IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-01

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India’s richest 1% hold four times more wealth than 70% of poor: Oxfam

News

• India’s richest 1 per cent hold more than four-times the wealth held by 953 million people who make up for the bottom 70 per cent of the country’s population, while the total wealth of all Indian billionaires is more than the full-year budget, a new study said.

Wealth

• Rights group Oxfam also said the world’s 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make up 60 per cent of the planet’s population.
• The report flagged that global inequality is shockingly entrenched and vast and the number of billionaires has doubled in the last decade, despite their combined wealth having declined in the last year.
• Concern about inequality underlies recent social unrest in almost every continent, although it may be sparked by different tipping points such as corruption, constitutional breaches, or the rise in prices for basic goods and services, as per the WEF report.
• Regarding India, Oxfam said the combined total wealth of 63 Indian billionaires is higher than the total Union Budget of India for the fiscal year 2018-19 which was at Rs 24,42,200 crore.
• As per the global survey, the 22 richest men in the world have more wealth than all the women in Africa.
• Besides, women and girls put in 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care work each and every day a contribution to the global economy of at least $10.8 trillion a year, more than three times the size of the global tech industry.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Explained: How IVF is reversing an imminent extinction

News

• Researchers said last week that they had created another embryo the third of the nearly extinct northern white rhino, a remarkable success in an ongoing global mission to keep the species from going extinct.

Functionally extinct since 2018

• The Kenyan conservancy looking after the last male northern white rhino was forced to euthanise it in March 2018. The 45-year-old rhino, Sudan, was suffering from age-related complications that had eaten at his bones and given him skin wounds.
• The death of Sudan, who was earlier at the Dvur Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic, left the world with only two northern white rhinos, Najin, 30, and Fatu, 19 both female.
• Najin and Fatu, mother-daughter pair in a species that in the 1960s numbered some 2,000 individuals, live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Mount Kenya, where Sudan too, lived. The northern white is one of the two subspecies of the white (or square-lipped) rhinocerous, which once roamed several African countries south of the Sahara.
• The other subspecies, the southern white is, by contrast, the most numerous subspecies of rhino, and is found primarily in South Africa. There is also the black (or hook-lipped) rhinocerous in Africa, which too, is fighting for survival, and at least three of whose subspecies are already extinct.
• The Indian rhinocerous is different from its African cousins, most prominently in that it has only one horn. There is also a Javan rhino, which too, has one horn, and a Sumatran rhino which, like the African rhinos, has two horns.

Reversing the extinction

• In July 2018, scientists reported a major breakthrough IVF for rhinos. They created a test-tube embryo by fertilising the egg of a southern white female with the frozen sperm of a northern white male. Immediately, there was hope for the northern white subspecies if eggs from Najin and Fatu could be fertilised by the available frozen sperm from four (now dead) northern white males.
• The task of collecting oocytes from Najin and Fatu was difficult and delicate, but in September 2019, researchers announced they had created two embryos, the decisive turning point in the effort to save the northern white. The success announced last week was the third. Four eggs were collected from Najin and six from Fatu; all three viable embryos were, however, created using Fatu’s eggs.
• The embryos have been preserved in liquid nitrogen, and will be transferred to a southern white surrogate. Since the gestation period for a rhino could be 18 months, the first northern white calf is expected to arrive in the world in 2022.
• The ultimate goal, is to create a herd of perhaps five northern white rhinos that could be returned to the wild.

Social Mobility Index: India ranks low at 76th place; Denmark tops

News

• India has been ranked very low at 76th place out of 82 countries on a new Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum, while Denmark has topped the charts.

Social Mobility Index

• The report, released also lists India among the five countries that stand to gain the most from a better social mobility score that seeks to measure parameters necessary for creating societies where every person has the same opportunity to fulfil his potential in life irrespective of socioeconomic background.
• Increasing social mobility, a key driver of income inequality, by 10 per cent would benefit social cohesion and boost the world’s economies by nearly 5 per cent by 2030.
• Measuring countries across five key dimensions distributed over 10 pillars health; education (access, quality and equity); technology; work (opportunities, wages, conditions); and protections and institutions (social protection and inclusive institutions) shows that fair wages, social protection and lifelong learning are the biggest drags on social mobility globally.
• In the case of India, it ranks 76th out of 82 economies. It ranks 41st in lifelong learning and 53rd in working conditions.
• The Areas of improvement for India include social protection (76th) and fair wage distribution (79th).
• The inaugural Social Mobility Report showed that across the Global Social Mobility Index, only a handful of nations across the 82 countries covered have put in place the right conditions to foster social mobility.
• The most socially mobile societies in the world, according to the report’s Global Social Mobility Index, are all European.

