Daily Prelims Notes 17 June 2023

June 17, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

17 June 2023

Table Of Contents

1. GST administration detects 11,140 bogus entities in special drive, FM calls for more stringent registration process

Subject: Economy

Section: Fiscal Policy

Context:

The GST administration has undertaken a special drive against GST fraudsters and has detected 11,140 bogus registrations, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was told on Friday. The CBIC is computing the amount claimed as Input Tax Credit (ITC) by these bogus entities.

Input Tax Credit (ITC)

Input credit means at the time of paying tax on output, you can reduce the tax you have already paid on inputs. Say, you are a manufacturer – tax payable on output (FINAL PRODUCT) is Rs 450 tax paid on input (PURCHASES) is Rs 300 You can claim INPUT CREDIT of Rs 300 and you only need to deposit Rs 150 in taxes

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (erstwhile Central Board of Excise & Customs) is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

It deals with the tasks of

formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs, Central Excise duties, Central Goods & Services Tax and IGST,
prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to Customs, Central Excise, Central Goods & Services Tax, IGST and Narcotics to the extent under CBIC’s purview.
The Board is the administrative authority for its subordinate organizations, including Custom Houses, Central Excise and Central GST Commission rates and the Central Revenues Control Laboratory.

GST

The GST aims to streamline the taxation structure in the country and replace a gamut of indirect taxes with a singular GST to simplify the taxation procedure.
It has been established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.
It is an indirect tax for the whole country on the lines of “One Nation One Tax” to make India a unified market.
GST subsumes

At the Central level, the following taxes are being subsumed:

Central Excise Duty
Additional Excise Duty
Service Tax
Additional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty
Special Additional Duty of Customs.

At the State level, the following taxes are being subsumed:

Subsuming of State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax
Entertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies)
Central Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States)
Octroi and Entry tax
Purchase Tax
Luxury tax
Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling.

GST is essentially a consumption tax and is levied at the final consumption point. The principle used in GST taxation is Destination Principle.
It is levied on the value addition and provides set offs. As a result, it avoids the cascading effect or tax on tax which increases the tax burden on the end consumer.
There is a provision of GST Council to decide upon any matter related to GST whose chairman in the finance minister of India. It will approve all decision related to taxation in the country. It consists of Centre, states and UTs with legislature. Centre has 1/3rd voting rights and states have 2/3rd voting rights. Decisions are taken after a majority in the council.
GSTN is registered as a not-for-profit company under the companies Act. It has been formed to set up and operate the information technology backbone of the GST. While the Central (24.5%) and the state (24.5%) governments hold a combined stake of 49%, the remaining 51% stake is divided among five financial institutions

2. What is ‘fish kill’ and why it happens

Subject: geography

Section: Physical geography Climatology

Context:

Thousands of dead fish washed up on multiple beaches in southeast Texas, USA.

Details:

Among the dead fish covering the shores were mostly menhaden but there were also some sharks, trout, bass, catfish and stingrays.

Fish kill phenomenon:

The incident took place due to a phenomenon called “fish kill”.
- It is the sudden and unexpected death of many fish or other aquatic animals over a short period and mostly within a particular area.
- It occurs mainly due to low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water that causes suffocation of the fish.
A combination of phenomena led to the occurrence of this event:
- Warm water and rising sea surface temperature led to difficulty in breathing
- Group of fish trapped in shallow water leads to more warming of water
- Calm water: Due to calm water, wind does not get mixed with the water, thus leading to scarcity of dissolved oxygen.
- Due to cloudy skies, phytoplankton were unable to carry out the process of photosynthesis, which is another way of producing oxygen in the water.
Texas experiences fish kills every year during summers when the temperatures of the sea surface rise.
With the rising temperature in the oceans, this phenomenon may become more prevalent.

3. El Nino: How the climate pattern may prolong food inflation

Subject: geography

Section: Physical geography Climatology

Context:

The latest El Nino climate phenomenon has arrived, threatening floods in some areas of the world and droughts in others. Previous disruptive weather patterns cost the global economy trillions and stoked inflation.

