CNA 13th April 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related SOCIAL ISSUES 1. ‘Northeast citizens faced bias amid pandemic’ B. GS 2 Related HEALTH 1. As cases surge, panel approves Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Iran blames Israel for nuclear plant outage, pledges revenge 2. China extends $500 mn loan to Lanka C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Save the deal 2. India’s South Asian opportunity 3. Not on the same page at sea SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Scaling up vaccine production F. Prelims Facts 1. Military exercise in Bangladesh ends G. Tidbits H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
1. ‘Northeast citizens faced bias amid pandemic’
Context:
A study was commissioned by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) on racial discrimination and hate crimes against people from the northeastern States.
Details:
- The study found that 78% of the people from the region who were interviewed believed that physical appearance was the most important reason for prejudice.
- Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, people from the region faced an increased number of acts of hate and prejudices against them.
- A series of attacks were reported in various parts of the country, where people from the region were harassed, abused, traumatised and were disparagingly called coronavirus, the study said.
- The study quoted a 2020 report from the Right and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) that found a significant upsurge in acts of racial discrimination against people from the northeastern region.
- The risk of being victimised in racial hatred remains subtle yet deeply entrenched.
Safeguarding the vulnerable migrants:
- In 2014, the Government of India set up the Bezbaruah Committee to look into concerns of the persons hailing from the North-Eastern states who are living in different parts of the country, especially the metropolitan areas, and to suggest suitable remedial measures which could be taken by the Government.
- The M.P. Bezbaruah Committee recommended amendments to the IPC by creating new offences under Section 153C and 509A to deal with comments, gestures and acts intended to insult a member of a particular racial group.
- It also suggested making such offences ‘gender-neutral’, ‘cognizable’ and ‘non-bailable’ with imprisonment extendable up to three years or five years with fine, respectively.
B. GS 2 Related
1. As cases surge, panel approves Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine
Context:
Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine — Sputnik V has been recommended for emergency use authorisation in India following a meeting of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC).
Details:
- If approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Sputnik V would be the third vaccine to be made available in India after the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
- It adds that the vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries.
- The freeze-dried form of the Sputnik V vaccine can be stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, which allows for easy distribution worldwide, including hard-to-reach regions.
What is Emergency Use Authorisation?
- Vaccines and medicines, and even diagnostic tests and medical devices, require the approval of a regulatory authority before they can be administered.
- In India, the regulatory authority is the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
- Drugs Controller General of India is the head of department of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization.
- For vaccines and medicines, approval is granted after an assessment of their safety and effectiveness, based on data from trials. Approval from the regulator is required at every stage of these trials which is a long process, designed to ensure that a medicine or vaccine is absolutely safe and effective.
- The fastest approval for any vaccine until now was for the mumps vaccine in the 1960s which took about four-and-a-half years after it was developed.
- In emergency situations, like the current one (COVID-19 pandemic), regulatory authorities around the world have developed mechanisms to grant interim approvals if there is sufficient evidence to suggest a medical product is safe and effective.
- Final approval is granted only after completion of the trials and analysis of full data; until then, emergency use authorisation (EUA) allows the medicine or the vaccine to be used on the public.
The circumstances that allow health regulators to issue accelerated approvals under EUA are:
- Rare Diseases
- Massive disease outbreak
- No proven vaccine or drug available
- Evidence of a drug or vaccine that is tested in a country and has yielded desired results
- A country neither has the financial resources nor the personnel to conduct solid clinical trials to a drug/vaccine that has undergone thorough clinical trials in another country
Note:
- There is no explicit mention of EUA in India, however, there is a provision under the New Drugs and Clinical Trials, 2019.
- New Drugs and Clinical Trials, 2019 mentions an ‘accelerated approval process’, depending on the severity, urgency and lack of alternatives.
- In the event of the above-mentioned grounds, the regulator can overrule the need to have local clinical trials if the drug has been approved elsewhere.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Iran blames Israel for nuclear plant outage, pledges revenge
Context:
Iran blamed Israel for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged its centrifuges and vowed it would take revenge.
