Daily Prelims Notes 30 September 2021
- September 30, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
30 September 2021
Table Of Contents
- Advocate General of the State
- Antimalarial Drug Resistance
- Fruit bat samples in Kerala yield Nipah virus antibodies
- ‘+F’ logo and Green dot label
- Pulses Import Curbs
- Pardoning Power Of The President
- Defence Acquisition Council
- Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), 2020
- PM POSHAN
- Terms of Reference for navy to navy talks
- Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India
- Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCAF) of RBI
- Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
1. Advocate General of the State
Subject – Polity
Context – Deol’s appointment as Punjab Advocate General has raised eyebrows
Concept –
- The Constitution (Article 165) has provided for the office of the advocate general for the states. He is the highest law officer in the state. Thus he corresponds to the Attorney General of India.
- The advocate general is appointed by the governor. He must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of a high court.
- In other words, he must be a citizen of India and must have held a judicial office for ten years or been an advocate of a high court for ten years.
- The term of office of the advocate general is not fixed by the Constitution.
- Further, the Constitution does not contain the procedure and grounds for his removal. He holds office during the pleasure of the governor.
- This means that he may be removed by the governor at any time. He may also quit his office by submitting his resignation to the governor.
- Conventionally, he resigns when the government (council of ministers) resigns or is replaced, as he is appointed on its advice.
- The remuneration of the advocate general is not fixed by the Constitution. He receives such remuneration as the governor may determine.
Duties and Functions
As the chief law officer of the government in the state, the duties of the advocate general include the following:
- To give advice to the government of the state upon such legal matters which are referred to him by the governor.
- To perform such other duties of a legal character that is assigned to him by the governor.
- To discharge the functions conferred on him by the Constitution or any other law.
In the performance of his official duties, the advocate general is entitled to appear before any court of law within the state. Further, he has the right to speak and to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of the state legislature or any committee of the state legislature of which he may be named a member, but without a right to vote. He enjoys all the privileges and immunities that are available to a member of the state legislature.
2. Antimalarial Drug Resistance
Subject – Science and Tech
Context – On September 23, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article `Evidence of Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria in Africa’
Concept –
- In most malaria-endemic countries including India, Artemisinin-based antimalarial drugs are the first-line choice for malaria treatment especially against Plasmodium falciparumparasite which is responsible for almost all malaria-related deaths in the world.
- In recent years there is increasing evidence for the failure of artemisinin-based combination therapy for falciparum malaria either alone or with partner drugs.
- In India, after the failure of chloroquine to treat falciparummalaria successfully, artemisinin-based combination therapy was initially introduced in 117 districts that reported more than 90% falciparum burden in 2008.
- In 2010, artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS+SP) was introduced universally, but in 2013, in view of resistance to the partner drug SP in the seven North Eastern States, the combination partner was replaced by artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for these states.
- Currently, several combinations of artemisinin derivatives are registered in India.
Artemisinin-based combination therapy failure in India
- In 2019, a report from Eastern India indicated the presence of two mutations in P. falciparum cases treated with artemisinin that linked to its presence of resistance.
- Again in 2021, artemisinin-based combination therapy failure was reported from Central India where the partner drug SP showed triple mutations with artemisinin wild type.
- This means the failure of artemisinin-based combination therapy may not be solely linked to artemisinin. Here it is needed to change the partner drug as has been done in NE states in 2013.
- In the past, chloroquine was very effective for all types of malaria treatment in India. But it is no longer used for the treatment of falciparum malaria.
- Though there have been some reports of chloroquine resistance in P. vivax malaria, this drug is still the effective choice to treat this species.
- Reports of the presence of chloroquine resistance mutations in some vivax-dominated areas are a cause of concern and continued monitoring is needed.
To know about Malaria, please click here.
To know about the efforts to end malaria, please click here.
3. Fruit bat samples in Kerala yield Nipah virus antibodies
Subject – Science and Tech
Context – Investigations into the source of Kerala’s third tryst with the Nipah virus early this month appeared to reach some closure on Wednesday, with the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, detecting the presence of IgG antibodies from samples of fruit bats collected from the village of the lone victim in Kozhikode.
Concept –
- Preliminary findings point the finger of suspicion at fruit bats, and it is the first time in three outbreaks that this much has been deduced.
To know about Nipah Virus, please click here.
To know about Antibodies, please click here and here.
National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune
- The National Institute of Virology is one of the major Institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- It was established at Pune, Maharashtra in 1952 as Virus Research Centre (VRC) under the auspices of the ICMR and the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), USA.
- It has been designated as a WHO H5 reference laboratory for SE Asia region.
