Current Affairs – July 18, 2024

{GS2 – Governance – Welfare} Karnataka Gig Workers Bill 2024

• Context (TH): Karnataka introduced Draft Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security & Welfare) Bill.

• Earlier, Rajasthan enacted Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023.
• In India, gig and platform workers are included in the Code on Social Security (CSS), 2020. However, it is not mentioned in the three new labour codes.

Need for legislation

• Rising Gig Economy: Growth, especially in the app-based cab and retail delivery sectors (potential to add 1.25% to GDP).
• Vital Livelihood: Gig work is crucial for job-seekers as it accommodates 7.7 million workers; NITI Aayog forecasts 23.5 million gig workers by 2030 (India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy).
• Worker Agitations: Issues include revenue sharing, working hours, and employment terms.
• Legal Challenges: Traditional labour laws struggle with the gig economy’s non-traditional dynamics.
• Income Uncertainty: No minimum earnings guarantee even with full availability.
• Safety: Risk due to unregulated working hours, such as overworked app cab drivers jeopardising safety.
• Recognition of Employment Relations: Gig work has existing employment relations as observed in the UK’s Uber case (Uber is an employer, and the existing labour laws of the UK do apply to Uber drivers).

Challenges

• Employment relations in the gig economy are subject to demystification and complications (e.g., legal battles and regulatory challenges faced by Uber in the UK).
• Those who run the platform (like Zomato) prefer to call themselves aggregators and consider gig workers as independent contractors.
• Aggregators believe they provide technology to connect independent workers with consumers, emphasising that workers have control over their work.
• However, workers in the gig economy often view aggregators as their employers and demand legal entitlements (For example, Bangalore Swiggy delivery partners’ protest).

Limitations

• Deficient Definition: Bill skirts employment relations, terms ‘aggregator’ over ’employer’. (The platform is a tool, not an independent entity. Hence, aggregators are the actual employers).
• Historical Failures: Follows welfare board model, which has been poorly implemented historically.
  • For example, the Construction Workers Welfare Act of 1996 and the Unorganized Workers Social Security Act – funds were available but inadequately used.

• Neglected Employment Relationship: (All Karnataka and Rajasthan Acts and CSS, 2020)
  • It absolves employers of legal obligations.
  • Hampers labour law application and worker protections (occupational safety and health, leave entitlements, and the right to collective bargaining cannot be applied).

• Partial Welfare: Schemes in Karnataka and Rajasthan Acts lack comprehensive benefits (do not replace institutional social security benefits such as provident fund, gratuity, or maternity benefits).
• Lack of Protections: The Bill omits minimum wage and working hours; Section 16 is insufficient.

To know more > India and Gig Economy.

{GS2 – IR – India-EU} Bilateral Talks on TEPA Goals

• Context (PIB): Commerce & Industry Minister held talks with the Swiss counterpart on Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).

To know more > India and EFTA.

{GS2 – MoWCD – Schemes} PM CARES for Children Scheme

• Context (TH): About 51% of the applications received under the PM CARES for Children scheme for COVID orphans have been rejected.

• The PM CARES for Children Scheme was launched at India’s peak of COVID-19 cases in May 2021.
• It aims to support minor (<18 yrs.) children who lost their parents, a legal guardian, adoptive parents, or a surviving parent to the pandemic between March 11, 2020, and May 5, 2023.
• Objective: To ensure comprehensive care and protection of these children, including health insurance, education and financial support until they reach 23 years of age.
• It includes a monthly stipend from 18 years of age and Rs. 10 lakh upon attaining the age of 23.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development shall be the nodal Ministry at the central level.
• The Department of Women and Child Development or Department of Social Justice in the State/UT Government shall be the nodal agency at the State level.
• The District Magistrates (DM) shall be the nodal authority at the District level.

{GS3 – Agri – Issues} Post-harvest losses

• Context (TH): Understanding post-harvest losses in India. Post-harvest loss can be defined as degradation in both quantity and quality of food from harvest to consumption.

Quantum of post-harvest loss in India

• India ranks second in global agriculture production, but its share in global agricultural exports is only 2.4%, placing it eighth globally.
• Approx 74 million tonnes of food is lost in India each year, accounting for 22% of the foodgrain output or 10% of the total foodgrain and horticulture production for the 2022-23 period (ICAR).
• The biggest loss is from perishable commodities, which include livestock produce such as eggs, fish and meat (22%), fruits (19%) and vegetables (18%).
• There are no national-level surveys on food waste in India.

