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75 Most Important Articles from the Hindu and IE (February 2020)
1. U.K. to seek Canada-style free trade deal with EU
The Hindu , February 3

Two days after Brexit, British officials pushed the European Union on Sunday for a Canada-style free trade
arrangement as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson geared up for a key speech to spell out his government’s
negotiating stance.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News that Britain will seek a deal that imposes very few tariffs even
though he said Britain will not seek to align its regulations with the EU.
“We are taking back control of our laws, so we are not going to have high alignment with the EU and legislative
alignment with their rules,” Mr. Raab said. “We will want to cooperate and we expect the EU to follow through on
their commitments to a Canada-style free trade agreement. That’s what we are pursuing. There is a great
opportunity here for win-win.”
EU officials, despite offering friendly words to the British public over the weekend after the divorce that took effect
on Friday night, warn that Canada only achieved largely tariff-free trade status by bringing many of its rules in line
with EU regulations. EU officials fear that the U.K. could water down its environment or health and safety
precautions, undermining EU businesses.
The trade talks are vital because now that Britain has officially left the bloc — the first nation ever to do so — Mr.
Johnson hopes to have a wide-ranging new deal in place by the end of the year.
Johnson’s speech
After celebrating Brexit by banging on a gong in the final seconds before it took effect, Mr. Johnson plans to detail
Britain’s trade stance in a speech Monday.
European leaders have said that Britain will not be able to get a deal like Canada’s if it breaks significantly with EU
rules on food safety, environmental standards, worker’s rights and other matters impacting on public well-being.
Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 1 of 78
Irish PM Leo Varadkar on Sunday urged Mr. Johnson’s Conservative government not to follow the mistakes of his
predecessor by establishing “rigid red lines” that make it much more difficult to reach an agreement.
Mr. Varadkar did say he believes Mr. Johnson’s reassurances that Britain “will not seek to undercut” the EU when it
comes to labour standards, environmental standards, product standards and health and safety.
2. Explained: To import cheetahs, or not to
The Indian Express February 3

The Supreme Court’s recent green light to introduction of African cheetahs in a suitable area in India has
revived a decade-long debate over the controversial plan first floated in 2009 and shot down by the court in 2013.
To appreciate the cheetah question, one needs to look at the lion parallel. One of the reasons the Supreme Court
scrapped the cheetah plan in 2013 was the lopsided focus on flying in an exotic species, as a replacement for what
was long gone, at the cost of undermining the future of an indigenous species that is still around.
The last cheetahs in the Indian wild were gunned down in 1947. The few surviving in captivity perished soon after,
making it the only large carnivore to have gone extinct in India. The last wild population of the Asiatic lion, on the
other hand, survives in Gujarat’s Gir where the cat is only a natural calamity or an epidemic away from meeting
same fate as the cheetah. The plan to secure the lions in a second home has been hanging fire since 1993.
The dream
The popular appeal of having cheetahs back in the Indian wild was not lost on then Environment Minister Jairam
Ramesh who, in 2009, cleared a proposal from Dr M K Ranjitsinh, India’s first director of wildlife during the 1970s,
and Dr Y V Jhala, scientist with Wildlife Institute of India, to import a few.
After Iran refused to part with any of its few surviving Asiatic cheetahs, the focus turned to the African variety. At a
meeting attended by international experts in September 2009, wildlife geneticist Stephen O’Brien maintained that
the Asian and African cheetahs were genetically very similar, and Dr Laurie Marker, head of Namibia-based
Cheetah Conservation Fund, offered to help bring in African cheetahs “in stages over the next decade, possibly
starting in early 2012”.
By September 2010, India’s cheetah plan was ready and the Centre approved Rs 50 crore for the programme in
August 2011.
The brakes
The matter came up before the Supreme Court during a hearing on shifting a few lions from Gujarat to Kuno-Palpur
wildlife sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, which was also one of the sites identified for releasing cheetahs. In May 2012,
the court stayed the cheetah plan, and in April 2013, it ordered translocation of lions from Gujarat while quashing
the plan for introducing African cheetahs to Kuno-Palpur.
The cheetah plan was revived in 2017 when the government sought permission from the Supreme Court to explore
possibilities “in conformity with the applicable law to reintroduce cheetahs from Africa to suitable sites” other than
Kuno-Palpur. By then, the lion translocation project was put on the back-burner again.
The design
In April 2013, the Supreme Court had set a six-month deadline for translocating lions from Gujarat to Madhya
Pradesh. Between July 2013 and December 2016, the government convened six meetings of the expert committee
set up for the lion project. Nothing has moved since.
Instead, the third National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031) released in 2017 said that the identification of an
alternative home and drawing up a conservation plan for the Asiatic lion will be completed during 2018-2021. Then,
Kuno resurfaced as a potential cheetah site in the court.
It is unlikely though that Kuno will get cheetahs. Much of its grasslands that were created by relocating villages have
naturally progressed to woodlands not suitable for the African import. While the sanctuary has spotted deer and
feral cattle in good numbers, there is barely any presence of the four-horned antelope, chinkara or blackbuck – all
potential prey for the cheetah.
With Rajasthan not too keen on cheetahs for Shahgarh in Jaisalmer, and Gujarat’s pitch for Kutch’s Banni
grasslands not finding favour, Nauradehi in Madhya Pradesh leads the race to play host to the first batch of
imported animals.
The argument
In saving the cheetah, claimed the proponents of the reintroduction plan, one would also save other endangered
species of the grassland, such as the endangered Indian wolf and the near-extinct great Indian bustard (GIB). In the
umbrella-approach of conservation, multiple species in a forest (tiger reserve, for instance) is protected in the name
of a flagship species (i.e. tiger). It is inexplicable, though, as to why one must introduce an exotic replacement for an
extinct species to save indigenous species.
Wolves, for example, are the keystone species in Nauradehi and would have to compete with cheetahs. The
majestic GIB is a potential prey for the cheetah. In fact, the project excluded Jaisalmer’s Desert National Park
because “putting the cheetah in with the bustard cannot be contemplated at all, because of the threat to this most
gravely endangered bird”. And yet, it recommended erstwhile GIB habitats for the cheetah, in effect denying the bird
any chance of habitat recovery.
The priority
The GIB is not the only species staring down the barrel. The government has identified 20 others – such as the
Asian wild buffalo, Jerdon’s courser, red panda and Asiatic lion – that need immediate help to survive. Barring 50
reserves under Project Tiger, all wildlife habitats of the country and the 21 beleaguered species merited a total
allocation of Rs 497 crore between 2017-18 and 2019-20. That is Rs 166 crore a year.
A decade ago, the cost of the cheetah project was pegged at Rs 300 crore in the first year alone. In Nauradehi,
merely constructing a 150-sq km cheetah enclosure will cost Rs 25-30 crore. To this, compare the recent sanctions
of Rs 5 lakh for the Greater adjutant in Gangetic riverine tract in Bhagalpur, Bihar; Rs 1.22 crore for establishing a
conservation breeding centre for wild buffaloes in Chhattisgarh; or Rs 3.87 crore for a snow leopard recovery
programme in Ladakh.
This raises several questions. Can India’s meagre conservation resources afford to splurge on hosting a few
imported animals? Even if the cheetah programme finds an international sponsor, should India’s understaffed and
inadequate wildlife management cadre be stretched for a vanity project? Even if a few African cheetahs survive, as
they well might inside an enclosure and supplied with prey, what conservation purpose will they serve? And what
future will they have once out in the open in a country teeming with people, livestock and feral dogs?
The three-member expert panel will examine these issues in the next four months for the government to reach a
considered decision. Meanwhile, as the policy dash for the fastest land animal is being cheered, the lions are
running out of time.

3. Why wetlands matter to world and India

Sunday, February 2, was World Wetlands Day. It was on this date in 1971 that the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
was adopted in Ramsar, Iran. Only last week, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change had
announced that the Ramsar Convention had declared 10 wetlands from India as sites of “international importance”,
taking the total number of Ramsar Sites in the country to 37.
Why the focus on wetlands?

The Ramsar Convention definition for wetlands includes marshes, floodplains, rivers and lakes, mangroves, coral
reefs and other marine areas no deeper than 6 metres at low tide, as well as human-made wetlands such as waste-
water treatment ponds and reservoirs.
The IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) the global
assessment identified wetlands as the most threatened ecosystem. This impacts 40% of the world’s plant and
animal species that live or breed in wetlands, according to UNESCO. Thirty per cent of land-based carbon is stored
in peatland; one billion people depend on wetlands for their livelihoods; and wetlands provide $47 trillion in essential
services annually, according to the Wetlands Day official website.
This year’s Wetlands Day theme is Wetlands and Biodiversity.
What is the status of wetlands in India?

India has over 7 lakh wetlands and rules for their protection; yet not one of the wetlands has been notified under
domestic laws, according to environmentalist Anand Arya, a petitioner in a Supreme Court case on wetlands.
Wetlands are regulated under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. The 2010 version of the
Rules provided for a Central Wetland Regulatory Authority; the 2017 Rules replace it with state-level bodies and
created a National Wetland Committee, which functions in an advisory role. The newer regulations removed some
items from the definition of “wetlands” including backwaters, lagoon, creeks, and estuaries.
“The 2010 Rules required States to identify and prepare Brief Documents, submit them to the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests, which was to notify them. Under the 2017 regulations, the whole process has been
delegated to States,” Arya told The Indian Express.
“We have a total of 7,57,060 wetlands, covering 1.6 crore hectares or 4.5% of India’s area. In February 2017, the
Court extended protection to 2,01,503 of these under Rule 4 of the 2010 Rules, and ordered authorities to notify
sites. The wetlands were supposed to have been notified by March 25, 2019, 180 days after the 2017 Rules went
into force (September 26, 2017). Yet so far, not a single wetland has been notified,” Arya said. The 2,01,503
wetlands, measuring over 2.25 hectares, were identified using ISRO’s satellite imagery.
In October 2017, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the disappearance of wetlands, and observed, “If
there are no wetlands left, it will affect agriculture and several other things. It is a very, very important issue.”
What does being a Ramsar Site mean?

The designation is for “Wetlands of International Importance”. “They are recognised as being of significant value not
only for the country or the countries in which they are located, but for humanity as a whole… The inclusion of a
wetland in the list embodies the government’s commitment to take the steps necessary to ensure that its ecological

character is maintained. The Convention includes various measures to respond to threats to the ecological
character of Sites,” the Ramsar Convention website said.
The selection is made on the basis of various criteria defined under the convention. Article 2.2 says: “Wetlands
should be selected for the List on account of their international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology,
limnology or hydrology.”
There are currently over 2,300 Ramsar Sites around the world, covering over 2.1 million square km.
In India, the 10 new wetlands declared Ramsar Sites are Nandur Madhameshwar in Maharashtra; Keshopur-Miani,
Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal in Punjab; and Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and
Sarsai Nawar in UP.
On the newly identified Ramsar Sites, Arya said, “Until days ago, out of the 7,57,060 wetlands in the country, only
27 sites were protected. Now there are 10 more. Where are we as far as protection efforts are concerned?”
4. If tap water meets BIS norms, RO systems will be banned
The Hindu February

The Union Environment Ministry has published a draft notification that effectively prohibits users from installing
membrane-based water purification, mainly reverse osmosis, systems in their homes if the water has been sourced
from a supply that meets the Bureau of Indian Standards’ (BIS) drinking water norms.
“Installation or use of MWPS [Membrane-based Water Purification System] shall be prohibited, at the point of use or
at the point of entry for purification of supplied water which is subjected to conventional flocculation, filtration and
disinfection process or is from any sources which are in compliance with acceptable limit for drinking water
prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standard 10500:2012,” the Ministry said in the notification, made public on Monday.
The proposed regulation is not the final word and the Ministry will await comments from the public for 30 days, after
which it may incorporate the changes before it becomes a law.
The Delhi Jal Board, among others, claims that the water it supplies meets BIS norms.
NGT order
The Ministry has issued this order to comply with an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has
prohibited the use of reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers in places where total dissolved solids (TDS) in the supplied
water are below 500 mg per litre.
The Water Quality Association of India, which represents companies that make RO systems, had moved the
Supreme Court for a stay of the NGT’s order.
The SC declined to intervene and the NGT had directed the Environment Ministry to issue a notification that
restricted the use of water filters. The NGT had ordered a ban on RO filters on the grounds that they wasted water
and that, in the process of removing salts, they often deprived drinking water of essential salts.
RO, while useful in reducing salts, does not tackle bacterial agents or trace chemicals, and manufacturers often
claim that additional filtration is required to deliver potable water.
“This is a work in progress... users will not be prosecuted for installing RO systems,” Jigmet Takpa, Joint Secretary,
Union Environment Ministry, told the Hindu. “However, this is part of a significant change we are implementing to
regulate RO manufacturers and inform consumers that RO systems aren’t needed always,” he added.
Current regulations
Current BIS regulations consider 500 mg/litre—1,200 mg/l of total dissolved solids, which consists of salts and
some organic matter, as acceptable though there is no lower limit.

5. What Finance panel has said

The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC) has considered the 2011 population along with forest cover, tax effort, area
of the state, and “demographic performance” to arrive at the states’ share in the divisible pool of taxes. As had been
widely anticipated, shares of the southern states, except Tamil Nadu, have fallen — with Karnataka losing the most.
In the Constitution
The Finance Commission is a constitutionally mandated body that decides, among other things, the sharing of
taxes between the Centre and the states. Article 280 (1) requires the President to constitute, “within two years from
the commencement of this Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of every fifth year or at such earlier time as
the President considers necessary”, an FC “which shall consist of a Chairman and four other members”.
Under Article 280(3)(a), the Commission must make recommendations to the President “as the distribution between
the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under this
Chapter and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds”.
Accordingly, the Commission determines a formula for tax-sharing between the states, which is a weighted sum of
the states’ population, area, forest cover, tax capacity, tax effort and demographic performance, with the weights
expressed in percentages.
This crucial role of the Commission makes it instrumental in the implementation of fiscal federalism.
15th Finance Commission

The report of the Fifteenth FC, along with an Action Taken Report, was tabled in Parliament on Saturday. The
Commission has reduced the vertical devolution — the share of tax revenues that the Centre shares with the states
— from 42% to 41%. The 1 per cent decrease in the vertical devolution is roughly equal to the share of the erstwhile
state of Jammu and Kashmir, which would have been 0.85% as per the formula described by the Commission.
The Commission has said that it intends to set up an expert group to initiate a non-lapsable fund for defence
expenditure. The terms of reference of the Commission included considering the Centre’s demand for funds for
defence and national security. It may do so by creating a separate fund from the gross tax revenue before
computing the divisible pool — which means that states would get a smaller share of the taxes.

The population parameter
The population parameter used by the Commission has been criticised by the governments of the southern states.
The previous FC used both the 1971 and the 2011 populations to calculate the states’ shares, giving greater weight
to the 1971 population (17.5%) as compared to the 2011 population (10%). The Fifteenth FC has reasoned that the
terms of reference leave it with no choice but to use the 2011 population; it has also argued that in the interest of
fiscal equalisation, it is necessary to use the latest Census figures.
The use of 2011 population figures has resulted in states with larger populations like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
getting larger shares, while smaller states with lower fertility rates (the number of children born to a woman in her
life) have lost out.
The combined population of the Hindi-speaking northern states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Jharkhand) is 47.8 crore. This is over 39.48% of India’s total population, and is spread over 32.4% of the
country’s area, as per the 2011 Census. They also get a slightly more than the proportional share of the divisible
pool of taxes (45.17%).
On the other hand, the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and undivided Andhra Pradesh are home
to only 20.75% of the population living in 19.34% of the area, with a 13.89% share of the taxes. This means that the
terms decided by the Commission are loaded against the more progressive (and prosperous) southern states.
The demographic effort

In order to reward population control efforts by states, the Commission developed a criterion for demographic effort
— which is essentially the ratio of the state’s population in 1971 to its fertility rate in 2011 — with a weight of 12.5%.
States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana have fertility rates below the
replacement rate, or the number of children that have to be born to a woman of reproductive age in order for the
population to maintain itself at the current level without migration.
However, the effect of the demographic effort in increasing states’ devolution is not clear. Shares of states like
Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, along with Tamil Nadu, all of which have fertility rates below the
replacement level, have increased slightly. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and West
Bengal’s shares have fallen, even though their fertility rates are also low.
Incidentally, Karnataka, the biggest loser in this exercise, also had the highest tax-GSDP ratio in 2017-18, as per an
RBI report on state finances. Tax effort was also used by the Commission to decide the states’ shares, with a
weight of 2.5%.
Income distance criterion

The total area of states, area under forest cover, and “income distance” were also used by the FC to arrive at the
tax-sharing formula.
Income distance is calculated as the difference between the per capita gross state domestic product (GSDP) of the
state from that of the state with the highest per capita GSDP, with states with less income getting a higher share in
order to allow them to provide services comparable to those provided by the richer ones.
The Commission used the per capita GSDP of Haryana as the reference for calculating the income distance, and
gave it a weight of 45%, down from the 50% assigned by the 14th FC. The weight assigned to state area was
unchanged at 15%, and that of forest cover was increased from 7.5% to 10%.
6. SC panel recommends several prison reformsThe Hindu February 6
Every new prisoner should be allowed a free phone call a day to his family members to see him through his first
week in jail.
This is among the several recommendations — besides modern cooking facilities, canteens to buy essential items
and trial through video-conferencing — made by a Supreme Court-appointed committee to reform prisons.

The 300-page report was taken up for hearing on Wednesday before a Bench led by Chief Justice Sharad A.
Bobde, who asked amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwal to study the report.
‘Common bane’
The court said overcrowding is a common bane in the under-staffed prisons. Both the prisoner and his guard
equally suffer human rights violation. The undertrial prisoner, who is yet to get his day in court, suffers the most,
languishing behind bars for years without a hearing.
The Justice Amitava Roy (retd.) Committee concluded that most prisons are “teeming with undertrial prisoners”,
whose numbers are highly disproportionate to those of convicts. It said there should be at least one lawyer for every
30 prisoners. This is not the case now. Speedy trial remains one of the best ways to remedy the unwarranted
phenomenon of over-crowding.
The Prison Department has a perennial average of 30%-40% vacancies.
“The shortage has lingered over the years,” the report said.
Another recommendation is for the use of video-conferencing for trial. “Physical production in courts continued,
which however remains far below the aspired 100% in several States, mainly because of unavailability of sufficient
police guards for escort and transportation,” it said.
‘Primitive and arduous’

The report described the preparation of food in kitchens as “primitive and arduous”. The kitchens are congested and
unhygienic and the diet has remained unchanged for years now.
The court had in September 2018 appointed the Justice Roy Committee to examine the various problems plaguing
prisons, from overcrowding to lack of legal advice to convicts to issues of remission and parole.
Besides Justice Roy, a former Supreme Court judge, the members included an IG, Bureau of Police Research and
Development, and the DG (Prisons), Tihar Jail.
The decision was in reaction to a letter written by former Chief Justice of India R.C. Lahoti highlighting the
overcrowding of prisons, unnatural deaths of prisoners, gross inadequacy of staff and the lack of trained staff.
7. Cooperative banks to come under Reserve Bank purview
The Hindu February 6

In the wake of the recent Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank crisis, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday
approved amendments to the Banking Regulation Act to bring 1,540 cooperative banks under the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) regulation.
Cooperative banks have 8.6 lakh account holders, with a total deposit of about ₹5 lakh crore.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that administrative matters would continue to be under the
Registrar, Cooperative. However, cooperative banks would be regulated under the RBI’s banking guidelines. Their
auditing would also be done as per its norms.

Qualifications would be laid down for appointments, including that of Chief Executive Officers. Prior permission from
the RBI would be required for the appointment of key positions. The regulator would deal with issues such as loan
waivers.
The RBI would also have powers to supersede the board of any cooperative bank in financial distress.
These measures would be implemented in a phased manner, said Mr. Javadekar.
The proposed amendments, along with the government’s decision to increase the insurance cover on bank deposits
from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh, have been brought to strengthen the financial stability of cooperative banks and boost
public confidence in the banking system.
In the PMC Bank case, the RBI had to step in last year after massive irregularities in its loan accounts were
detected. The regulator had to place a withdrawal limit for account holders, which led to a major public strife and
protests by them.
8. Internet and mobile association announces self-regulatory code
With significant discontent from the industry, the representative body for Internet companies has developed a self-
regulatory Digital Curated Content Complaint Council (DCCC) to receive complaints on online content such as
video streaming.
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) announced the “Self Regulation for Online Curated Content
Providers” on Wednesday, naming Hotstar, Voot, Jio, and SonyLiv as signatories.
The code, accessed by The Indian Express, states that signatories will not make available “content which promotes
and encourages disrespect to the sovereignty and integrity of India” or “promotes and encourages terrorism and
other forms of violence against the State (of India) or its institutions”.
In an earlier version of the code released February 2019 that did not include the DCCC, many more companies had
signed on, including Netflix, Zee5, Arre, ALT Balaji and Eros Now. However, several relevant companies did not
sign that version either, including Amazon Prime and YouTube.
One company told The Indian Express that IAMAI has been informally warning platforms that the government will
be releasing their own content regulation and hence, the industry should develop a self-regulation code to preempt
any need for government regulation. However, several stakeholders have complained that the body conducted no
consultations on this mechanism, resulting in a code that is not representative of the industry as a whole.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been meeting with industry members regarding regulation of
online video content. Many companies contend that the existing laws regulating them are sufficient, that IAMAI
should be resisting further government regulation rather than self-regulating, and that the enhanced grievance
mechanism would lead to increased government pressure to self-censor video content online.

