About the changes that took place here.

1. In hundred years, what happened
or was achieved?
Coronavirus outbreak will be confronted through
National Digital Health Mission.

2. • 1920 to 1947: On April 13, 1919, British General Dyer led
an attack upon a peaceful political meeting of unarmed men,
women and children at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
• Many people were shot dead and injured.
• From 1920 on, Gandhi led a national movement for freedom
based on his philosophy of nonviolent resistance called
satyagraha, “force of truth.”
• Indian nationalists stopped cooperating with the
government, refused to pay taxes.

3. Gandhi and his followers were jailed. World War II
began in 1939, and the Quit India movement was
launched in 1942. India’s transition to freedom on
August 15, 1947, was along with the partition to
form Pakistan. Task of partitioning Bengal and the
Punjab entrusted to a British judge named Sir Cyril
Radcliffe. He was given only five weeks to decide
upon the lines he would draw in both east & west.

4. The violence of August–September 1946 was
instigated by the Muslim League, the party which
fuelled the movement for a separate state of
Pakistan. The League was led by Mohammad Ali
Jinnah. Like Nehru and Gandhi, he was a lawyer
trained in England. Like them, he had once been a
member of the Indian National Congress, but he had
left the party because he felt that it was led by and
for Hindus.

5. Despite its nationalist protestations, argued Jinnah, the
Congress did not really represent the interests of India’s
largest minority, the Muslims. Gandhi was not a silent
witness to the violence. When the first reports came in from
rural Bengal he made for the spot.
This 77-year-old man walked in difficult terrain through
slush and stone, consoling the Hindus who had much the
worse of the riots. In a tour of seven weeks he walked 116
miles, mostly barefoot, addressing almost a hundred village
meetings.

6. At the initiative of Gandhi and Nehru, the Congress
now passed a resolution on ‘the rights of minorities’.
The party had to accept the ‘two-nation theory’ and
Partition, although it still believed that ‘India is a land
of many religions and many races, and must remain
so’. Whatever be the situation in Pakistan, India
would be ‘a democratic secular State where all
citizens enjoy full rights and are equally entitled to
the protection of the State, irrespective of the
religion to which they belong’.

7. The Congress wished to ‘assure the minorities in
India that it will continue to protect, to the best of its
ability, their citizen rights against aggression’
Gandhi chose to resort to another fast, addressed
to three constituencies. The people of India in
Delhi, that Hindus and Muslims could live in peace,
the government of Pakistan for the safety of
minorities, and the government of India to release
the money owed to Pakistan. Response to his fast
had to be positive to save his life.

8. • In the 1930s Nehru arrogantly and, as it turned out,
falsely, claimed that the Muslim masses would rather
follow his socialist credo than a party based on faith.
• Meanwhile, the Muslims steadily moved over from the
Congress to the League.
• In the 1930s, when Jinnah was willing to make a deal,
he was ignored; in the 1940s, with the Muslims solidly
behind him, he had no reason to cut a deal at all.
Pakistan became a reality.

9. Independence was the start of a new vision. In
1947, the country commenced its march to
overcome the legacy of economic under
development, gross poverty, near total illiteracy,
wide prevalence of disease and stark social
inequality and injustice. 15 August 1947 was only
the first break—the end of political control:
backwardness was now to be overcome, the
promises of the freedom struggle to be fulfilled, and
people's hopes to be met.

10. On the evening of 30 January, 1948 Gandhi was
assassinated. Now, in an India caught in the throes of civil
strife, both Patel and Nehru told the nation that while their
master had gone, his message remained. Speaking on All-
India Radio immediately after Gandhi’s death, Patel
appealed to the people not to think of revenge, but ‘to carry
the message of love and nonviolence enunciated by
Mahatmaji.

11. It is a shame for us that the greatest man of the world has had
to pay with his life for the sins which we have committed.
We did not follow him when he was alive; let us at least follow
his steps now he is dead.’ Speaking at Allahabad after
immersing Gandhi’s ashes in the Ganga, Nehru observed that
‘we have had our lesson at a terrible cost.
Is there anyone amongst us now who will not pledge himself
after Gandhi’s death to fulfil his mission . . .?’ Indians, said
Nehru, had now ‘to hold together and fight that terrible poison
of communalism that has killed the greatest man of our age’

12. When the British departed the subcontinent they left
behind more than 500 distinct pieces of territory. Two of
these were the newly created nations of India and
Pakistan; the others comprised the chiefdoms and states
that made up of ‘princely India’.
The princely states were many and of different sizes.
At one end of the scale were the massive states of
Kashmir and Hyderabad, each the size of a large
European country; at the other end, tiny fiefdoms or jagirs
of a dozen or less villages

13. V. P. Menon and Vallabhbhai Patel worked on a draft
Instrument of Accession whereby the states would agree to
transfer control of defense, foreign affairs and
communications to the Congress government.
Mountbatten was being urged by the Congress trinity to bat
for them against the states.
This he did most effectively, notably in a speech to the
Chamber of Princes.
Mountbatten told the princes that the Indian Independence
Act had released ‘the States from all their obligations to the
Crown’.

14. Mountbatten advised the Princes to forge relations with the
new nation closest to them.
The Congress offer, said the viceroy, left the rulers ‘with great
internal authority’ while divesting them of matters they could
not deal with on their own.
Afterwards he continued to press them to sign the Instrument
of Accession.
If they did so before 15 August, said the viceroy, he might be
able to get them decent terms with the Congress.

15. In exchange for their land each ruler was offered a
‘privy purse’, its size determined by the revenue
earned by the state. The bigger, more strategically
placed states had to be given better deals, but
relevant too were such factors as the antiquity of the
ruling dynasty, the religious halo which might
surround it, and their martial traditions. Apart from an
annual purse, the rulers were allowed to retain their
palaces and other personal properties and, as
significantly, their titles.

16. But if they did not listen, then they might face an ‘explosive situation’ after
Independence, when the full might of nationalist wrath would turn against
them. By 15 August virtually all the states had signed the Instrument of
Accession. Vallabhbhai Patel and the Congress Party cleverly used the
threat of popular protest to make the princes fall in line. They had already
acceded; now they were being asked to integrate, that is to dissolve their
states as independent entities and merge with the Union of India. Through
the latter part of 1947 V. P. Menon toured India, cajoling the princes one by
one. the finishing touch was applied by Mountbatten, a final interview with
whom was sometimes a necessary concession to princely vanity.