Determinants of post-harvest losses

Credits: FAO

• Lack of proper storage facilities, cooling systems, and transportation network and infrastructure
• Inappropriate or insufficient packaging leading to physical damage and exposure to pests
• Limited access to markets resulting in delayed sales and the inability to sell produce at optimal ripeness
• Inadequate knowledge and management capacity of supply chain actors
• Poor Handling Practices
• Inadequate pest control during storage, resulting in infestations & losses due to insects & pathogens.

Initiatives taken to address post-harvest losses

• Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR)
• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
• Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (AGMARKNET)
• National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
• Project CHAMAN
• Truck-on-train service: It carries loaded trucks on railway wagons. Efforts are being made to expand this service following successful trial runs involving commodities such as milk and cattle feed.
• Parcel special trains: It was started by the Railways during the COVID-19 pandemic to transport perishables and seeds between market and producers.
• Kisan Rail: It was initiated to connect perishables (inclusive of milk, meat and fish) production surplus regions to consumption regions more efficiently.

Way forward

• Shifting focus from increasing food production to safeguarding the produced food.
• Warehousing receipts from certified warehouses can serve as collateral for funding from banks, aiding farmers in meeting post-harvest expenses.
• Promoting food processing industry to minimize wastage and post-harvest losses.
• Strengthening e-NAM and upgrading rural haats to Gramin Agricultural Markets to enhance market connectivity.
• Investment in specialised wagons for temperature-controlled transport and establishment of rail-side facilities for safe cargo handling. It would enhance food safety, minimize spoilage and contamination risks, thereby supporting both domestic and export markets.
• Adopting a systems-based approach, cutting across modes of transport and geographies.
• Encouraging private sector participation to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen the rail infrastructure through public-private partnerships.
• Prioritising the Railways over roadways promises efficient transportation as Railways generate up to 80% less CO2 for freight traffic than roadways (97% of fruits and vegetables are transported by road).

{GS3 – DM – Floods} Recurring floods in Assam

• Context (IE): Assam is once again facing devastating floods.

About Assam’s Floods

• Annual floods in Assam are a recurring issue tied to the region’s challenging geography:
  • The Eastern Himalayas (fragile geology and forested landscape),
  • The Southwest Monsoon (Assam receives an average of 2,500 to 3,000 millimetres of rain annually),
  • The Bay of Bengal (contributes to the region’s climate turbulence),
  • Hundreds of Braided and Meandering Rivers (rivers keep changing course),
  • Billions of Tons of Sediment in Rivers (originating from the Himalayas).
• The 1950 earthquake (magnitude 8.6) and others (like in 1897) changed Assam’s geography.
• These impacted the Brahmaputra and other rivers (Raising the riverbeds, changing courses, increasing erosion). Due to this, Assam’s annual flooding pattern worsened from 1952 onwards.
• Population density, poverty, complex biodiversity (largest population of one-horned rhino, population of rare golden langur), etc. make flood management challenging.

Garg Committee’s observations (1951)

• Insisted that “land building and drainage of its basin are the two main functions of a river.”
• Stated that embankments might be useful only if the rivers were stable and carried little silt.
• Embankments would probably cause more harm than good if the rivers carried huge amounts of silt.”
• Noted that excessive silt would upset the land-building process and drainage systems.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} Education and Climate Change

• Context (DTE | HT): The Global Education Monitoring Report of UNSECO released the “Education and climate change: Learning to act for people and planet” paper.

• The first paper in the series, published in partnership with the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE Project), focused on climate change.
• It raised concerns about lasting damage extreme weather events can inflict on a child’s development.

Findings of the study

• Climate change-related impacts are disrupting education systems and outcomes. Direct effects include destruction of education infrastructure, injuries, and loss of life among students, parents & school staff.
• Indirect effects include the displacement of people and effects on people’s livelihoods and health. In 2022, 32.6 million were internally displaced due to disasters.
• Over the past 20 years, schools were closed in at least 75% of the extreme weather events, impacting more than five million people.
• Exposure to higher-than-average temperatures during the prenatal and early life period is associated with fewer years of schooling, especially in Southeast Asia
• Children experiencing temperatures that are two standard deviations above average are predicted to attain 1.5 fewer years of schooling than children experiencing average temperatures.
• Climate-induced education vulnerability is found to be worse for marginalized populations. Of the 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2019, 8 were low/lower-middle-income countries.

How has Climate Change related disruptions affected different regions?