In 2018, a plea in the Delhi High Court sought to remove scenes in Netflix’s Sacred Games, alleging that the show
“incorrectly depicts historical events of the country like the Bofors case, the Shah Bano case, the Babri Masjid case
and communal riots”. In court, the Information Technology Ministry put the onus on the companies themselves and
refused to set up a grievance redressal mechanism for “over-the-top” (OTT) media services as it would be “in
violation of the mandate of the Constitution.”
The code creates the DCCC to oversee adherence to the code and receive external complaints from the Ministries
of Information and Technology, Information and Broadcasting, and the National Consumer Helpline of India.
The DCCC is a nine-member body with a retired Supreme Court or High court judge as the chairperson, three
experienced industry members, three signatory members, and three members from National level Statutory
Commissions (such as the National Commission for Women or Schedule Caste or Human Rights Commission). The
code creates a “Online Curated Content Providers Governing Council” (OCCP Governing Council) with one
representative from each signatory. The OCCP Governing Council appoints the members of the DCCC.
If the DCCC finds any content of a signatory to contradict the code, it may direct the signatory to reclassify content,
include a warning, or edit content summaries. The DCCC may impose a financial penalty up to Rs 3 lakh in
“exceptional cases involving recurring violations”.
The code also requires signatories to categorise content with age-appropriate audiences and enable parental
controls.
9. Sabarimala review plea: Nine-judge SC bench to decide if larger bench can

hear questions of law
The Indian Express, February 6

A nine-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court constituted to hear the Sabarimala reference will on
Thursday consider arguments on the question whether a reference can be made from a pending review petition.
A notice said the bench will consider the question “whether this court can refer questions of law to a larger bench in
a review petition”.
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi had on September 19, 2019 decided to keep
the review petitions challenging its September 28, 2018 judgment lifting age restrictions on the entry of women to
the temple pending till a larger bench took a call on certain questions arising from it.
The court noted that petitions seeking entry of women to Mosques, challenging Female Genital Mutilation among
Dawaoodi Bohras and certain practises in the Parsi community were pending before it and the questions in the
Sabarimala matter may impact these too.
On February 3 when the 9-judge bench met to consider what issues should be taken up, Senior Advocate F S
Nariman had questioned the reference saying the court could not have done such a thing as the scope of a review
petition is very limited.

The bench then asked Nariman if he was trying to say that while deciding on a review in a matter, court cannot refer
questions to a larger bench with questions that have already risen in another case. “Yes, that’s outside the scope of
review,” said Nariman.
Other counsel appearing in the matter urged the court to hear this objection first.
10. Govt to establish Central Consumer Protection Authority; what is it?
The Indian Express , February 27

Last week, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan announced that a
Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be established by the first week of April. This was after the
Minister held consultations with industry representatives about the role and functioning of a proposed CCPA.
Explained: What is the Central Consumer Protection Authority?

The authority is being constituted under Section 10(1) of The Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The Act replaced The
Consumer Protection Act, 1986, and seeks to widen its scope in addressing consumer concerns. The new Act
recognises offences such as providing false information regarding the quality or quantity of a good or service, and
misleading advertisements. It also specifies action to be taken if goods and services are found “dangerous,
hazardous or unsafe”.
The CCPA, introduced in the new Act, aims to protect the rights of the consumer by cracking down on unfair trade
practices, and false and misleading advertisements that are detrimental to the interests of the public and
consumers.
The CCPA will have the powers to inquire or investigate into matters relating to violations of consumer rights or
unfair trade practices suo motu, or on a complaint received, or on a direction from the central government. Sources
said the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is in the process of finalising the rules relating to
the composition and functioning of the CCPA, and these are expected to be notified by April.
What can the possible structure of CCPA be?

Sources said the proposed authority will be a lean body with a Chief Commissioner as head, and only two other
commissioners as members — one of whom will deal with matters relating to goods while the other will look into
cases relating to services. It will be headquartered in the National Capital Region of Delhi but the central
government may set up regional offices in other parts of the country.
The CCPA will have an Investigation Wing that will be headed by a Director General. District Collectors too, will
have the power to investigate complaints of violations of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and false or
misleading advertisements.
What kind of goods, and food items in particular, can be classified as “dangerous, hazardous or unsafe”?
This is not specified in the notification of the Act. Regarding food, an official said the CCPA will ensure that all
standards on packaged food items set by regulators such as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) are being followed.
What will the CCPA do if any goods or services are found not meeting these standards?
Under Section 20 of The Consumer Protection Act, the proposed authority will have powers to recall goods or
withdrawal of services that are “dangerous, hazardous or unsafe; pass an order for refund the prices of goods or
services so recalled to purchasers of such goods or services; and discontinuation of practices which are unfair and
prejudicial to consumer’s interest”.
For manufacture, selling, storage, distribution, or import of adulterated products, the penalties are:
* If injury is not caused to a consumer, fine up to Rs 1 lakh with imprisonment up to six months;
* If injury is caused, fine up to Rs 3 lakh with imprisonment up to one year;
* If grievous hurt is caused, fine up to Rs 5 lakh with imprisonment up to 7 years;
* In case of death, fine of Rs 10 lakh or more with a minimum imprisonment of 7 years, extendable to imprisonment
for life.
How will it deal with false or misleading advertisements?

Section 21 of the new Act defines the powers given to the CCPA to crack down on false or misleading
advertisements. According to these provisions, if the CCPA is satisfied after investigation that any advertisement is
false or misleading and is harmful to the interest of any consumer, or is in contravention of consumer rights, the
CCPA may issue directions to the trader, manufacturer, endorser, advertiser, or publisher to discontinue such an
advertisement, or modify it in a manner specified by the authority, within a given time. The authority may also
impose a penalty up to Rs 10 lakh, with imprisonment up to two years, on the manufacturer or endorser of false and
misleading advertisements. The penalty may go up to Rs 50 lakh, with imprisonment up to five years, for every
subsequent offence committed by the same manufacturer or endorser.
CCPA may ban the endorser of a false or misleading advertisement from making endorsement of any products or
services in the future, for a period that may extend to one year. The ban may extend up to three years in every
subsequent violation of the Act.
What other powers will the CCPA have?

While conducting an investigation after preliminary inquiry, officers of the CCPA’s Investigation Wing will have the
powers to enter any premise and search for any document or article, and to seize these. For search and seizure,
the CCPA will have similar powers given under the provisions of The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
The CCPA can file complaints of violation of consumer rights or unfair trade practices before the District Consumer
Disputes Redressal Commission, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, and the National Consumer
Disputes Redressal Commission. It will issue safety notices to alert consumers against dangerous or hazardous or
unsafe goods or services.
11. Mega project to map India’s genetic diversity gets govt green signal The
Indian Express,February 7
The government has cleared an ambitious gene-mapping project that is being described by those involved as the
“first scratching of the surface of the vast genetic diversity of India”. The project is said to be among the most
significant of its kind in the world because of its scale and the diversity it would bring to genetic studies.
The Indian Express has learnt that the Rs 238-crore Genome India Project, which will involve 20 leading institutions
including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru and a few IITs, will be rolled out soon.

Cleared by the Department of Biotechnology (under the Department of Science and Technology) late last month,
the first stage of the project will look at samples of “10,000 persons from all over the country” to form a “grid” that
will enable the development of a “reference genome”.
The IISc’s Centre for Brain Research, an autonomous institute, will serve as the nodal point of the project — its
director, Prof Vijayalakshami Ravindranath, will be the coordinator.
When contacted by The Indian Express, Ravindranath did not provide any details of the project. “Mapping the
diversity of India’s genetic pool will lay the bedrock of personalised medicine and put it on the global map.
Considering the diversity of population in our country, and the disease burden of complex disorders, including
diabetes, mental health, etc., once we have a genetic basis, it may be possible to take action before the onset of a
disease,” she said.
The institutions involved will work on different aspects of the project, including providing clinical samples and
assisting with research. “Some IITs will help with new methods of computation, which are essential,” sources said.
Steps to get the project underway started in 2017 when Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan set up the Centre
for Brain Research at IISc for research in ageing and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
As part of a two-pronged approach, Gopalakrishnan provided funding of Rs 275 crore for a rural pilot project in
Kolar and Tata Trusts came up with Rs 75 crore to fund the corresponding urban project in Bengaluru.
The group involved in the initiative then approached the central government for a nationwide project to sequence
the Indian gene and push research in medicine.
Last weekend, referring to “new schemes” in the Budget, the government said: “Mapping of India’s genetic
landscape is critical for next generation medicine, agriculture and for bio-diversity management. To support this
development, we will initiate two new national level Science Schemes, to create a comprehensive database.”
Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, could not be reached for comment. However, on
February 1, Swarup had posted on Twitter: “Thank you Hon’ble FM @nsitharaman for a big boost to
Science&Technology in the #Budget2020 Mapping of India’s genetic landscape for next generation medicine,
agriculture, bio-diversity management. Two new Science Schemes, to create a comprehensive database.”
Sources said the thought behind the project was that “all the easy hits in medical research had been met, and there
was no real research coming forth”.
“To really arrive at a breakthrough with modern lifestyle diseases such as cardiac diseases, diabetes or other
mental health issues, large collaborations were the need of the hour, combined with huge technological and
computational endeavours,” the sources said.
For instance, on Wednesday, “Nature” and its affiliated journals reported the results of a decade-long global
collaboration involving 1,300 scientists to map genetic mutations that drive the development of cancer. This is
expected to play a significant role in reducing the mortality rate linked to cancer.
Scientists linked to the Indian project say genetic studies so far are based on “almost 95% white caucasian
samples”. “What makes the IISc’s pilot rural Kolar study unique is that it is not of urban and rich or middle-class
samples, and that could potentially have revolutionary implications on world research,” a scientist said.
“It is established that the first migrations of humans were from Africa to India, and then there were several waves of
migration that provided vast horizontal diversity. And, with endogamy being practiced over many generations,
across groups, it (the project) may help to get a sharper understanding of diseases transmitted genetically down the
line as well as some healthy attributes,” the scientist said.

12. Genes whose mutation causes cancers mapped

Cancer is often said to be many diseases, rather than one disease, because of the vastly different way that different
kinds of cancers are known to behave. But in a series of papers published in the journal ‘Nature’, scientists from
several international consortium have mapped the handful of genes whose mutation causes several different kinds
of cancer. This raises hopes of treatment tailored for specific cancers.
“On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic
elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not
yet complete,” researchers wrote.
About half of these mutations occurred in the same set of nine genes. They analysed 2,658 whole-cancer genomes
and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes
(PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas
(TCGA). Driver genes are genes whose mutations are linked to development of a disease, in this case cancer.
Dr Ashok Vaid, chairman, Medical and Haemato Oncology at Medanta, the Medicity, said: “It is an exciting
development. Identifying the driver gene means a lot because that decides whether I can do targeted treatment or
go with traditional options like chemotherapy. But the time taken for developing a drug from identifying a gene
varies. In case of ALK-1, identified as the driver gene for 5-7 per cent lung cancers, the time from its identification in
2006-7 to a drug was just five years.”
However the path is not always as short. Currently, when a tumour is sent for genetic analysis, there is capacity to
analyse about 1,000 genes in a standard laboratory. Of these, less than 200 are implicated in various cancers, of
which there are medicines for less than 40, Dr Vaid said.
“For more than 30 cancers we now know what specific genetic changes are likely to happen and when these are
likely to take place. Unlocking these patterns means it should now be possible to develop new diagnostic tests that
pick up signs of cancer earlier, “ Peter Van Loo, of Francis Crick Institute in London, one of the project leaders of
the ‘Nature’ papers, said in a media statement.
13. Centre set to revamp IT Act

The government will soon kick-start the process of revamping the nearly 20-year old Information Technology
Act, 2000, with an aim to bring it in tune with the technological advancements with a focus on stronger framework to
deal with cybercrimes, Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
An expert committee will be set up with members from the government as well as the industry for discussion on the
new IT Act.
Changed ecosystem
“Discussions are on in the department to revisit the IT Act... The IT Act is now 20 years old, and during this time, the
IT ecosystem has developed beyond recognition. New technology has become very pronounced, the whole
ecosystem of consumers has changed vastly and so have the challenges,” Mr. Prasad said.
The Minister added that one of the major challenges was the scale of users that consume technology. “The biggest
challenge is the number of consumers we have to handle. Plus, today, in India, technology has become the centre
of digital payment and delivery of services such as GST and UPI. This also raises the question of misuse [of
technology]. The vastness of these platforms was not even contemplated when the IT Act came into being,” he said.
Mr. Prasad said that the new Act will also factor-in larger issues, including Supreme Court’s judgment on privacy.
Noting that cyber issues have not been adequately responded to in the present IT Act, the Minister said the
government may even look at including a separate chapter on cyber issues in the revamped Act.
The Minister was speaking to reporters after his meeting with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who was on a three-
day visit to India. “We had a very good meeting, it was a courtesy meeting. I wish to thank him for his observations
on Digital India, in particular digital inclusion...We also discussed a whole range of issues around IT,” he said with
regards to the meeting that lasted for about 20 minutes.
The Minister added that he had suggested to Mr. Nadella that Microsoft should consider adopting some digital
villages and mentor them to make them beacons.
“I am happy that he has readily responded,” he added.
The Minister also pointed out that the issue of data sovereignty was discussed at the meeting. However, he did not
share further details.
14. Modi flags Tamil concerns to Mahinda
The Hindu,February 9
Sri Lanka wants India to allow debt repayments by Colombo to be deferred for three years, visiting Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapaksa said, in order to help the country deal with its massive debt burden. The issue was at the top of
the agenda when Mr. Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Saturday and discussed plans to
utilise a $400 million Line of Credit extended by India.
Speaking to the media after their bilateral talks at Hyderabad House, Mr. Modi said he had raised the issue of post-
LTTE war reconciliation with Sri Lanka’s Tamil population.

Under 13th Amendment
“I am confident that the Government of Sri Lanka will realise the expectations of the Tamil people for equality,
justice, peace, and respect within a united Sri Lanka. For this, it will be necessary to carry forward the process of
reconciliation with the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka,” Mr. Modi said.
However, in an exclusive interview to The Hindu, Mr. Rajapaksa gave no firm commitment on the way forward for
the 13th amendment, which prescribes the devolution of powers to the Tamil minority north and eastern provinces,
and ruled out any resolution that was not acceptable to the “majority community” of Sri Lanka.
Once parliamentary elections are completed in April this year, which his party is expected to win, the government
plans to hold provincial elections, and engage with whomever the Tamil population chooses, he added. “We want to
go forward, but we need to have someone to discuss, who can take responsibility for the [Tamil] areas. So the best
thing is to hold elections, and then ask for their representatives to come and discuss the future with us,” Mr.
Rajapaksa said.
India and Sri Lanka discussed enhanced security cooperation and intelligence sharing, especially after the ISIS-
inspired Easter Sunday terror attacks last year. According to Mr. Rajapaksa, the two leaders agreed to hold a
meeting with the Maldives leadership “as soon as possible” to re-operationalise a security cooperation trilateral
arrangement amongst them.
On the issue of deferring the debt payment, and servicing the approximately $60 billion total foreign and domestic
debt his government faces, with about $4.8 billion to be paid this year, Mr. Rajapaksa said, “If the Indian
government takes this step, then other governments might agree to do the same thing, including China. The
previous government took so many loans, they beggared the economy, and it is a mess. It all [now] depends on the
stand India takes. ”
Mr. Rajapaksa also said he had also requested further financing from India for his government’s nationwide housing
project, and discussed other Indian investments planned, including an LNG port, and a joint Indo-Japanese bid for
building an oil terminal in Colombo’s Eastern port.
‘Rejected’ projects
However, he made it clear that his government would not carry forward the oil projects in the eastern Trincomalee
port that had been agreed to in an MoU signed by his predecessor Ranil Wickremsinghe in April 2017, or an Indian
government plan to develop Mattala airport in the south, saying that those had already been “rejected”.
15. How bats harbour several harmful viruses without falling sick
The Hindu,February 9
Bats serve as natural hosts for numerous viruses including Ebola virus, Nipah virus, coronoviruses such as severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and the 2019 novel coronovirus
that has infected nearly 10,000 people and killed over 200 others. Even as these viruses cause harm in humans,
they rarely if at all cause any harmful effects in bats. This is the case even when the viral load is extremely high in
bats.
A study carried out last year and published in the journal Nature Microbiology revealed the mechanism responsible
for bats to harbour numerous viruses without themselves getting affected and also live long. Compared with
terrestrial mammals, bats have longer lifespan.

How bats differ
The reason why bats can harbour these viruses without getting affected is simply because bats can avoid excessive
virus-induced inflammation, which often causes severe diseases in animals and people infected with viruses.
When pathogens infect humans and mice, the immune system gets activated and typical inflammatory response to
fight the microbes is seen. While controlled inflammatory response to fight infection helps keep humans healthy, it
can contribute to the damage caused by infectious diseases, and also age-related diseases when the inflammatory
response becomes excessive.
In complete contrast, the researchers found that the inflammatory response is dampened in bats immaterial of the
variety of viruses that are present and the viral load. The researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
used three different viruses — Melaka virus, MERS coronavirus and influenza A virus — and tested the responses
of immune cell and other cells (peripheral blood mononuclear cells and bone-marrow derived macrophages) of bats,
mice and humans to these viruses. While inflammation was high in the case of humans and mice, it was
significantly reduced in bats immune cells.
Disease tolerance
“This supports an enhanced innate immune tolerance rather than an enhanced antiviral defence in bats,” they write.
“This may also contribute to our understanding of the role of the inflammation in disease tolerance in bats as
reservoir hosts” they say. This is in complete contrast to what is seen in mice and humans for disease-causing
zoonotic viruses.
The researchers found that significantly reduced inflammation in bats was because activation of an important
protein — NLRP3 — that recognises both cellular stress and viral/bacterial infections was significantly dampened in
bat immune cells.
Studying further, the researchers found that reduced activation of the NLRP3 protein was in turn due to impaired
production of mRNA (transcript). Since mRNA production is impaired the NLRP3 protein production gets
compromised leading to less amount of the protein being produced. But this was not the case with mice and
humans — there was no impairment to mRNA production so the NLRP3 protein was unaffected.
Four variants
The NLRP3 protein is found as four variants in bats. The researchers found that the function of all the four variants
was dampened compared with human NLRP3. To test if their finding on NLRP3 hold true in evolutionally distant
bats, the researchers studied two very distinct species of bats — Pteropus alecto, which is a large fruit bat known
as the Black Flying Fox, and Myotis davadii, a tiny vesper bat from China.
The variations have been found to be genetically conserved through evolution. Further analysis comparing 10 bat
and 17 non-bat mammalian NLRP3 gene sequences confirmed that these adaptations appear to be bat-specific.
16. IOC lifetime award for Gopi Chand

India’s chief National badminton coach P. Gopi Chand was on Saturday named among the recipients of the
International Olympic Committee’s 2019 Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award.
“This award, coming across Winter and Summer Olympics, and the fact that there were so many illustrious coaches
in so many disciplines across the globe is something which means a huge, huge recognition for me,” Gopi Chand
told The Hindu on receipt of the news.

“It is all the more special when you happen to be the first Indian to get it across all Olympic disciplines,” the 46-year-
old former All England champion said.
“Frankly, I think this is not just a recognition for me but for all coaches in India. And, coming in the Olympic year, it is
a huge morale-booster to badminton,” said Gopi Chand, who has won most of the prestigious awards instituted by
the Government of India.
“I must thank the Government of India, Sports Authority of India and Badminton Association of India which have
been very supportive in me discharging my duties as the chief National coach. But for them it would not have been
possible,” he said.
17. Australia presented ICC Women’s trophy

Australia was on Saturday presented the ICC Women’s Championship trophy, which it retained by taking a winning
lead in the eight-team ODI competition played from 2017 to 2020.
Meg Lanning’s team has now won both editions after ensuring a winning lead in the 2017-2020 championship.
Captain Lanning received the trophy from ICC Women’s Cricket Manager Holly Colvin on Saturday after the T20I
series match between Australia and India in Melbourne.
“It’s pleasing to have won the ICC Women’s Championship for the second time and of course, to have secured our
spot at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand next year. It’s going to be a tightly fought
tournament and one we’re looking forward to,” said Lanning.
“The Championship has been a great addition, giving more context to the ODIs we play and proving more
opportunities for us to play against the other seven teams involved.
“With a T20 World Cup not far off it’s been really important playing against the likes of Pakistan and Sri Lanka who
we haven’t played against a lot in the past. We’ve been able to learn more about them and the way they go about
things which helps us prepare for major tournaments.”
The ICC Women’s Championship provides host New Zealand and four other top teams direct passage to the ICC
Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 with other teams still having a chance to qualify through the Women’s Cricket
World Cup Qualifier 2020 to be held in Sri Lanka from July 3-19.
Australia is at the top of the points table with 34 points from 18 matches, and a series still to play against South
Africa next month.
England and South Africa are the other teams to have qualified for the World Cup with one slot still open. England
has finished with 29 points from 21 matches while South Africa has 22 from 18.