El-Nino phenomenon:

El Nino, which is Spanish for Little Boy, is marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator.
- This weakens the trade winds — east-west winds that blow near the Equator.
Due to El Niño, easterly trade winds that blow from the Americas towards Asia change direction to turn into westerlies.
It thus brings warm water from the western Pacific towards America.
It fuels flooding to the Americas, tropical storms to the Pacific and brings droughts to many other parts of the world, including southern Africa.

Effects of El Niño Phenomenon

Weather – El Niño causes dry, warm winters in Northern U.S. and Canada and increased flooding risk on the U.S. gulf coast and southeastern U.S.
- It brings drought to Indonesia and Australia.
- In India, an El Nino event is strongly linked to suppressed rainfall in the monsoon season.
Marine resource – Under El Niño, upwelling (deeper waters rise towards the surface) of deeper waters is reduced, thus reducing phytoplankton off the coast.
- Fish that eat phytoplankton are affected, followed by other organisms higher up the food chain.
Warm water – Warmer water carries tropical species towards colder areas, disrupting multiple ecosystems.
Airflow above the ocean – Heat redistribution on the surface impacts airflows above the ocean.

The economic impact of El Nino:

Following El Nino in 1982-83, the financial effects were felt for another half-decade, totalling some $4.1 trillion (€3.7 trillion).
After the 1997-98 El Nino season, the damage to global economic growth was $5.7 trillion.
Researchers estimated that the negative economic effects from the latest El Nino season could reach $3 trillion between now and 2029.
Most hit sectors:
- Fisheries industries
- The big agricultural regions of Africa, South America and even several regions of North America.
- If harvests are poor and infrastructure is damaged by storms, the insurance sector will also suffer.
Food, energy inflation spikes:
- big agricultural regions of Africa, South America and even several regions of North America. Then, if harvests are poor and infrastructure is damaged by storms, the insurance sector will also suffer.
- The latest El Nino phase could be the warmest and costliest ever.
- The rise in prices of Coffee, Cocoa and sugar is rising.

4. Warming oceans challenge Arabian Sea cyclone forecasts

Subject: geography

Section: Physical geography Climatology

Context: The data suggest that it takes more time for the agency to accurately forecast the trajectory of storms that originate in the Arabian Sea, than those in the Bay of Bengal.

Details:

Historically, most cyclones around India tend to originate in the Bay of Bengal but global warming is causing the Arabian Sea to be heating up more than average and whetting greater – and increasingly stronger – cyclones like Biparjoy.
IMD has predicted the path of cyclone Mocha ( a storm of Bay of Bengal) more accurately than that of Cyclone Biporjoy.
IMD has predicted the path of Cyclone Sitrang, Yaas, Mandous and Gulaab more accurately, all of which are an storm of Bay of Bengal region.
However IMD failed to predict accurately the path of Arabian sea cyclone Tauktae.

Reason:

The Bay of Bengal has more frequent cyclones and were better understood.
The Arabian Sea cyclones, historically have been fewer because of relatively colder sea surface temperatures.
Nearly 48% of cyclones here never reached land, as opposed to only 13% in the Bay of Bengal.
There is an increasing prominence of Arabian Sea cyclones with a 52% rise in such cyclones from 2001-2019 and an 8% decrease in those over the Bay of Bengal.
It is the winds in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, called steering winds, that influence the direction and recurving, whereas the heat within the ocean layers determined the strength and duration of cyclones.
- While the latter is better captured in the (prediction) models, the wind component is not always fully captured in the models.
The weather models used to predict the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal cyclones were the same and the IMD incorporated inputs from Indian as well as several international models to estimate the track and intensity of cyclones.

There are factors unique to the Arabian Sea, but absent in the Bay of Bengal, which influence a cyclone’s intensity and movement:

The Arabian Sea has a much deeper – up to 40 metres – layer of warm water compared to that in the Bay of Bengal.
Many times, these sub-surface values aren’t captured in the cyclone prediction models and that’s why, the strength and speed of the cyclones aren’t accurately captured in advance.