• High temperatures reduced high-stakes test performance in China and led to reductions in both high school graduation and college entrance rates.
• In the United States, without air conditioning, a school year hotter by 1 degree Celsius, reduced test scores by 1%.
• In Brazil, students lost about 1% of learning per year due to rising temperatures.
• Flood exposure reduced the number of completed grades among 12- to 15-year-olds in Ethiopia (3.4%), India (3.8%) and Vietnam (1.8%), owing to household income loss.
• Cyclone Idai destroyed 3,400 classrooms in Mozambique in 2019, denying 305,000 children access to education.
• Following the 2013 Jakarta floods, access to schools was disrupted, schools were converted into emergency shelters, and some schools were closed due to damage.
• In India, drought reduced children’s mathematics and reading scores by 4.1% and 2.7%, respectively.

Way Forward

• Including climate change education in school curricula.
• Greater investment in educational systems to strengthen their resilience to climate-related disruptions.
• Strengthening school buildings to withstand climate impacts.
• Training educators to support students psychologically and academically.
• Fostering community resilience through awareness and adaptation initiatives.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture

• Context (DTE): Supreme Court Justice Sanjay Karol highlighted impacts of climate change on agriculture.

• Declining agricultural output, such as crop yields in Punjab, due to unpredictable weather patterns.
• Unsustainable practices like chemical fertiliser overuse lead to soil degradation & reduced productivity.
• The extreme temperature in Bihar reaches around 50°C, severely impacting betel leaf cultivation.
• Altered monsoon timings in Maharashtra affect crop sowing and harvesting periods of crops like sugarcane and cotton.
• Erratic weather causing crop failures in Andhra Pradesh Increased debts & financial instability.

Recommendations

• Call for recognising climate change as a distinct legal field.
• Proposal for a permanent commission to develop climate solutions akin to NITI Aayog.
• Initiatives like PM-KUSUM for promoting solar energy in agriculture to mitigate climate impacts.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} Massive Carbon Footprint of NATO

• Context (DTE): The report “Climate in the Crosshairs” demonstrated the planetary impact of NATO’s military spending: increased greenhouse gas emissions.

• The report was released by the think tank Transnational Institute, social justice co-operative Tipping Point North South, and anti-arms campaign organisation Stop Wapenhandel.
• According to estimates, NATO’s $1.34 trillion expenditure generated 233 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (tCO2e) GHG emissions.
• This amount surpasses the annual emissions of several countries, including Colombia and Qatar.
• The $126 billion increase in military spending in 2023 will result in an additional 31 million tCO2e.
• NATO’s “2024 Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment Report” also stated that NATO had to contend with the impacts of increasing climate change on security.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} Human-Wildlife Conflict

• Context (TH): Kerala Government approves ₹645-crore master plan, which integrates cutting-edge technologies with traditional knowledge to mitigate Human-wildlife conflicts effectively.

New Measures Proposed

• Artificial Intelligence-based alert systems and thermal sensor-equipped drones for real-time updates.
• Solar streetlights, high-mast lights and Camera traps to enhance surveillance.
• Traditional ‘bio-fences’ using crops like chilli and Beehive fencing along forest boundaries.
• Habitat-management efforts with new waterholes and check-dams to ensure adequate fodder and water in interior forests.
• Increasing the number of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to control the conflicts.

Read More > Man-Animal Conflict  

{GS3 – Infra – Transportation} Roadmap for E-mobility R&D

• Context (PIB): Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI released the ‘E-mobility R&D Roadmap’ report.

• It charts a course towards future independence and self-sufficiency. It will position India as a global value and supply chain leader in five to seven years.
• It will help India achieve a 45% reduction in emission intensity by 2030 and energy independence by 2047 to reach net-zero commitment by 2070.
• Four critical streams of e-mobility R&D and their budget allocation:

Source: psa.gov.in

Read More > Electric Vehicles.

{GS3 – IS – Issues} Jammu Militancy

• Context (TH): Militancy in Jammu has seen a resurgence after two decades of relative calm.

Recent incidents in Jammu

• July 2024: Four Army personnel were killed in a gunfight with militants in Jammu’s Doda.
• July 2024: Five Army soldiers killed and five injured in an ambush by militants in Kathua district.
• December 2023: Four soldiers were killed in an ambush on Army vehicles in Poonch-Rajouri area.
• January 2023: Seven Hindus, including two children, were killed in targeted attacks in Dangri, Rajouri.