This topic has been covered in the 12th April 2021 Comprehensive News Analysis.
2. China extends $500 mn loan to Lanka
Context:
China signed a $500 million loan agreement with Sri Lanka.
Details:
- Chinese President has assured Sri Lanka of as much assistance as China’s capacity allows.
- This is the second instalment of the $1 billion loan sought by Sri Lanka in 2020.
- The first was released in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit Sri Lanka.
- The approval comes a month after Sri Lanka obtained a currency swap facility from China for $1.5 billion.
- Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) also sanctioned Sri Lanka’s request for a $180 million loan.
- Sri Lanka already owes more than $ 5 billion to China from past loans.
Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis:
- Like many pandemic-hit countries, Sri Lanka is facing an acute economic crisis for over a year now.
- Its rupee plummeted to nearly 203 against the U.S. dollar.
- The country’s foreign reserves dropped to $ 4.05 billion in March 2021 after its exports and tourism sector earnings, and foreign remittances dropped considerably in the last 12 months.
- Sri Lanka is due to repay some $ 4.5 billion of its outstanding debt this year.
- Colombo hopes that the loan would boost its foreign reserves that are under severe strain since the pandemic struck.
Assistance by India:
- India extended a $400 million swap facility through the Reserve Bank of India, and provided a three-month rollover, but the facility was not further extended.
- The Central Bank of Sri Lanka settled the swap in February 2021.
- Meanwhile, Colombo is awaiting New Delhi’s response to two requests made in 2020 by the government.
- While PM Mahinda Rajapaksa sought a debt moratorium on the debt Sri Lanka owes to India, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested Prime Minister Modi for a $ 1 billion currency swap last year. Neither request has been cleared as yet.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Context:
- Vienna talks as part of the efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Details:
- The Vienna talks between China, Russia, the U.K., France, Germany and Iran, have raised hopes for the revival of the agreement.
- The participation of an American delegation is a significant development in this regard.
U.S.’s outreach:
- The Biden administration has displayed flexibility in its approach towards Iran. The President appointed a special envoy, ended the U.S.’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis, Iran-backed militants, in Yemen and promised to lift sanctions if Tehran returns to the JCPOA terms.
- The U.S. administration has also reportedly made an offer to Iran to release $1 billion of Iranian money frozen in South Korea as part of the sanctions in exchange for ending its 20% uranium enrichment.
Challenges:
- Though all parties agree that bringing the deal back on track is ideal, there are several challenges that need to be addressed first.
Iran’s enhanced nuclear programme:
- Iran has lately unveiled some latest developments in domestic centrifuge technology which could enable it to enrich larger quantities of uranium at much higher speeds. This development could disrupt the ongoing negotiations.
American sanctions:
- Notably, though the new U.S. administration under President Joe Biden has signalled its willingness to return to a nuclear deal with Iran, it has continued to enforce the sanctions imposed by the previous U.S. President Donald Trump.
- This has not been taken well by the Iranians.
Deadlock in negotiations:
- The U.S. wants Iran to end its uranium enrichment and centrifuge development programmes and return to the 2015 agreement, while Tehran has demanded the U.S. to first lift all sanctions imposed on it.
Domestic pressures:
- Iran holds its presidential polls in June 2021.
- The best possibility of reviving the JCPOA is before the presidential election in Iran given the possibility of the election of a more conservative candidate for the Iranian Presidentship. The current President Mr. Rouhani who is considered a moderate is more likely to agree to a negotiated revival of the nuclear agreement.
External dangers:
- Iran-backed Shia militias in Iraq continue to target U.S. forces and bases in Iraq.
- The Israel-Iran shadow conflict is now being fought inside Syria and on the seas.
- If security tensions rise in the region involving Iran and its proxies, it could derail the diplomatic efforts.