5. WASH in healthcare facilities can help prevent antimicrobial resistance

Subject: Science and technology

Section: health

Context:

The importance of preventing infections has become more crucial, with the existing antibiotics becoming increasingly ineffective due to the growing burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the thin and dry drugs in the pipeline.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR):

Prevention refers to practices that can limit or avert the emergence and spread of infections, such that antimicrobial use can be reduced.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites develop resistance against the antimicrobial drugs and no longer be inactivated or killed by the drug.
Causes of spread:
- Overuse and misuse of drugs in humans, animals and the food production sectors.
- The environment also accelerates the emergence and spread of AMR.
Consequences:
- In 2019, about five million deaths worldwide were estimated to be associated with antibiotic resistance. About 1.3 million deaths were directly attributed to it.

WASH strategy to prevent AMR:

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities, households and communities, and food-animal production systems play a fundamental role in AMR prevention and containment.
Universal access to clean drinking water, better sanitation and hygiene can control the development and spread of infections and subsequent antibiotic use.
A recent report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF has reaffirmed this. Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Waste and Electricity Services in Health Care Facilities: 2023 Global Progress Report assessed global and national efforts and progress towards improving WASH, cleanliness and waste management, particularly in health care facilities.
- Healthcare-associated infections that occur while receiving care for another condition are a major threat; they call for the use of antibiotics.
- Waste (mostly sewage and effluents) can be a major source of AMR.
- Improper disposal of healthcare-associated waste such as gloves, syringes and vials.
The status of least developed countries (LDC) —low-income countries:
- Only 21 per cent of healthcare facilities have basic sanitation services, whereas basic hygiene services are available in just a third (32 per cent) of healthcare facilities in these countries.
- Only 14 per cent of countries monitored WASH in health systems in 2022.
- In terms of health budgets, only 12 per cent of countries have more than 75 per cent of the funds needed to reach WASH targets.
- Universal access to WASH in healthcare facilities will cost $0.60 per person per year for LDCs — equivalent to 6 per cent of their current annual health spending.
Steps to prevent AMR:
- Safely managed sanitation systems, even simple ones using well-maintained septic tanks, will reduce pathogen loads and help prevent the spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens (and other pathogens) in wastewater.
- Improving investments, integration into health planning, building the right set of the health workforce and strengthening the review and monitoring process to deliver and maintain better WASH, waste and electricity services.

6. High road to Dubai COP28: 6th Technical Expert Dialogue on New Collective Quantified Goal held at Bonn

Subject: Environment

Section: International conventions

Context:

Climate finance is a key issue in climate negotiations this year.

Details:

The $100 billion climate finance goal, which developed countries committed to in 2009, will be succeeded by the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) in 2025.
The current deliberations on the NCQG are promising and indicate that the new climate finance goal will be based on a more concrete rationale and well-defined criteria.

Progress on NCQG:

The Sixth Technical Expert Dialogue (TED 6) of the ad hoc Work Programme on the New Collective Quantified Goal was held at the 58th Subsidiary Body Meetings in Bonn, where details on ways to determine the quantum of as well as options of framing the mobilisation and provision of financial sources were discussed.
Key discussions are:
- To determine the quantum (amount) of the NCQG
  - Determining the quantum through increasing provisions of climate finance from a baseline of existing provisions by either doubling or tripling previous goals.
- Whether the new quantum should be based on the needs of developing countries;
- Whether it should be tied to specific outcomes and outputs to be achieved in the context of Article 2 of the Paris Agreement
- Whether the new quantum should be based on a scope and structure of the NCQG; or
- If it should be based on the breadth of contributions including the private sector and philanthropies, among other options.
In their submissions leading up to TED 6, Zambia, on behalf of the African Group of Negotiators, the Least Developed Countries group, India on behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Country group (LMDC), and Costa Rica on behalf of the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean group have also said that the needs of developing countries should be a primary criterion in deciding the new quantum.
Article 9 of Paris Agreement:
- States that “developed country Parties shall provide financial resources to assist developing country Parties with respect to both mitigation and adaptation in continuation of their existing obligations under the Convention”.
Article 2.1c of Paris Agreement:
- Relates to “making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development”.

7. World Desertification Day 2023: Granting equal land rights to women can reduce world hunger significantly, says UN

Subject: Environment

Section: International conventions

Context:

Ensuring women can own and inherit land is imperative for reducing desertification and achieving the land degradation neutrality (LDN) 2030 agenda, world leaders highlighted at the global observance event ahead of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on 17 June.