17. In two years, over 500 autonomous and sometimes
ancient chiefdoms had been dissolved into fourteen
new administrative units of India. The position of the
Indian princes in the Indian polity ‘afforded no
parallel to or analogy with any institution known in
history’. Yet, through ‘peaceful and cordial
negotiations’ the chiefdoms had dissolved
themselves, and become ‘hardly distinguishable
from the other democratic units comprising the
[Indian] Union’ except Jammu & Kashmir.

18. On 15 August, Jammu and Kashmir had not acceded to either
India or Pakistan. It offered to sign a ‘stand still agreement’ with
both countries which would allow the free movement of
peoples and goods across borders. Pakistan signed the
agreement, but India said it would wait and watch. Pakistan
naturally expected Kashmir, with its Muslim majority, to join it.
India thought that the religious factor was irrelevant, especially
since the leading political party, the National Conference, was
known to be non-sectarian. After Abdullah’s release, National
Conference was seen to be pro-Congress and anti-Pakistan.

19. When the tribesmen were en route from Uri to Baramula,
Maharaja Hari Singh wired the Indian government for military
assistance. In a meeting of the Defense Committee,
attended by Mountbatten, Nehru, Patel, and Sheikh
Abdullah, it was informed that it would be necessary to
secure the Princely State accessed to India before
committing any forces to his defense. In April 1948 he
described that country as ‘an unscrupulous and savage
enemy.’ There are Muslims who have voluntarily chosen to
come to an India which, as Nehru emphasized, should be a
democracy in which minorities can live safely and freely’.

20. At dawn on the 27th the first plane left Delhi for Srinagar
with troops and arms aboard. In all twenty-eight Dakotas
flew to Srinagar that day. In the days following, more than a
hundred planes took off from Delhi for the Valley, carrying
soldiers and supplies and bringing back refugees and the
wounded. Sheikh Abdullah was being entrusted with the
formation of a Ministry.
The Indian government insisted a plebiscite could be
conducted under a National Conference administration
whose leader, Sheikh Abdullah, was the ‘most popular
political leader in the State.’

21. Time line of Republic: 1950 India became a federal republic.
1954-1966: Nehru defined India's foreign policy as non-
alignment with the superpowers and peaceful coexistence with
its neighbours.
1966 Indira Gandhi, Nehru's daughter, became Prime Minister.
1971 A war between Pakistan and India over the latter's
support for autonomists in Pakistan's eastern province ended in
Indian victory. East Pakistan became independent Bangladesh.
1975—1977 After economic strains and political tensions, Mrs.
Gandhi suspended democracy for 19 months. (After a brief
loss, again won in 1980.) She was assassinated in 1984.

22. 1984 After repressing Sikh terrorism in Punjab, Indira
Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh members of her
bodyguard. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as Prime
Minister. In the general election at the end of 1984,
he and the Congress party achieved a massive win.
He was unencumbered by political debts or ideology.
He was fresh, decent and sincere. However, there
were problems with the Panjab and the Tamils of Sri
Lanka and a threat to the life of the PM of India by
terrorists was there.

23. At 40, he was young and modern-minded, a man who had
grown up in independent India.
Rajiv Gandhi, the new broom, made a determined effort
from the first to improve public life.
His government was brought down in 1989 by allegations of
corruption, in Bofors gun deal.
The next government that followed were led by V.P. Singh
and then Chandra Shekhar which finally led to an election.
On May 27, 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated,
apparently by Tamil extremists from Sri Lanka who foresaw
his return in the election..

24. In the elections in 1991, Congress (I) won 213
parliamentary seats and put together a coalition,
returning to power under the leadership of
P.V. Narasimha Rao.
The Narasimha Rao government faced:
• staggering annual debt payments,
• depleted foreign exchange reserves, and
• a credit rating so low that it was forced to put up
gold reserves to secure foreign loans.

25. At this point, there seemed no option but to turn to the
International Monetary Fund and the policies of ‘structural
adjustment’ that they required.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, moreover, had both
discredited centralized planning and terminated agreements
that had committed the USSR to importing more
manufactured goods from India during the 1990s.
The government’s first budget, orchestrated by the Finance
Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, committed it to a range of
reforms, in return for which it received a $1.4 billion IMF loan.

26. This Congress-led government, which served a full
5-year term, initiated a gradual process of
economic liberalization and reform, which has
opened the Indian economy to global trade and
investment.
India's domestic politics also took new shape, as
traditional alignments by caste, creed, and ethnicity
gave way to a plethora of small, regionally based
political parties. (1991-1996)

27. BJP emerged from the May 1996 national elections as the
single-largest party. Under Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, the BJP coalition lasted in power 13 days.
A 14- party coalition led by the Janata Dal emerged to form a
government known as the United Front, under the former
Chief Minister of Karnataka, H.D. Deve Gowda. His
government lasted less than a year, as the leader of the
Congress Party withdrew his support in March 1997. Inder
Kumar Gujral replaced Deve Gowda as the consensus
choice for Prime Minister of a 16-party United Front coalition
which lasted till November 1997.

28. New elections in 1998 brought the BJP with Vajpayee again
serving as Prime Minister. On May 11 and 13, 1998, this
government conducted a series of underground nuclear tests
forcing U.S. President Clinton to impose economic sanctions
on India pursuant to the 1994 Nuclear Proliferation Prevention
Act. A second election, in 1999, produced a coalition that
emerged survived to give the BJP, under A B Vajpayee (b.
1926) as PM, a full term in office. By 1998, however, Vajpayee
had enacted policies that would encourage critically needed
foreign investment. There was no longer a requirement of
Indian majority control of joint ventures.

29. The BJP took other measures _amendment to the Patents Act to
conform to WTO rules and allowing foreign investment in insurance. By
the end of the decade it was clear that, however great their differences
might be on the principles of secularism, the reformers in the BJP and
those in Congress (I) shared more than they differed when it came to
economic policy.
In Vajpyaee’s memorable words, ‘Swadeshi, in today’s context, is
anything that promotes . . . [strengthening] India’s economic base.’ By
1999 the economic slow-down of the previous three years seemed to
have been turned around. In April 1999, the BJP-led coalition
government fell apart, leading to fresh elections in September, and the
National Democratic Alliance-a new coalition led by the BJP-gained a
majority.

