Sunday, 25 December 2016

Must Read News Articles – December 23th,2016

The Hindu

Front Page / NATIONAL

Centre recasts panel helping Krishna Board: The committee is tasked with assisting the Krishna River Management Boardprepare a manual on how projects, common to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ought to be handled.

HC tells Centre to fix MRP of coronary stents by March 1: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Centre to fix by March 1 next year the maximum retail price (MRP) and a ceiling price for coronary stents.

Editorial/OPINION

A little gain after more pain: Income tax authorities on the trail of illegal acts of money exchange in commercial banks following the demonetisation are netting bigger fish than they may have expected.

Doing the right thing: India must break its silence on the humanitarian disaster in Syria, particularly Aleppo.

ECONOMY

Centre spots 67.54 lakh taxpayers who did not file I-T returns: The government has identified 67.54 lakh potential taxpayers in the FY15 who did not file income tax returns in the relevant assessment year.

Indian Express

Digital hurdles: SBI report on declining card use is a warning: Economy needs a boost after disruption due to demonetisation.

Live Mint

The monetary policy committee’s realistic currency swap assessment: Forecasts about the economic effects of an exogenous shock are tricky affairs.

Top environment stories of 2016: Our environmental indices may be at an all-time low, but the stories of victory in the year gone by create hope for the coming year.

Dealmaking in 2016: Dealmaking in 2016 has largely been about big-ticket announcements. One can look at the following key trends that shaped the industry.

Must Read News Articles – December 25th, 2016

The Hindu

Front Page / NATIONAL

Early summer triggers wildlife migration to Wayanad sanctuary: Drought-like situation in the Nilgiri biosphere has led to early migration.

Land of religious body can be acquired: HC: The Allahabad High Court has ruled that a land belonging to a religious body can be acquired for a “public purpose” while asking the Church of North India Association and NHAI to “work out modality” for “demolition or shifting” of a church for construction of a six-lane road.

Anti-airfield weapon system test-fired: India successfully tested the smart anti-airfield weapon system, capable of engaging ground targets in a range of 100 kms from a fighter aircraft, at the integrated test range here in Chandipur.

Editorial/OPINION

Getting right, the nutrient spike: The FSSAI’s move on food fortification comes in the wake of concerns of ‘over-fortification’.

ECONOMY

‘Demonetisation to infuse savings into financial markets’: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move is altering the nation’s conduct and will infuse more formal savings into the financial markets instead of dead assets.

Indian Express

Across the aisle-Cashless economy: A distracting mirage: Why should the government or its numerous agencies have access to our lives through access to Big Data?

Live Mint

The next big climate change battle starts in India: India is understandably determined to develop, and for development to happen, it will have to skip most of the cheap coal stage and go right to solar power.

Must Read News Articles – December 24th ,2016

The Hindu

Front Page / NATIONAL

Passport rules changed to help single mothers, orphaned children: In a move to speed up and simplify the passport delivery process, the government on Friday announced a series of steps that would help single mothers, orphaned children, and sadhus obtain passports with ease.

NITI Aayog rolls out health index: The government think tank NITI Aayog on Friday rolled out a ‘Performance on Health Outcomes’ index that will rank various States on the basis of their performance on measurable health indicators.

Pranab against ordinance route to amend Enemy Property Act: The Amendment Bill aims to make changes to the Enemy Property Act to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and China after wars.

HC: Property of parents-in-law not matrimonial home: The right to residence is available to a woman against her husband and not against the parents-in-law in a property owned by them, the Delhi High Court has reiterated.

Draft Central, State GST laws approved: The Goods and Services Tax Council has moved a significant step closer to finalising the draft Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST) laws that must be passed in Parliament — along with two other laws — to bring the GST into implementation.

INTERNATIONAL

China open to India joining economic corridor: China on Friday signalled that it was ready to consider India’s participation in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Editorial/OPINION

An equal music, a beautiful society: No aspect of life in India from the exalted heavens of the classical arts to the most mundane pits of bodily waste can escape the totalitarian structure of caste.