Details:

Desertification threatens the world with food insecurity and impedes climate change mitigation.
Unsustainable agriculture is a primary cause and erodes soil 100 times faster than it can be restored naturally.
As much as 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded.
This year’s desertification day observance events planned across the world will take forward the “Her Land. Her Rights: Advancing Gender Equality and Land Restoration Goals” campaign launched by UNCCD International Women’s Day in March 2023.

Inequality in land rights:

Women suffer the most because of the consequences of this human-made crisis such as scarcity of food and water as well as forced displacement, although only a fifth of the world’s landowners are women.
- This is because women have lower access to natural resources, financial services and technology, among other things, compared to men.
This inequality is despite the fact that women comprise “nearly half the world’s agricultural workforce and produce up to 80 per cent of food in developing countries.
- Inequality is also rampant — women in over 100 countries are stopped from inheriting their husband’s property.
The global soil health protection body also released an analysis of the benefits of land rights equality. It showed:
- If women had equal rights to land, agricultural production in the poorest regions would increase by up to 4 per cent and malnourishment would decline by 12-17 per cent, resulting in 150 million fewer hungry people globally.

Women’s role in land conservation:

The fact that women play an important role in soil conservation is not new to the global consciousness.
Past reports highlighted that when women decide how to manage land, both soil health and agriculture yield improved.

Efforts to reduce gender inequality in land degradation neutrality (LDN):

Despite this, as of 2019, only around 20 of more than 80 countries had included discussions on the role of gender and women in their LDN targets.
It was only during COP13 held in China in 2017 that UNCCD, which came into force in 1996, drew up a ‘Gender Action Plan’ mandating gender mainstreaming in efforts of countries to achieve their LDN targets.
In the two years till the following COP14, UNCCD observed that gender still had not found a prominent mention in the measures of most countries.
Some like Bosnia, Guyana, Senegal, Peru, Ethiopia, and Indonesia adopted the Gender Action Plan.

8. All that happened at UNCCD COP14

Subject: Environment

Section: International conventions

UNCCD COP14 throws up innovative methods to fund drought mitigation

The commercialisation of basic livelihood and services such as water supply and sanitation would generate sufficient funds to mitigate drought.
The experts batted for the engagement of the private sector to get funds for drought.
A successful insurance model from Africa for innovative financing to tackle drought is the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC).
- Established in 2012 as a body of the Africa Union, its aim is to improve member countries’ prepared- redness for tackling extreme weather events and natural disasters.
An interactive ‘drought toolbox’ was launched to monitor early drought warnings and methods of mitigation.

Public-private partnerships can help restore degraded lands

Business leaders were keen to collaborate with the public sector and the civil society to on land degradation projects. They called for encouraging public-private partnerships to restore degraded lands at the 14th Conference of Parties (CoP 14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Experts stress restoring Sahel region by 2030

Partners of the African-led Great Green Wall Initiative have agreed to bold targets to restore 100 million hectares of land and create 10 million green jobs by 2030 across the Sahel.
The Great Green Wall Initiative, launch in 2007 by African Union, is a flagship programme that aims to combat climate change and desertification. It has made major progress in restoring Sahara-Sahel landscapes.
They also called to focus on land degradation. Nearly 65 per cent of land in the African continent is under degradation and requires immediate attentions, they said.
The initiative aims to achieve:
- Large-scale landscape restoration
- Creation of 10 million green jobs
- Promotion of clean energy by 2030

Land utility as solar park:

Generating Solar power needs the most amount of land among green energy sources, claimed Global Land Outlook, a report released by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
India showcased the biggest solar power plant as a model to deal with land degradation while meeting energy requirements.
- The Pavagada power plant of Karnataka is billed as the world’s largest solar park spread over 13,000 acres of land.
- The 2000 MW solar park is spread across five villages — Thirumani, Rayacherlu, Vallur, Balasamudra and Kyataganacherlu in Nagalamadike Hobli of Pavagada Taluk in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district.
- The arid region with fallow land was not irrigated and a drought-like situation prevailed continuously.