18. Seeking a more progressive abortion law
Recent reports have shown that more than 10 women die everyday due to unsafe abortions in India, and backward
abortion laws only contribute to women seeking illegal and unsafe options. The Cabinet has recently approved the
Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (MTP Bill, 2020) which will soon be tabled in Parliament.
It seeks to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 (MTP Act) and follows the MTP Bills of 2014,
2017 and 2018, all of which previously lapsed in Parliament.
The MTP Act divides its regulatory framework for allowing abortions into categories, according to the gestational
age of the foetus. Under Section 3, for foetuses that are aged up to 12 weeks, only one medical practitioner’s
opinion is required to the effect that the continuance of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the life of the mother or
cause grave injury to her physical or mental health; or there is a substantial risk that if the child is born, it would
suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. But if the foetus is aged between
12 weeks and 20 weeks, at least two medical practitioners’ opinions conforming to either of the two conditions are
required.
The MTP Act also specifies that ‘grave injury’ may be explained as the anguish caused by a pregnancy arising out
of rape, or the anguish caused by an unwanted pregnancy arising out of the failure of a contraceptive used by a
married woman or her husband. Beyond 20 weeks, termination may be carried out where it is necessary to save the
life of the pregnant woman.
Issues with the current law

Several issues arise from the current framework under the MTP Act. First, at all stages of the pregnancy, the
healthcare providers, rather than the women seeking abortion, have the final say on whether the abortion can be
carried out. This is unlike the abortion laws in 67 countries, including Iceland, France, Canada, South Africa and
Uruguay, where a woman can get an abortion ‘on request’ with or without a specific gestational limit (which is
usually 12 weeks).
It is true that factors such as failure of contraceptives or grave injury are not required to be proved under the MTP
Act. However, to get a pregnancy terminated solely based on her will, the woman may be compelled to lie or plead
with the doctor. Thus, at present, pregnant women lack autonomy in making the decision to terminate their
pregnancy, and have to bear additional mental stress, as well as the financial burden of getting a doctor’s approval.
Restrictive interpretation
Second, the MTP Act embodies a clear prejudice against unmarried women. According to ‘Explanation 2’ provided
under Section 3(2) of the Act, where a pregnancy occurs due to failure of any birth control device or method used
by any “married woman or her husband”, the anguish caused is presumed to constitute a “grave injury” to the
mental health of the pregnant woman. While the applicability of this provision to unmarried women is contested,
there is always the danger of a more restrictive interpretation, especially when the final decision rests with the
doctor and not the woman herself.
Third, due to advancements in science, foetal abnormalities can now be detected even after 20 weeks. However,
the MTP Act presently allows abortion post 20 weeks only where it is necessary to save the life of the mother. This
means that even if a substantial foetal abnormality is detected and the mother doesn’t want to bear life-long
caregiving responsibilities and the mental agony associated with it, the law gives her no recourse unless there is a
prospect of her death.
In 2008, the Bombay High Court was petitioned by Haresh and Niketa Mehta to allow them to abort their foetus that
had been diagnosed with a heart defect in its 22nd week. While the case got nationwide attention, the Mehtas’ plea
was turned down, and Niketa Mehta eventually suffered a miscarriage in the 27th week of her pregnancy.
Several cases have followed since. Only in some of them has the Supreme Court allowed the termination of a
pregnancy beyond 20 weeks, based on the advice by the Medical Board regarding the threat to the mother’s life.
While the MTP Bill, 2020, is a step in the right direction, it still fails to address most of the problems with the MTP
Act. First, it doesn’t allow abortion on request at any point after the pregnancy. Second, it doesn’t take a step
towards removing the prejudice against unmarried women by amending the relevant provision. And finally, it
enhances the gestational limit for legal abortion from 20 to 24 weeks only for specific categories of women such as
survivors of rape, victims of incest, and minors. This means that a woman who does not fall into these categories
would not be able to seek an abortion beyond 20 weeks, even if she suffers from grave physical or mental injury
due to the pregnancy.
In case of foetal abnormality

However, the Bill does make the upper gestational limit irrelevant in procuring an abortion if there are substantial
foetal abnormalities diagnosed by the Medical Board. This means that even if there is no threat to the mother’s life,
she would be able to procure an abortion as soon as a substantial foetal abnormality comes to light. While this is an
important step and would have in the past helped many women who fought long battles in Court without recourse, it
is crucial that it is accompanied by appropriate rules for the Medical Boards that guard against unnecessary delays,
which only increase the risks associated with a late abortion.
The Supreme Court has recognised women’s right to make reproductive choices and their decision to abort as a
dimension of their personal liberty (in Mrs. X v. Union of India, 2017) and as falling within the realm of the
fundamental right to privacy (in K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, 2017). Yet, current abortion laws fail to allow the
exercise of this right. While it is hoped that MTP Bill, 2020 will not lapse in Parliament like its predecessors, it is
evident that it does not do enough to secure women’s interests, and there is still a long road ahead for progressive
abortion laws.
19. Cauvery delta to be declared a protected agriculture zone

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday announced that the Cauvery delta region would be declared a
Protected Special Agriculture Zone as a step towards ensuring food security of the State.
The announcement was widely hailed by political parties and farmers’ organisations, while the DMK termed it a
“diversionary tactic”.
At an official function at Thalaivasal in his native Salem district, Mr. Palaniswami said the State government would
never give its approval for projects such as hydrocarbon exploration in the delta region.
“I am a farmer and the State government would never give permission for any project that would affect the livelihood
of farmers... At Neduvasal, whatever project the Centre may introduce, it cannot be implemented without NOC from
the State government,” he said.
“The Cauvery delta region is an important agriculture region in Tamil Nadu and farmers continue to do agriculture,
despite climate challenges. It is just and reasonable that projects like hydrocarbon exploration have raised concerns
among farmers and other agriculture-based labourers. Since the delta region is close to the sea, there is a need to
safeguard the region. To ensure that agriculture is not affected, the Cauvery delta regions in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur,
Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Karur and Tiruchirapalli will be converted into a Protected Special
Agriculture Zone,” he announced.
Mr. Palaniswami said the State government would hold consultations with legal experts, and steps would be taken
to enact special legislation.

‘Spreading lies’
He alleged that DMK leader T.R. Baalu, who had served as the Union Minister of State for Petroleum in 1996, when
methane gas was found in the Rajasthan desert, chose to get the project implemented in Tamil Nadu in 2010.
The DMK government in January 2011 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Great Eastern Energy
Corporation to dig borewells and conduct explorations for four years in the region, he charged.
20. Govt. raps U.S. agency for Nipah work

The Indian government has sharply censured the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) for funding an “unapproved” Indian laboratory in Manipal, and not securing the necessary permissions for
undertaking training in India for work on Nipah virus, considered a potential bio-weapon.
A Union Health Ministry communication to CDC said the work was undertaken despite knowing that high risk
pathogens can be tested only in BSL4 lab. As the highest level of biological safety, a BSL4 lab consists of work with
highly dangerous and exotic microbes. Infections caused by these microbes, including Ebola and Marburg viruses,
are frequently fatal.
The Ministry said it is taking a “very serious view” of all such contraventions of virus research guidelines that bypass
the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)/ Health Ministry Screening Committee (HMSC) for permissions.
When asked by The Hindu, the CDC admitted that the training programme did not have the necessary approvals
“due to some confusion about clearance for private institutions,” but it had not commissioned the research directly.
‘Lethal pathogen’
Meanwhile, in a communication dated October 30, 2019, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said it had
written to both CDC and Manipal Centre for Virus Research (MCVR), ordering them to shut down the study. It told
the Manipal institute to transfer all the Nipah virus samples to the certified ICMR-National Institute of Virology in
Pune, and demanded that CDC stop all unauthorised funding. A memorandum sent out said the CDC was advised
“to stop funding research without approval and working with Nipah virus — a pathogen that belongs to Risk Group 4
classification (RG4) considered lethal since it can be turned into biological weapons.”
In a written response to queries, directed through the U.S. Embassy, the CDC said, “The training was done through
the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and was aimed at strengthening laboratory systems in India which
allowed for detection of Nipah virus.”
“All trainings followed appropriate biosafety precautions and procedures as per international standards and were
attended by government of India laboratorians,” the Atlanta-based CDC, said. According to the CDC, after
“realising” the need for further permissions, it had subsequently applied for clearances with the Health Ministry, but
those were denied.
“When the clearance was not obtained, the project was closed and no further funding was released to MCVR, in
accordance with GoI and U.S. Government policy,” the CDC spokesperson added, but did not explain why it had
been unaware of the procedures for funding in the first place.

Dr. Arunkumar, Director of MCVR, said: “We did not take approval from HMSC. Prior to testing, MCVR inactivated
the virus. Inactivation of the virus was carried out in BSL3 facility at MCVR. Once inactivated, the virus cannot
spread. Molecular testing was carried at MCVR in its BSL2 facility. No Nipah virus sample was transferred from
MCVR to any other lab (except NIV) within and outside the country.”
“Nipah virus diagnostic training of MCVR by CDC in 2017 was under the supervision of GHSA cell in DGHS and
was reviewed every quarter by DGHS and ICMR. The training was conducted at MCVR as part of the capacity
building exercise under the CDC sponsored project on hospital based Acute Febrile Illness surveillance,” Dr
Arunkumar added.
21. Sensational Tiger Cubs conquer the world

India lost its last seven wickets for 23 runs
Defending a sub-par total, the team gave away 33 extras
A sprightly bunch of Bangladesh boys created history by winning the country’s first global title, shocking defending
champion India by three wickets in the summit clash of the ICC U-19 World Cup here on Sunday.
In a low-scoring final, Bangladesh restricted India to 177 in 47.2 overs and did well to score the revised target of
170 in 42.1 overs under the DLS method.
Once play resumed after a rain break, the target was revised to 170 and with seven runs to get and three wickets in
hand, it became a cakewalk for the Tiger Cubs as they scripted a golden chapter in their country’s cricket history.
Calm and collected

Credit should go to Bangladesh’s 18-year-old captain Akbar Ali, who showed nerves of steel while making a patient
unbeaten 43 off 77 balls. His effort outshone Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 88 off 121 balls for India.
Akbar’s cool quotient was there for everyone to see as he marshalled his resources brilliantly and then batted
responsibly, seeing out India’s threats from leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and fast bowler Kartik Tyagi.
There were two things that cost India dear. While batting, it lost its last seven wickets for 23. Once Jaiswal was out,
the lack of match-time for the other Indian batsmen was evident. While defending a sub-par total, the number of
extras (33) mattered a lot in the final context of the game.
Bangladesh’s chase started in earnest with Parvez Hossain Emon (47 off 79 balls) and Tanzid Hasan (17) adding
50 in quick time.
However, things changed once leg-spinner Bishnoi (4/30 in 10 overs) came into the attack, bamboozling the
batsmen with his googlies. But Emon, who came back to the crease after retiring with a hamstring injury, and Akbar
took the team closer to the target before the latter finished things in style.
Earlier, India’s batting wilted under pressure against a superb Bangladesh attack. Jaiswal (88 off 121 balls) was
once again the standout performer even as the new ball bowlers Shoriful Islam (2/31 in 10 overs) and Tanzim
Hasan Shakib (2/28 in 8.2 overs) stifled the batsmen. Seamer Avishek Das (3/40 in 9 overs) was the most
successful bowler, but it was Shoriful’s opening burst that put the Indians on the backfoot at the outset. That proved
vital in the end.

22. Supreme Court upholds changes to SC/ST atrocities law
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 2018 amendment which barred persons accused of committing atrocities
against those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes from getting anticipatory bail.
But two of the judges on the Bench, Justices Arun Mishra and Vineet Saran, held in their joint opinion that a High
Court would also have an “inherent power” to grant anticipatory bail in cases in which prima facie an offence under
the anti-atrocities law is not made out.
The two judges held that a High Court, in “exceptional cases”, could quash cases to prevent the misuse of the anti-
atrocities law.
Justice Bhat’s caveat
The third judge on the Bench, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, in his separate opinion, however, added a caveat to what
his two companion judges on the Bench said about the use of this “inherent power” by the High Courts.
Justice Bhat stressed that the courts should take care to use this power to grant anticipatory bail “only sparingly and
in very exceptional cases”.
It should not become a norm lest it leads to miscarriage of justice and abuse of the process of law. The intention of
the Parliament to protect the oppressed classes would suffer a defeat, he said. “I consider such stringent terms,
otherwise contrary to the philosophy of bail, absolutely essential, because a liberal use of the power to grant pre-
arrest bail would defeat the intention of Parliament,” Justice Bhat explained.
“It is important to reiterate and emphasise that unless provisions of the Act (anti-atrocities law) are enforced in their
true letter and spirit, with utmost earnestness and dispatch, the dream and ideal of a casteless society will remain
only a dream, a mirage. The marginalisation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities is an enduring
exclusion and is based almost solely on caste identities,” Justice Bhat observed.
The judge said the express provisions of the Constitution and statutes like the Act, meant to protect the oppressed
classes, underline the social or collective resolve to ensure that “all humans are treated as humans, that their innate
genius is allowed outlets through equal opportunities and each of them is fearless in the pursuit of her or his
dreams”.
Despite Justice Bhat’s caveat, all three judges on the Bench have upheld the constitutionality of Section 18A of the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act of 2018. The sole purpose of
Section 18A was to nullify a controversial March 20, 2018, judgment of the Supreme Court diluting the stringent
anti-bail provisions of the original Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989.

A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had on March 20, 2018, held that there was no “absolute bar” on accused
person obtaining anticipatory bail under Section 438 CrPC, “if no prima facie is made out or if judicial scrutiny
reveals the complaint to be prima facie malafide”.
The March 20, 2018 judgment was a response to the court’s belief that the law was abused to file false complaints.
The verdict had led to widespread violence. Consequently, Parliament amended the 1989 law and inserted Section
18A into it. Section 18A re-affirmed the original legislative bar on pre-arrest bail.
A number of petitions were filed in the Supreme Court to declare Section 18A “arbitrary and unconstitutional”. All of
them were dismissed by the Bench on Monday as without merit.
23. ‘Review court can refer questions to larger Bench’

A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the decision of the five-judge Sabarimala
Review Bench to refer to a larger Bench questions on the ambit and scope of religious freedom practised by
multiple faiths across the country.
The nine-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S.A. Bobde, said a Bench engaged in the review of a
particular judgment could indeed refer other questions of law to a larger Bench. Arguments on merits would be
heard from February 17.
The Bench also framed seven questions of law which it would decide now. These are: what is the scope and ambit
of religious freedom under Article 25 of the Constitution? What is the interplay between religious freedom and rights
of religious denominations under Article 26 of the Constitution? Whether religious denominations are subject to
fundamental rights? What is the definition of ‘morality’ used in Articles 25 and 26? What is the ambit and scope of
judicial review of Article 25? What is the meaning of the phrase “sections of Hindus” under Article 25 (2)(b)?
Whether a person not belonging to a religious group can question the practices, beliefs of that group in a PIL
petition?
On the last day of hearing, Chief Justice Bobde had defended the November 14, 2019, reference made by the
Review Bench, led by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi. “By making this reference order [on November 14], the Bench [led by
Justice Gogoi] has not prejudicially affected anybody’s rights. It may be the most innovative idea, but it has not
affected any rights,” he had said orally.

On November 14 last year, the Gogoi Bench, in a majority judgment, did not decide the Sabarimala review cases
before it. Instead, it went on to frame “larger issues” concerning essential religious practices of various religions. It
further clubbed other pending cases on subjects as varied as female genital mutilation among the Dawoodi Bohras
to entry of Parsi women who married inter-faith into the fire temple and Muslim women into mosques and referred
them all to a larger Bench.
The reference order also asked the larger Bench to consider the rule pertaining to the prohibition of entry to women
of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple.
Chief Justice Bobde, who succeeded Justice Gogoi, set up the nine-judge Bench to hear the reference.
The November 2019 reference hit a bump on Monday last, with senior advocate Fali Nariman objecting to it. He
argued that the court could not declare law in thin air.
“Fundamental [to judicial process] is you apply law to the facts of cases and not decide the law before looking into
the facts... Never indulge in the exposition of law outside the realm of the facts of the case,” he said.
The Gogoi Bench’s sole task was to review the Sabarimala judgment of September 2018. The major ground for
seeking a review was the finding in the judgment that Ayyappa devotees did not form a separate religious
denomination, he stated. On November 14, the Review Bench recorded no errors apparent or miscarriage of justice
in the 2018 verdict.
“When Ayyappa devotees were not found to be a separate denomination, these reference questions on Article 25
[religious freedom] are purely an academic exercise. It was not necessary to raise these hypothetical questions in
reference. The President, and not the CJI, consults the Supreme Court under Article 143 of the Constitution on
questions of law and facts,” Mr. Nariman had argued.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan had agreed that review jurisdiction did not include “framing a catalogue of questions
randomly”.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi had said, “But what if judges have a doubt? They refer it to a larger Bench. Are you
saying the President can refer questions of law to the Supreme Court, but judges cannot?”
Senior advocate K. Parasaran had said the Supreme Court had unlimited jurisdiction. The fact that it was reviewing
the Sabarimala judgment did not preclude it from referring other questions of law and cases with similar issues to a
larger Bench.

24. South Korea’s Parasite makes Oscar history with Best Picture

Just days before the Oscars, South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho had referred to the Oscars as “very local”
awards. It seems to have done the trick. Or, perhaps, it was Mr. Bong’s other famous quote — “once you overcome
the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films” — that made the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences look beyond the home turf, and English language, to write history.
Mr. Bong’s searing look at class divides — Parasite — became the first non-English feature film to win the Best Film
Oscar at the 92nd Academy awards. Ten foreign language films are said to have been nominated previously for
Best Picture but none of them could make it to the final post. These include Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers
in 1973 and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000.
Rare feat
Not just that, Parasite is also a rare film to have won both International Feature and Best Picture awards. Last year,
Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma took the best international film and best director award but was overtaken by Green Book in
the best film category. In 2013 Michael Haneke’s Amour took the foreign language Oscar but not for the best film. In
1999 Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful got best foreign film and best actor awards but the best film eluded it.
The firsts for Parasite didn’t stop at that. It is the first South Korean film to get nominated and to have won the
International Film Oscar. Lee Chang-dong’s Burning couldn’t make it to the list of final nominees last year. Parasite
is also the first Asian film to have grabbed the Best Screenplay award, shared by Mr. Bong with Han Jin-won.
Giving Mr. Bong company in making history was the New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, who became the first
Maori to enter the privileged Oscar club with Adapted Screenplay award for his Nazi satire Jojo Rabbit. He
dedicated the award to the indigenous children all over the world.

Crazy passion for cinema
Mr. Bong grew up in the 1990s when there was crazy passion for cinema in Korea. “We would give everything up
for cinema. 1990s was the most cinephile decade in Korean history, the time when we devoured films like crazy,” he
had said in an interview to The Hindu on the eve of winning the Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival last year. No
wonder his Oscar acceptance speech for Best Director was a warm and generous ode to fellow filmmakers, starting
off with Martin Scorsese: “When I was young and starting in cinema there was a saying that I carved deep into my
heart which is, ‘The most personal is the most creative.’ That quote was from our great Martin Scorsese... When I
was in school, I studied Martin Scorsese’s films. Just to be nominated was a huge honour. I never thought I would
win.”
He then went on to thank Quentin Tarantino for getting him a place in the sun: “When people in the U.S. were not
familiar with my films, Quentin [Tarantino] always put my films on his list.” And then rounded it off by acknowledging
Todd Phillips and Sam Mendes. “If the Academy allows, I would like to get a Texas chainsaw, split the award into
five and share it with all of you,” he said.
The acting Oscars went as expected. Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for playing a failing clown who finds fame
through violence in the dark comic-book tale Joker.
Renee Zellweger was named Best Actress for her performance as an ageing Judy Garland in the musical biopic
Judy.
Mr. Tarantino’s sentimental ode to Tinseltown, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, brought the first acting Oscar for
Brad Pitt, who played a supporting role as a laid-back stunt man.
Laura Dern took the Supporting Actress Oscar, her first Academy Award, for playing a ruthless divorce lawyer in
Marriage Story.
First World War film 1917, from Universal Pictures, had been seen as the film to beat but won just three of its 10
nominations. They came for its stunning “one-shot” feel Cinematography, for Visual Effects and for Sound Mixing.
Toy Story 4 took home the Oscar for best animated film — the third golden statuette for the innovative Pixar
franchise about a collection of toys, the value of friendship and accepting change.
Hildur Guðnadóttir won the Best Original Score for Joker. (With Reuters inputs)
American Factory, a documentary produced by Barack and Michelle Obama for Netflix about a manufacturing plant
in the U.S. Midwest reopened by a Chinese billionaire, won the Oscar for best documentary on Sunday.
The film charts a Midwestern rust belt community’s journey from optimism at the giant plant’s reopening — bringing
back vital jobs — toward creeping anger and disillusionment as the Chinese management imposes its strict,
exhausting demands on workers and sacks those who do not comply.
“Our film is from Ohio and China,” director Julia Reichert said while accepting her golden statuette. “But it really
could be from anywhere that people put on a uniform, punch a clock, trying to make their families have a better life.”
“Working people have it harder and harder these days, and we believe that things will get better when workers of
the world unite,” she said.
Co-directed by Reichert and Steven Bognar, the film is a look at how both American and Chinese workers, from
blue-collar to management, had their lives transformed by global economic forces that caught the eyes of none
other than the Obamas.