30. BJP with Vajpayee again as P M in October 1999, exercised
the ‘nuclear option’. Vajpayee proudly proclaimed on
Independence Day 2000, that ‘the very countries that
imposed sanctions against us . . . [now] view India with
greater respect than in the past’ By 2005, a growth rate of 6.5
per cent earlier in the decade had increased to between 7 and
8 per cent. When the BJP government sought for re-election
waged under the slogan ‘India Shining’, it was defeated by a
reinvigorated Congress party. By the time of this election, in
2004, the record of the BJP had, moreover, become tarnished
by the events in Gujarat in 2002 in Godhra.

31. At the heart of India’s growth in the new century, as
in the 1990s, was its high-technology industry.
Initially little more than the outsourcing of ‘back
room’ data processing, and the supply of telephone
‘tech support’ for overseas companies, the Indian
information technology (IT) industry during the first
years of the twenty-first century blossomed into a
new role as a major player in the world economy.

32. At growth rates of over 20 per cent per annum, with
aggregate annual sales of $23 billion by 2004, IT –
outsourcing, software, and hardware together –
generated for India a balance of payments surplus
and burgeoning foreign exchange reserves. In
services and software the industry was shaped by
foreign demand, with the United States accounting for
some two-thirds of output.

33. After the Congress government led by Manmohan Singh for
two terms, [2009-2014], Narendra Modi of BJP won in 2014.
When in 2014 Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party
stormed to victory in India’s general election, it was the first
time since 1984 that a single party had won an absolute
majority in the country. With no exception, commentators and
analysts were sure that a historical moment had just taken
place in the “world’s largest democracy”. Narendra Modi, the
man who promised to “reform, perform, transform” his country,
by boosting economic development and ultimately winning
back India’s place among the world’s superpowers.

34. Post-Indira Prime Ministers of India_ 1984 to 2014
Prime Minister Dates Party or Coalition
Rajiv Gandhi -October 31, 1984 to December 2, 1989- I N C (I)
V P Singh -Dec 2, 1989 to Nov 10, 1990 - Janata Dal (National Front)
Chandra Shekhar -Nov 10, 1990 to June 21, 1991-Samajwadi Janata-Party
P. V. Narasimha Rao- June 21, 1991 to May 16, 1996-I N C
Atal Behari Vajpayee - May 16, 1996 to June 1, 1996- B J P
H. D. Deve Gowda- June 1, 1996 to April 21, 1997- Janata Dal
I K Gujral- April 21, 1997 to March 19, 1998- Janata Dal United Front
Atal Bihari Vajpayee- March 19, 1998 to May 22, 2004- B J P [N D A]
Dr. Manmohan Singh- May 22, 2004 to 2014 - I N C [U P A]
N Modi [2014 & 2019] B J P

35. Leadership, Development programs

36. Earlier story:
You can compete globally on three dimensions:
Efficiency, local responsiveness, and innovation.
Let us see a leader who showed an example.
J R D Tata did so much to lay the foundations of business
enterprise during the 20th century. India became a economic
superpower in the 21st century. With emphasis in India on
buying swadeshi, Tata’s NELCO subsidiary led a
transformation in which India went from importing nearly all
the approximately 2 million radios sold in the country annually,
to manufacture nearly all of them itself.

37. During the same decade,
the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, or TELCO
created its own foundry and forging shop to construct truck
parts that had previously been imported, dramatically also of
increasing production and sales not only of trucks but thus
tractors, excavators, shovels, cranes, and back hoes,
spurring the growth of entire sectors of the Indian domestic
economy. In 1944, J R D T
ata and the other Indian business
leaders had formulated the Bombay Plan to chart the course
of India’s economic development. ‘Air India’ was also a Tata
enterprise _ now in trouble under government management..

38. Tata, a leader who showed an example
In the 1960s, with India’s role in international politics and the
world economy increasing, J R D Tata looked abroad for
opportunities and formed Tata International AG and Tata
Exports to cultivate international markets for Tata products
and services. J R D also recognized the power of computers
and information technology and opened Tata Consultancy
Services, or TCS, In 1968. Tata’s TELCO opened an
Engineering and Development Research Unit that, five
years after its establishment in 1966, evolved into Tata
Motors.

39. BIRLAS AS INDUSTRIALSTS: In 1884 A.D. Baldeo Das Birla went to
Bombay in search of new avenues of trade. He established his firm Shiv
Narian Baldeo Das in Bombay in 1884 and Baldeo Das Jugal Kishore in
1897 in Calcutta. The firms started business in silver, cotton, grain and
other commodities.
Ghanshyam Das Birla was born on 10 April 1894 at Pilani village in
Jhunjhunu district, in the Indian state of Rajputana, He was a member of
the Maheshwari Marwari community. His father was Raja Baldevdas Birla.
Goods (mainly cotton) would be brought from the hinterland to the city and sent
from there by train to Bombay for export to England and other countries. Several
cotton ginning units were also set up in Ahmedabad, to clean the cotton before
shipment to England. In 1919, he became among the first group of Indian
entrepreneurs to become owner of a Jute mill named Birla Jute.

40. In the next few years he acquired several cotton mills, also started several
sugar mills. The publication Hindustan Times was co-founded by G D Birla
in 1924. Hindustan Motors was started in 1942. After India's independence
in 1947 he started Grasim (Gwalior Rayon Silk Manufacturing, 1948) and
Hindalco (Hindustan Alum Company 1958) among others.
Baldeo Das, as well his sons were among the key supporters of the swaraj
movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, in addition to being dedicated Hindu
activists. They were active supporters of the Banaras Hindu University
founded by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and were also financial supporters
of activities initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. GD Birla instructed his son
Basant Kumar to 'never utilize wealth only for fun and frolic,' to 'spend the
bare minimum on yourself,' and to deride 'worldly pleasures. This advice
symbolized the ethic of the rising Marwari community, with restraint and
austerity its defining attributes.

41. The emergence of a new class of entrepreneurs— like
Reliance (M Ambani), Infosys (N-Murthy) and Wipro (A Premji),
that took advantage of the liberalization of the Indian economy
to challenge established Indian companies from within—
at the same time that these established companies were
facing the competitive threat from multinational companies
entering from abroad, created a dynamic competitive ecology
that was enormously healthy for the Indian economy.
Both Indian National Congress under PV Narasimha Rao &
Manmohan Singh and Bharathiya Janatha Party under Modi
supported this dynamic competitive ecology.

42. When Shri Narendra Modi invited leaders of all nations of
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) grouping for his oath-taking-ceremony, in 2014,
the foreign media and international leaders hailed it as a
move that could pave way for reforms as for as India’s
relationship with its neighbours was concerned.
While some called it a move that was meant to improve
‘trade ties’ as Shri Narendra Modi has been focusing on
pro-development and business agenda others called it a
strategic move to bring in peace talks.