9. Unique space telescope designed by Pune scientists ready for Sun mission

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Space

Context:

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), a unique space telescope developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), is now ready and has been delivered to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The telescope is set to be integrated with the ADITYA-L1 mission, expected to be launched in mid-August this year.

Aditya-L1 mission:

ADITYA-L1 will be ISRO’s first space observatory dedicated to studying the Sun.
It will fly approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth to the L1, or Lagrange Point 1, which is one of the five favorable spots for observing the Sun.
- After the launch of the Aditya-L1 mission, it will take approximately 100 days to reach the halo orbit around the L1 point, where all seven unique payloads will carry out scientific observations.
The mission aims to provide regular images and updates on the Sun’s surface phenomena and space weather.
The Aditya-L1 mission will carry seven different payloads capable of studying various phenomena on the Sun across the electromagnetic spectrum and solar wind.
Aditya-L1 will enable seamless measurement of solar radiation from Hard X-ray to Infrared, as well as in-situ measurements of particles in the solar wind and the Sun’s magnetic field at the L1 point.

About Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT):

SUIT is a unique space telescope developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
SUIT, for the first time, will allow us to record images in this wavelength crucial for maintaining the Ozone and Oxygen content in the atmosphere of the Earth.
SUIT will also measure the UV radiation hazardous for skin cancer.

The SUIT telescope will address fundamental questions such as the existence of a higher-temperature atmosphere above the cooler surface of the Sun and the origin and variation of near-ultraviolet radiation and high-energy solar flares.

10. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library renamed

Subject : History

Section : Art and Culture

Concept :

The Union Culture Ministry announced that the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) would now be called the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society.
The name change came nearly a year after a Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Ministers’ Museum) was inaugurated on the premises of the Teen Murti Bhavan, which also hosted the NMML.

Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML)

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) was established in the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964).
It was named after Nehru almost six decades ago, after being turned into a memorial dedicated to him in 1964 by then President S Radhakrishnan.
It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
It is located in the majestic Teen Murti House, the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India.
It has four major constituents, namely, a Memorial Museum, a library on modern India, a Centre for Contemporary Studies and the Nehru Planetarium.

Teen Murti House

Built in 1929-30 as part of Edwin Lutyens’ imperial capital, Teen Murti House was then known as Flagstaff House.
It was the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the British armed forces in India.
In August 1948, it became the official residence of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Ministers’ Museum)

Inaugurated by PM Modi in April 2022, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence.
It is a narrative record of how each PM has contributed to the development of our nation over the last 75 years.
It recognises contributions of all the 14 PMs so far, irrespective of ideology or tenure in office.
It has ample space for future leaders as well.

What happened to the erstwhile Nehru Museum building?

The erstwhile Nehru Museum building is now seamlessly integrated with the new museum building.
The Nehru Museum is designated as Block I, and has a completely updated, technologically advanced display on the life and contribution of the first prime minister.

11. Modi to lead Yoga Day celebrations at UN headquarters

Subject : History

Section : Art and Culture

Concept :

According to latest information, Prime Minister of India is going for a ‘State Visit’ to the U.S. which is scheduled from June 21 to 23.
The Prime Minister will also celebrate International Yoga Day at UN Headquarters during the visit.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, means ‘threads’ in Sanskrit, contains 196 Sutras with compiled knowledge about yoga from very earlier traditions.
They are Sanskrit Aphorisms (called, Sutras) on theoretical and practical knowledge of Yoga. These Sutras were compiled by Patanjali in around 400 CE.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali remain the foundational text for contemporary Yoga practices.
Yoga has been practiced since the pre-Vedic period but Maharishi Patanjali codified the knowledge about Yoga systematically via his Yoga Sutras.
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is a compilation of 196 sutras containing theoretical and practical knowledge about yoga.
This Yoga Sutra was divided into four books or four chapters. The four chapters are as follows:
- Samadhi Pada – 51 Sutras
- Sadhana Pada – 55 Sutras
- Vibhuti Pada – 56 Sutras
- Kaivalya Pada – 34 Sutras

About Patanjali

The name, ‘Patanjali’ has been associated with multiple individuals from different times and places in Indian History.
The most famous ‘Patanjali’, a sage from Ancient India was the author of Mahabhasya and the compiler of Yoga Sutras.
Another individual named ‘Patanjali’ was the author of Nidana-Suras and the third ‘Patanjali’ was a famous teacher of Samkhya Philosophy.