25. What is SuperCam?

In its mission to Mars this summer, NASA is sending a new laser-toting robot as one of seven instruments aboard
the Mars 2020 rover. Called SuperCam, the robot is used for studying mineralogy and chemistry from up to about 7
metres away. It might help scientists find signs of fossilised microbial life on Mars.
SuperCam packs what would typically require several sizable pieces of equipment into something no bigger than a
cereal box. It fires a pulsed laser beam out of the rover’s mast to vaporise small portions of rock from a distance,
providing information that will be essential to the mission’s success.
NASA lists five things to know
* From more than 7 m away, SuperCam can fire a laser to study rock targets smaller than a pencil point. That lets
the rover study spots it can’t reach with its arm.
* SuperCam looks at rock textures and chemicals to find those that formed or changed in water on Mars long ago.
* SuperCam looks at different rock and “soil” types to find ones that could preserve signs of past microbial life on
Mars — if any ever existed.
* For the benefit of future explorers, SuperCam identifies which elements in the Martian dust may be harmful to
humans.
* Scientists can learn about how atmospheric molecules, water ice, and dust absorb or reflect solar radiation. This
helps predict Martian weather better.
SuperCam includes a microphone so scientists can listen each time the laser hits a target. The popping sound
created by the laser subtly changes depending on a rock’s material properties. The Mars 2020 rover marks the third
time this particular microphone design will go to the Red Planet. In the late 1990s, the same design rode aboard the
Mars Polar Lander, which crashed on the surface. In 2008, the Phoenix mission experienced electronics issues that
prevented the microphone from being used.
26. Bill to regulate pesticide business gets green light

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Pesticides Management Bill, 2020, which, the government claims
will regulate the business of pesticides and compensate farmers in case of losses from the use of spurious agro
chemicals.
“Today, the pesticide business is regulated by 1968 rules which have become age-old and need immediate
rewriting,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Mr. Javadekar said farmers would also be empowered to get all information as the data would be in open source
and in all languages.
In February 2018, the Centre released a draft of the pesticides Bill that aims to replace the existing Insecticides Act
of 1968.
A key proposal in the 2018 version was to raise penalties on the sale of prohibited or spurious pesticides to ₹50
lakh and up to five years’ imprisonment, from the current ₹2,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. It is unclear if
these provisions have been retained in the latest version of Bill that was cleared by the Union Cabinet.
‘Central fund likely’

“If there is any loss because of the spurious or low quality of pesticides then there is a provision for compensations
... If required, the government will form a central fund which will take care of compensation,” Mr. Javadekar said.
The Centre for Science and Environment, in 2018, had criticised the Bill. “The existing draft provides inadequate
representation to States ... The States should have a say in final decision making on pesticide, as they have the
best understanding on the agro-ecological climate, environment and soil conditions,” it said in a statement.
27. A child cannot be put behind bars, rules SC

The Supreme Court has made it clear that the police have no right to detain children in conflict with law in a lockup
or a jail.
A juvenile in conflict with law, if apprehended, has to be placed immediately under the care of the special juvenile
police unit or a designated child welfare officer. The child has to be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board
(JJB).
“Once a child is produced before a JJB, bail is the rule,” a Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose
declared. If for some reason bail is not granted, a child cannot be put behind bars.
He has to be lodged either in an observation home or in a place of safety.
The law is meant to protect children and not detain them in jail or keep them in police custody, said the court.
The eight-page order on February 10 came after the court’s attention was drawn by the recent media reports about
“children being detained in police custody and tortured in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh”. The order sends a significant
message to the authorities in the light of reports about children detained in connection with the protests against the
Citizenship (Amendments) Act.
The Bench has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Commissions for Protection of Child Rights and
directed them to file their responses within three weeks.

28. CIA spied through Swiss encryption firm: report

The CIA read the encrypted messages of several countries, including India, for decades through its secretly owned
Switzerland-based company trusted by governments all over the world to keep the communications of their spies,
soldiers and diplomats secret, according to a leading American daily.
The report by The Washington Post and German public broadcaster ZDF published on Tuesday said the company,
Crypto AG, entered into a deal with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1951 and came under its
ownership in the 1970s. The joint reporting project, which uncovered the secret operation from CIA-classified
documents, described how the U.S. and its allies exploited other nations’ gullibility for years, taking their money and
stealing their secrets.
The company specialised in communications and information security and was founded in the 1940s as an
independent firm. The CIA and the National Security Agency spied on allies and adversaries alike through Crypto
AG specialising in making cryptography equipment, the report said. For more than half a century, governments all
over the world trusted the firm to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret, the
newspaper said. The firm had clients such as Iran, military juntas in Latin America, India, Pakistan and the Vatican,
it said. There was no official reaction from New Delhi.
Rigged devices
However, none of its customers ever knew that the firm was secretly owned by the CIA in a highly classified
partnership with West German intelligence.
These spy agencies rigged the company’s devices so they could easily break the codes that countries used to send
encrypted messages, according to the report.
“It was the intelligence coup of the century. Foreign governments were paying good money to the U.S. and West
Germany for the privilege of having their most secret communications read by at least two [and possibly as many as
five or six] foreign countries,” the CIA report reads.
29. WHO to decide on emergency status of Ebola in DR Congo

UN health agency experts meet on Wednesday to decide whether the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of
Congo should still be considered a global health emergency, following a sharp decline in reported cases.

The World Health Organization last July declared it a “public health emergency of international concern” — a
designation that gives the WHO greater powers to restrict travel and boost funding.
The outbreak was first identified in August 2018 and has since killed more than 2,300 people in eastern DR Congo.
‘Situation improving’
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday said he was “encouraged” by an improvement in the
situation, with only three cases reported in the past week. But he added: “It’s not over. Any single case could
reignite the epidemic.”
For the epidemic to be declared over, there have to be no new cases reported for 42 days — double the incubation
period.
“We cannot and must not forget Ebola,” Mr. Tedros said, adding that he would travel to DR Congo on Thursday to
meet President Felix Tshisekedi.
The decision is ultimately up to the WHO’s Emergency Committee that meets every three months once an
emergency has been declared.
30. 100% ST quota — SC pulls up Andhra govt: What will SCs, OBCs do

THE SUPREME Court on Wednesday questioned the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision in 1988 to provide
100 per cent reservation to Scheduled Tribes for teacher posts in Scheduled Areas, saying it would deprive other
backward communities from availing reservation benefits and opined that allowing it may facilitate misuse.
“What will Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes do? They are also downtrodden. This is suffocating,”
said Justice Arun Mishra, heading a five-judge Constitution bench, which is hearing an appeal challenging the 1988
notification issued by the then state Governor. The bench also comprises Justices Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, M
R Shah and Aniruddha Bose.
The bench sought to know what was the data before the Governor on the basis of which the decision was made. “If
this is allowed without data, it will not be far when politicians will start doing it for whosoever supports their ideology.
There is no political will left to undo a wrong,” Justice Mishra said as Senior Advocate R Venkataramani, appearing
for the state, sought to defend the notification.
Justice Saran said that by the notification “it’s presumed that ST is the only deprived group in that area” and asked
“is there any data to say that no other group is deprived in that area?”
“Such obnoxious provision has been tolerated for two decades… If we permit this to happen, there will be no end
and in entire country it may happen…we do not know the wisdom of our wise men,” said Justice Mishra.
“It closes the door for those who are qualified. They cannot even apply,” added Justice Saran.

Subramani said “perhaps the Governor thought it is the most proximate way to achieve educational improvement of
those areas”. He said that the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution dealing with administration of Scheduled Areas
vests the Governor with legislative and administrative powers, which run seamlessly.
The counsel added that Scheduled Areas and STs were collective beneficiaries of the order and that it was not
intended to discriminate others.
The “Governor’s decision can’t be above the law”, observed Justice Mishra and referred to the apex court judgment
in Indira Sawhney case which said the reservation limit should not exceed 50 except in exceptional circumstances.
Venkataramani said what was exceptional was subjective.
But the bench said this would require data to justify.
“Even if there was no data, maybe Governor looked at the Rules and felt it is not enough to improve the standard of
education of these areas”, replied Venkataramani.
“So you are saying his subjective satisfaction is enough,” said Justice Saran.
“You can’t play with the Constitution like this. There has to be some data,” observed Justice Mishra. “If we accept
this, tomorrow there would be all-India chaos. Now we are at a such a stage that it’s very very difficult to administer
the Constitution in it’s real sense.”
Justice Saran added that even the Constitution framers had not envisaged such a situation.
The bench also sought to know what results have been achieved from the more than two decade old “experiment”.
“You are providing 100 per cent reservation to tribals in that area. Two decades have passed. This should have
solved the problem. Have you been able to solve it?” said Justice Mishra as the counsel mentioned that most of
these areas fell in the Maoist-hit Red Corridor.
The bench said the problem was that the benefits were not percolating to those really deserving it.
31. COVID-19— How WHO names a new disease

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) gave an official name to the disease caused by the
novel coronavirus. The disease will be called “COVID-19”; the “CO” stands for coronavirus, “VI” for virus and “D” for
disease. The coronavirus itself is called “nCoV-2019”.
The death toll from the virus has now crossed 1,000 and the disease has infected tens of thousands of people, the
majority of them in China.
WHO names what
The WHO, in consultation with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has identified best practices for naming new human diseases. These
best practices apply to a new disease:
 That is an infection, syndrome, or disease of humans;

 That has never been recognised before in humans;
 That has potential public health impact; and
 Where no disease name is yet established in common usage
Names that are assigned by the WHO may or may not be approved by the International Classification of Diseases
(ICD) at a later stage. The ICD, which is also managed by the WHO, provides a final standard name for each
human disease according to standard guidelines that are aimed at reducing the negative impact from names while
balancing science, communication and policy.
Terms to avoid
In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO Director-General said: “Under agreed guidelines… we had to find a name that
did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also
pronounceable and related to the disease. Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be
inaccurate or stigmatizing.”
The agreed best practices include advice on what the disease names should not include, such as geographic
location (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, Japanese encephalitis). Disease names should not
include people’s names (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chagas disease), the species or class of animal or food (swine
flu, monkeypox etc.), cultural or occupational references (miners, butchers, cooks, nurses etc.) and terms that incite
“undue fear” such as death, fatal and epidemic.
In a media note issued in May 2015, WHO had said that the use of names such as “swine flu” and “Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome” has had “unintended negative impacts” by stigmatising certain communities and economic
sectors.
Terms to include: The best practices include using generic descriptive terms such as respiratory diseases,
hepatitis, neurologic syndrome, watery diarrhoea. They include using specific descriptive terms that may indicate
the age group of the patients and the time course of the disease, such as progressive, juvenile or severe.
If the causative pathogen is known, it should be used as part of the disease name with additional descriptors such
as the year when the disease was first reported or detected. For example, novel coronavirus respiratory syndrome.
The names should also be short (rabies, malaria, polio) and should be consistent with the guidelines under the
International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Content Model Reference Guide.
As per the WHO, “severe” should be used only for those diseases that have a very high initial case fatality rate.
“Novel” can be used to indicate a new pathogen of a previously known type. In the case of the novel coronavirus,
“recognizing that this term will become obsolete if other new pathogens of that type are identified”, the WHO has
now changed its name.
32. Srinath Narasimhan named Tata Trusts CEO; effective April 1

Srinath Narasimhan is set to take over as the chief executive of the Tata Trusts, the majority shareholder of $100-
billion Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.

The trustees of Tata Trusts, headed by Ratan Tata, decided to appoint Srinath Narasimhan the chief executive of
the Trusts, with effect from April 1, 2020. The trustees also appointed Pramit Jhaveri, former chief executive officer
of Citi India and former vice-chairman of banking, capital markets and advisory for Asia Pacific, a trustee of the Sir
Dorabji Tata Trust; effective from February 12, 2020.
Narasimhan is currently managing director of Tata Teleservices Ltd and Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd.
Having joined the Tata Administrative Services in 1986, Narasimhan has held various assignments in
the Tata Group, including as the MD of Tata Communications Ltd.
Tata Trusts have been functioning without a CEO after R Venkataramanan quit as managing trustee on February
14, 2019. A Committee of trustees, comprising Ratan N Tata, chairman of the Trusts; and Vijay Singh and Venu
Srinivasan, vice-chairmen of the Trusts, was set up to oversee the operations and select a chief executive for the
Trusts.
Venkataramanan quit the post saying “he had been considering other options, given that he was completing five
years as the Trusts’ Executive Trustee/ Managing Trustee, and sought to be relieved”. Speculation was rife that
some trustees were not happy with Venkataramanan. Tata Trusts, which collectively own 66 per cent of Tata Sons,
had been engaged in a legal dispute with the Income-Tax Department over tax exemption.
The I-T department had recently cancelled registration of six Tata Trusts, including Jamsetji Tata Trust, R.D. Tata
Trust and Tata Education Trust, following their decision to surrender the same. The Tata Trusts said the
cancellation was a culmination of the decision taken by these six Trusts in 2015 to surrender their registration and
to not claim the associated income tax exemptions.
33. Publish criminal history of candidates, SC orders parties

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for
the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections along with the reasons that goaded them to field suspected criminals over
decent people.
The information should be published in a local and a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media
handles. It should mandatorily be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two
weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.

A Bench led by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman, in the judgment, ordered political parties to submit compliance reports
with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours or risk contempt of court action.
The judgment is applicable to parties both at the Central and State levels.
The judgment by the Bench, also comprising Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, signified the court’s alarm at the unimpeded
rise of criminals, often facing heinous charges like rape and murder, encroaching into the country’s political and
electoral realms.
Detailed information
The published information on the criminal antecedents of a candidate should be detailed and include the nature of
the offences, charges framed against him, the court concerned and the case number.
A political party should explain to the public through its published material how the “qualifications or achievements
or merit” of a candidate, charged with a crime, impressed it enough to cast aside the smear of his criminal
background.
A party would have to give reasons to the voter that it was not the candidate’s “mere winnability at the polls” which
guided its decision to give him the ticket.
“It appears that over the last four general elections, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of
criminals in politics. In 2004, 24% of the Members of Parliament had criminal cases pending against them; in 2009,
that went up to 30%; in 2014 to 34%; and in 2019 as many as 43% of MPs had criminal cases pending against
them,” Justice Nariman wrote.
The four-page judgment was based on a contempt petition filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay about the general
disregard shown by political parties to a 2018 Constitution Bench judgment (Public Interest Foundation v. Union of
India) to publish the criminal details of candidates in their respective websites and print as well as electronic media
for public awareness.
“In this judgment (2018), this court was cognisant of the increasing criminalisation of politics in India and the lack of
information about such criminalisation among the citizenry,” Justice Nariman observed.
34. Govt. notifies medical devices as drugs

Indian medical device sector is in for a major disruption after the central government has notified all medical devices
-- syringes to PET scanners to dialysis machines -- as drugs for quality certification and monitoring purposes on
February 11. The new rule will result in a shakeup in the low value, low risk, high-volume medical device category
as local micro and small scale device manufacturers will have to comply with standards and procedures considered
too costly for them. While global med-tech firms appreciate the move, domestic medical device makers have sought
more clarity over the government plans.
"One can't expect a tiny manufacturer in Bhagirath making masks or neck bracing collars or belts to hire a qualified
QMS manager with biomedical engineering. It is not needed worldwide -- these require simple basic precautions
like labels for traceability and consumer protection," says Rajiv Nath, Coordinator of Association of Indian Medical
Device Industry (AIMED).
The industry says that almost all low-risk Class A category products like orthopaedic collars and pillows, spectacles
and wheel-chairs and stretchers, etc, are made by MSMEs. "Most small manufacturers can't comply with and have
qualified regulatory staff to meet the Medical Device and Diagnostic Rules (MDR) Schedule 5. The Ministry of
Health has been unwilling to amend this, though NITI Aayog is supportive and has assured to make a provision in
its draft bill," Nath says.
The change, though, will not be sudden. The new rule, which comes in force from April 1, will be applicable to a
large set of manufacturers in a staggered manner. The compliance requirements for low risk (Class A) and low
moderate risk (Class B) devices will be enforced only after 30 months from the date of notification.
Similarly, the quality compliance requirements under the new rule will be effective for moderate high risk (Class C)
and high risk (Class D) products after 42 months. The health ministry has also notified an online registration
requirement for these products from April 1, 2020, onwards. The registration will remain voluntary for 18 months.
The central drug authority classifies products like surgical dressings and disposable perfusion sets as Class A
items. While needle, urinary catheters, etc, are class B, bone cement, dialysis machines, etc, are rated higher
(Class C) due to the moderate-high risk they pose. Stents, heart valves, etc, are high-risk class D devices. The
compliance problem is more with the low risk, high-volume categories.
Of the estimated size of $5.2 billion, close to 30 per cent is known to be the market for consumables and patient
aids. The hi-tech diagnostic imaging sector is dominated by large players and will be the least impacted. The
government has provided specific timelines for the implementation of the rule for different products.
The Ministry of Health notification covers all devices, including instruments, apparatus, appliance, implant, material
or other articles -- whether used alone or in combination, including software or an accessory -- intended by its
manufacturer to be used especially for human beings or animals. The notification has come at a time when the
domestic medical device industry was expecting a separate law to regulate medical devices, instead of the current
rule that defines such devices as "drugs" and brings it under the purview of Drugs and Cosmetics Act for regulatory
approval.
"We are okay to be regulated under a risk proportionate Medical Devices Rules, 2017, we are highly uncomfortable
to be regulated under the very rigid and prescriptive the Drugs Act as any non-conformity can be treated as a
criminal offence by any drug inspector at his discretion and hauled before a court and there is no risk proportionate
penalties. We have been seeking assurance from the health ministry that this is a temporary measure until a NITI
Aayog-drafted bill to regulate devices separately from drugs becomes a separate law. But, no meeting has been
called to address these apprehensions," Nath adds.
The Surgical Manufacturers and Traders Association, another body that represents wholesale traders and MSME
device manufacturers, had recently criticised the government's move, saying it may lead to the closure of thousands
of small and micro units and impact consumers by way of high prices as imports will become multiple times costlier.
The Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), the association of global and Indian medical devices,
welcomed the decision. "We welcome the government's decision to regulate all devices, which has also been a
long-standing ask of the industry. These regulations, that are a continuation of the Medical Devices Rules 2017,
which were launched after meticulous deliberations for two years, are in line with the government's vision to provide
equitable access to quality healthcare. We are also happy the health ministry is recruiting competent resources to
cater to the additional workload that these new regulations will bring in," Pavan Choudary, Chairman and Director
General, MTaI says.

35. USTR takes India off developing country list

The U.S. government has changed an administrative rule making it easier for it to impose countervailing duties
(CVDs) on goods from India and certain other countries.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has published a notice, amending lists of developing
and least-developed countries that are eligible for preferential treatment with respect to CVD investigations.
Country classification
To harmonise U.S. law with the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM)
Agreement, the USTR had, in 1998, come up with lists of countries classified as per their level of development.
These lists were used to determine whether they were potentially subject to U.S. countervailing duties. The 1998
rule is now “obsolete” as per the USTR notice.
Countries not given special consideration have lower levels of protection against a CVD investigation.
A CVD investigation must be terminated if the offending subsidy is de minimis (too small to warrant concern) or if
import volumes are negligible.
The de minimis thresholds and import volume allowance are more relaxed for developing and least-developed
countries.
India was, until February 10, on the developing country list and therefore eligible for these more relaxed standards.
It has now been taken off of that list.
The new lists consist of 36 developing countries and 44 least developed countries.
The USTR used the following criteria to determine whether a country was eligible for the 2% de minimis standard:
(1) Per capita Gross National Income or GNI (2) share of world trade (3) other factors such as Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) membership or application for membership, EU membership,
and Group of Twenty (G20) membership.
India, along with Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam were taken off the list since they each have at
least a 0.5% share of the global trade, despite having less than $12, 375 GNI (the World Bank threshold separating
high income countries from others). India was taken off the list also because — like Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia and
South Africa — it is part of the G20. “Given the global economic significance of the G20, and the collective
economic weight of its membership (which accounts for large shares of global economic output and trade), G20
membership indicates that a country is developed,” the USTR notice said.
Not linked to Trump visit

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained about the WTO’s classification of developing countries.
Mr. Trump is due to visit India on February 24 and 25 and the U.S. and India are trying to finalise a trade package
before the U.S. President’s arrival. The timing of the USTR announcement is not linked to the visit, a former trade
official told The Hindu.
“The timing is mostly coincidental and mostly related to dynamics at the WTO on developing country treatment,” the
official said.
36. Soon, a panel to address fiscal policy issues

The Fifteenth Finance Commission will soon set up a panel to address issues related to fiscal policy for both the
Centre and the States, and present a road map for the same, Commission’s Chairman N.K. Singh said.
Mr. Singh added the Commission had also constituted a group on defence and internal security, whose mandate
will be ‘to examine whether a separate mechanism for funding of defence and internal security ought to be set up,
and if so, how such a mechanism could be operationalised.’ This group will be chaired by Mr. Singh with A.N. Jha,
Member, Fifteenth Finance Commission as well as Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Secretary, Ministry of
Defence and Secretary (Expenditure), Ministry of Finance as members.
On the fiscal committee, the Chairman said, “I proposed to constitute a broad-based committee which will address
some of the issues on fiscal policy, particularly in relation to the debt and the deficit of the States as well as the
Central government... there is a need to have a fiscal road map that covers the Centre and the State government.”
The panel will be headed by Mr. Singh and have representation from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India,
the Reserve Bank of India, the Ministry of Finance, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM)
panel and some of the States.
Robust legal framework

Mr. Singh, however, added that there wasn’t a need for a new legal framework as the FRBM already gives a robust
legal framework, “except for the fact the States need to align their own FRBM with the new FRBM enacted by the
Union Government with the amendments to the earlier one in 2018. Also, we need to ensure there is strict
compliance on the issues of off-Budget borrowing, contingent liabilities...”
He said the principal terms of reference (ToR) of the fiscal committee will enhance the ability of the Finance
Commission to address its ToR relating to giving a consolidated fiscal debt road map for the general government.
On Thursday, the Advisory Council to the 15th Finance Commission held its sixth meeting, at which many
suggestions were given concerning the GST, he said, adding that generally, it was felt the room for improvement in
GST was significant.
“They all realise the future of revenue policy is basically tied to GST. So, quite some time was spent on this. They
also wanted a more systematic dialogue between the Finance Commission and the GST Council since we are also
very much stakeholders.”