43. Sab ka Saath, sab ka Vikaas
[Inclusive Development]
May 27, 2014
First Budget by Arun Jaitley, Modi’s FM:
❑ Trim expenditure,
Raise resources through encouraging private investment to revive
growth,
A program of disinvestment of public assets to mobilise funds from
the sale of the government’s stake in non-government companies.
Raise FDI in defense production units
In Sept. : Cleared the sale of partial stakes of Govt. in ONGC, CIL
and NHPC _etc.

44. • The Gandhian philosophy of non-violence finds its inspiration from this
concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
• To quote Dr. N Radhakrishnan, former director of the Gandhi Smriti and
Darshan Samiti, “The Gandhian vision of holistic development and
respect for all forms of life; nonviolent conflict resolution embedded in
the acceptance of nonviolence both as a creed and strategy; were an
extension of the ancient Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
• May be ‘Sab ka saath, Sab ka Vikas’. Also, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’
means: All [thieves like Nirav] are our brothers, let them be NR(J)I! Non
resident jailable Indians!

45. This gigantic idea (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) is an exclusively
Indian contribution to world peace. The underlying philosophy
of this ancient nation evolved a world-view based on the motto
"Loka samasta sukhina bhavantu" (Let the entire world be
happy) thousands of years ago. Surprisingly, the same
philosophy has now been thought of by the United Nations in
order to avoid global strife and fostering world peace.
It is not limited to the residents of India or the adherents of any
particular faith or creed. That is the reason why India receives,
accepts and respects people of all faiths and races.

46. Two times as Prime Minister: 2014 & 2019:
New Delhi, India. Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) was sworn in as India’s
fifteenth Prime Minister in 2014. Modi ran on a pro-
growth and anti-corruption platform, and his party
won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.
By electing the BJP by outright majority—282 of 543
seats—voters voiced their discontent at chronic
corruption scandals, high inflation and poor economic
growth.

47. Narendra Dāmodardās Modī was born on September 17,
1950, in Vadnagar, in Mehsana district of Gujarat.
After his schooling in Vadnagar he did his masters degree in
Political Science _ Gujarat University (thru correspondence).
Modi started as a Tea-Seller on Ahmedabad Bus Station.
He goes for made-to-order Modi kurta with hand-tailored
button holes. He is at home in Western attire too.
Narendra Modi transformed Gujarat into a developmental success
story appreciated the world over.
Now P M of Bharath.

48. Endorsed by TIME
Narendra Modi transformed Gujarat into a
developmental success appreciated the story
world over. TIME endorses his ten year long
journey of progress becoming “India’s most industrialized and
business friendly territory” it further identifies the drivers of his
success as “good planning-exactly what so much of India lacks,”
and a leader with the ability to get things done.

49. In March 2013, Shri Narendra Modi was appointed to the BJP
Parliamentary Board, the Party's highest decision making
body, and was chosen to be chairman of the Party's Central
Election Campaign Committee. On 10 June 2013, Shri
Narendra Modi was selected to head the poll campaign for
the elections at the national level executive meeting of BJP in
Goa.
A fortnight after he was anointed as BJP's Prime Ministerial
candidate, Shri Narendra Modi on Sunday relinquished the
post of election campaign committee chief to which Party
President Shri Rajnath Singh was appointed.

50. The 15th Lok Sabha was due to complete its constitutional
term on 31 May 2014. Hence the Parliamentary Election was
declared by the Election Commission for the constitution of
16th Lok Sabha in India. The election were held in nine
phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014. Following its consecutive
defeat in the 2004 and 2009 general elections, BJP had been
the Principal Opposition Party in parliament and claimed to
secure largest number of parliamentary seats under the
leadership of its Prime Ministerial candidate Shri Narendra
Modi who had been gaining ground for a national role after his
continued term of 14 years as Gujarat Chief Minister.

51. “Goods and Service Tax (GST) is a comprehensive tax levy on
manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and service at a
national level. GST is a tax on goods and services with value
addition at each stage having comprehensive and continuous
chain of set-of benefits from the producer’s/ service provider’s
point up to the retailer’s level where only the final consumer
should bear the tax.” Introduction of a GST to replace the existing
multiple tax structures of Centre and State taxes is imperative in the
emerging economic environment. GST, being a destination-based
consumption tax based on VAT principle, would also greatly help in removing
economic distortions and will help in development of a common national
market.

52. Again, Modi leads India from 2019. In 2002, Narendra Modi
was negligent during an anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat, in
which more than 2,000 Muslims perished. Yet, he won twice,
because he adopted inclusive development as his manifesto.
• However, Congress party leaders were implicated in an anti-
Sikh pogrom following Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984
when more than 3,000 people were killed.
• Congress and BJP had to take such issues in their strides
and debate on inclusive development and capable and
competent Union / State leaders to run local governance and
coordinate with Union government had to be achieved.

53. Saying that the demographic dividend of India was its
biggest strength and that 65 per cent of the population is
less than 35 years old, Mr. Modi spoke of the importance of
youth, asking them to step up to play a role in the nation’s
future.
“Give our youth the strength and they will do in 60 months
what we could not in 60 years”, the Gujarat Chief Minister
had remarked.

54. o Demographic dividend is the result of demographic transition
and the consequent age-structural changes leading to the
rising ratio of the working population (15-59) and the
declining ratio of the child population (0-14). On the other
hand, during this phase the ratio of old age population (60 +)
grows very moderately.
o According to 2011 Census, India’s population was
enumerated 1.21 billion and the ratio of working age
population grew from 55 percent in 1991 to 60 percent in
2011 while child population declined from 37 to 30 percent,
and the old age population grew moderately from 6.8 percent
to 8.6 percent during the same period

55. • India’s asset is a young population. The dependency
burden in India is expected to keep falling for at least 20
years. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an
Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48
for Japan But, a young population is an asset only if it is
educated, skilled and finds productive employment. If this
were to happen, our objective of realizing India`s potential
to grow at 10% or more per annum for a substantial period
of time can indeed become a reality.

56. • The future of the global economy in the 21st century lies
in the knowledge economy. We work to strengthen our
competitive advantage in this area. We have increased
the expenditure on Science & Technology as a proportion
of our GDP. We are investing heavily in both basic and
higher education. For the last fifty years, India had seven
Indian Institutes of Technology and one Indian Institute of
Science. In the last five years we have established eight
new IITs and five more Indian Institutes of Science
Education and Research.