12. Generic drugs for diabetes, gastric issues, cardiovascular ailments see high demand

Subject : Schemes

Concept :

Medicines to treat gastric issues, diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, and pain have seen the highest sales at the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana scheme.
The drugs sold at the Kendras are 50% to 90% cheaper than their branded counterpart.
The Jan Aushadhi Kendras selling generic drugs at affordable prices have seen their sales rise more than 170 times over the last nine years, but the government has no intention of making them available online in the near future.

Generic Drugs

Generic drugs can be defined as affordable versions of branded drugs which are brought into the market once the original drug manufacturer’s patent expires.
These medicines have the same potency, quality, and implications and work in an identical manner as the branded drug. The generic medicines are marketed either by a salt or brand name.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana

It is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
It seeks to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.
Initially launched in 2008, the scheme was rechristened in 2015.
Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementation agency for PMBJP.
The Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of India works under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers.

Objective of the PMBJP:

To make available quality medicines, consumables and surgical items at affordable prices for all and reduce out of pocket expenditure of consumers/patients.
To popularise generic medicines among the masses and dispel the prevalent notion that low priced generic medicines are of inferior quality or are less effective.
Generic medicines are unbranded medicines which are equally safe and have the same efficacy as that of branded medicines in terms of their therapeutic value.
To ensure easy availability of the menstrual health services (Janaushadhi ‘Suvidha’ sanitary napkins) to all women across India.
Generate employment by engaging individual entrepreneurs in the opening of PMBJP Kendras.

Janaushadhi Kendra

These are the centres from where quality generic medicines are made available to all.
Bureau of Pharma PSUs in India (BPPI) supports Janaushadhi Kendras as a part of PMBJP.
The Government has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) to 10,500 by the end of March 2025.

13. Biden govt. eases norms on eligibility criteria for Green Card

Subject : International Relations

Section : India and major power

Concept :

Biden administration has eased norms by releasing policy guidance on the eligibility criteria for those waiting for green cards to work and stay in America, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.

Green Card

A Green Card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card, is an identification document proving a person’s right to live permanently in the United States.
All permanent residents receive a Green Card from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as evidence of their eligibility to dwell and work in the country.
An individual and a state have a connection known as citizenship in which the individual is obligated to the state and hence entitled to its protection. Each state chooses the circumstances in which it will recognize people as citizens and the circumstances in which that recognition will be revoked.
A state’s recognition of a person as a citizen typically entails the grant of civil, political, and social rights that are not available to non-citizens.

About H1B Visa:

It is a multiple entry non-immigrant visa which allows foreign workers employed by US companies to work in the United States.
The workers under H1B visas should be engaged in specialised occupations such as science, medicine, engineering and mathematics.
H1B applicants must have at least a US bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
Generally this visa is granted for a period of three years and can be extended for an additional three years for special circumstances.
H-1B visa requires the employer to apply on the person’s behalf.
Holders of H1B visas can sell or buy property and invest in the stock market in the United States.

14. MQ-9 Reaper UAVs

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Defense

Concept :

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. The Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of 31 armed MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from General Atomics.

About General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper

The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, which is also called Predator B, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
It is capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations.
It has been developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for the United States Air Force (USAF).
As per GA-ASI, the MQ-9 UAV has an endurance of over 27 hours, speeds of 240 KTAS, can operate up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850 pound (1,746 kilograms) payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds (1,361 kilograms) of external stores.
The aircraft’s manufacturer also says that it can carry 500 per cent more payload and has nine times the horsepower in comparison to the earlier MQ-1 Predator
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and General Atomics last year announced that the turbo-propeller engines which power the MQ-9 would be supported by HAL’s engine division for the Indian market.

Importance of the deal

MQ-9 UAV provides long-endurance, persistent surveillance, and strike capability for the warfighter.
It will significantly enhance the maritime surveillance capability of the Indian Navy over the Indian Ocean Region.
They will reduce the stress on the P-8I maritime patrol aircraft.
India is also the first non-treaty partner to be offered a Missile Technology Control Regime Category-1 Unmanned Aerial System – the Sea Guardian UAS manufactured by General Atomics.