37. Hockey captain Manpreet Singh is first Indian to win FIH Male Player of the
Year award

National men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh Thursday became the first Indian to win the International
Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Player of the Year award.
The awards, which were introduced in 1999, saw the 27-year-old midfielder, polling a total of 35.2 per cent votes
(from national associations, media, fans and players), edging out Arthur van Dorren of Belgium (19.7 per cent) and
Lucas Villa of Argentina (16.5 per cent).
Manpreet, who made his debut in 2011, and now has 260 international appearances under his belt, learnt the
basics of the game at the hockey stadium at Mithapur village in Jalandhar.
Mithapur has produced greats like Swaroop Singh, who was member of 1952 Helsinki Olympics gold medal
winning, and former Indian captain Pargat Singh.
“For a player, who learnt hockey at Mithapur hoping to emulate Swaroop Singh and Pargat Singh, to win the FIH
Player of the Year award is the biggest reward of my career. My late father and elder brothers wanted to see me in
national colours. Had my father been alive today, he would have been the happiest person in this world. Ever since
I was hockey trainee at Mithapur stadium, I would follow the FIH awards and to be the first Indian to get this award
has made this occasion special for me,” said Manpreet Singh while speaking with The Indian Express.
Manpreet had captained India in the Asia cup title win in 2017 apart from leading the team in the recent FIH Pro
Hockey League ties against Netherlands and Belgium, respectively. He was also part of the 2014 Asian Games
gold medal winning Indian team and 2014 CWG Games silver medal winning team apart from 2016 and 2018
Champions Trophy silver medal winning teams. “Having played in more than 250 matches for India, I hope I can
also better my role as mid-fielder and help the team win a medal in the Tokyo Olympics. The team has been playing
well with youngsters like Rajkumar Pal impressing in FIH Pro League. We are aiming to play more attacking hockey.
Winning a medal in Olympics will be like icing on the cake,” said Manpreet.
In 2016, he was in Malaysia for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup when his father died before India’s opening match
against Japan. He returned home and rejoined the team after his father’s funeral. India went on to win bronze medal
in the tournament. “My father always wanted to see me playing hockey for India and I am sure he is watching me
from heaven,” he said.
FIH CEO Thierry Weil congratulated all the winners, including Manpreet on their achievements. “On behalf of FIH, I
would like to extend heartfelt congratulations from the whole hockey community to all winners of the 2019 FIH Stars
Awards and also to all nominees,” he said.
Hockey India President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad also congratulated Manpreet. “He has matured over the years as
a player and has proved his importance in the team. He has led India to important victories,” he said.
Earlier, young midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad (male) and striker Lalremsiami (female) won the FIH Rising Star of the
Year awards.

38. ISRO to launch 10 EO satellites in 2020-21
The country will send up an unusually large number of 10 earth observation (EO) satellites during 2020-21,
according to the latest annual report of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for 2019-20. The plan
includes new categories, such as the first Geo Imaging Satellite, GISAT-1.
In comparison, only three communication satellites and two navigation satellites are planned for the coming
financial year starting April. The plan mentions 36 missions, which include both satellites and their launchers.
ISRO was recently given a budget of nearly ₹13,480 crore for the next fiscal.
The upcoming EO satellites include radar imaging satellites RISAT-2BR2, RISAT- 1A and 2A, Oceansat-3 and
Resourcesat-3/3S.
In the ongoing fiscal, 17 missions are planned, six of which are due to be completed by March 31.
39. How to treat a child witness

In the two weeks since police slapped sedition charges on a school in Bidar, Karnataka, where a play critical of
the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) had been staged, much of the spotlight has been on reports that the police
questioned the children.
The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has pulled up the district police for violations,
including repeated questioning of the children. Additionally, a public interest petition has been filed in the Karnataka
High Court seeking a departmental inquiry against the policemen who allegedly questioned the children of Shaheen
School, aged between 9 and 12, without the consent of their parents or guardians, and also video-recorded them
without consent. The PIL referred to a statement by the Shaheen Alumni Association to say that the children were
questioned by policemen carrying guns, which created an “intimidating and fearful environment”.
The PIL has asked for guidelines to be issued to police regarding interrogation of minors in criminal proceedings in
accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act and United Nations resolutions. How do the law in India and resolutions of
the UN address the issue of questioning children? What are the safeguards for children being made witnesses?
What are the international conventions on children in these situations?
India has been a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1992, which was adopted by the
General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989. “In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public
or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests
of the child shall be a primary consideration,” the Convention states.
In 2009, the ‘United Nations: Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses in Crime: Model Law’
provided a more specific set of guidelines in the context of child witnesses. These guidelines recommend that
authorities treat children in a caring and sensitive manner, with interview techniques that “minimise distress or
trauma to children”.
They recommend specifically that an investigator specially trained in dealing with children be appointed to guide the
interview of the child, using a child-sensitive approach. “The investigator shall, to the extent possible, avoid
repetition of the interview during the justice process in order to prevent secondary victimisation of the child.”
Secondary victimisation is defined as victimisation that occurs not as a direct result of a criminal act, but through the
response of institutions and individuals to the victim.
Child rights activists say that children repeatedly questioned by authorities while in police uniform, without the
presence of their parents, can lead to such trauma.
How do Indian laws address the issue of child witnesses?

Under Section 118 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, there is no minimum age for a witness. Children as young as
three years old have deposed before trial courts in cases of sexual abuse. Usually during a trial, the court, before
recording the testimony of a child witness, determines his or her competency on the basis of their ability to give
rational answers. A child is usually asked questions like their name, the school they study in, and the names of their
parents to determine their competency. If the child is very young and does not understand the significance of taking
an oath to speak the truth — which is administered to each witness before testimony — the judge or the staff
explain to the child that he or she should speak the truth, thinking of whichever God they believe in.
Trials involving children as witnesses have primarily been in cases of child sexual abuse. Other criminal cases
where children are examined as witnesses have included those where a parent is the victim of violence at home, in
the sole presence of the child.
Have courts dealt with how child witnesses are to be treated?

The Delhi High Court has come up with guidelines for recording of evidence of vulnerable witnesses in criminal
matters. A vulnerable witness is defined as anyone who has not completed 18 years of age.
Focusing primarily on child witnesses giving testimonies that are recorded in court, the Delhi High Court guidelines
underline the importance of the criminal justice system needing to respond proactively, sensitively, and in an age-
appropriate manner when dealing with children. “The lengthy process of navigating the formal and adversarial
criminal justice system can affect the vulnerable witnesses’ psychological development,” the guidelines say. They
allow for a facilitator for a vulnerable witness to be appointed by a court for effective communication between
various stakeholders including the police.
In 2016, the Delhi High Court said that while children can be pliable, their testimony can be considered after careful
scrutiny.
What are the laws pertaining to the questioning of children?

JJ Act: The primary legislation in the country pertaining to children is The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2015. The Act does not provide guidelines specifically relating to questioning or interviewing of
children as witnesses. The Act’s very preamble, however, says that a “child-friendly approach in the adjudication
and disposal of matters in the best interest of children” must be adhered to. This means adhering to general
guidelines pertaining to the juvenile justice system — for instance, for the police to not be in their uniform while
dealing with children. It also requires that interviews of children be done by specialised units of police who are
trained to sensitively deal with them.
The Act prescribes that a Special Juvenile Police Unit is to be constituted by the state government in each district
and city, headed by a police officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, and including two social
workers, at least one of whom must be a woman, and both of whom should be experienced in the field of child
welfare. Their work includes coordinating with the police towards sensitive treatment of children. The Act also
provides for a Child Welfare Committee in every district to take cognisance of any violations by the authorities in
their handling of children.
POCSO Act: Apart from the Juvenile Justice Act, The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,
2012 has specific guidelines regarding interviewing children as witnesses. While it pertains to child sexual abuse
victims, child rights activists say the guidelines are a framework for all children who are being interviewed by the
police as witnesses. The Act states that interviews should be conducted in a safe, neutral, child-friendly
environment, including allowing for them to be done at homes. It says a child should not be made to recount the
incident in question multiple times. The Act also allows for a support person, who could be trained in counselling, to
be present with the child to reduce stress and trauma.
In 2018, the Bombay High Court had pulled up the police for repeatedly summoning a three-year-old to the police
station for recording his statement in a case of alleged sexual abuse of his classmate; a school trustee was an
accused in the case.
40. Why government wants to locate Dara Shikoh tomb, and why it’s not easy

The Ministry of Culture recently set up a seven-member panel of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to locate
the grave of the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh (1615-59). He is believed to be buried somewhere in the Humayun’s
Tomb complex in Delhi, one of around 140 graves of the Mughal clan.
Headed by T J Alone, Director-Monument at ASI, the panel has senior archaeologists R S Bisht, Sayeed Jamal
Hassan, K N Dikshit, B R Mani, K K Muhammed, Satish Chandra, and B M Pandey as members. It has been given
three months. “For the findings to be conclusive, the three-month time can be extended. The panel will use
architectural evidence from that time, and also written history and any other information that can be used as
evidence,” Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said.
Dara Shikoh’s legacy

The eldest son of Shah Jahan, Dara Shikoh was killed after losing the war of succession against his brother
Aurangzeb. Dara Shikoh is described as a “liberal Muslim” who tried to find commonalities between Hindu and
Islamic traditions. He translated into Persian the Bhagavad Gita as well as 52 Upanishads.
One of the archaeologists on the panel, Muhammed, described Dara Shikoh as “one of the greatest free thinkers of
that time”. “Dara Shikoh realised the greatness of the Upanishads and translated them, which were earlier known
only to a few upper caste Hindus. Translations from that Persian translation have inspired a lot of free thinkers of
today, even inspiring the likes of former United States President Barack Obama.”
Dara Shikoh & Aurangzeb

Some historians argue that if Dara Shikoh had ascended the Mughal throne instead of Aurangzeb, it could have
saved thousands of lives lost in religious clashes. “Dara Shukoh was the total antithesis of Aurangzeb, in that he
was deeply syncretic, warm-hearted and generous — but at the same time, he was also an indifferent administrator
and ineffectual in the field of battle,” Avik Chanda writes in Dara Shukoh, The Man Who Would Be King.

Of late, there have been renewed attempts to compare Dara Shikoh’s legacy against that of Aurangzeb. At a recent
conclave in Delhi, speakers included RSS functionaries called Dara Shikoh “a real Hindustani”. A research chair
was set up in Dara Shikoh’s name at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) last year.
Prof Sunil Kumar, professor of medieval history at the University of Delhi, said: “Whenever you use the past for
modern political purposes, you will always twist it because the past doesn’t serve modernity very well. You end up
manipulating it for your present intentions. If he was the monarch and not Aurangzeb, would India have been any
different? These assumptions are coming from a misplaced understanding of Mughal history… He is made to be a
good Muslim but why the search for his grave?”
The remains of Dara Shikoh

According to the Shahjahannama, after Aurangzeb defeated Dara Shikoh, he brought the latter to Delhi in chains.
His head was cut off and sent to Agra Fort, while his torso was buried in the Humayun’s Tomb complex.
Muhammed said: “No one knows where exactly Dara Shikoh was buried. All we know is that it’s a small grave in the
Humayun’s Tomb complex. Most people point to a specific small grave there. Italian traveller Niccolao Manucci
gave a graphic description of the day in Travels of Manucci, as he was there as a witness to the whole thing. That is
the basis of the thesis.”
Panel member Mani said: “One of the graves in the compound is traditionally said to be that of Dara Shikoh. It’s
located on a platform on the western side of the Humayun’s Tomb complex. We have been hearing about this from
people living in the area for generations, as well as from senior ASI officials, but again, there is no proper evidence.”
Prof Shireen Moosvi of AMU said, “Until 1857, all in the family were buried in the complex… According to historian
Jadunath Sarkar, ‘All authorities European as well as Persian point that he was indeed buried finally in Humayun’s
Tomb’.”
The way forward

The ASI’s biggest problem is that most graves in the complex have no names.
Panel member Hassan, a former ASI Director, said, “The Shahjahannama compiled by Muhammad Saleh
Kamboh… has dedicated at least two pages to the last days of Dara Shikoh, on how he was brutally murdered and
buried somewhere in the complex.”
But most on the panel are uncertain about how conclusive evidence can be found. “I don’t know how it will be
concluded. Let people go for further research and find out from literary resources. All people on the panel will apply
their areas of expertise,” Mani said.
Muhammed said the committee hasn’t met yet, so no methodology has been decided. “You can’t say with certainty,
but probability is there,” he said. “Let us hope, even as we can’t open any tomb, that it works out. It’s a step in the
right direction. It should have been done earlier.”
Prof Moosvi fears the search may be never-ending: “No one has mentioned the place of the grave. No graves there
are marked or inscribed. No way to identify.”

41. Women Army officers eligible for permanent commission: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Union government’s submissions that women are physiologically
weaker than men as a “sex stereotype” and declared that Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers are
eligible for permanent commission and command posts in the Army irrespective of their years of service.
“Women officers of the Indian Army have brought laurels to the force… Their track record of service to the nation is
beyond reproach. To cast aspersion on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as
women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army — men and women — who serve as equal citizens in a
common mission. The time has come for a realisation that women officers in the Army are not adjuncts to a male-
dominated establishment, whose presence must be ‘tolerated’ within narrow confines,” a Bench of Justices D.Y.
Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta observed in a 54-page judgment.
The verdict came on a nearly 10-year-old appeal filed by the government against a March 12, 2010 decision of the
Delhi High Court to grant SSC women officers permanent commission. The Supreme Court ordered the government
to implement its judgment in three months.
The order castigated the government for submitting a note containing written submissions portraying women as
physiologically unfit for answering the “call beyond duty” of the Army. The note had shown women officers in a poor
light, saying isolation and hardships would eat into their resolve and they would have to heed to the call of
pregnancy, childbirth and family. The note had mentioned that women ran the risk of capture by enemy and being
taken prisoner of war.
Justice Chandrachud, who wrote the judgment, countered that 30% of women officers were deputed in conflict
zones. He said the note screamed of the age-old patriarchal notion that domestic obligations rested only with
women. The court found the remarks in the note not only constitutionally invalid but also discriminatory, affecting the
dignity of women officers.
The Supreme Court, which castigated the government for its stand on permanent commission for Short Service
Commission women officers, favourably saw a policy statement filed separately by the government as a letter on
February 25, 2019. It noted that the government’s note and the February 2019 policy statement clashed with each
other.

It wondered how the government had managed to present diametrically opposite positions in court.
10 streams
The judgment recorded that the policy statement had endorsed permanent commission for SSC women officers in
10 streams of the ‘Combat Support Arms’ and ‘Services’ sections. These are Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation,
Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and
Intelligence, in addition to the existing streams of Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps.
“The policy decision of the Union government is a recognition of the right of women officers to equality of
opportunity,” the court said.
SSC for women is available only in the ‘Combat Support Arms’ and ‘Services’ wings of the Army.
The exclusion of women from combat operations was not examined by the court as it was not the contested in the
appeal.
The court dismissed the government’s stand that only women officers with less than 14 years of service ought to be
considered for permanent commission, and those with over 20 years of service should be pensioned immediately.
Applying the judgment retrospectively, the court declared that all serving women officers would be eligible for
permanent commission. The court held that a blanket ban of women SSC officers from command posts cannot be
sustained by law.
“An absolute prohibition of women SSC officers to obtain anything but staff appointments does not fulfil the purpose
of granting permanent commissions as a means of career advancement in the Army,” Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
wrote in the judgment. Justice Hemant Gupta was the other judge on the Bench.
The court held that since command appointments were not automatic for men officers, so would it be for women. It
was left to the Army to take a call on a case-to-case basis.
42. Google to end ‘Station’ programme

Five years after it started the ‘Station’ programme to bring free public Wi-Fi to 400 busiest railway stations in India,
Google has decided to gradually wind down the service globally as it believes that better data plans and improving
mobile connectivity have made it “simpler and cheaper” for users to get online.
However, users in India will be able to continue using the existing facilities at the over 400 stations via RailTel,
Google’s partner in India for the programme. The technology giant said that through the year 2020, it would be
working with its partners to transition existing sites so that they could remain useful resources for the community.
The programme was kick-started in India in 2015 as a partnership between Google, Indian Railways and RailTel to
bring fast and free public WiFi.

43. Why delay appointments, asks SC

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the government why it was “holding back” recommendations for
appointments to various High Courts even after reiteration by the Collegium.
“Once the Supreme Court Collegium reiterates the name of a candidate for appointment, then you [government]
cannot hold back... Why are you keeping these recommendations pending? Why don’t you accept them? It is the
law,” Justice K.M. Joseph told Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, for the Centre.
The Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Joseph was conveying its alarm at the rising number of
vacancies in various High Courts. Some of these courts are functioning only with half their sanctioned judicial
strength. On an average, they suffer at least 40% vacancies.
Mr. Venugopal defended saying the collegium delays the appointment process quite as the government. The
government’s delay is largely because it thoroughly combs the antecedents of the candidate, leaving no room for
error. The process, on an average, takes at least 127 days.
On the other hand, the judiciary takes 119 days on an average merely to forward the file to the government. Mr.
Venugopal challenged the Bench to issue formal notice to the various High Courts to explain the delay. He said
some courts like Allahabad and Andhra take over 45 and 50 months to even report a vacancy. The appointment of
Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan of the Kerala High Court took two years to come through.
Mr. Venugopal referred to how the Collegium system was put to an end through the National Judicial Appointments
Commission to make the appointments process transparent and participatory, only to be thrust out by the Supreme
Court.
“We had brought a perfectly fine Constitutional Amendment [NJAC]... We can perhaps bring another amendment,”
Mr. Venugopal told the court.
Justice Joseph replied that “You or I cannot re-open that [NJAC] issue.”
Noting that there are a 199 vacancies in the High Courts, Justice Kaul said the efforts should be made to kick-start
the appointments process to the courts early.

44. Hamilton, Messi clinch World Sportsman of the Year honours

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and footballer Lionel Messi were declared joint winners of the prestigious
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award at a glittering ceremony on Monday.
The Laureus Sporting Moment Award (2000-2020) public fan vote was won by Sachin Tendulkar. Voted by sports
fans around the world, the Award celebrated moments from the past two decades where sport has unified people in
the most extraordinary way.
Tendulkar, who was part of the victorious 2011 ICC World Cup-winning team, was carried on the shoulders by his
teammates.
The victory could not have been more historic, as it was India’s first World Cup win on home soil and its second
ever.
Sensational tie
Six-time Formula One World champion Hamilton and six-time FIFA World Player of the Year Messi were so close in
terms of their achievements in 2019 that even the ultimate sporting jury, the Laureus World Sports Academy, could
not split them, with the voting being tied for the very first time in the 20-year history of the Laureus Awards.
The duo pipped golfing great Tiger Woods, Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, tennis legend Rafael Nadal and
MotoGP champion Marc Marquez to the award.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup winner South Africa won its second Laureus World Team of the Year Award, beating
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and the US women’s football team, among others.
The memory of Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s historic first black Test rugby captain, lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy in
Yokohama, was an iconic moment in sport. The team’s victory united communities back in South Africa, and was
proof of sport’s ability to change the world. The winners were revealed as sportsperson gathered together to be part
of the most important annual awards ceremony, this year celebrating the 20th anniversary of Laureus.