South India gets its first Sukhoi-30 MKI squadron to keep an eye on Indian Ocean Region

News

• In a first, the Indian Air Force commissioned a squadron of Sukhoi-30 MKI at Thanjavur’s Air Station in Tamil Nadu, the first such base in south India for the fighter jets.
• The development comes amid China’s rising influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which is critical to world energy flows and contributes around 60 per cent to the global GDP.

Sukhoi-30 MKI

• The ‘Tigersharks’ squadron of the Sukhoi-30 MKI jets integrated with the BrahMos cruise missiles was inducted by Chief of Defence Staff.
• The Su-30 MKI is an all-weather multi-role fighter aircraft that is capable of undertaking missions related to air defence, ground attack and maritime.

Andhra Pradesh Assembly clears proposal for three state capitals

News

• Andhra Pradesh Assembly approved a proposal to create three state capitals Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, and Amravati to help decentralised development.

Three state capitals 

• The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Equal Development of All Regions Act, 2020, was introduced by Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development.
• The AP cabinet approved the high-power committee’s report for decentralised development. The cabinet also decided to increase the compensation paid to farmers of the Amaravati capital region. It was decided to increase the compensation from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 per month and increased the lease period for tenant farmers from 10 years to 15 years.
• The cabinet also scrapped the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) which was formed by the previous TDP regime to oversee the development of Amaravati as the new capital. The YSRCP government has instead decided to establish Amravati Metropolitan Regional Development Authority.

Pune Smart City project wins Centre’s award under social aspects category

News

• The Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (PSCDCL) has won a Union government award for its Smart Clinic initiative under the category ‘social aspects’.

India Smart Cities

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has started awards for India Smart Cities under the Smart Cities Mission to felicitate and recognise their efforts under different categories.
• Under the Smart Clinic initiative, Pune Smart City had launched its Smart Clinic at Baner. Equipped with all the amenities for basic healthcare, the clinic receives high footfall due to convenient timings, according to data.
• Along with providing free on the counter medicines, it provides some of the specialised tests at subsidised rates.

Dubai declared ‘reciprocating territory’ by India: What does the move mean, why it is important

News

• Last week, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification, declaring the United Arab Emirates to be a “reciprocating territory” under Section 44A of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
• The notification also declared a list of courts in the UAE to be “superior Courts” under the same section.

Reciprocating territory

• Apart from Dubai, the other countries declared to be “reciprocating territories” are: United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand, the Cook Islands (including Niue) and the Trust Territories of Western Samoa, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Aden.
• Essentially, orders passed by certain designated courts from a ‘reciprocating territory’ can be implemented in India, by filing a copy of the decree concerned in a District Court here.
• The courts so designated are called ‘superior Courts’.

Section 44 of the CPC

• Section 44A, titled “Execution of decrees passed by Courts in reciprocating territory”, provides the law on the subject of execution of decrees of Courts in India by foreign Courts and vice versa.
• 44A (1) provides that a decree passed by “a superior Court” in any “reciprocating territory” can be executed in India by filing a certified copy of the decree in a District Court, which will treat the decree as if it has been passed by itself.
• According Explanation-2, the scope of the Section is restricted to decrees for payment of money, not being sums payable “in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty”.
• It also cannot be based on an arbitration award, even if such an award is enforceable as a decree or judgment.

Significance

• The decision is believed to help bring down the time required for executing decrees between the two countries.
• Indian expatriates in the UAE would no longer be able to seek safe haven in their home country if they are convicted in a civil case in the UAE.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Explained: How destructive are locust attacks, how India tackles them

News

• Over the past several weeks, locust attacks emanating from the desert area in Pakistan have struck parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, causing heavy damage to standing crop.
• The situation is being closely monitored by agri-experts in the states and the Centre.

Locust attacks, how does India tackle them?

• • Locusts are a group of short-horned grasshoppers that multiply in numbers as they migrate long distances in destructive swarms.
  • Only four species of locusts are found in India: Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), Bombay Locust ( Nomadacris succincta) and Tree locust (Anacridium sp.). The desert locust is regarded as the most important in India as well as internationally.
  • The swarms devour leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, bark and growing points, and also destroy plants by their sheer weight as they descend on them in massive numbers.
  • India has a locust control and research scheme that is being implemented through the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), established in 1939 and amalgamated in 1946 with the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, according to the PPQS.
  • The LWO’s responsibility is monitoring and control of the locust situation in Scheduled Desert Areas, mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and partly in Punjab and Haryana.
  • According to the locust division of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad, which under the central government, a small swarm of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), a polyphagous feeder (eating a large variety of plants), eats on average “as much food in one day as about 10 elephants, 25 camels or 2500 people”.
  • According to the Directorate, locusts damaged crops worth Rs 10 crore during the 1926-31 plague cycle. During the 1940-46 and 1949-55 locust plague cycles, the damage was estimated at Rs 2 crore each, and at Rs 50 lakh during the last locust plague cycle (1959-62).
  • India is most at risk of a swarm invasion just before the onset of the monsoon. The swarms usually originate in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.