15. Hundreds feared dead as migrant boat capsizes of Greek coast

Subject : International Relations

Section: Place in news

Concept :

Wednesday’s deadly shipwreck off southern Greece, involving a large boat carrying migrants that capsized after apparently rebuffing offers of help, is just the latest case of smugglers packing vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe.
The trip from Libya or Tunisia through the Central Mediterranean and north to Europe is the deadliest migratory route in the world, according to the N.’s International Organization of Migration.

Mediterranean Sea

A sea of the Atlantic Ocean, lies between the continents of Eurasia and Africa enclosed almost completely by land.
Bordering Countries (21 countries): Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.
To the west it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, to the east with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles Straits, and to the south with the Red Sea through Suez Canal.
Nile river (Africa) drains into the Mediterranean Sea.

International Organization of Migration.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
The IOM was established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help resettle people displaced by World War II.
It was first known as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME).
It became a United Nations agency in 2016.

Mandate

The IOM is the principal UN agency working in the field of migration.
The IOM promotes humane and orderly migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
The IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management: migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration, and addressing forced migration.

Activities

The IOM works
to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration,
to promote international cooperation on migration issues,
to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and
to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons or other uprooted people.
The IOM supported the creation of the Global Compact for Migration, the first-ever intergovernmental agreement on international migration which was adopted in Marrakech, Morocco, in December 2018.
In addition, the IOM has often organized elections for refugees out of their home country, as was the case in the 2004 Afghan elections and the 2005 Iraqi elections.

Members

As of 2023, the International Organization for Migration has 175 member states and 8 observer states.

16. Food choices key to tackling global warming

Subject: Environment

Section: Agriculture

Context: Food consumption in the five highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting countries, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and the US, were responsible for more than 40% of global food chain emission in 2019, according to a study.

Content:

Reasons for Global Warming:

Agri food system contributes to around one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas.
Population growth, expansion of food production and an increase in animal-based diets are likely to further increase emissions and squeeze the global carbon budget.
The largest emission within food supply chains is triggered by beef (32%) and dairy consumption (46%) in rapidly developing countries, such as China and India, while emissions per head in developed countries with a high percentage of animal-based food declined.
Consumption of grains and oil crops is responsible for 43 and 23 per cent of global plant-based emissions respectively, while rice contributes to over half of the global grain related emissions, with Indonesia, China, and India being the top three contributors.

Ways to solve:

A global shift in diets, including reducing excessive intake of red meat and improving shares of plant-based protein— will not only reduce emissions but avoid health risks such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Incentives that encourage consumers to reduce red meat or buy products with higher environmental dividends could help to reduce food emissions.

17. Threat of toxic cough syrups remains, more nations hit: WHO

Subject: Science

Section: Health

Context: There is an ongoing global threat posed by toxic cough syrups, and WHO is now working with six more countries than previously revealed to track the potentially deadly children’s medicines.

Content:

The UN agency has already named nine countries where tainted syrups may have been on sale.
The contaminated medicines could still be found for several years, as adulterated barrels of an essential ingredient may remain in warehouses.
Also, Cough syrups and the ingredient, propylene glycol, both have shelf lives of around two years.
Unscrupulous actors sometimes substitute propylene glycol with toxic alternatives, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, because they are cheaper.

Indian Medicines:

The WHO issued safety alerts last year for Indian made products found in Gambia and Uzbekistan, and this year in Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
Two companies whose products have been linked to deaths have been shuttered by the authorities were Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which sold syrups to Gambia, and Marion Biotech, whose syrups went to Uzbekistan.
Besides these cases, Indian made medicines supplied to the Marshall Islands and Micronesia have been recalled after Australian labs showing contamination.
The contaminated syrups in Liberia were made by India’s Synercare Mumbai. The Liberian health regulator said it plans to incinerate the stock and will recall two other Synercare products as well, as a precaution.
Health is a state subject
The Central authority is the overall supervisory body and direct States to ensure that the raw materials used are tested for purity.
The State gives manufacturing licences and inspects plants, etc., in line with central laws.
The Drug and Cosmetics Act, 1940 establishes regulatory control over the import, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs and cosmetics in India.
- It is mandatory for the manufacturers to adhere to the prescribed requirements for licensing of manufacturing units & medicines including proof of safety & effectiveness, compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
- This also established the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) headed by Drug Controller General of India, DCGI
  - DCGI is responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India. It also sets standards for manufacturing, sales, import, and distribution of drugs in India