The event was hosted by actor Hugh Grant and the legends of sport, past and present, were treated to
entertainment from British singer-songwriter Liam Payne, former member of One Direction. A tribute was paid to
American basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who recently died in a helicopter crash.
Biles wins it
American gymnast Simone Biles confirmed her place in the history of Laureus, winning her third coveted Laureus
Sportswoman of the Year Award as she continued to push the boundaries of the sport.
She beat American footballer Megan Rapinoe, Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka, American track and field
athlete Allyson Felix and skier Mikaela Shiffrin.
45. Pakistan to remain in terror financing watchdog’s ‘Grey List’

The International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Tuesday
recommended that Pakistan be retained on the ‘Grey List’, given its failure to completely implement the 27-point
action plan to check terror financing.
The final decision would be announced on Friday, at the end of the five-day FATF Plenary session in Paris, sources
aware of the proceedings said.
It is understood that most of the group members were in favour of continuing the pressure on Pakistan to execute
all the measures suggested against funding to banned terror outfits and United Nations designated global terrorists
operating from its soil.
Malaysia’s support
Speaking in favour of Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia said Islamabad could be taken off the ‘Grey List’ in coming
June. Leaders of these two countries have already gone public on their plans to back Pakistan in the FATF.
According to the sources, Pakistan's Minister for Economic Affairs Hamad Azhar assured the group that all the
objectives would be achieved as early as June 2020. He claimed that since the last FATF plenary, the country had
taken all possible measures against terror financing.
Pakistan was presented with the 27-point action plan in the previous FATF meet in October last.
Mr. Azhar said Pakistan had acted against transnational terror funding operations on priority and that it had
convicted an unprecedented number of persons, which includes Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed. All the
shortcomings identified in the mutual evaluation report would also be addressed soon, he added.
India countered Pakistan’s claims, saying the recent action taken by Islamabad against Saeed and others was an
attempt to evade further FATF sanctions.
While the LeT chief was recently convicted of terror financing, the Pakistani authorities had claimed that a large
number of terrorists were arrested, the accounts of banned outfits frozen and the institutions run by them were
taken over by the government.

India asserted that the terror funding operations were still on and outfits such as the LeT and the Jaish-e-
Mohammed, whose chief Masood Azhar's location as per Pakistan is “unknown”, were having a free run in
Pakistan.
In November last, when Pakistan complied with only five of the 27 action plan points, the FATF asked it to “swiftly
complete its full action plan by February 2020”.
The FATF statement said: “Otherwise should significant and sustainable progress not be made across the full range
of its action plan by next plenary, the FATF will take action, including urging members to advise their financial
institutions to give special attention to business relations/transactions with Pakistan.”
46. Karbis against ST status for hill Bodos

An Assam-based insurgent group of Karbis, which signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre, has demanded
that the Bodos in the hill areas not be given the Scheduled Tribe status as it will affect the “identity of the Karbis”.
The Home Ministry, the Assam government and Bodo groups signed the pact on January 27 to redraw and rename
the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD), spread over Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri districts.
Under the agreement, the Bodos in the hills will be given the Scheduled Hill Tribe status and villages dominated by
the Bodos outside the BTAD will be included and those with non-Bodos excluded after the areas are redrawn.
The Bodos, an ethnic group in Assam, had been demanding a separate State since 1972, and are recognised as a
Scheduled Tribe (Plain).
After the conclusion of the latest Bodo pact, the Karbi Longri and North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), a
militant group that signed a ceasefire pact with the Centre in 2009, has said a “political settlement” should be
reached soon. “The identity of Karbis will come under threat if Bodos who live in the hill areas [along with Karbis]
are also given a Scheduled Hill Tribe status,” KLNLF general secretary Thong Terong Kabi said.
The group’s primary demand was a separate State.
In Assam, there are 14 recognised Plains Tribe communities, 15 Hill Tribe communities and 16 Scheduled Caste
communities.
After the peace accord with all Bodo groups, the Centre is at a very advanced stage of sealing a peace deal with
other key militant groups, including the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom and the Karbi
insurgent group.
But, with the Assembly election due in April-May next year, the final announcements could be tailored to suit the
ruling BJP electorally.
The BJP is expected to do well in the 15 Assembly constituencies in the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley because
of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
The recent Bodo peace deal will give the ruling party an edge in 12 seats under the BTAD. Similarly, a Karbi peace
deal will give the party an edge in the 5 seats in the hill districts.
There are 33 districts in Assam, and seven have been exempted from the CAA as they fall in the areas protected by
the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The exempted districts comprise three autonomous district councils: BTAD, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.
Mr. Kabi said there was a lot of pressure from the people to conclude the talks with the Centre.

The group is in talks with the Centre’s interlocutor A.B. Mathur. “Ninety per cent of the dialogue is complete, we
have had over 50 rounds of talks with three interlocutors in the past 10 years. We want a final settlement on the
lines of the Bodo agreement,” KLNLF publicity secretary Rijak Dera said.
The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council has 26 seats, and the elections to the councils are due in 2022. “It is one of
the oldest councils in existence since 1951... Nagaland and Mizoram that were autonomous councils initially
became States years ago; only Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao remain. We want a ST status for the entire region
so that non-tribals will not be able to contest in the elections,” Mr. Dera said.
The non-tribals comprise 46% of the 9.6 lakh population of the council. The Bodos could not have a separate
reservation in hills and plains, he said.
47. IDSA to be named after Manohar Parrikar

The Union government has decided to rename the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, a think tank, the
Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. “The decision has been taken to honour the
commitment and legacy of the late Manohar Parrikar,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Parrikar was the Defence Minister from November 9, 2014, to March 14, 2017.
48. Ghani named winner of Afghan election

Ashraf Ghani secured a second term as President of Afghanistan on Tuesday, but his rival Abdullah Abdullah
immediately challenged the final election figures and said he was forming his own government.
The results of the September 28, 2019 poll were released after lengthy delays following vote-rigging allegations by
Mr. Abdullah that led to a recount.
Mr. Abdullah, who serves as Afghanistan’s ‘Chief Executive’ under Mr. Ghani in a tense power-sharing
arrangement, said his team was “the victor”.
His intent to try to form a separate government brought back memories of the 2014 election, which also saw Mr.
Ghani declared winner and Mr. Abdullah protest. That time, Mr. Abdullah’s supporters held violent demonstrations
before the U.S. finally intervened to broker an awkward deal between the two rivals.
But more than five years on, it was not clear how much support Mr. Abdullah would get. The U.S., which is currently
negotiating a withdrawal deal with the Taliban, has less interest in Afghanistan’s politics than it did in 2014 under
then-President Barack Obama. And ordinary Afghans have shown little passion for Mr. Abdullah or the poll process
in general, with most of them abstaining from voting in the lacklustre and personality-driven election that saw
candidates pitch few new ideas.
“The fraudsters are the shame of history and we announce our inclusive government,” Mr. Abdullah said.

The Taliban also rejected Mr. Ghani’s win, calling it “illegal” and “against the peace process”.
Earlier, Mr. Ghani had hailed the results, saying in televised comments that “our government, our arms are open to
all the people of Afghanistan”.
Peace deal
Election commission chief Hawa Alam Nuristani said Mr. Ghani had taken 50.64% of the votes, compared to Mr.
Abdullah’s 39.52%.
“May God help him in serving the people of Afghanistan... I also pray that peace comes to our country,” she added
at a press conference in Kabul.
The final results come just as Washington seeks a deal with the Taliban which would allow it to withdraw troops in
return for various security guarantees and a promise that the militants would hold peace talks with the Afghan
government.
U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Monday that he was “cautiously optimistic” about progress toward an
eventual deal, adding that the U.S. has “commitments from the Talibs on security issues”. Once the deal is reached
the Afghan government would have to prepare to meet the Taliban and negotiate a formal peace agreement on
behalf of the Afghan people.
Political analyst Atta Noori called the results “a step forward towards the possible talks with the Taliban”. “Now is the
time for Ghani to act as a statesman and form an inclusive team to talk with the Taliban,” he said, adding that
people from Mr. Abdullah’s camp should be among the negotiators.
49. Sunil Kumar grapples his way to glory

India had managed a grand total of one gold in the previous edition of the senior Asian wrestling championship.
On Tuesday, Sunil Kumar ensured there won’t be any less this time around, opening the gold tally for the host with
a 5-0 win in the 87kg final against Azat Salidinov of Kyrgyzstan.
It was not just an improvement on Sunil’s own silver-winning performance in 2019 but also India’s first Greco-
Roman gold in the competition after 27 years. The last time it happened was in 1993, when Pappu Yadav won the
48kg title.
“It feels great to better your own performance and change the medal colour from silver to gold. I have worked a lot
on my ground wrestling techniques in the last one year and improved my defence. That helped me today,” Sunil
said after the bout at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Stadium.
National coach Hargobind Singh hoped the win would help bring more focus on Greco-Roman, often reduced to
shadows against the more popular freestyle category.
Halakurki wins bronze

In the 55kg, 21-year old Arjun Halakurki won bronze with a 7-4 win against Dong Hyeok Won of Korea.

Leading 7-1 in his semifinal bout against 2018 junior World Champion and eventual gold-medallist Pouya
Mohammad Naserpour of Iran, Halakurki paid for his aggressive play to go down 7-8 in the final few seconds.
“I played the way I have always done in junior and under-23 levels but there is a big difference at the senior level. I
have now learnt that you need to hold on and go a bit slow at this level. That is what the coaches also said after the
semifinals and I tried to avoid my mistakes,” said the Karnataka wrestler, competing in his maiden senior
tournament.
Having won the U-23 and the senior National championships last year, Halakurki’s biggest disappointment was
missing out on a promotion. “I had been promised a Naib Subedar rank if I reached the final here. But now I will
have to wait,” he said.
Mehar misses out

The other medal contender, Mehar Singh, lost out narrowly 2-3 in the 130kg bronze-medal playoff to Kyrgyzstan
Roman Kim.
The other two Indians, Sajan Bhanwal and Sachin Rana, failed to advance past the league stages.
The results (Greco-Roman): 55kg: 1. Pouya Mohammed Naserpour (Iri), 2. Jasurbek Ortikboev (Uzb), 3. Arjun
Halakurki (Ind) & Khorlan Zhakansha (Kaz).
63kg: 1. Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzb), 2. Jinsueb Song (Kor), 3. Meysam Karamali Dalkhani (Iri) & Mubinjon
Akhmedov (Tjk).
77kg: Tamerlan Shadukayev (Kaz), 2. Pejman Sultanmorad Poshtam (Iri), 3. Hussein Ali Muksr Albidhan (Irq) &
Renat Iliaz Uulu (Kgz).
87kg: 1. Sunil Kumar (Ind), 2. Azat Salidinov (Kgz), 3. Azamat Kustubayev (Kaz) & Behrooz Mohammedali Hidayat
(Iri).
130kg: 1. Amin Mohammadzaman Mirzazadeh (Iri), 2. Minseok Kim (Kor), 3. Roman Kim (Kgz) & Mansur
Shadukayev (Kaz).
50. Eyes on the Sun, how ISRO is preparing for its next giant leap in space

Earlier this month, 47 new papers were published in a special supplement of The Astrophysical Journal, analysing
data from the first three flybys of the Parker Solar Probe, NASA’s historic mission to the Sun. The probe, launched
on August 12, 2018, completed its fourth close approach — called perihelion — on January 29, whizzing past at
about 3.93 lakh km/h, at a distance of only 18.6 million km from the Sun’s surface.
So why is all of this exciting for India?

Alongside another mission to the Moon, being planned for next year, and the first human space flight scheduled for
2022, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is also preparing to send its first scientific expedition to study

the Sun. Named Aditya-L1, the mission, expected to be launched early next year, will observe the Sun from a close
distance, and try to obtain information about its atmosphere and magnetic field.
ISRO categorises Aditya L1 as a 400 kg-class satellite, that will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV) in XL configuration. The space-based observatory will have seven payloads (instruments) on board
to study the Sun’s corona, solar emissions, solar winds and flares, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and will
carry out round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.
The mission will be undertaken in collaboration between various labs of ISRO, along with institutions like the Indian
Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune,
and Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata. Aditya L1 will be ISRO’s second space-
based astronomy mission after AstroSat, which was launched in September 2015.
What makes a solar mission challenging is the distance of the Sun from Earth (about 149 million km on average,
compared to the only 3.84 lakh km to the Moon) and, more importantly, the super hot temperatures and radiations
in the solar atmosphere.
All participating institutions are currently in the final stages of developing their respective payloads. Some payloads
have been built, and are in the testing phase with each component being checked and calibrated. Some payloads
are at the stage of integration of individual components.
But why is studying the Sun important?

Every planet, including Earth and the exoplanets beyond the Solar System, evolves — and this evolution is
governed by its parent star. The solar weather and environment, which is determined by the processes taking place
inside and around the sun, affects the weather of the entire system. Variations in this weather can change the orbits
of satellites or shorten their lives, interfere with or damage onboard electronics, and cause power blackouts and
other disturbances on Earth. Knowledge of solar events is key to understanding space weather.
To learn about and track Earth-directed storms, and to predict their impact, continuous solar observations are
needed. Every storm that emerges from the Sun and heads towards Earth passes through L1, and a satellite placed
in the halo orbit around L1 of the Sun-Earth system has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun
without any occultation/eclipses, ISRO says on its website.
L1 refers to Lagrangian/Lagrange Point 1, one of five points in the orbital plane of the Earth-Sun system. Lagrange
Points, named after Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange, are positions in space where the
gravitational forces of a two-body system (like the Sun and the Earth) produce enhanced regions of attraction and
repulsion. These can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position. The L1 point
is home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite (SOHO), an international collaboration project of NASA
and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The L1 point is about 1.5 million km from Earth, or about one-hundredth of the way to the Sun. Aditya L1 will
perform continuous observations looking directly at the Sun. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has already gone far
closer — but it will be looking away from the Sun. The earlier Helios 2 solar probe, a joint venture between NASA
and space agency of erstwhile West Germany, went within 43 million km of the Sun’s surface in 1976.
What kind of heat will Aditya L1 face?

The Parker Solar Probe’s January 29 flyby was the closest the spacecraft has gone to the Sun in its planned seven-
year journey so far. Computer modelling estimates show that the temperature on the Sun-facing side of the probe’s
heat shield, the Thermal Protection System, reached 612 degrees Celsius, even as the spacecraft and instruments
behind the shield remained at about 30°C, NASA said. During the spacecraft’s three closest perihelia in 2024-25,
the TPS will see temperatures around 1370°C.
Aditya L1 will stay much farther away, and the heat is not expected to be a major concern for the instruments on
board. But there are other challenges.
Many of the instruments and their components for this mission are being manufactured for the first time in the
country, presenting as much of a challenge as an opportunity for India’s scientific, engineering, and space
communities. One such component is the highly polished mirrors which would be mounted on the space-based
telescope.
Due to the risks involved, payloads in earlier ISRO missions have largely remained stationary in space; however,
Aditya L1 will have some moving components, scientists said. For example, the spacecraft’s design allows for
multiple operations of the front window of the telescope — which means the window can be opene or shut as
required.
51. Centre to form new law panel

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to set up the 22nd Law Commission.
The Law Commission advises the government on complex legal issues. The term of the previous law panel ended
last August.
The Law Ministry will now notify the new panel, which will have a three-year term.
Apart from a full-time chairperson, the commission will have four full-time members, including a member-secretary.
The Law and Legislative Secretaries in the Law Ministry will be ex-officio members of the commission.
“It will also have not more than five part-time members,” an official statement said.
A retired Supreme Court judge or Chief Justice of a High Court will head the commission.
“The Law Commission shall, on a reference made to it by the Central Government or suo motu, undertake research
in law and review of existing laws in India for making reforms and enacting new legislation. It shall also undertake
studies and research for bringing reforms in the justice delivery systems for elimination of delay in procedures,
speedy disposal of cases, reduction in cost of litigation, etc.,” the statement said.
Originally formed in 1955, the commission is reconstituted every three years and so far, 277 reports have been
submitted to the government.
Working papers
The previous Law Commission, under Justice B.S. Chauhan (retd.), had submitted reports and working papers on
key issues such as simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies and a uniform civil code.

While it supported simultaneous elections, the commission had said the time for a common code was not yet ripe.
In 2015, a proposal was mooted to make the law panel into a permanent body either through an Act of Parliament
or an executive order (resolution of the Union Cabinet).
The move was shelved after the Prime Minister’s Office preferred the existing system to continue. In 2010, the then
UPA government had prepared a draft Cabinet note to give statutory status to the commission but the idea did not
take off.
52. ART Bill proposes national registry of clinics

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020 to monitor
medical procedures used to assist people to achieve pregnancy.
The Bill provides for a national Board which will lay down a code of conduct to be observed by those operating
clinics.
It will also formulate minimum standards for laboratory and diagnostic equipment and practices to be followed by
human resources employed by clinics and banks. The States and Union Territories will also have to form State
Boards and State authorities within three months of the notification of the proposed legislation.
Under the proposed law, a national registry and registration authority will maintain a database to assist the national
Board to perform its functions, according to a statement issued by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
Strict punishment
The Bill also proposes stringent punishment for those who practise sex selection, indulge in sale of human embryos
or gametes and those who operate rackets.
“India has one of the highest growths in the number ART centres and ART cycles performed every year. India has
become one of the major centres of this global fertility industry, with reproductive medical tourism becoming a
significant activity. This has also introduced a plethora of legal, ethical and social issues; yet, there is no
standardisation of protocols and reporting is still very inadequate,” the Ministry added.
Confidentiality clause
“The Bill will also ensure confidentiality of intending couples and protect the rights of the child,” Union Minister Smriti
Irani said at a media conference on Wednesday. She also said that in the Surrogacy Regulation Bill 2020, the
government was looking to restrict the maximum age of surrogates from “above the marriageable age” to 50 years.

53. China joins India, US to set new deadline for Pakistan

In a significant development, China and Saudi Arabia are learnt to have joined India, US and European countries to
send a stern message to Pakistan to complete its commitments on action against terrorist financing and money
laundering given to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) before the plenary session in June, including “conviction
and prosecution of top leaders of all terrorist organisations”.
Diplomatic sources said Turkey was the only country which held out in the end. This marks a major shift in China’s
position, which has always backed Pakistan at the FATF.
Sources said it is now final that Pakistan will remain on the FATF grey list, and will face consequences if it doesn’t
take appropriate action by June this year. An official announcement is likely to be made on Thursday.
After the second informal summit at Mahabalipuram last year, the Ministry of External Affairs had said Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping were “concerned that terrorism continues to pose a
common threat”. “As countries that are large and diverse, (we recognise) the importance of continuing to make joint
efforts to ensure that the international community strengthens the framework against training, financing (of) terrorist
groups throughout the world and on a non-discriminatory basis,” Modi and Xi had said in a statement.
“In a desperate attempt to mislead its people and the world, Pakistan has always been indulging in false and
selective media leaks of FATF proceedings. The fact is that despite Pakistan’s best attempts, it has remained, and
will remain, on the grey list of FATF. The onus is on Pakistan to ensure that it acts on FATF parameters to avoid
being blacklisted in future. Pakistan was given a stern message by almost all FATF member countries (except
Turkey) to complete the remaining 13 action plan items by June 2020 plenary, including conviction and prosecution
of top leaders of all terrorist organisations as mentioned in the action plan, else consequences will follow,” a
diplomatic source told The Indian Express.
“Further, Pakistan has long been trying to politicise the technical process of FATF, which is proven beyond doubt
from the statements of Turkey and Malaysia leaderships recently. FATF members must take note of this,” said the
source.
Ahead of the FATF’s plenary session, a sub-group tasked to review Pakistan’s case has recommended that
Islamabad should continue to be in the “grey list” for its failure to check terror funding. It has stopped short of
recommending the country for the black list.

54. Govt makes crop insurance schemes voluntary

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the revamping of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and
Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), making enrolment under both schemes voluntary
for all farmers; increasing premium subsidy to 90 per cent for states in the Northeast from existing sharing pattern of
50:50; and provisioning of at least 3 per cent of total allocation of scheme for administrative expenses.
Briefing the media on the Cabinet decisions, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Narendra Singh
Tomar said, “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has been made voluntary. Till now, crop insurance was mandatory
for loanee [borrower] farmers, whose number has been about 58 per cent. The percentage of non-loanee farmers
was around 42, which was only 5 per cent before 2015. Some of the states, farmers and farmers’ organisations felt
that the scheme should be made voluntary. Therefore, the Union Cabinet today decided to make it voluntary.”
The changes, proposed to be implemented from 2020 Kharif season, also include allocation of business to
insurance companies to be done for three years for both schemes, and use of technological solutions such as
Smart Sampling Technique (SST) and optimisation of the number of Crop Cutting Experiments.
In the revised PMFBY, states will not to be allowed to implement the scheme in subsequent seasons in case of
considerable delay by states in release of requisite premium subsidy to insurance companies concerned beyond a
prescribed time limit.
“Cut-off dates for invoking this provision for Kharif and Rabi seasons will be March 31 and September 30 of
successive years, respectively” for both PMFBY and RWBCIS, according to a statement, released after the Cabinet
meeting. “Central share in premium subsidy to be increased to 90% for North Eastern States from the existing
sharing pattern of 50:50 (Both PMFBY/RWBCIS),” it said.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a new
central sector scheme — Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) — to form and
promote 10,000 FPOs to be formed in five years from 2019-20 to 2023-24. The Centre had announced creation of
10,000 new FPOs in 2019-20 Union Budget.
According to a statement, the Cabinet has approved total budgetary provision of Rs 4,496 crore for five years
(2019-20 to 2023-24) with further committed liability of Rs 2,369 crore for the period from 2024-25 to 2027-28
towards handholding of each FPO for five years from its aggregation and formation.
The Cabinet also approved Phase-II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) till 2024-25. It aims to focus on Open
Defecation-Free Plus, which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management.
“SBM (G) Phase-II will also be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25 in a mission mode with a total outlay of Rs.
1,40,881 crores… Of this Rs.52,497 crore will be allocated from the budget of Drinking Water and Sanitation; the
remaining amount will be dovetailed from funds being released under 15th Finance Commission, MGNREGS and
revenue generation models, particularly for solid and liquid waste management,” according to a statement.