ECONOMY

Japan drags India to WTO against steps on iron, steel imports: India has imposed minimum import price (MIP) on imports of certain iron and steel products.

ART AND CULTRURE

‘Urban planning kept the peace in Harappa’: Ensuring efficient water supply and sewerage for every city can reduce conflicts, says Indus Valley Civilisation expert Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, who believes the strategy is an important lesson to be learnt from the Harappans.

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Topic- Light Fidelity or Li-Fi

Light Fidelity or Li-Fi

What is Li-Fi?

Li–Fi is a Visible Light Communications system running wireless communications, traveling at very high speeds.

How does it work?

1. Li–Fi uses common household LED light bulbs to enable data transfer, reaching speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second.
2. Although Li-Fi bulbs would have to be kept on to transmit data, the bulbs could be dimmed to the point that they are not visible to humans and yet still functional.

How is it different from Wi-Fi?

1. Li-Fi and Wi-Fi are quite similar as both transmit data electromagnetically. However, Wi-Fi uses radio waves while Li-Fi runs on visible light.
2. Li-Fi signals cannot pass through walls. Therefore, it is useful for short-range transmission only.
3. Due to its shorter range, Li-Fi is more secure than Wi-Fi and it’s reported that embedded light beams reflected off a surface could still achieve 70 megabits per second.

Usage/Benefits of Li-Fi:

Freeing up the spectrum: When the traffic is diverted to Li-Fi (wherever available), already clogged cellular networks would be relieved of their burden.
Li-Fi can be used in electromagnetic sensitive areas like in aircraft cabins, hospitals, laboratories etc, without causing electromagnetic interference.
Smart lighting: Street lamps could be used to provide Li-Fi hotspots.
Electronic devices such as laptops, smart phones, tablets and other devices can interconnect directly using Li-Fi.
Transportation: Headlights and tail lights in vehicles are moving to LED and so are streetlights. Li-Fi can be used for vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to roadside communications for road safety and traffic management.
Li-Fi can also easily work underwater, where Wi-Fi fails completely, thereby throwing open endless opportunities for military and navigational operations.
Li-Fi with its impressive high speed could make a huge impact on the internet of things, with data transferred at much higher levels with even more devices able to connect to one another.
When developed fully, Li-Fi offers potential applications for a greener and cleaner future,
riding on the rapid growth in the in the use of LED across the world.

Challenges/Disadvantages:

Light cannot pass through walls so Li-Fi would have mobility issues.
To make a Li-Fi network functional throughout the house, one will need these light bulbs in every room to have seamless connectivity.
The external lights (sunlight and other bulbs) may cause obstructions in Li-Fi’s transmission.
path, thus it may create disturbances in the communication process.
Initial installation cost is high as Li-Fi receiving devices will require adapters to transmit data back to the transmitter.
One of the drawbacks is that the light needs to be on all the time to deliver connectivity.
Another drawback is that Li-Fi is not very effective outdoors, meaning that public Li-Fi will not be able to replace public Wi-Fi networks anytime soon.

Conclusion:

If Li-Fi can be put into practical use, every LED lamp (indoor as well as outdoor) can be converted into something like a hot spot to transmit data to every mobile device to achieve universal broadband communication between devices.
Also, it presents another unique possibility: transmitting power wirelessly, wherein the Smartphone will not only receive data through Li-Fi but will also receive power to charge itself. Thus, it has immense potential which can be channelized for the more inclusive and better use of the internet.

Topic- Zika Virus – All you need to know

Zika virus

Introduction

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Zika virus infections are similar to other arbovirus infections such as dengue. Like:-

• Fever
• Skin rashes
• Conjunctivitis
• Muscle and joint pain
• Malaise, and headache

National health authorities in Brazil have reported potential neurological and auto-immune complications of Zika virus disease. Agencies investigating the Zika outbreaks are finding an increasing body of evidence about the link between Zika virus and microcephaly.