57. • Rights to information, education and food security are
legal now.
• To bring a new State of Telangana, the Andhra State was
bifurcated.
• Non-control of allocation of resources (such as ICT, coal)
efficiently brought critical reprimand by Comptroller.
• Action taken after the events brought a scam infested
image to the Congress party itself even though individuals
involved were punished. Congress lost twice, the Lok
Sabha election.

58. • Nonviolence toward humans (particularly religious
tolerance and overcoming Maoist terrorism)
• toward animals (particularly vegetarianism and objections
to animal sacrifice)
• the tensions between the householder life and
renunciation (small family norm)
• between addiction and the control of sensuality (do not
imbibe, put alcohol in engine)
• Hinduism, always context sensitive, responds to what is
happening (or published), at roughly the same moment,
not only on the political and economic scene but within
Buddhism or Islam in India or among people from other
cultures entering India writing alternate history.

59. • India needs the generation of sufficient employment
opportunities so that all households have the purchasing
power needed for assured economic access to food.
• Employment or livelihood security is an essential and
inseparable element of a comprehensive strategy for
national food security. Conversely, food security is an
essential requirement for raising the productivity of
India’s workforce to international levels.

60. o Commercial agriculture, agro-industry and agri-
business;
o forestation for pulp, fuel and power;
o retail and wholesale trade; tourism,
o housing and construction;
o IT and IT-enabled services;
o transport and communications;
o education, health and financial services.
A wide range of strategies and policies are to
stimulate more rapid development.

61. From Early childhood , Elementary Education to Higher Education

62. An overarching theme of the 2020 New Education Policy is to reimagine
education as learning and broad mental development, getting away from
rote learning and test preparation.
The most important change is strengthening early childhood education,
giving the public sector a responsibility for preschool learning, but
emphasising creativity, imagination and play.
Restructuring the primary and secondary school progression to de-emphasise
examinations, and to allow greater variety and flexibility in what is taught, is also
of enormous importance.
Giving children opportunities to explore, to find their interests, and to develop
their minds in multiple dimensions is the essence of true education. Current system
has extreme inequalities in society and economic opportunity, combined with a
scarcity of well-paying jobs.

63. The 'New Education Policy' (NEP) 2020' is a harbinger of
directional change. The new policy brings new opportunities
for India's education sector in the 21st century. It provides a
significant impetus to the role of technology in all aspects of
education. Schools and universities will adopt online learning in view
of the pandemic. This unplanned and sudden shift, with no training,
insufficient bandwidth, and lack of facilities to attend online classes
felt by students highlighted the digital divide in the country. The new
policy addresses these issues. As we move towards a new normal of
online learning, NEP lays a special focus on developing digital
infrastructure.

64. o India needs enough well-trained teachers, from preschool
to graduate school, to realise the changes that are needed.
o Lighter and streamlined regulation, which is in the NEP, will
help. But there are still incentive problems that hinder the
performance of teachers, even if they are trained.
o Perhaps a way to tackle this supply constraint; allow for
more private sector involvement, even of the for-profit kind.
o Certainly, allowing more foreign participation in multiple
ways, especially to attract high quality university faculty, will
also help to jumpstart the process of relaxing the most
binding supply constraint of all, that of quality, motivated
teachers.

65. • Successful education policy forms the bedrock of all
fields of national development— political, economic,
technical, scientific, social and environmental. Education
is the foundation for
a vibrant democracy, growth of productivity and
income and employment opportunities.
• Literacy is considered the minimum right and requirement
of every Indian citizen.

66. Literacy is an indispensable minimum condition
for development, but it is far from sufficient.
A qualitative shift is needed from routine
memorisation to development of children’s
capacity for critical thinking and from methods
that emphasise teaching and passive learning
to those that foster active interest and the ability
of children to learn on their own.

67. General education forms the base of the knowledge
pyramid which is essential for a sustained development of
the society in the 21st Century. The advancement of
science and the application of improved technology
constitute the middle rung. Social ideals and values form
the apex.
Technical education, both vocational and professional,
provide the foundation for development of science and
technology. A large number of the country’s engineering
colleges need to be upgraded to quality standards nearer
to those of India’s world-class IITs.

68. • Greater reliance on renewable energy sources offers enormous
economic, social and environmental benefits. India is the world’s
fifth largest producer of wind power, with more than 95 per cent
of the investment coming from the private sector. Other
renewable energy technologies, including solar photovoltaic,
solar thermal, small hydro, biomass power and biofuels are
spreading.
• A concerted effort to implement a visionary approach to
alternative energy generation could reduce India’s dependence
on imported fuels while reducing the strain on the environment.

69. Biomass power production, ethanol motor fuel and jatropa
fuel oil can generate millions of rural employment
opportunities and contribute to higher rural incomes, at the
same time reducing the outflow of foreign exchange for
import of oil and coal. Tapping this potential will require
conducive national policies and programmes designed to
attract strong participation from the private sector.
Given the vision and political will, India can convert the
present water problem into a huge opportunity by linking
some of the major rivers together.

70. The idea of inclusive growth must include the latter, for it is
a very important part of why economic growth is a good
thing... India has been generating a lot of public revenue -
for sure. Has it been used to expand education and health
care?
Certainly, to some extent the present government has done
something. (But) they could have done a lot more, and
should do much more now. It is silly to debate on whether
growth is a good thing. Of course it is, and potentially it can
be very important. But we have to do much more to get the
fruits of growth inclusively shared.

71. Agro-products

72. On the occasion of the country’s 74th Independence Day on
Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country
needed to replicate the “self-reliance” of the country in
agriculture in other sectors of the economy, underscoring
the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign.
The prime minister said his government had freed the
country’s agriculture sector by abolishing archaic
regulations, which will help to increase famers’ income.
“The last few years have seen pioneering changes and
futuristic reforms in agriculture. Farmers now have access
to more markets, better financial support,” the PM said.

73. Modi’s reference to the freeing up of the agriculture sector included
reading down of provisions of The Essential Commodities Act 1955 to
allow for freer trade in farm commodities. “I admit there are lakhs of
challenges for India to become atmanirbhar (self-reliant), and yes, there
is fierce competition from the rest of the world. But I always say that if
India faces lakhs of challenges, it also has 130 crore solutions,” Modi
said.
The agriculture sector, which supports half of all Indians, hasn’t been generating
enough revenues to keep farmers profitable for nearly two decades due to
trade restrictions and an obsession with keeping food prices low to avoid
inflation, according to the OECD-ICRIER study mentioned above.