Conclusion:
- The U.S.’s best chance to address Iran’s nuclear programme is through the revival of the JCPOA.
- The U.S. and Iran should exercise restraint, stay focused on talks and rebuild the lost trust, and take measures to get the deal back on track to resolve the nuclear crisis before time runs out.
2. India’s South Asian opportunity
Context:
- The thaw in the relationship between India and Pakistan.
For more information on this refer to:
UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 12th April 2021
Details:
- The recent thaw in the bilateral relationship between the two neighbours India and Pakistan seems to indicate a growing, but unstated, realisation that an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity is of mutual interest to both countries.
- The Kashmir issue seems to have taken a back seat between the two countries.
Implications of India – Pakistan rivalry:
- India-Pakistan animosity hurts regionalism and South Asian growth.
- SAARC has remained a victim of India-Pakistan rivalry. Pakistan has been blocking trade and connectivity and people-to-people ties. The repeated boycotting of the SAARC summits is an indication of the impairment of the organization.
- South Asia with a population of slightly over 1.9 billion and a GDP (PPP) of $12 trillion, performs badly when compared with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries which have registered impressive economic growth and development.
Potential of a vibrant bilateral relationship:
Regional integration:
- A fair peace between India and Pakistan is not just good for the two states but for all the nations constituting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Economic potential:
- Reports from World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the European Union have noted the immense potential hidden in the South Asian economic integration.
- An economically transformed and integrated South Asian region could advantageously link up with China’s Belt and Road Initiative and even join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, unleashing great economic potential
Way forward:
India’s role:
- India should seize the moment and become more South Asia-concerned and much less Pakistan-obsessed.
- Given its size and heft, India should take the lead in transforming the South Asian region.
- India enjoys an overwhelming ‘size imbalance’ in South Asia. The shares of India in the total land area, population, and real GDP of South Asia in 2016 are 62%, 75%, and 83%, respectively. The two other big countries in South Asia are Pakistan and Bangladesh with shares in regional GDP of only 7.6% and 5.6%, respectively.
- India needs to view peace with Pakistan not as a bilateral matter, to be arrived at leisurely, but as essential and urgent, viewing it as a chance to dramatically transform South Asia for the better.
Larger agenda for the region:
- There should be a more focussed approach on issues plaguing the entire subcontinent like poverty and malnutrition. Co-operation and collaboration in these aspects would benefit both India and Pakistan.
3. Not on the same page at sea
This issue has been discussed previously in the following article:
UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 12th Apr 2021: Enforcing claims
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Scaling up vaccine production
Context:
- The second wave of COVID-19 infections in India and the reports of the scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs in India.
Details:
- According to the Observer Research Foundation, till the end of March, India had produced 316 million doses of Covishield and Covaxin — the two COVID-19 vaccines in use in India.
- The issue of vaccine shortage may not be due to low vaccine production potential. Perhaps, the problem has more to do with centralised procurement, distribution, and coordination with different state governments and local authorities.
- As India aims to inoculate more and more people, it is imperative to ramp up vaccine production. Serum Institute of India (SII), which manufactures Covishield, has said that it can produce 100 million doses a month, up from the 50 million doses, provided it can scale up its manufacturing capacity.
Means to ramp up vaccine production:
- There are several legal means that the government should employ to scale up the production of COVID-19 vaccines.
- These legal means can be divided into the non-intellectual property-(IP)-based and IP-based options.
Non-IP-based solutions:
- The government can direct pharmaceutical companies to loan their manufacturing capacity to the existing COVID-19 manufacturers like the SII and Bharat Biotech to boost their manufacturing capability so that more COVID-19 vaccine vials can be produced.
Supporting legal provisions:
- Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 empowers the government to take measures that it may deem necessary to prevent the outbreak or its spread.
- Section 26B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, empowers the Central government to regulate the sale, manufacture, and distribution of a drug that is essential to meet the requirements of an emergency arising due to an epidemic.