India’s oil imports from Middle East falls to 4-year low in 2019: Trade

News

• India’s imports of Middle Eastern oil plunged to a four-year low in 2019, tanker data obtained from sources shows, as the energy-hungry nation diversifies its supplies to cut costs and help shield itself from geopolitical tensions.

World’s third-biggest oil consumer

• India, the world’s third-biggest oil consumer, imports about 84% of its oil needs and traditionally relies on the Middle East for the majority of its supplies.
• However, the region’s share of India’s crude shrank to 60% last year down from 65% a year ago and the lowest since 2015 as record output from the United States and countries like Russia offered opportunities for importers to tap other sources.
• India shipped in 2.68 million barrels per day (bpd) oil from the Middle East in 2019, down about 10% from 2018, and around 1.8 million bpd from elsewhere, the data reviewed by Reuters showed.
• Deeper than expected oil output cuts by OPEC and allies, shouldered by Saudi Arabia, and less supply from Iran due to US sanctions also dented India’s intake of Middle Eastern oil, said Ehsan Ul Haq, analyst with Refinitiv.
• India’s overall oil imports in 2019 fell by about 2.1% to 4.48 million bpd, the data showed, because most refiners temporarily shut processing units for upgrades ahead of new fuel standards in 2020. India is migrating to Euro VI compliant fuel from April 1.
• Imports from CIS nations rose in 2019 by about 65% to 171,000 bpd, the data showed. Intake of African grades rose by 7.3% to about 713,000 bpd, while US supplies surged by about 63% to 181,000 bpd.
• US oil accounted for about 4% of India’s overall imports in 2019, up from just 2.5% a year earlier.

One state, one ration card: MP reforms its Aadhaar-enabled PDS, helps migrant workers

News

• Madhya Pradesh government reforms the Aadhaar-enabled PDS, the respective grain quota is given to the nominee after verification of his biometric details.

News reforms

• MP also has the distinction of implementing the “one state-one ration card” policy within the state. The policy allows, for example, a labourer who migrates for work within the state to get his monthly quota at the new place.
• In December alone, as many as 2.18 lakh families across the state benefited from the scheme.
• Under the Aadhaar-enabled system, MP now provides ration to 83 lakh families. Previously, the state used to supply ration to only 18 lakh families.
• Fair price shops have been opened in almost every gram panchayat. When new shops were being opened it was ensured that one-third shops were given to women. A system of grading has been introduced for fair price shops. Shops will be graded on parameters like the number of days they open etc.

IMF lowers global growth forecast for 2019, cites ‘sharp slowdown’ in India

News

• Citing a sharp economic slowdown in India and other emerging markets, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered growth estimate for the world economy to 2.9 per cent for 2019.
• The International Monetary Fund also trimmed India’s growth estimate to 4.8 per cent for 2019, citing stress in the non-banking financial sector and weak rural income growth.

Sharp economic slowdown

• The downward revision primarily reflects negative surprises to economic activity in a few emerging market economies, notably India, which led to a reassessment of growth prospects over the next two years. In a few cases, this reassessment also reflects the impact of increased social unrest.
• IMF said it expected growth in India to be 5.8 per cent in 2020 and rise to 6.5 per cent in 2021 supported by a monetary and fiscal stimulus as well as subdued oil prices.
• This comes after data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) predicted India’s gross domestic product will grow by just 5 per cent in the current financial year (2019-20), the lowest since the 2008 economic crisis.
• Last financial year, 2018-19, the Indian economy grew at 6.8 per cent.
• India’s GDP growth in the July-September quarter of 2019 slowed sharply to 4.5 per cent, the weakest pace in more than six years
• For the global economy, the IMF slightly revised downwards the growth outlook and flagged fundamental issues of reform in trade systems. The new projections estimate growth at 2.9 per cent in 2019, 3.3 per cent in 2020 and 3.4 per cent in 2021.
• The IMF also revised up China’s growth from 0.2 per cent to 6 per cent for 2020, reflecting the country’s trade deal with the US.

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