74. Grains Production & Storage:
India’s rice and corn production figures are set to hit
record highs in the current year, while wheat production is
likely to slide. 2017-18 rice production is about 110 million
tonnes. Corn production is likely to reach new high of 27
million tonnes. Wheat production is estimated to fall to 95
million tonnes in 2018-19.
Storage is an important marketing function, which involves
holding and preserving goods from the time they are
produced until they are needed for consumption.

75. India’s grain production has steadily increased due to
advances in technology, but post-harvest loss is constant at
10%. Losses during storage, accounts for around 6% of the
total losses as proper storage facilities are not available. In
India, food grains are stored using traditional structures by
small farmers. The surplus grains are stored with government
agencies like: Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central and
State warehousing Corporations. The commonly used
storage method is Cover and Plinth (CAP) storage, which is
economical but loss of grains is inevitable.

76. Food Grain Stocking Policy for India
Pending legislation, which will guarantee access by the poor to a
specified quantity of food grains, the National Food Security Bill stands
to have a major impact on the food grain stocking policy in India. The
Bill mentions cash transfers and issuing food coupons to eligible
families. The successful implementation of the Act will clearly require
that much larger stocks be held. Whether these stocks are held by the
government or the private sector depends on new instruments being
created, e.g., negotiable warehouse receipts-, on new institutions such
as public-private partnerships in warehousing and on changes to the
legal structure, especially the Essential Commodities Act and the
Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act.

77. Silos
In these structures, the grains in
bulk are unloaded on the
conveyor belts and, through
mechanical operations, are
carried to the storage structure.
The storage capacity of each of
these silos is around 25,000
tonnes.

78. Very few scientific storage structures like silos are
available with these agencies. The government is taking
initiatives now in building silos for long-term safe storage
of grains since we do not have enough storage capacity
as of now. Drying of harvested grains to safe moisture
levels will reduce losses to a greater extend. However,
very less literature is available on behavior of grains after
harvest for Indian climatic conditions. Therefore, there is a
need for research to develop management guidelines for
safe storage and drying to ensure quality management of
stored grains.

79. FOOD CORPORATION OF INDIA: Since its inception in
1965, having handled various situations of plenty and
scarcity, FCI has successfully met the challenge of
managing the complex task of providing food security for the
nation. A strong food security system which has helped to
sustain the high growth rate and maintain regular supply of
wheat and rice right through the year. The efficiency with
which FCI tackled one of the worst droughts of the century
not only cemented its role as the premier organization in
charge of food security in India, but also brought it
accolades from international organizations.

80. PM Modi launches Rs. 1-lakh-crore agriculture infrastructure fund; over Rs.
1,000 crore credit disbursed on day 1
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday formally launched
the Rs 1-lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
under which agro-entrepreneurs, start-ups, agro-tech
players and farmer groups will have access to credit at
subsidised interest for building warehouses, cold storages
and other facilities to reduce post-harvest losses. Modi also
announced release of Rs 17,100 crore to about 8.5 crore
farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
(PM- Kisan) scheme.

81. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
The funds will be provided for setting up of cold stores and
chains, warehouses, silos, assaying, grading and packaging
units, e-marketing points linked to e-trading platforms and
ripening chambers, besides PPP projects for crop
aggregation sponsored by central/ state/ local bodies.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 15 had
announced creation of the AIF as part of the R 20 lakh crore
relief package amid outbreak of Covid 19.

82. Amendment in the Essential Commodities Act
Noting that India is second largest producer of food grains in the world,
the prime minister said that Indian agriculture has no problem with
regard to production. However, there is a major problem on post-harvest
wastages, he said, and added that farmers as well as the nation also
suffer losses. "While the fund will help create build modern cold
storages and cold chain as well as warehouses in villages, it will also
provide employment opportunities in rural areas," Modi said. Under the
PM-Kisan, the Centre provides direct income support of Rs 6,000 each
in three equal installments per year to 14 crore eligible farmers. The
amount is directly transferred into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries
after Aadhaar authentication.

83. The NDA govt. also brought, on June 4, ‘The Farming Produce
Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance,
2020’. The ordinance will bring down the decades-old
agricultural produce market committees regulations (APMC)
system that regulates buying and selling of farm produce.
These reforms in “agricultural marketing” have been made
now. Government panels and economists have often argued
for changing existing structures of agricultural trade.
The ordinance will pave make barrier-free inter-state and intra-
state trade of farm goods outside the physical premises of
markets notified under APMCs. The govt. also approved ‘The
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price
Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’, which
effectively ushered new rules for contract farming and futures.

84. Water woes

85. Save us! Govardhana giri-dhari!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the
current flood situation and preparedness of Assam, Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala to deal
with the monsoon. He held a meeting through video
conference with chief ministers of these six states
The PM emphasized on better coordination between all
central and state agencies to have a permanent system
for forecasting of floods and extensive use of innovative
technologies for improving forecast and warning system.

86. • The chief ministers of Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Kerala and Home Minister of Karnataka
gave an update on the flood situation, rescue efforts made
in their respective states.
• They complimented the efforts of central agencies
including NDRF teams in timely deployment and rescuing
people.
• They also gave some suggestions for short-term and long-
term measures for mitigating the effects of floods

87. COVID-19

88. Because of Covid-19 now, Indians need to wear masks,
maintain physical distancing, observe hand hygiene: Experts
advise on coronavirus precautions.
As India has now recorded close to 3 million COVID-19
cases, the third highest after US and Brazil, the health
experts have advised that Indians need to stick to basic
precautionary measures like wearing masks, physical
distancing, hand hygiene and surface disinfection till a safe
and effective vaccine is found. While India currently has a
low fatality rate and high recovery rate compared to the US
and Brazil, the country needs to adhere to basic precautions.

89. In August 20th, 2020, while in order to reduce the number of
coronavirus cases in India, which is now close to 3 million (29,02,178).,
the Centre has to enforce people wear masks strictly and properly.
"The healthcare delivery space is extremely capital and people
intensive. We at FICCI have been urging the government to provide
financial stimulus up to minimum three per cent of the GDP (Gross
Domestic Product)," said Roy.
He argued that specific funds like Healthcare Infrastructure Fund and
Healthcare Innovation Fund should be developed to boost
entrepreneurship, start-ups and newer business models, which are
needed to improve access, availability and quality, especially in
smaller cities and rural areas.