- The NIV is identified today as the WHO Collaborating Centres for arboviruses reference and hemorrhagic fever reference and research. NIV is also the National Monitoring Centre for Influenza, Japanese encephalitis, Rota, Measles, Hepatitis and Coronavirus.
4. ‘+F’ logo and Green dot label
Subject – Governance
Concept –
- Food Fortification is a scientifically proven, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable global intervention that addresses the issue of micronutrient deficiencies.
- In October 2016, FSSAI operationalized the Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016 for fortifying staples namely Wheat Flour and Rice (with Iron, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid), Milk and Edible Oil (with Vitamins A and D) and Double Fortified Salt (with Iodine and Iron) to reduce the high burden of micronutrient malnutrition in India.
- The ‘+F’ logo has been notified to identify fortified foods.
- India’s Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, require packages of Vegetarian Food to bear a symbol consisting of a green circle inside a green square.
To know about Rice Fortification, please click here and here.
To know about Bio-Fortification, please click here.
Subject – Agriculture
Context – US asks India to set a deadline for ending pulses import curbs
Concept –
- The US has demanded that India should immediately provide a date for permanent termination of the quantitative restrictions on imports of pulses, especially yellow peas. It has also sought all information on public stockholding that New Delhi is yet to submit to the WTO.
- Russia, Canada, the EU, Australia and Ukraine, too, questioned India on the quantitative restrictions on pulses and its public stockpiling, at a recent meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Geneva.
- The countries had earlier asked India to explain how import restrictions were consistent with WTO rules as the multilateral body did not allow quantitative restrictions on exports and imports except under exceptional circumstances.
- India’s quantitative restrictions on import of pulses, introduced in 2017 and 2018, were to expire on March 31, 2020, but India then indicated these “temporary” measures, would be extended for 2021-22, as per a representation made by exporting nations at the WTO earlier this year
- New Delhi has been pushing for a permanent solution to the problem of public stockholding at the WTO as under the present rules its expenditure on its MSP programmes falls under the category of trade distorting subsidy to be capped at 10 per cent of total value of production. India wants this cap to go to protect the livelihood of its farmers and the poor.
6. Pardoning Power Of The President
Subject – Polity
Context – High Court rejects Umesh Reddy’s plea for commuting death penalty to life term
Concept –
- Article 72 of the Constitution empowers the President to grant pardons to persons who have been tried and convicted of any offence in all cases where the:
- Punishment or sentence is for an offence against a Union Law;
- Punishment or sentence is by a court martial (military court); and
- Sentence is a sentence of death.
- The pardoning power of the President is independent of the Judiciary; it is an executive power. But, the President while exercising this power, does not sit as a court of appeal.
- The object of conferring this power on the President is two-fold:
- (a) to keep the door open for correcting any judicial errors in the operation of law; and,
- (b) to afford relief from a sentence, which the President regards as unduly harsh.
- The pardoning power of the President includes the following:
- Pardon: It removes both the sentence and the conviction and completely absolves the convict from all sentences, punishments and disqualifications.
- Commutation: It denotes the substitution of one form of punishment for a lighter form. For example, a death sentence may be commuted to rigorous imprisonment, which in turn may be commuted to a simple imprisonment.
- Remission: It implies reducing the period of sentence without changing its character. For example, a sentence of rigorous imprisonment for two years may be remitted to rigorous imprisonment for one year.
- Respite: It denotes awarding a lesser sentence in place of one originally awarded due to some special fact, such as the physical disability of a convict or the pregnancy of a woman offender.
- Reprieve: It implies a stay of the execution of a sentence (especially that of death) for a temporary period. Its purpose is to enable the convict to have time to seek pardon or commutation from the President.
Under Article 161 of the Constitution, the governor of a state also possesses the pardoning power. Hence, the governor can also grant pardons, reprieves, respites and remissions of punishment or suspend, remit and commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against a state law. But, the pardoning power of the governor differs from that of the President in following two respects:
- The President can pardon sentences inflicted by court martial (military courts) while the governor cannot.
- The President can pardon death sentence while governor cannot. Even if a state law prescribes death sentence, the power to grant pardon lies with the President and not the governor. However, the governor can suspend, remit or commute a death sentence. In other words, both the governor and the President have concurrent power in respect of suspension, remission and commutation of death sentence.
7. Defence Acquisition Council
Subject – Security and defence
Context – Army to get 25 advanced light helicopters at ₹3,850 crore. Defence Acquisition Council approves acquisition proposals for ₹13,165 crore.
Concept –
To know about Defence Acquisition Council, please click here.
8. Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020
Subject – Security and defence
Context – The DAC approved a few amendments to the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), 2020, as part of business process re-engineering to ensure further ease of doing business for the industry as well as measures to enhance procurement efficiency and reduce the timelines.
Concept –
To know about DAP, 2020, please click here.
Subject – Governance
Context – 24 lakh pre-primary students to get meals
Concept –
- The Centre has rebranded the 26-year-old national midday meal scheme to give a hot cooked meal to 11.8 crore government school students from classes 1 to 8, with the Cabinet approving a proposal to rename it as the PM POSHAN (Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme on Wednesday.
- From the next financial year, it will also cover the 24 lakh children studying in balvatikas, the pre-primary section of government schools.
- Although this year’s budget for mid-day meals remains unchanged, an additional ₹266 crore is expected to be added as the Central government’s share to cater to balvatika students from 2022-23,
- The extension of mid-day meals to pre-primary students, who are to be incorporated into the formal education system, was a key recommendation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the population of balvatikas — which offer one year of pre-school classes — is expected to rise from the existing 24 lakh as the policy is implemented
- The PM POSHAN scheme has been approved for the next five-year period until 2025-26, with a collective outlay of ₹1.31 lakh crore, including ₹31,733 crore as the share to be borne by the State governments.
- It will improve nutritional status, encourage education and learning and increase enrolments in government schools.
- The rebranded scheme aims to focus on “holistic nutrition” goals.
To know about Midday Meal Scheme, please click here.
10. Terms of Reference for navy to navy talks
Subject – IR
Context – India, Australia sign ‘Terms of Reference’ for navy to navy talks
Concept –
- The Indian Navy and the Australian Navy on Wednesday signed the ‘Terms of Reference’ (ToR) for the conduct of the navy to navy talks under the framework of the ‘Joint Guidance for the India-Australia Navy to Navy Relationship’ document, signed by the two Navy Chiefs in August.
- This is the first such document signed by the Indian Navy with any country.
- The document set the navy to navy talks as the principal medium for guiding the bilateral cooperation, the Indian Navy said in a statement.
- The document would be pivotal in consolidating the shared commitment to promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The ToR detailed the modalities for engagement at various levels between the two navies and streamlined the process.
- The document provided flexibility for the implementation of separate agreements based on the specific outcomes of the talks.
- The highlights of the document included close cooperation in regional and multilateral fora, including Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
11. Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India
Subject – Economy
Context – Cabinet approves ECGC listing, ₹6,000 crore for export cover
Concept –
- The Cabinet on Wednesday approved an infusion of more than ₹6,000 crore into entities providing export insurance cover to facilitate additional exports worth in excess of ₹5.6 lakh crore over the next five years.
- It also approved the listing of state-run Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) on the stock exchanges.
About ECGC –
- ECGC was established by the Government of India under the Companies Act in 1957.
- Aim: To promote exports by providing credit insurance services to exporters against non-payment risks by the overseas buyers due to commercial and political reasons. It also provides insurance covers to banks against risks in export credit lending to the exporter borrowers
- Nodal Ministry: It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and is managed by a Board of Directors comprising representatives of the Government, Reserve Bank of India, banking, and insurance and exporting community.
- The Government of India had initially set up Export Risks Insurance Corporation in 1957.
- After the introduction of insurance covers to banks during the period 1962-64, the name was changed to Export Credit & Guarantee Corporation Ltd in 1964.
- It was changed to ECGC Ltd in August 2014.
12. Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCAF) of RBI
Subject – Economy
Context – RBI lifts PCA curbs on IOB post review
Concept –
To know about PCA, please click here.
- PCA is a framework under which banks with weak financial metrics are put under watch by the RBI.
- The RBI introduced the PCA framework in 2002 as a structured early-intervention mechanism for banks that become under capitalised due to poor asset quality, or vulnerable due to loss of profitability.
- It aims to check the problem of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in the Indian banking sector.
- The framework was reviewed in 2017 based on the recommendations of the working group of the Financial Stability and Development Council on Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions in India and the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission.
- PCA is intended to help alert the regulator as well as investors and depositors if a bank is heading for trouble.
- The idea is to head off problems before they attain crisis proportions.
- Essentially PCA helps RBI monitor key performance indicators of banks, and taking corrective measures, to restore the financial health of a bank.
- The PCA framework deems banks as risky if they slip some trigger points – capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR), net NPA, Return on Assets (RoA) and Tier 1 Leverage ratio.
- Certain structured and discretionary actions are initiated in respect of banks hitting such trigger points.
- The PCA framework is applicable only to commercial banks and not to co-operative banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
13. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
Subject – Economy
Context – Govt. extends emergency credit scheme till March
Concept –
To know about ECLGS, please click here.