55. CJI alarmed at hasty death warrants
The Hindu, February 21

Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday expressed alarm about trial courts issuing death warrants in
undue haste without offering condemned prisoners a chance to exhaust their efforts for commutation or clemency.
Heading a three-judge Bench, Justice Bobde sought to know from Solicitor- General Tushar Mehta why “black
warrants” were being issued in a hurry despite judgments of the Supreme Court specifying that condemned men
ought to be allowed the legal and administrative remedies available to them under the Constitution.
The court referred to its May 2015 judgment, which had quoted a saying ascribed to Emperor Ashoka that the ‘state
should not punish with vengeance’.
“Despite reported judgments, how is it that such orders [issuance of ‘black warrants’] are passed? Judicial process
cannot go on like this,” Justice Bobde addressed Mr. Mehta.
Mr. Mehta agreed that the punishment involved, death, was irreversible.
Plea for new norms

Thursday’s courtroom exchange is significant because the government has recently asked the court to frame “victim
and society centric” guidelines to prevent delays in the execution of condemned prisoners.
The plea for new guidelines referred to how the convicts in the Nirbhaya case have “misused” the maze-like legal
process in death penalty cases to delay the execution of their death sentences.
On Thursday, the CJI’s observations came while staying the operation of a “black warrant” issued by a Surat court
against Anil Surendrasingh Yadav, who has been sentenced to death under the Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences Act for the rape and murder of a three-year-old at Surat in October 2018.
The court has issued notice to the Gujarat government on the appeal filed by Yadav challenging the death
sentence.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, for Yadav, submitted that the State High Court had rejected his appeal in
December 2019. Shortly after, the Surat court had issued a death warrant for carrying out the execution in January
2020.

56. World’s second-biggest control centre for goods trains set to roll
The world’s second-biggest Operation Control Centre for goods trains, built in India by the Dedicated Freight
Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is ready to begin operations, and is likely to be inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at the end of this month, a senior company official said on Thursday.
The centre, built at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, will be the ‘nerve-centre’ of the over 1,800 km-long eastern
dedicated freight corridor, the corporation’s MD Anurag Sachan said on Thursday.
The control centre has a theater which measures 1560 sq m, with a video wall of more than 90 m and will be used
as a one-stop shop for controlling and monitoring rail systems, including train operations and the power supply
system.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor, touted as one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country, is a 3,360 km
stretch consisting of the Eastern and Western corridors. The Eastern corridor, which is being funded by the World
Bank, will run from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni near Kolkata, traversing Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and
Jharkhand.
Mr. Sachan said that the Western corridor will have a similar operation control system at Ahmedabad.
For the Eastern corridor, targeted to be completed by December 2021, The World Bank loan stands at about $1.86
billion.
The MD added that once operational, the freight corridor will help decongest the existing Indian Railway network,
while also helping increase the average speed of goods trains to 70 kmph, from the existing 25 kmph.
‘It will connect the existing ports and industrial areas for faster movement of goods… and will help increase the rail
share in freight transportation from the existing 30% to 45%,” Mr. Sachan said.
57. World Bank offers funds for last stretch of Eastern Dedicated Freight
Corridor

World Bank has offered to give financial assistance to the last remaining portion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight
Corridor (EDFC) between Sonnagar and Dankuni, which India is originally slated to construct in the private public-
private partnership (PPP) mode.
The EDFC has also got the green signal from Railways to allow private freight trains in its corridors, if companies
come forward with such propositions.
World Bank’s interest in funding the corridor’s 528-km stretch between Bihar’s Sonnagar and West Bengal’s
Dankuni has now presented Indian Railways with the option to either do course correction and go for the financial

assistance in the form of a viability gap funding, or carry on as planned and invite players to bring in the capital. The
entire EDFC is being built with loan from World Bank, except for the last portion between Bihar and West Bengal.
The project documents detailing the PPP model for the stretch have gone to the Finance Ministry’s PPP Appraisal
Committee (PPPAC). “World Bank has offered to us, because the project is very viable. But we have sent
documents to the PPPAC as well. We will take a call,” Anurag Sachan, Managing Director, Dedicated Freight
Corridor Corporation Limited (DFCCIL) said Friday.
“We will be floating request for qualification for private players to come forward. Now, we have this choice of going
for World Bank assistance as well,” he said, adding that private players have indicated that financial closure of
something like Rs 9,000 crore for, say, a stretch like Sonnagar to Gomoh, on their own might be difficult.
Atul Agarwal, Senior Transport Specialist, World Bank, said that this was a way for the bank to facilitate private
players in the project. “Of course, the proposal has to formally come from the government. But what we have said is
that we would be open to facilitating entry of private players in the project through viability gap funding. It is a good
effort and we would be willing to help in whatever way we can,” he said.
58. Pakistan retained on ‘grey list’ of anti-terror financing watchdog

Pakistan has been retained on the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for another four months, with
a stern warning from the global watchdog that met in Paris (February 19-21) to complete the 27-point action plan it
has been given by June 2020 or face being put on the ‘black list’.
“All deadlines in the action plan have expired. While noting recent and notable improvements, the FATF again
expresses concern, given Pakistan’s failure to complete its action plan in line with the agreed timelines and in light
of the terror financing risks emanating from the jurisdiction,” said a statement issued by the FATF’s plenary session
on Friday.
According to the FATF summary report released in the evening, Pakistan needs to continue to work on eight
specific areas, including demonstrating it is “identifying and investigating” all terror-financing activities in the country,
freezing the funds of all designated terrorists and its prosecutions result in “effective, proportionate and dissuasive
sanctions” against all terror entities.
Pakistan was given a September 2019 deadline to complete the tasks that included shutting down all access to
funding of United Nations Security Council-designated terrorist groups, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, the
Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed and prosecuting their leadership for any access to finance, as well as
tightening laws and banking security norms.

Deadline extended
In November last, after Pakistan was judged to have complied with only four points of the plan, the FATF extended
the deadline to February, where its statement noted it had been cleared of 14 points. The FATF urged Pakistan to
“swiftly complete” the remainder of the list.
“Otherwise, should significant and sustainable progress, especially in prosecuting and penalising terror financing
not be made by the next plenary, the FATF will take action, which could include the FATF calling on its members
and urging all jurisdiction to advise their financial institutions to give special attention to business relations and
transactions with Pakistan,” it said in its strongest warning yet.
A high-level team from Pakistan was present at the plenary to defend Pakistan’s record, while delegations of
security and diplomatic officials from the 39-member body, which includes India, attended the meeting.
The “black list” refers to countries for who there has been a “call to action” or strict banking and international finance
sanctions, a list which at present includes Iran and North Korea. Pakistan is one of the 12 countries on the “grey list”
or “other monitored jurisdictions” that are being reviewed for actions to stop terror financing and money laundering.
Pakistan has been lobbying to get off the grey list, citing actions already taken, and reportedly has the backing of
Turkey to be removed from the list entirely.
Significantly, even Indian government officials said placing Pakistan on the black list might prove counter-
productive, as it would not be incentivised to complete the action plan under a deadline.
FATF places Iran on black list

A global anti-money laundering watchdog placed Iran on its blacklist on Friday after it failed to comply with
international anti-terrorism financing norms, a move that will deepen the country’s isolation from financial markets.
The decision came after about three years of warnings from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), urging the
Islamic Republic to enact terrorist financing conventions.
59. World Mother Language Day: which are most widely spoken?
February 21 was International Mother Language Day. It has been observed since 1999 to promote “linguistic and
cultural diversity and multilingualism”, according to the UN. Of the world’s 6,000 languages, 43% are estimated as
endangered, according to the UN. On the other hand, just 10 languages account for as many as 4.8 billion
speakers — over 60% of the world population.
Globally, English remains the most widely spoken language with 1.13 billion speakers in 2019, followed by
Mandarin with 1.17 billion, according to the online database Ethnologue. Hindi is third with 615 million speakers
while Bengali is seventh with 265 million.

In India, Hindi is the most spoken language with over 528 million speakers in 2011, as per the Census. Bengali
had 97.2 million speakers in 2011, followed by Marathi (83 million), while other languages with over 50 million
speakers are Telugu (81 million), Tamil (69 million), Gujarati (55.5 million) and Urdu (50.8 million).
Percentage trends from 1991 to 2011 underline the growth of the most widely spoken language, Hindi, which was
spoken by 39.29% of the Indian population in 1991, and whose share grew to 43.63% in 2011. For other
languages in India’s top 12, the 2011 percentage share has fallen when compared to that in 1991.
Why February 21
UNESCO declared International Mother Language Day in 1999, to commemorate a 1952 protest against West
Pakistan’s imposition of Urdu as the official language of East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh). According to a
report in The Daily Sun, police opened fire on demonstrating Dhaka University students and “some people were
killed”. When thousands thronged the university the next day, police fired again, killing more people. In Bangladesh,
since 1953, February 21 is observed as Ekushe Day, after the Bengali word for twenty-one.
According to the South Asia Democratic Forum, five among those killed were recognised as “language martyrs —
Abul Barkat, Abdul Jabbar, Rafiquddin Ahmad, Abdus Salman and Shafiur Rahman.

60. Govt. eyes public-private fund to give R&D a shot in the arm

In an effort to stimulate investment in research and development (R&D), the Department of Science and
Technology is mooting a fund that will match the contributions made by private companies in R&D.
Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, told The Hindu that discussions were on with
certain “large, private sector” companies and currently, a ₹40 crore target was on the anvil. “The idea is to pool
funds from a group of companies willing to invest in fundamental research, such as quantum computers or artificial
intelligence, and whatever is invested government will match that,” he added.
A major beneficiary of such private sector funds, Mr. Sharma noted, could be the Indian Institutes of Technology.
The scheme will be coordinated through the department’s Science and Engineering Research Board, which funds a
variety of basic science projects in several universities.
Though India is among the top five countries in terms of its output of scientific publications, it doesn’t match up in
investments.
The total expenditure on R&D has tripled in the last decade in nominal (revenue sans inflation) terms — from
₹24,117 crore in 2004-05 to an estimated ₹1,04,864 crore in 2016-17. However as a fraction of GDP, public
expenditures on R&D has been stagnant — between 0.6-0.7% of GDP — over the past two decades. It is well
below that in major nations such as the U.S. (2.8), China (2.1), Israel (4.3) and Korea (4.2), according to a 2019
report by the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the Prime Minister.
Public sector institutions form the lion’s share of India’s investment in R&D. In 2004-2005, private sector accounted
for 28% of India’s research spend and in 2016-17 this increased to 40%. In most advanced economies, private R&D
accounts for the bulk of investment in R&D.
Moreover, while the government is the major source of funds for R&D, it’s also the major user — in terms of money
consumed by public sector enterprises or Central institutions.
“As a lower middle-income country, it is not surprising that India’s spending on R&D lags upper-middle income and
high-income countries such as China, Israel, and the U.S. However, it currently underspends even relative to its
income level... In fact, in 2015, there was a sizeable decline in R&D spending even as GDP per capita continued to
rise,” the EAC report notes.

61. Ancient city in Sirsa, under a mound & 50,000 people

A mound in Sirsa indistinguishable from the dusty background of most Haryana small towns could hold clues to the
ancient city of ‘Sarishika’. Falling on the old route to Takshashila, the 6th-5th century BC city found mention in the
Mahabharata, Panini’s Ashtadhyayi and the Buddhist text Divyavadana.
However, before the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) can confirm the historicity of the site, it has to convince
the nearly 50,000 people living on the identified 82 acres to move. With 788 families forcibly rehabilitated three
years ago following a high court order still struggling for basic amenities, the residents, many of whom settled here
following Partition, are not willing to move.
They also accuse the authorities of letting the situation fester, with a 1904 Ancient Monuments Preservation Act first
declaring Sirsa’s ‘Ther Mound’, which rises 15-18 metres above nearby areas, a protected monument back in July
1932.
There is also a dispute over the size of the protected area, with surveys by the ASI and government departments
such as Revenue and Archaeology and Museums coming up with different figures.
Over the years, the inhabitants, who have formed a forum called the Apna Ghar Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, have
acquired documents, including land conveyance deeds, sale-purchase agreements, municipal tax receipts,
electricity and water meter connections which, they point out, can’t be issued to “encroachers”. Attempts to evict
them have seen protests, clashes with security personnel, and multiple petitions in the Punjab and Haryana High
Court.
In a report to the government in January, Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Ramesh Chander Bidhan admitted, “A few
have conveyance deeds of the protected government land in their favour.”
The government is said to be trying to see if the ASI can take the parts of Ther that are heavily inhabited out of the
protected zone.
Zulfequar Ali, the ASI Superintending Archaeologist in-charge of the mound, said they carried out the initial
excavation in 2018-19 after the first round of rehabilitation. “We wanted to ascertain the antiquity of the site and the
nature of a fort believed to be lying underneath. In the three months that we got for excavation and scraping of the
mound, we found numerous antiquarian remains, ranging from the Gupta to the Mughal period. But we need more
area and more time, and need to go deeper.”
The Gupta period (mid-to-late 3rd century CE to 543 CE) is considered a Golden Age and covered much of the
Indian subcontinent.
The High Court got into the picture after a plea was filed in 1997, and in successive orders, directed the Centre as
well as Punjab and Haryana to submit a list of their protected monuments, while asking the ASI and respective
deputy commissioners to retrieve these from encroachers. In 2016, the court stalled a bid by Haryana to “de-notify”
the Ther land as protected.

The next hearing is due this week.
Deepak Phutela, a sweet shop owner who has a four-storey house on the Thed Mound, said this was the third
generation of his family settled here. “Thousands of homeless people came here after 1947 from Western
Pakistan,” he said.
Jagjit Singh, a Councillor of Ward No. 19 under which most of Ther falls, accused the Sirsa administration of “erring
repeatedly”. He also claimed that the protected site “should not be more than 31 acres”. “But one Deputy
Commissioner declared 82 acres, including land surrounding the actual mound,” Singh said.
However, following the officer’s affidavit to court in that regard, a joint survey conducted by the ASI and Haryana’s
Archaeological and Museums Department too had put the Ther area at 82 acres.
The authorities are apprehensive of any forcible action as the area includes politically sensitive Gujjar and Valmiki
Mohallas. Previous attempts to even paste show-cause notices of eviction have seen violent protests and
manhandling of officials.
Said one resident of Valmiki Mohalla, refusing to be identified, “How can anybody knock at our doors one day and
say we are encroachers? Was the government sleeping when people built their houses?… When they need votes,
they come to us. After winning, they come with bulldozers.”
“We have submitted a status report to the state government. Since the matter is in the High Court, it is not
appropriate for me to share any more details. But, we are on the job,” Deputy Commissioner Bidhan told The Indian
Express.
The state of the families shifted out of Ther in 2017 is adding to the resistance. Totalling 788, the families of mostly
daily wagers were rehabiliated in two-room flats of a Sirsa Housing Board colony around 8 km away. Three years
later, the colony still has no proper sewerage system, outer walls are covered with algae and doors of many flats
have crumbled due to termites.
“Is this the rehabilitation the government talks about? We were dumped here like animals, and no government
functionary came to take another look,” said Sunil Kumar, among the first to be moved to the colony. Pointing to a
water pump surrounded by sewage, he said, “Can even an animal drink this water?”
According to him, he had bought his land at Ther for Rs 22,000, from a man who sold plots to many others. “All we
are left with are stamp papers. What do we do now with this trash?”
Sonu, who said it was his great grandfather who first moved to Ther, said living in the colony had added to their
expenses, with commute alone costing Rs 50 daily.

62. Turmoil in Malaysia as PM Mahathir Mohamad resigns

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned on Monday in a shock move after his political allies sought
to bring down the government and block the succession of leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim.
It came after months of rising tensions in the “Pact of Hope” coalition, which stormed to a shock victory in 2018
against a corruption-plagued government that had ruled Malaysia for six decades.
But there were calls for Mr. Mahathir, the world’s oldest leader at 94, to stay in office from allies, who insisted he
had not backed the formation of a new government and had quit in disgust at the plot.
The political drama began on Sunday when Mr. Anwar’s rivals from the ruling coalition and opposition politicians
held a series of meetings, stoking speculation a new alliance was taking shape.
That coalition would reportedly have excluded Mr. Anwar, Mr. Mahathir’s presumptive successor and a former
opposition icon who was jailed for years on questionable sodomy charges, blocking his ascent to the premiership.
Interim leader
With the fate of the government still uncertain on Monday, Mr. Mahathir submitted his resignation to the king. The
monarch accepted it, but appointed him interim leader until a new premier is found, according to an official
statement.
Mr. Anwar — who has a famously stormy relationship with Mr. Mahathir — said the premier assured him “he played
no part” in attempts to form a new government.
The proposed new coalition was reportedly set to include the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) — the
party of disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak, which was ejected from office two years ago.
Mr. Anwar and Mr. Mahathir put their differences aside and joined forces to take on a corruption-plagued
government in the 2018 polls. Mr. Mahathir, who previously served as premier from 1981 to 2003, had made a pre-
election pledge to hand power to Mr. Anwar but has repeatedly refused to fix a date.
Shortly before his resignation, Mr. Mahathir’s Bersatu party quit the ruling coalition and several lawmakers resigned
from Mr. Anwar’s party, leaving the Pact of Hope in tatters and fuelling suggestions efforts could be underway to
form a new alliance. Mr. Mahathir also quit as Bersatu chairman.
Ibrahim Suffian, who heads independent polling firm Merdeka Centre, said Mr. Mahathir could come back as
premier and the crisis may work in his favour. “It gives him an opportunity to reshape the ruling coalition,” he said.
The final outcome of the drama was far from clear, however, and analysts said a snap poll could be called.

63. EAC defers nod for Parliament revamp

An apex environmental screening committee has deferred a decision on clearance to the Parliament redevelopment
project. This has been done on the grounds that there was a dispute, being heard in the Delhi High Court, regarding
the land on which some of the proposed structures were to come up, a person privy to the meeting told The Hindu.
The petitioner in the Delhi High Court has pleaded that no environment clearance be given, as the alterations which
are proposed will involve land-use change not in conformity with Delhi’s Master Plan.
The petitioner also prayed that no permission be granted to cut trees for the expansion and renovation of the
Parliament building, which is part of the Central Vista Redevelopment project and involves redeveloping the 3km
stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate in Lutyens’ Delhi.
CPWD’s stance sought

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the Ministry of Housing and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
seeking their stand on the petition and ordered that the decision of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) be
conveyed to the court “as soon as possible”.
The revamp, which was announced in September, envisages a new triangular Parliament building that is targeted to
be constructed by August 2022, when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day.
The CPWD applied to the environment ministry on February 12 as part of a formal process. The department sought
permission to fell 194 trees and plant 250 new trees as compensation.
The department had also asserted that there were no court cases pending against the project and/or the land.
However, two petitions have been filed in the Delhi High Court against the Delhi Development Authority’s proposed
land use change of several plots, including for the new Parliament.
Resolutions needed
One of the plots had been earmarked for recreational use in the Master Plan for Delhi-2021, and the Delhi
Development Authority had proposed changing it to “Parliament House” on December 20, 2019.
“The land use dispute has to be resolved before the EAC can take a decision,” the person, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, said.
“However we don’t see a problem regarding the trees, given that the plan involves making good the losses,” the
person added.

64. India, U.S. to upgrade ties, call on Pak. to curb terror

India and the U.S. on Tuesday resolved to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Global Strategic
Partnership that will include issues such as defence, security cooperation and revitalisation of the Indo-Pacific
quadrilateral dialogue.
Both sides also called upon Pakistan to rein in cross-border terror threats and sought justice for the victims of 26/11
attack and the Pathankot terror attack of 2016.
“They called for concerted action against all terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammad,
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, the Haqqani Network, TTP, D Company, and all their affiliates,” said a joint
statement issued at the end of President Donald Trump’s visit late on Tuesday evening.
South China Sea

Both sides also took note of the efforts of the ASEAN region to create a code of conduct in the South China Sea
region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Trump also agreed to undertake development activities in third
countries and intensify cooperation in the space domain
The statement said both sides had resolved to maintain the Internet as a free and secure arena. “India and the
United States recognised the need for an innovative digital ecosystem that is secure and reliable, and facilitates the
flow of information and data,” the statement said.
Earlier in the evening, Mr. Trump said the U.S. was working with Pakistan to defeat terrorism.
Addressing journalists at Hyderabad House, he said the Indo-Pacific region should be free and open for navigation
and the 5G technology should be used for spread of freedom and not for suppression of people.
Mr. Modi observed that defence had a major role in the relationship between India and the U.S.
“In the last few years, there has been unprecedented growth in interoperability between our militaries,” he said,
adding the Indian military undertook the maximum number of exercises with the U.S. military.
Mr. Trump also said the U.S. and India were working to revitalise the quadrilateral initiative consisting of Japan, the
U.S., India and Australia. Both countries were also working on cybersecurity and counter-terrorism issues.