90. On the positive side, more patients are recovering, and being
discharged from hospital and home isolation (in case of mild and
moderate cases), with India’s total Covid-19 recoveries having reached
nearly 2.1million (2,154,879) as on Thursday [20th August] , of which
new recoveries are 61,221.
According to the Union health ministry, improved recoveries have been
made possible because of effective implementation of the policy of
testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently.
“Focus on standard of care protocol including use of non-invasive
oxygen, better skilled doctors in the Intensive Care Units and hospitals,
and improved ambulance services has culminated in yielding the
desired results," health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

91. "The serological surveys being conducted are effective as they help
authorities make informed decisions about interventions that are needed
to contain the pandemic. It will give us an outlook whether India can
achieve herd immunity," Roy added.
As the world continues its race for the coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Sanjeev
Singh, Chief Medical Superintendent, Amrita Institute of Medical
Sciences, Faridabad, said vaccination would play an important role in
reducing community transmission.
"Six study groups are in Phase 3 trials and promising results are expected on
short-term and long-term immunity. The most urgent step is to go back to basics
with wearing masks, adhering to physical distancing and maintaining hand
hygiene and adequate surface disinfection," said Dr. Singh.

92. World's largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII)
is aiming to raise up to $1 billion from big equity investors
including Blackstone and KKR, keeping in line with the
company's plan to start production of its vaccine candidate
-- being developed by the UK's Jenner Institute, Oxford --
on a mass scale.
The privately-owned firm, which is owned by Cyrus Poonawalla
and his son Adar Poonawalla, could soon float a special purpose
vehicle as the money raised for the COVID-19 vaccine will be for
the SPV only.

93. Serum Institute has also joined hands with AstraZeneca and
Novavax to develop their coronavirus candidates. Initial
results from the first two phases of trials of the coronavirus
vaccine conducted at five trial sites in the UK showed the
inoculation had an acceptable safety profile.
SII might begin its Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in India this
month. Currently, phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Oxford
vaccine candidate are going on in the United Kingdom,
Phase 3 clinical trial in Brazil.

94. The timeline for a novel Coronavirus vaccine is all but set. Though there
is still a bit of uncertainty, most experts, and others who should know,
agree that a vaccine would become a reality by early next year, if not
earlier. The next point of interest in the vaccine seems to be the price at
which it would be made available to the public. That question is also being
slowly answered. On Friday, Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest
manufacturer of vaccines by volume, said at least 100 million doses of potentially
billions that it plans to produce, would be made available for as low as US$ 3
(less than Rs. 240) per dose. This is at par with the lowest price indications that
have been suggested till now for the different vaccine candidates currently under
development.

95. Vaccine at this low price would be enabled through a new
US$ 150 million funding it is receiving from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation to 'accelerate' the production of
Coronavirus vaccines. Serum has agreements with at
least two vaccine developers, Oxford University-
AstraZeneca and Novavax, to produce and supply their
vaccines once they are finalised and approved. Moderna,
one of the front-runners to develop a Coronavirus vaccine,
is reported to have said that it could price its vaccine
between US$50 and US$60 (between Rs. 3,700 and Rs
4,500) per dose.

96. HUNT FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE: THE STORY SO FAR
• More than 160 vaccine candidates in pre-clinical or clinical trials
o 23 of them in clinical trials Six in final stages, phase-III of human
trials
o At least eight candidate vaccines being developed in India.
o Two of these have entered phase -II trials after completing phase-
I. AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer have indicated
that they did not intend to profit from the vaccines, and would be
willing to sell it at the cost price. However, Moderna has said it
would not sell it at cost

97. New Delhi: India's coronavirus recoveries crossed the 15 lakh-mark, the
government said on Monday [18th August]. Notably, recoveries are over
twice the number of active cases (6,28,747) of coronavirus infection at
present.
However, infection still remains concentrated in 10 states that contribute
more than 80% of the new cases, asserted the health ministry.
"The number of recovered cases has touched another high of 2.36 times the
active cases. All patients are all under medical attention either in home
isolation or in hospitals," the ministry said.
As many as 53,879 coronavirus patients were discharged in
24-hours, pushing the recovery rate to 68.78 per cent. The
fatality rate has further dropped to 2.01 per cent, it claimed.

98. India’s rate of recovery from Covid-19 earlier improved to
70.37% as 1,639,599 people, 56,110 on 19th August, have
been discharged from hospitals so far. There are 643,948
active cases, according to the health ministry. The gap
between the active and recovered cases is now 995,651.
“The TEST, TRACK, TREAT strategy showing
desired result- early identification and prompt
isolation / hospitalisation aiding exponential
growth in recoveries,” the ministry tweeted on
Wednesday.

99. India’s recovery rate amongst the Covid-19 patients has reached nearly
74% (73.91%) reflecting that the number of patients recovering is on a
steady rise over the past several months.
“This is a good sign that people are getting better and our mortality is low.
Most positive cases do not require hospitalisation, and those needing
intensive care is actually a minuscule number. Most people in hospitals
have moderate disease with good chances of recovery," says Dr. Rommel
Tickoo, senior consultant, department of internal medicine, Max
Healthcare.
The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the
country in terms of the active cases, has reduced and currently comprises
only 24.19% of the total positive cases since the first case was diagnosed
on January 30, 2020.

100. Here’s a look at the 10 biggest hotspots of the disease in
the country: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar,
Telangana, and Assam. Maharashtra reported the highest
single-day increase in the number of Covid-19 cases as it is the
biggest hotspot of the pathogen, followed by Tamil Nadu. Delhi
and Rajasthan, have managed to control the cases from spiralling,
it has spread alarmingly in states such as Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka. Pune’s recovery rate has improved despite the city
having overtaken Mumbai.

101. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with full joy and
enthusiasm in different parts of India, however,
Maharashtra is popularly known for the grand
celebration of Vinayak Chaturthi. This year,
Ganesh Chaturthi will begin on 22 August and it
will end on September 1 at Anant Chaturdashi.
Ganesh Chathurthi begins with the
establishment of Lord Ganesha’s idol at home
and ends after his immersion. Every year this
festival brings colour, happiness joy, hope and
prosperity. People celebrate this festival by
dancing on the roads but this year the
celebration is restricted to the public places in
the wake of coronavirus.
Ganesh is Lord of Vidya,
Compassionate, removes
obstacles by calmness,
listening and is fond of
good eating.
Maharashtra & Tamil
Nadu worship Ganesh.