IP-based solutions:
- The Central government can licence specific companies to manufacture the COVID-19 vaccines.
- Another option available to the government is to ensure that all COVID-19 vaccine projects that are funded by the taxpayer’s money should not claim IP rights in the first place or if patents are granted, they should not be enforced.
Supporting legal provisions:
- Under Section 100 of the Patents Act, 1970, the Central government has the power to authorise anyone to use any patents or patent applications for the “purposes of government”.
- Section 92 of the Patents Act allows the Central government to issue a compulsory licence (a licence issued to manufacture the patented product without the consent of the patent holder) in circumstances of national emergency or extreme urgency or in case of public non-commercial use.
Using public sector companies:
- The government needs to explore the production capabilities of the pharmaceutical companies in the public sector to build India’s manufacturing competence.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Military exercise in Bangladesh ends
What’s in News?
Multinational military exercise Shantir Ogrosena, underway in Bangladesh, concluded.
- The exercise saw participation by four countries, along with observers from the U.S., the U.K., Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore.
- The aim of the exercise was to strengthen defence ties and enhance interoperability among neighbourhood countries to ensure effective peacekeeping operations.
Read more on this topic covered in 1st April 2021 PIB.
G. Tidbits
Nothing here for today!!!
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements:
- The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) as well as the other Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.
- The Chief Election Commissioner and the two other election commissioners have equal powers and receive equal salary, allowances and other perquisites.
- In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, CEC’s decision prevails.
Which of the given statement/s is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- The Chief Election Commissioner as well as the other Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.
- The Chief Election Commissioner and the two other election commissioners have equal powers and receive equal salary, allowances and other perquisites.
- In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Commission by a majority.
- The chief election commissioner is provided with security of tenure. He cannot be removed from his office except in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court. In other words, he can be removed by the President on the basis of a resolution passed to that effect by both the Houses of Parliament with a special majority, either on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
- Thus, he does not hold his office until the pleasure of the president, though he is appointed by him.
Q2. Consider the following statements:
- The Central government has the power to authorise anyone to use any patents or patent applications for the “purposes of government”.
- The Central government can issue a compulsory licence in circumstances of national emergency or extreme urgency or in case of public non-commercial use.
Which of the given statement/s is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Under Section 100 of the Patents Act, 1970, the Central government has the power to authorise anyone to use any patents or patent applications for the “purposes of government”.
- Section 92 of the Patents Act allows the Central government to issue a compulsory licence (a licence issued to manufacture the patented product without the consent of the patent holder) in circumstances of national emergency or extreme urgency or in case of public non-commercial use.
Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) bonds:
- AT-1 bonds are unsecured, perpetual bonds that banks issue to shore up their core capital base to meet the Basel norms.
- They carry call options that allow banks to redeem them after five or 10 years.
Which of the given statement/s is/are INCORRECT?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- AT-1 bonds are unsecured, perpetual bonds that banks issue to shore up their core capital base to meet the Basel norms.
- They carry call options that allow banks to redeem them after five or 10 years.
- But banks are not obliged to use this call option and can opt to pay only interest on these bonds for eternity.
Q4. Consider the following statements:
- Rabi crops are sown in summer and are harvested in winter.
- Wheat, mustard and barley are Rabi crops.
Which of the given statement/s is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Rabi crops are sown in the winter season and harvested in spring.
- Wheat, mustard, gram, rapeseed and barley are Rabi crops.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- In the light of the second wave of COVID-19 infections in India and the reports of the scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs in India, the country should focus on scaling up the production of COVID-19 vaccines. Suggest the steps that can be taken. Also enumerate the supporting legal provisions in this regard. (10 marks, 150 words) [GS-3, Science and Technology]
- India-Pakistan animosity hurts regionalism and South Asian growth. Comment. Also discuss how the recent thaw in relations is not just good for the two states but for all the nations constituting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). (10 marks, 150 words) [GS-2, International Relations]
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 13th April 2021:- Download PDF Here
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