65. Hosni Mubarak, ousted by Arab Spring in 2011, dies
The Hindu, February 26

Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak ruled with an iron fist for 30 years before being deposed amid street
protests, defending his chequered reign to the end. He died on Tuesday aged 91.
Once dubbed “the Pharaoh” for his long, autocratic rule, he was swept from power, like other regional potentates,
by the popular uprisings of the 2011 Arab Spring.
His mixed legacy is that of a strongman who employed emergency powers, led a police state and rigged elections,
and of a guarantor of stability who battled jihadists, maintained close ties with the West and kept peace with Israel.
A former Air Force chief, he became Egyptian Vice- President and then, in 1981, head of state after Islamist
militants assassinated his predecessor Anwar Sadat during a military parade.
Survived many attacks

Mr. Mubarak was also wounded, having sat next to Sadat in the attack by jihadists who had infiltrated the Army. He
would survive several more attempts on his life, most dramatically in 1995 when militants sprayed his motorcade
with bullets at a roadblock in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He was considered neither an inspirational revolutionary like Gamal Abdel Nasser, who ruled from 1956 to 1970,
nor a charismatic politician like Sadat, who succeeded Nasser and led Egypt until 1981.
But his diplomatic prowess showed on the international stage where he proved to be a deft statesman.
He maintained Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel — the reason Sadat was assassinated by militants — and became a
main player in the U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace process more than a decade later.
Critics say that during his rule the government and economy were hobbled by rampant corruption, bureaucratic
mediocrity and rights abuses.
On the plus side, Mr. Mubarak has been credited with bringing economic reforms in the 2000s.
In the last years of Mr. Mubarak’s reign, it was unclear whether he was truly in charge or had devolved many of his
responsibilities to his son Gamal, then a senior party figure.
Mr. Mubarak’s ouster came during the Arab Spring days, soon after Tunisians overthrew their leader Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
He was condemned to life in jail in 2012, but an appeals court ordered a retrial.
During his detention, Mr. Mubarak denied wrongdoing. “I did nothing wrong at all,” he said. By 2017, he was cleared
of all charges brought against him and released.
His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were also sentenced in a graft case, but were released after time served.

Mr. Mubarak spent his final days in a military hospital, leaving only occasionally.
66. What is the Blue Dot network, on the table during Trump visit to India
With US President Donald Trump on his maiden visit to India, the two countries are expected to have discussed the
Blue Dot Network, a proposal that will certify infrastructure and development projects. Observers have referred to
the proposal as a means of countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which was launched over six years
ago.
What is the Blue Dot network?
Led by the US’s International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Blue Dot network was jointly launched
by the US, Japan (Japanese Bank for International Cooperation) and Australia (Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade) in November 2019 on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Thailand.
It is meant to be a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to bring governments, the private sector and civil society
together to promote “high quality, trusted standards for global infrastructure development”.
On Monday, The Indian Express reported that the network is like a “Michelin Guide” for infrastructure projects.
This means that as part of this initiative, infrastructure projects will be vetted and approved by the network
depending on standards, as per which, the projects should meet certain global infrastructure principles.
The projects that are approved will get a “Blue Dot”, thereby setting universal standards of excellence, which will
attract private capital to projects in developing and emerging economies.
Countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative?

The proposal for the Blue Dot network is part of the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which is aimed at countering
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious BRI.
Probal Dasgupta, a strategic expert and author, told The Indian Express that while Blue Dot may be seen as a
counter to BRI, it will need a lot of work for two reasons. First, there is a fundamental difference between BRI and
Blue Dot — while the former involves direct financing, giving countries in need immediate short-term relief, the latter
is not a direct financing initiative and therefore may not be what some developing countries need. “The question is if
Blue Dot is offering first-world solutions to third-world countries?”
Secondly, Dasgupta mentions that Blue Dot will require coordination among multiple stakeholders when it comes to
grading projects. “Given the past experience of Quad, the countries involved in it are still struggling to put a viable
bloc. Therefore, it remains to be seen how Blue Dot fares in the long run.” (Quad is an informal strategic dialogue
between the US, Japan, Australia and India)
US foreign policy towards China

Prior to 2001, US foreign policy was focussed towards integrating China into its plan, but this changed after China’s
emergence as a global superpower. Under Barack Obama, US foreign policy started shifting focus to Asia, where
the US wanted to counter China’s growing influence.
In fact, the National Security Strategy (NSS) under Trump says the following, “China seeks to displace the United
States in the Indo-Pacific region, expand the reaches of its state-driven economic model, and reorder the region in
its favour.”
From the US’s point of view, the Indo-Pacific region, which stretches from India’s west coast to the west coast of the
US, is the most economically dynamic and populous part of the world.
Further, the US sees China’s infrastructure investments and trade strategies as reinforcing its geopolitical
aspirations, including efforts to build and militarise outposts in the South China Sea, which as per the US, restricts
the free movement of trade and undermines regional stability.

67. Two-thirds of most polluted cities are in India: global report
India accounts for two-thirds of the world’s most polluted cities — 21 of the most polluted 30 cities; 14 of the highest
20; and 6 of the highest 10 — in the 2019 World Air Quality Report released by the pollution tracker IQAir and
Greenpeace on Tuesday. The ranking is based on a comparison of PM2.5 levels. Among countries, when
population is taken into account, average PM2.5 pollution is highest in Bangladesh, followed by Pakistan, while
India is at number 5.
Source: IQAir
While cities in India, on average, exceed the WHO target for annual PM2.5 exposure by 500%, national air pollution
decreased by 20% from 2018 to 2019, with 98% of cities experiencing improvements. These improvements are
believed to be largely a result of economic slowdown, IQAir said.
It said 90% of the global population breathing unsafe air. “While the new coronavirus is dominating international
headlines, a silent killer is contributing to nearly 7 million more deaths a year: air pollution,” IQAir CEO Frank
Hammes said in a statement.
China is at number 11 in the list of countries affected by population, with population factored in. Chinese cities
achieved a 9% average decrease in PM2.5 levels in 2019.

68. Cabinet approves Bill to regulate surrogacy
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020, allowing a “willing” woman to be
a surrogate mother and proposing that the Bill would benefit widows and divorced women besides infertile Indian
couples.
The Cabinet approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill after incorporating the recommendations of a Rajya Sabha
Select Committee, Minister Prakash Javadekar said at a press conference.
The 15 major changes suggested by the 23-member committee to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, also
included deleting the definition of “infertility” as the inability to conceive after five years of unprotected intercourse on
the ground that it was too long a period for a couple to wait for a child.
“The Bill is aimed at banning commercial surrogacy and allowing altruistic surrogacy,” said Mr. Javadekar.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani added that only Indian couples can opt for surrogacy
in the country.
The Bill proposes to regulate surrogacy by establishing a National Surrogacy Board and State Surrogacy Boards
and appropriate authorities in the States and Union Territories respectively. The proposed insurance cover for a
surrogate mother has now been increased to 36 months from 16 months earlier.
69. Sri Lanka notifies UN about rights resolution withdrawal

Sri Lanka on Wednesday formally notified the UN Human Right Council that it was withdrawing from the UN
resolution on post-war accountability and reconciliation.
“I wish to place on record, Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of Resolution 40/1 on Promoting
reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka,” Minister of Foreign Relations Dinesh Gunawardena
said in Geneva. All the same, Sri Lanka was “committed” to achieving “sustainable peace and reconciliation”,
through a process designed and executed domestically, the Minister assured.
However, Sri Lanka cannot pull out of the resolution until 2021, according to former Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe, whose unity government helmed by President Maithripala Sirisena co-sponsored the resolution.
“We are co-sponsors till the end of the resolution, which is in 2021. You can’t just pull out. After 2021, you can
decide whether you want to co-sponsor the next resolution or not,” Mr. Wickremesinghe told The Hindu in
Bengaluru, on the side-lines of ‘The Huddle’, the newspaper’s recently-held annual thought conclave.
The UNHRC is yet to comment on the development.

Accusing the predecessor government of “violating all democratic principles of governance”, the Foreign Relations
Minister on Wednesday told the Council that Sri Lanka co-sponsoring the resolution “remains to date a blot on the
sovereignty and dignity of Sri Lanka”.
‘Pawn on chess board’

The commitments made bound the country to carry out an “impractical, unconstitutional and undeliverable” process,
Mr. Gunawardena said, adding that they had made Sri Lanka “a pawn on the chess board of global politics”.
Mr. Gunawardena’s statement at the High-Level Segment at the ongoing UNHRC session follows President
Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s earlier announcements that Sri Lanka would not
honour Colombo’s commitments to the Council. “We will always work with the UN, but I can’t recognise what they
[UN] have signed with past governments,” Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the media during his campaign.
In 2015, six years after Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war ended, the UNHRC adopted a consensus resolution, asking
Colombo to probe allegations of large-scale rights abuses. The resolution, which Sri Lanka co-sponsored, was at
that time widely seen as a bold commitment to Sri Lankans and the international community.
Amid Tamil leaders’ growing concern over the pace at which Colombo implemented the resolution, Sri Lanka in
2017 sought an extension for two more years to fulfil its commitments. Last year, the Council approved giving
another two years for Sri Lanka to take forward a credible probe into the alleged rights violations.
70. What is 2020 CD3, a mini-moon?

Astronomers have observed a small object orbiting Earth, which they have dubbed a “mini-moon” or the planet’s
“second moon”. It is actually an asteroid, about the size of a car; its diameter is about 1.9-3.5 m. And unlike our
permanent Moon, the mini-moon is temporary; it will eventually break free of Earth’s orbit and go off on its own way.
Dubbed 2020 CD3, the mini-moon was discovered by Kacper Wierzchos and Teddy Pruyne of the NASA-funded
Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) in Arizona on the night of February 15. The Minor Planet Center of the International
Astronomical Union acknowledged the discovery: “Orbit integrations indicate that this object is temporarily bound to
the Earth… Further observations and dynamical studies are strongly encouraged.”
When an asteroid’s orbit crosses Earth’s orbit, it can sometimes be captured into the latter orbit. This is what
happened with 2020 CD3. It is now orbiting at a distance farther from Earth. Such an asteroid is called a
Temporarily Captured Object (TCO). The orbit of such objects is unstable. They have to contend with the
gravitational influence of our permanent Moon as well as that of the Sun. Once caught in Earth’s orbit, such objects
usually remain for a few years before they break free and go into independent orbit around the Sun.
According to the researchers, 2020 CD3 was captured into Earth’s orbit over three years ago. For CSS, it is only the
second such discovery. It previously discovered 2006 RH120, which orbited Earth for some time that year, before it
escaped in 2007.

71. President gives nod for delimitation in NE States
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday cancelled an earlier order of the Union government that deferred the
delimitation exercise in the northeastern States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
An order issued by the Law Ministry said, “The President is satisfied that the circumstances leading to the
deferment cease to exist and is, therefore, pleased to rescind the February 8, 2008 order.”
The latest Law Ministry order noted that there has been a significant improvement in the security situation and a
reduction in insurgency incidents, making the situation conducive for carrying out the delimitation exercise now.
The delimitation exercise to readjust the division of each State and Union territory into territorial constituencies for
the purpose of elections to the Lok Sabha and to the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of 2001 census
figures was completed by November 26, 2008.
However, this exercise under aegis of the Delimitation Commission, was postponed in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh,
Manipur and Nagaland on apprehension of threat to the peace and public order.
72. Fundamental rights not for OCI card holders: Govt to Delhi HC

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders do not enjoy fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution,
including the right to freedom of speech and expression, the government told the Delhi High Court on Friday.
The government’s response came in a plea filed by former Ranbaxy executive Dinesh Thakur seeking the right to
seek information under the RTI Act.
“OCI card holders have merely been granted statutory rights under the Citizenship Act, 1955,” the government said
in an affidavit filed by the Ministry of External Affairs and said that other grounds will be brought up during the
hearing of the case.
“It is a statutory right and not a fundamental or a constitutional right. The grant of the limited right is by the Central
government by notification under Section 7B of the Citizenship Act. Therefore, what right is granted depends on the
policy of the Central government,” the affidavit stated.
In his plea, Thakur had also sought exemption for overseas citizens from seeking permission under the Foreign
Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA) to make donations to religious and charitable institutions. He argued that
the right to make donations to religious institutions is and exercise of his fundamental right to freedom of religion,
guaranteed by the Constitution.
The ministry has not specifically replied on whether an OCI card holder has the right to practice religion in India,
although it says no fundamental rights are applicable to them.
The ministry’s response to the plea is despite a 2018 ruling by the Delhi High Court where the court said that OCI
card holders “have the right to enjoy the fundamental rights of equality and freedom of speech and expression in the
same way as any other Indian citizen.”

In 2018, the Delhi High Court, restoring the OCI status of Dr Christo Thomas Phillip, had said that an overseas
citizen can exercise fundamental rights guaranteed to “natural persons” under the constitution. Phillip’s OCI card
was cancelled by the government on the grounds that he was involved in missionary activities in India.
The Supreme Court has also located the right to information in both Articles 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, that is
granted to citizens, and Article 21 – the right to life, which is guaranteed to all natural persons.
73. Brexit here, what changes and what doesn’t

By Friday night GMT (early Saturday morning in India), Britain will have exited the European Union after 47
years of membership. In a journey that began in January 2013 with the announcement of a referendum in which the
British public would vote where or not the country would go for Brexit (they eventually voted in favour), the formal
exit now is only the first step of another long journey ahead.
As of now, an 11-month transition period has kicked in. This ends on December 31, 2020. A look at what changes
during the period, and what remains the same:
Out of EU politics
With Brexit Day on Thursday, the United Kingdom leaves all of the European Union’s political institutions. The UK
had 73 Members of European Parliament, and they automatically lose their seats. British ministers will no longer
attend regular EU meetings, and the Prime Minister will no longer be an automatic attendee at EU Council summits,
although he can still join if he is given a special invitation.
EU rules apply
During the transition period, the UK will continue to obey EU rules and make payments to the EU. If it is involved in
a legal dispute with an EU member country, the European Court of Justice will continue to have the final say.
New trade equations

Out of the EU, Britain will have to build new trade relationships with countries outside the Union. While it was still in
EU, Britain was not allowed to hold formal trade negotiations with countries such as the US and Australia. Now that
it will have that freedom, Brexit supporters see that as a positive —Britain setting its own trade policy.
There will also likely be priority given to a trade deal between the EU and its ex-member. Britain will want to lose as
little as possible of the privileges it enjoyed as a member; it wouldn’t want to pay extra charges on goods and would
want to continue without trade barriers after the transition ends. As of now, these trade rules have not changed.
Passports, coins
The British passport has a burgundy design, introduced three decades ago. Now, the country will return to the blue
passports it used to issue before adopting the EU design. This change was announced in 2017, by then Immigration
Minister, Brandon Lewis. The blue-and-gold design was first used in 1921. This switch will be phased over a
number of months; all new passports will be issued in blue by the middle of the year.

Entering circulation on Friday are about three million commemorative Brexit coins, of denomination of 50 pence.
They bear the date “31 January” and the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”.
No Brexit department
The Department for Exiting the European Union was set up by then PM Theresa May in 2016. It disbands on
Friday.
No change
Travel: Flights, boats and trains will operate as they did while Britain was in the EU. Driving licences will continue to
be accepted, as long as they are valid.
EHIC: European Health Insurance Card will remain valid inside Britain, and in the EU countries, during the
transition.
Freedom of movement: During the transition, UK nationals will continue to be be able to live and work in European
Union countries. EU nationals who want to live and work in the UK, too, can do so.
EU Budget: The UK will for now continue to contribute to the EU Budget. Existing schemes that are funded by EU
grants will continue to be funded.
74. After over three years,
Maldives rejoins Commonwealth The Hindu February 2TheMaldives on Saturday re-joined the Commonwealth,
more than three years after the Indian Ocean island nation quit the association amid mounting criticism of its human
rights record then.
In 2016, the Maldives pulled out of the Commonwealth terming “unjust” the grouping’s decision to penalise the
country over former President Mohamed Nasheed’s controversial ouster in 2012. It followed the Commonwealth
Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)’s warning to Maldives of suspension from the bloc, voicing “deep disappointment”
over the country’s lack of progress in resolving the political crisis during former President Abdulla Yameen’s
presidency, whose authoritarian slant sparked concern domestically and internationally.
However, months after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the 2018 presidential elections, promising to restore
democracy, he wrote to the Commonwealth, requesting to re-join the bloc.
Following the island nation’s readmission Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “The reform
process under way in Maldives aligns with the values and principles of the Commonwealth and we encourage the
nation to continue on this path.”
President Solih said in a tweet: “A short while ago, I had a conversation with the Commonwealth’s Secretary
General who informed me that the Maldives has been formally reinstated into the Commonwealth as its 54th
member state. We shall long strive to uphold the Commonwealth’s values of democracy and human rights.”

India lauds inclusion
The Government of India congratulated the Government of Maldives on its readmission to the Commonwealth of
Nations as its 54th member. “India has always been a key supporter of Maldives’ readmission and for it to play a
larger role in international organisations and the comity of nations. We are committed to working closely with
Maldives on shared Commonwealth goals like development, democracy and peace,” the Ministry of External Affairs
said in a statement.
New Delhi-Male ties witnessed a significant shift following the poll defeat of former President Yameen, perceived to
be a friend of China. India said it would continue working with Maldives in achieving its “democratic and
developmental aspirations.”
75. Pakistan declares national emergency to battle locusts

Pakistan, which is facing its worst locust attack in decades, has declared national emergency to tackle the insects
destroying crops on a large scale in Punjab province, country’s main region for agricultural production.
The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday. The meeting, attended by
federal ministers and senior officials of the four provinces, also approved a National Action Plan (NAP) that requires
a sum of Rs 7.3 billion to overcome the crisis.
Minister for National Food Security Khusro Bakhtiar informed the National Assembly about the gravity of the
situation and the steps so far taken by the federal and provincial governments to deal with the crisis, the Dawn
newspaper reported.
During the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, which was also attended by Adviser to the Prime Minister on
Finance Hafeez Shaikh among others, a detailed briefing on the overall situation was given to the prime minister.
The meeting was informed that besides involving the officials concerned at the provincial and district levels, different
tasks have been given to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), provincial disaster management
authorities and federal and provincial departments to deal with the threat.
Prime Minister Khan ordered formation of a high-level committee to be headed by Bakhtiar to take decisions at the
federal level for the elimination of insects.
The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to make immediate measures on the basis of damage of
ripened crops.
“Protection of farms and farmers is the highest priority of the government. Therefore, the federal government should
take all necessary steps to save national crops and provide required resources to the quarters concerned,” Khan
was quoted as saying in the report.
Bakhtiar informed the house that it was for the first time that after attacking Sindh and Punjab, the swarms of locust
had entered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“A sum of Rs 7.3 bn is required to avoid further destruction,” he said.
“Declaration of national emergency was eminent to handle the situation; besides, Parliament must have a role in
monitoring the situation,” he added.
Bakhtiar claimed that the government had managed to save cotton and winter crops to a large extent, adding that
climate change was one of the reasons for delay in the exit of locusts. He said the situation was worse than the one
Pakistan faced in 1993.
The swarms of locust are currently on the Pakistan-India border along Cholistan, the minister said, adding that
insects had entered Cholistan and Nara from Sindh and Balochistan.
Locusts used to move to Iran after sometime, but perhaps this time due to low temperatures they are still in
Pakistan, he said.
Nawab Yousuf Talpur of Pakistan Peoples Party said that in 1993 when locusts had attacked the country, the
situation had been handled in four days with limited resources, the report said.

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Rankers’ Study Material

75 Most Important Articles from the Hindu and IE (February 2020)

1. U.K. to seek Canada-style free trade deal with EU

The Hindu , February 3

2. Explained: To import cheetahs, or not to

The Indian Express February 3

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 3 of 78

The Indian Express February 3

Why the focus on wetlands?

What is the status of wetlands in India?

What does being a Ramsar Site mean?

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 4 of 78

4. If tap water meets BIS norms, RO systems will be banned

The Hindu February

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 5 of 78

The Indian Express February 4

15th Finance Commission

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 6 of 78

The demographic effort

Income distance criterion

6. SC panel recommends several prison reformsThe Hindu February 6

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 7 of 78

The Prison Department has a perennial average of 30%-40% vacancies.

‘Primitive and arduous’

7. Cooperative banks to come under Reserve Bank purview

The Hindu February 6

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 8 of 78

These measures would be implemented in a phased manner, said Mr. Javadekar.

8. Internet and mobile association announces self-regulatory code

The Indian Express February 6

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 9 of 78

9. Sabarimala review plea: Nine-judge SC bench to decide if larger bench can

The Indian Express, February 6

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 10 of 78

10. Govt to establish Central Consumer Protection Authority; what is it?

The Indian Express , February 27

Explained: What is the Central Consumer Protection Authority?

What can the possible structure of CCPA be?

How will it deal with false or misleading advertisements?

What other powers will the CCPA have?

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 12 of 78

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 13 of 78

The Indian Express , February 7

13. Centre set to revamp IT Act

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 14 of 78

“I am happy that he has readily responded,” he added.

14. Modi flags Tamil concerns to Mahinda

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 15 of 78

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 16 of 78

16. IOC lifetime award for Gopi Chand

The Hindu February 9

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 17 of 78

17. Australia presented ICC Women’s trophy

The Hindu February 9

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 18 of 78

Issues with the current law

In case of foetal abnormality

19. Cauvery delta to be declared a protected agriculture zone

The Hindu February 10

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 20 of 78

20. Govt. raps U.S. agency for Nipah work

The Hindu February 10

Head Office: 127, Zone II, MP Nagar, Bhopal |+91-9111555433|www.legaledge.in Page 21 of 78