Credits: South Asia Terrorism Portal

Reasons for increased militancy in Jammu

• Strategic location: The Pir Panjal range is easily accessible to terrorists (approx. 60km from LoC).
• Complicated counter-insurgency: Due to rugged terrain, poor roads, and patchy mobile connectivity.
• Thinning of security forces: After the 2020 Galwan clashes, a large contingent of the Army was redeployed from Jammu to the China border, reducing security in Jammu.
• Perceived injustice: Feeling that the government’s actions, such as hosting the G20 event in Kashmir, are dismissing local issues and grievances, leading to a sense of unfair treatment and marginalisation.
• Inimical elements’ Strategy: Neighbouring adversaries aim to exhaust India by engaging it on both the western (Pakistan) and northern (China) fronts.
• Removal of Pakistan from the FATF Grey list: Means less scrutiny of Pakistan’s financial transactions, leading to increased support for cross-border terrorism.
• Shift in Terror Focus: Heightened alert in Kashmir Valley makes Jammu a more vulnerable target.
• Narrative building: Government claims of improved security in Kashmir post-Article 370 abrogation may be challenged by increased militancy in Jammu, destabilising the region.
• Demographic factors in Jammu could lead to communal unrest, increasing social instability.
• Resurgence of old infiltration routes used by militants, particularly in the Kathua belt.
• Reduced local support due to lack of trust-building with younger generations.
• Discontinuation of Village Defense Guards due to allegations of crimes by members.

Government Efforts and suggestions

• Deployment of Additional Security Forces and technologies like Thermal Imaging Cameras in the region, bolstering the security grid.
• Revival of Village Defense Guards intensified after the targeted killing of seven Hindus in Dangri.
• Increased surveillance along the International Border and Line of Control, such as in the Kathua belt.
• Trust-building, particularly with the younger generation. For example, the Vibrant Villages Programme will help improve infrastructure along the border areas to enhance security.
• Initiatives like Operation Sarp Vinaash in Poonch were launched in 2003.
• Top security officials from J&K and Punjab met to counter the growing militancy in the Jammu region, reflecting enhanced inter-agency coordination.

{GS3 – S&T – AI} Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)

• Context (PIB): India’s G20 Task Force released a report on Digital Public Infrastructure.

• DPI is a technology-driven approach to achieve societal goals through a regulated ecosystem that combines public interest with competitive private innovation.
• Connectivity infrastructure, such as building cell towers and laying underground internet cables, is essential for DPI but falls outside its specific definition.

Why countries adopt DPI?

• DPI empowers individuals with economic mobility and safeguards key digital rights, such as control over their money and data.
• DPI enables countries to leapfrog development stages, achieving significant economic growth quickly. For example, India achieved rapid financial inclusion through DPI in less than a decade.
• DPI stimulates market innovation by reducing transaction costs, fostering competition through interoperability, and attracting private capital.
  • Companies like PhonePe in India, a $12 billion fintech firm, benefited from DPI in payments.
• DPI provides inclusive access to vulnerable groups like remote populations, women, marginalised communities, and small businesses, thereby reducing inter-group disparities such as gender gaps.
• DPI’s flexibility supports resilience during crises. For instance, during COVID-19, countries used DPI for digital vaccination certificates and direct cash transfers, enhancing response capabilities.
• Operates cost-effectively, leveraging public and private financing to sustain infrastructure development.
• DPI offers nations a means to maintain control over critical national infrastructure, ensuring sovereignty and security in digital services.

Global examples of DPI

• Verifiable Identity and Registries: Estonia’s e-Residency Offers digital identity cards to non-residents, facilitating business registration and management online.
• Data Sharing, Credentials, and Open Models: Canada’s SecureKey Concierge enables citizens to access online services securely using their verified banking credentials.
• Signatures and Consent: E-signatures in countries like Estonia enable secure online transactions and document signing, enhancing user convenience and legal validity.
• Payments: Australia’s New Payments Platform (NPP) enables instant bank transfers between individuals and businesses 24/7.

India’s Outcomes from DPI

• Unified Payments Interface (UPI): Enables instant digital payments via mobile across any bank account or app, handling over 10 billion transactions monthly.
• Aadhaar Payment Bridge: Facilitates direct cash transfers of Rs. 3.81 lakh crore to beneficiaries’ bank accounts annually, enhancing financial inclusion.
• Aadhaar & eKYC: Provides digital identity to over a billion adults with 33 billion authentications, facilitating 44.7 million new bank accounts and SIM card registrations.
• Aadhaar Enabled Payments System (AEPS): Biometric-based cash withdrawals and deposits through agents, serving 150 million people in small towns where physical ATMs are scarce.
• DigiLocker: Stores verifiable credentials for 211 million users, including identity documents, educational certificates, and vaccination records, enhancing digital document management.
• Bharat Bill Payments System: APIs for bill fetch and payment processing over 23 million bills monthly through any app, simplifying utility payments.
• FastTag: Streamlines toll and parking payments, improving efficiency and reducing traffic congestion.
• Account Aggregator: Facilitates consented financial data sharing across sectors, benefiting 1.9 billion financial accounts to access credit and insurance services.
• Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit: Protocols enabling lenders access to borrower information for seamless credit processing, promoting inclusive economic growth.

