • Now the Taliban turned into an insurgent force and continued deadly attacks.• These attacks were destabilizing subsequent Afghan governments.• Since then, the US has been fighting a war against the Taliban.• Every other president whoever is, from Obama to Biden there is a pressure on the government to quit

from Afghanistan because it takes too much human resources and financial resources• The negotiations began in September 2018 with the appointment of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad

to initiate direct talks with the Taliban. After nine rounds of US-Taliban talks in Qatar, the two sides seemed close to an agreement.

Why Afghanistan is at the Forefront since Ancient in terms of war:• Afghanistan is the gateway to central Asia.• Afghanistan is a connecting link between the West and the most prosperous country India in the

medieval times.• The British empire sent troops to the country in 1839 on the pretext of a Russian invasion to India via

Afghanistan, In this British empire ousted its ruler Dost Muhammad.• Afghanistan has access to the central Asia resources.• In 1979, the Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan to save the country’s communist regime from the

USA.• The current issue takes the birth in the rivalry of two Giants i.e. USA and USSR.• The USSR faced a bloody Mujahideen resistance and had to pull back in 1989.

Issues Currently:• Since May 1 the Taliban have seized eight districts in four different regions in Afghanistan.• 22% of Afghanistan’s 398 districts are in the Taliban’s control.• 24% of these distt are with the government.• Terrorist networks are now scattered across Asia and Africa. These are the networks which the U.S.

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vowed to destroy when it launched its global war on terror in Afghanistan.

What are the three mistakes done by the USA in context of Afghanistan issue:• The U.S went into Afghanistan to wage a war, without learning anything from the country’s history. This

is a perfect example of U.S. obsession with the unipolar world. U.S. is retreating and its inconclusive war practically leaving Afghanistan to the mercy of the Taliban.

• The U.S. launched the Iraq invasion to topple Saddam Hussein and export democracy there at the same time Taliban got the oxygen to resurface again with the help of Pakistan. By the time the U.S. shifted its focus back to Afghanistan, there were growing calls at home to end the “endless wars. Though the USA has defeated the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

• Now amid growing concern of war in Afghanistan, US could have withdrawn the forces quite smoothly rather suddenly. This has given more legitimacy to Taliban and a moral boost to Taliban to continue with the war against Afghanistan forces.

Why is this issue Important to India:• There is much investment by India in Afghanistan e.g. SALMA dam, Construction of Parliament,

Capacity building in terms of human resources and physical infrastructure.• Afghanistan shares the boundary with India’s only one U.T, i.e. J&K.• Taliban resurgence to power will certainly hit the cultural ties and it will again push Afghanistan’s

society into the medieval ages.• Sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan may help in spreading the radicalization of Youth in J&k.• Afghanistan provides access to central Asia which will help India to have energy and mineral security.

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• Afghanistan is rich in mineral resources such as Copper and Iron (Hajigak mines of copper in Afghanistan).

• The major challenge for India will be an increase in terrorism and extremism in the region.• The return of the Taliban to Kabul will stop India’s ‘mission Central Asia’ to rest.

Advantage to China but Extremism a Constraint:• The vacuum created in the region due to post American power, will be primarily advantageous to China.• Beijing will further strengthen its efforts to bring every country, except India at the table.• Belt and Road Initiative will be altering the geopolitical and geo-economics foundations of the region.

Swarn Singh