Transmission

Zika virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus.
This is the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
Zika virus can migrate between humans through sexual contact
it can also cross the placenta, affecting an unborn fetus
An infected mother can pass on the virus to her newborn around the time of birth.
The vertebrate hosts of the virus are primarily monkeys and humans.

Threat

Zika virus outbreak in Latin America could be a bigger threat to global health than the Ebola epidemic.
There is currently no vaccine available for this disease.
Most virus carriers of Zika virus are symptomless.
It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals – pregnant women.
However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect.

Microcephaly– abnormal smallness of the head,a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development called microcephaly, as well as other severe fetal brain defects.

With at least 80% of those infected showing no symptoms, tracking the disease is extremely difficult.
Only extreme measures like DDT are likely to contain the Zika threat, which will be environmentally harmful.

Prevention

Prevention and control rely on reducing mosquitoes through source reduction.
Reducing contact between mosquitoes and people.
This can be done by using insect repellent; wearing clothes (preferably light-colored).
Using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and windows, and sleeping under mosquito nets.
Special attention and help should be given to those who may not be able to protect themselves adequately.
Zika virus is diagnosed through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and virus isolation from blood samples.

How does virus attack?

Viruses are tiny organisms that may lead to mild to severe illnesses in humans, animals, and plants.
Viruses by themselves are not alive. They cannot grow or multiply on their own and need to enter a human or animal cell and take over the cell to help them multiply.
Viruses lie around our environment all of the time just waiting for a host cell to come along. They can enter us through the nose, mouth or breaks in the skin.
Once inside, they find a host cell to infect.
For example, cold and flu viruses will attack cells that line the respiratory or digestive tracts.
It then begins making copies of the viral genetic instructions and new viral proteins using the virus’s genetic instructions and the cells enzyme machinery.
The new copies of the viral genetic instructions are packaged inside the new protein coats to make new viruses.

Regardless of the type of host cell, all viruses follow the same basic steps:-

A virus particle attaches to a host cell.
The particle releases its genetic instructions into the host cell.
The injected genetic material recruits the host cell’s enzymes.
The enzymes make parts for more new virus particles.
The new particles assemble the parts into new viruses.
The new particles break free from the host cell Once inside the cell, the viral enzymes take over those enzymes of the host cell.

Topic- Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented reality is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it.

Applications of Augmented Reality:

1. Navigation: Enhanced GPS systems are using augmented reality to make it easier to get from point A to point B. Using the phone’s camera in combination with the GPS, the users see the selected route over the live view of what is in front of the car.
2. Sightseeing: Using a smartphone equipped with a camera, tourists can walk through historic sites and see facts and figures presented as an overlay on their live screen.
a. These applications use GPS and image recognition technology to look up data from an online
database.
b. In addition to information about a historic site, applications exist that look back in history and show how, the location looked 10, 50 or even 100 years ago.
3. Military: The Heads-Up Display (HUD) is the typical example of augmented reality when it comes to military applications of the technology.
a. A transparent display is positioned directly in the fighter pilots view. Data typically displayed to the pilot includes altitude, airspeed, and the horizon line in addition to other critical data.
b. The term “heads-up” comes from the fact that the pilot doesn’t have to look down at the aircraft’s instrumentation to get the data they need.
c. The Head-Mounted Display (HMD) is used by ground troops. Critical data such as enemy location can be presented to the soldier within their line of sight.
d. This (HMD) technology is also used for simulations for training purposes.
4. Medical: Medical students use the technology to practice surgery in a controlled environment. Also, Visualizations (with AR) aid in explaining complex medical conditions to patients. Augmented reality can reduce the risk of an operation by giving the surgeon improved sensory perception.
5. Gaming: It has changed the gaming experience in a revolutionary way. The mixing up of virtual life with real life using GPS has given a unique experience in gaming.
6. Safety and rescue operations: In the case of emergencies, the police or firefighters often arrive at chaotic scenes and need to make sense of the environment and navigate a place they have never been to. With the use of AR technology (virtual maps and X-ray vision) they can help better in such situations.