{GS3 – S&T – Bodies} GFRs relaxed for scientific research equipment

• Context (TH): General Finance Rules (GFR) were relaxed for research equipment. The new exemptions are specific to the “scientific Ministries” and include related departments and institutions.

General Financial Rules (GFRs)

• General Financial Rules (GFRs) are a compilation of rules and orders prescribed by the Department of Expenditure, Finance Ministry, to be followed while dealing with matters involving public finances.
• General Financial Rules were issued for the first time in 1947.
• These have subsequently been modified and issued as GFRs 1963, GFRs 2005 and GFRs 2017.

Changes introduced for research equipment

• The threshold price of goods without the requirement of tendering is raised to ₹1,00,000 from ₹25,000.
• For goods costing from ₹100,000 to ₹10,00,000 (Earlier ₹25,000 to ₹250,000), the purchase committee must survey the market for the best value for money and quality goods.
  • This purchase committee consists of three members nominated by the Head of the Department.

Concerns raised with the relaxations

• These relaxations are only applicable once it is established that the required goods are unavailable on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
• Researchers often need highly customised equipment, which usually has to be imported and may otherwise compromise the quality of research.

{GS3 – S&T – Space} Titan’s hydrocarbon seas

• Context (TH): NASA Cassini’s radar observations provided new details about the seas of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface of Titan.
• The study involved three seas near Titan’s north pole: Kraken Mare, the largest, covering an area comparable to Eurasia’s Caspian Sea; Ligeia Mare, the second-largest and comparable in area to North America’s Lake Superior; and Punga Mare, roughly equivalent to Africa’s Lake Victoria.

Credits: Universe today

About Titan

• Titan is the second-biggest moon behind Jupiter’s Ganymede and is larger than the planet Mercury.
• Titan is the only known world other than Earth exhibiting liquid seas on the surface. However, they are not composed of water but rather nitrogen and the organic compounds methane and ethane, components of natural gas.
• Precipitation-fed channels flow into the seas, creating estuaries, in some cases deltas.

Recent findings

• The Cassini data indicated the rivers carry pure liquid methane that then mixes into the more ethane-rich liquids of the seas, much as freshwater in Earth’s rivers mixes into saltwater oceans.
• The chemical composition of these seas was found to vary depending on their latitude.
• The study also documented the extent and distribution of sea surface ripples, indicating active tidal currents and increased roughness near estuaries – the mouths of rivers.
• Seas and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons dot the surface in the polar regions, especially the northern one.
• Titan’s seas are pulled by Saturn’s massive gravity, just like our seas, and the tidal range on some of its shorelines may be around a foot (30 cm).
• Since the tidal period – Titan’s day – is long, 16 Earth days, the tidal cycle is slow, so the tidal currents are generally weak.

{GS3 – S&T – Tech} World’s 1^st dual tower solar thermal plant

• Context (IE): China has unveiled the world’s first dual-tower solar thermal power plant in Gansu Province. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.

• The plant features two 200-meter-tall towers with nearly 30,000 mirrors installed on the ground.
• The mirrors form two vast, overlapping circles focusing sunlight on each tower. Like a traditional coal plant, the concentrated sunlight heats water to generate electricity.
• Unlike conventional thermal power plants, this design incorporates molten salt storage as a thermal battery. The molten salt retains extra heat collected during the day and releases it at night, allowing the plant to generate power continuously.
• The mirrors are programmed to automatically track the sun’s movement, concentrating the rays on the eastern tower in the morning and adjusting westward in the afternoon.
• The mirrors used in the plant are made of specialised materials that can achieve a remarkable 94% reflection efficiency.

Significance

• It integrates solar, thermal, and wind power to generate over 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually while avoiding 1.53 million tons of carbon emissions.
• It is expected to enhance efficiency by 24 percent under the same boundary conditions.

{Prelims – Sci – Chemistry} NiFe System for Water Splitting

• Context (PIB): Indian scientists suggest that a bimetallic Nickel-Iron (NiFe) layered double hydroxide system is sufficient for efficient oxygen production through water splitting.

• Water splitting is a chemical process that breaks down water to generate H₂ and O₂.
• NiFe system acts as an efficient catalyst when electricity is used to split water.
• Green Hydrogen can also be produced using this process.