- Role of CDSCO
  - Prescribes standards and measures for ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs, cosmetics, diagnostics and devices in the country.
  - Regulates the market authorization of new drugs and clinical trials standards.
  - Supervises drug imports and approves licences to manufacture the above-mentioned products.
  - CDSCO regulates export of drugs in India, any manufacturer with the certification from CDSCO can export drugs outside India.
The State Health department has to regulate the manufacturing, sales, and distribution of drugs.
Drug Inspectors control the implementation at ground level.
The Drugs and Cosmetics Act also has provisions of recalling of substandard drugs from the market, to compensate the families of victims of adulteration.

18. Central govt staff stick to their guns on NPS, reject panel’s terms of reference

Subject: Schemes

Context: Associations representing Central government employees have rejected the terms of reference of the committee appointed to review the National Pension System (NPS).

Content:

Background:

The terms of reference of the panel are:

Whether in the light of the existing framework and structure of the NPS, as applicable to govt employees, any changes therein are warranted;
If so, to suggest such measures as are appropriate to modify the same with a view to improving upon the pensionary benefits of government employees covered under the NPS, keeping in view the fiscal implications and impact on overall budgetary space, so that fiscal prudence is maintained to protect the common citizen.

However, the employees’ bodies have reiterated the following two demands:

One, withdrawal of the NPS implemented for employees who were recruited on or after January 1, 2004 and bringing them all under the ambit of the old pension scheme governed as per CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.
Second, implementation of the GPF (General Pension Fund) scheme for employees who were recruited on or after January 01, 2004 by depositing the accumulated contribution of employees along with the returns to the GPF Accounts of the employees.

Concept:

OPS vs NPS:

As per the OPS – discontinued on April 1, 2004 – pension constituted 50 per cent of the last drawn salary of an employee.
This entire amount was paid by the government.
The government replaced this system with the national pension scheme (NPS) or contributory pension scheme for employees who joined on or after April 1, 2004.
It is regulated under the PFRDA (The Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority) Act, 2013.
NPS is being implemented and regulated by PFRDA in the country.
National Pension System Trust (NPST) established by PFRDA is the registered owner of all assets under NPS.
Under it every government employee is allotted a Permanent Retirement Account Number, and has to mandatorily contribute 10% of pay and dearness allowance to the pension fund, which is matched by the government.
After the latest amendment, in 2019, the government share of the contribution has been raised to 14% from 10%.
This money can then be invested by fund managers.
On retirement, the employee can withdraw 60% of the corpus but is required to invest at least 40% to purchase an annuity from an insurance firm regulated and registered by government authorities. The interest on the annuity is to be provided as a monthly pension to the employee.
The Centre left it to states to adopt the new system, and the States have the power to roll it back.
NPS is structured into two tiers:
Tier-I account: This is the non-withdrawable permanent retirement account into which the accumulations are deposited and invested as per the option of the subscriber.
Tier-II account: This is a voluntary withdrawable account which is allowed only when there is an active Tier I account in the name of the subscriber.
Beneficiaries:
NPS was made available to all Citizens of India from May 2009.
Any individual citizen of India (both resident and Non-resident) in the age group of 18-65 years can join NPS.
However, OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card holders and Hindu Undivided Family (HUFs) are not eligible for opening of NPS accounts.

The differences:

The basic difference is that the NPS is a contribution-based pension system unlike the OPS where the entire amount was paid by the government.
In case of OPS benefit due was defined beforehand– 50 per cent of the last drawn salary of an employee while the NPS, the pension benefit is determined by factors such as the amount of contribution made, the age of joining, type of investment, and the income drawn from that investment.
The minimum payment to retired employees as pension is ₹3,500 in the NPS.
NPS provides a pension fund on retirement which is 60 per cent tax-free on redemption while the rest needs to be invested in annuity which is fully taxable while the Income from OPS is not taxed.