Limitations/Challenges:

1. Currently, AR works better in static, unchanging situations, and when it has to show information that is constantly changing, it becomes less accurate.
2. It has privacy concerns due to its facial and location recognition technologies.
3. With the already isolation of individuals due to various technologies (e.g. social media), AR can further lead to social detachment among people.

Recent concern related to augmented reality games:

1. Some of the games like Pokemon Go, and other advanced AR devices like Google Glass and Holo Lens are present in the market today.
2. All AR devices whether it is a game or device, distracts people from their surroundings, leading to potentially severe consequences.
3. Several countries have issued advisories regarding the game and some have even raised ‘national security’ concerns. A Pokemon Go player was robbed at knife point in New Hampshire, a player got stuck in a tree in a cemetery in New Jersey, a teenager was led to a dead body in a river in Wyoming, and in Baltimore, a man drove into a police car while chasing Pokemon.

Safety concerns Linked to children:

1. Real-world game-play has been linked to armed robberies as criminals have used the game to locate and lure intended targets and children are most vulnerable in that scenario.
2. Since these games encourage players to go to areas which may not belong to them. Trespassers whether the children or a mature person face a real threat of physical harm from property owners who may use force to protect their property.
3. The game requires users’ full attention immediately. Children playing games on the roads can meet an accident due to speedy cars or any other cause.
4. Since the game, developed by Niantic, uses Google Maps and has access to IP addresses of the users, it can be used to trace locations, in which case children are the most vulnerable and will be unable to respond to any criminal activities.
5. When a player downloads Pokémon Go, the app gets “full access” to the person’s phone. Children playing games on their parent’scellphones could give up personal data in the phones.
6. A number of doctors and psychologists feel that these games add to the stress levels of the player and children tend to get more stressed due to their immature emotional level.
7. These games can affect a growing child’s ability to distinguish between real and virtual objects.

Way ahead:

Accidents and mishaps can be avoided by being more alert and avoiding seedy locations. The guardian of children needs to be more aware as these technologies can lead to the isolation of children from family.
The only way to resolve this from the developer’s side would be to maintain a global, up-to-date information bank on what areas are off limits, and alter the gaming experience accordingly. The sheer scale of this task makes it very difficult to accomplish by today’s standards.

Topic- Farm Subsidies and WTO – Issues and Way Ahead

Farm Subsidies and WTO

WTO Functions

Ensure all countries benefit from world trade.
Reducing barriers to international trade – both tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers.
Getting the members to Enter into multilateral trade agreements.
Providing forum for negotiation and dispute settlement for the members.
Cooperating with UN, World and IMF for a global economic policy

WTO has many categories of agreement like agreements for goods , services , property rights etc.

Under agreement for goods category there is Agreement on Agriculturecategory.

Agreement on Agriculture has 3 heads –

Market Access
Export subsidies
Domestic Agriculture Subsidy

WTO classifies Domestic Agricultural subsidies into three categories:

Green box- these subsidies cause minimum distortion and does not affect the trade balance.
Blue box- these subsidies that does not increase with increase in production.
Amber box -Subsidies that distort trade balance like subsidies on fertilizers, seeds, power and irrigation.They encourage excessive production,making the country’s products cheaper than others in international markets.

WTO Issue-

Per the original Agreement on agriculture (AoA), the developed and developing countries have to keep their Amber box subsidies within De-minimus level i.e. 5% and 10% of their agriculture production in 1986-88 respectively.
India opposed this base year and limits, because it would make the implementation of food security programs for the poor and MSP for the farmers impossible.
India wants the subsidy computation methodology to reflect current international prices not 1986.
Hence, as a measure of temporary relief, in 2013 Bali summit a “peace clause” for the AoA was enacted.

Salient features of Peace Clause:

No member, can drag any developing country to Dispute settlement mechanism of WTO, for violation of de-minimus limits in AoA.
Provided that the said developing country is paying subsidies for staple food crops for public stock-holding program or For food security purpose.

Providing annual information of its food security Program to WTO.
Permanent solution will be taken no later than 11th ministerial conference i.e. at December 2017.

Problem with the Peace Clause–

India’s worry was that if the clause expired before a permanent solution was in place, food security programmes and policies to protect farmers, such as Minimum Support Prices, would face unwanted uncertainty.
The clause also required full disclosure of MSPs and annual procurement for food security programmes, which the Government fears would leave India open to questioning by other countries on domestic matters.

So, The new government in Nov 2014 , managed to get a ‘new’ peace clause which was signed between India and US.

It allowed countries such as India to continue to freely procure andstock grains for the public distribution system even if subsidiesresulting from these breach limits under the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture (AoA).
It is ‘open ended ‘ until a permanent solution to the issue of farm subsidies linked to national food security is arrived at.

Farm Subsidies in India-

Various type of subsidies provided by india to its farmers include:

Input subsidy, power subsidy, fertilizer subsidy, seed subsidy, irrigation subsidy, credit subsidy.

Recently, US has questioned India at the WTO on its move to increase minimum support prices (MSPs) for Kharif crops in the current year.

India said that its main objective for increasing MSP for pulses and oil-seeds was:

To cover the increasing gap between the demand and domestic supply of these crops.
leguminous pulses have environmental benefits as they consume less water and reduce soil degradation.
MSPs are intended to reduce distress sales by poor farmers.

Why India needs to Subsidize its farmers–

India is basically an agrarian economy with over 50% of population directly or indirectly attached to agriculture though it doesn’t contributes very high in GDP .
One third of population lives below the poverty line or near it.
The developed nations see India as a huge market for food-grains and other products.
Indian democracy relies heavily on farmers , to keep them happy is also politically motivated.
There is a threat of dumping by countries producing a particular product in huge quantities.
Large size of population is employed in agriculture . If they drop out of agriculture, some other mean should be there to absorb them instead it would lead to heavy unemployment.

Facts-

China’s farm subsidies go to the tune of $100 billion. Though it provides less than $100 as subsidy per farmer annually while the US provides more than $20,000 per farmer annually.
US provides more than $150 billion of subsidies under the Green Box
India was blocking the Trade facilitation Agreement of WTO , as a bargaining chip until a permanent solution to the subsidy and public stocking issue was not reached . The TFA was approved by cabinet this year in Feb.

Nairobi 2015-

India wanted an agreement on a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) and a permanent solution on public stock-holding for food security.

SSM –

A trade remedy, important for developing countries
Will allow developing countries to temporarily hike duties to counter sudden import surges and price fall due to the heavily subsidized agricultural imports.

Takeaways from Nairobi Declaration–

Developed Members have to immediately eliminate their remaining scheduled export subsidy entitlements.
Developing country Members will eliminate their export subsidy entitlements by the end of 2018.
The members of the global trade body agreed on a commitment for giving the developing nations a right to take recourse to Special Safeguard Mechanism to protect their farmers
Phasing out export subsidies on cotton immediately for developed nations, and after January 2017 for developing nations.
The Bali and the General Council’s November 2014 decision on public stock-holding which gives protection to farmers was reaffirmed.
An LDC (Least Developed Countries) package, was also agreed all the members, which would include duty-free, quota-free market access for LDCs, the LDC services waiver (to ensure preferences to LDCs in services trade) and preferential rules of origin.

Way Ahead-

US and its supporters want a finite number of deliverable in which they themselves do not have to undertake any fresh commitments . while the countries like India which are heavily dependent on agriculture and least developed countries which are at much disadvantage find themselves bargaining for some leverages in the present system which can easily be skewed in their disadvantage.

It is required for these countries to stand together for their legitimate demands while at the same time not jeopardize world trade which can be for there own development.

Without world consensus such negotiations are difficult to come by leading to alternative agreements like TPP etc.

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