102. N D H M

103. "The country will witness another
movement from today. The National
Digital Health Mission will usher in a
revolution in India's healthcare sector,"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the
nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort
on August 15.
This August 7, the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM)
released the latest strategic document, outlining the
envisioned digital personal health records, digital clinical
decision systems, and digital registries of doctors, hospitals,
pharmacies, and insurance companies, Patients can create a
Health ID

104. National Digital Health Mission
Underlining that “the biggest lesson of self-reliance (atmanirbharta ki
sabse badi seekh) has been taught to us by the health sector” following
the Covid-19 outbreak, P M Narendra Modi announced on Saturday
[August-15] the launch of the National Digital Health Mission under which
“every Indian will be given a health ID”.
National Digital Health Mission “will bring a new technology that will be used
prudently to reduce the challenges in treatment”. Every Indian will be given a
health ID. This health ID will work like a health account of every Indian. This
account will contain details of your every test, every disease, the doctors you
visited, the medicines you took and the diagnosis. When and what was the report,
all such information will be incorporated in the health ID.

105. What is a digital health ID?
Think of it as a digi-locker for all medical and healthcare-
related details of an individual, right from birth. A 14-digit serial
number will be generated for each individual.
The card will store immunisation details, surgeries, laboratory
tests, hospitals visited, pharmacies, medical purchases, etc.
The card will be accessible through an app or a website.
It will be password-protected and would need the permission
of the individual for a "one-time" limited-period access by
doctors.

106. Dr, Indu Bhushan, Chief Executive Officer, National Health
Authority, said,
“The core building blocks of NDHM such as Health ID, Digi-
Doctor and Health Facility Registry shall be owned,
operated and maintained by the Government of India.
Private stakeholders will have an equal opportunity to
integrate with these building blocks and create their own
products for the market. However, core activities and
verifications, for example, generation of Health ID or
approval of a doctor/facility shall remain with the
Government.”

107. “Additional components, like Personal Health Record (PHR)
and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) solutions can be
developed by private players as well, in line with guidelines
that will be issued. All such products by private participants
shall be as per official guidelines taking care of security,
privacy and standards of the NDHM ecosystem,” he said.
The genesis of the new digital health infrastructure came
about in the 2017 National Health Policy, which proposed a
new National Digital Health Authority. Then, a committee
headed by former UIDAI chairman J Satyanarayana released
the National Digital Health Blueprint in July 2019.

108. This August 7, the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) released the
latest strategic document, outlining the envisioned digital personal health
records, digital clinical decision systems, and digital registries of doctors,
hospitals, pharmacies, and insurance companies,
Patients can create a Health ID, allowing them to virtually share files
between hospitals and doctors. They can choose for how long or what
specific documents they would like to share with whom. If individuals are
looking to benefit from government schemes, then they will be required
to connect their ID to the Aadhaar.
One copy of a patient’s records will be stored in the doctor’s file and
another in one’s individual locker. Other than the registry of doctors,
professionals, and institutions, this allows for decentralised storing.

109. What else to take up?

110. The National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 (NCSS 2020),
overseen by the National Security Council Secretariat,
collected public comments until January this year. These
frameworks will have a bearing on incidents similar to the
hacking WhatsApp of 121 Indians by Israeli cyber firm NSO
Group last year.
While the government calls the optical fibre connectivity
mission as the “world’s largest connectivity project”,
BharatNet, which envisages laying of about 8 lakh km of
incremental optical fibre cable (OFC) to all 2.50 lakh-plus
gram panchayats

111. BharatNet, which envisages laying of about 8 lakh km of incremental
optical fibre cable (OFC) to all 2.50 lakh-plus gram panchayats has had
significant snags in deployment for years now. First, it was unable to meet
its March 2020 deadline for its second phase of deployment, which was
shifted to August 2021.
Even this month, BSNL did not have any bidders for a maintenance and
upkeep tender for the fibre that is already laid. States are asking for more
funds for this second phase and lamenting a lack of labour due to migrant
exodus.
Besides, not many private players are utilising the already-laid fibre to
provide services from gram panchayats onwards, even as rural internet
penetration is growing independently through private telecom players.

112. India's unemployment rate spiked to a nine-week high of
9.1% for the week ended August 16.
Compared with a week earlier, the employment rate and
labour participating rate (LPR) also increased to 38.4% and
42.2% from 37.09% and 40.62%, respectively, the Centre
for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said.
"There is a big increase in rural India in both employment
and unemployment rates. This reflects increased
agricultural activities," CMIE's managing director and CEO
Mahesh Vyas said.

113. Supreme Court dismisses plea to transfer PM CARES Fund to
NDRF: Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking the
transfer of money in PM CARES Fund to National Disaster Relief Fund.
The SC said that fresh national disaster plan for coronavirus COVID-
19 is not needed and observed that funds collected in PM CARES
Fund are meant for charitable trust. "There is no statutory prohibition
on contributions made to NDRF and the contributions to PM Cares fund
are voluntary. Funds collected by the PM Cares fund are different and
these funds are funds of charitable trust. Thus, funds need not be
transferred," said the apex court.

114. Defense & Story of Rafale-36
French plane-maker Dassault Aviation clarified on Thursday [Oct. 11,
2018] that an executive’s reported comment about an “imperative and
mandatory” joint venture with Reliance Defence was in reference to the
offset part of the government-to-government deal between France and
India for 36 Rafale aircraft.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi reiterated his demand for a probe into
the deal.
Explaining the logic of the joint venture to workers’ representatives in
2017, Dassault deputy chief executive officer Loik Segalen said this was
done to ensure the French company got the “Rafale India export”
business.

115. Hindustan Times pointed out in a report on Thursday it
wasn’t clear if Segalen’s reference was to the offsets — the
only way Dassault could benefit from these was if it
partnered with a local company to make parts it could then
source — or the original deal. Dassault clarified that his
reference was to the offsets, or components it would have to
buy from an Indian manufacturer.
Separately, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier told AFP the
joint venture with Reliance Group will meet about 10% of the
firm’s offset obligations required by the contract for 36 Rafale
jets.

116. “Black Money is the aggregate of incomes which are
taxable but not reported to authorities.”
2015: ‘The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income
and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015’ has been
announced and criticized as harsh. It is commented that
officers would harass them.
Black money is a serious problem, which needs strict
handling.
It needs to be brought into the economic mainstream.
Stringent penalties are applicable under money
laundering legislations globally.

117. PM Modi said, "Farmers have been given new independence in agriculture.
They'll now have more options and opportunities to sell their produce. I
congratulate them on the passage of bills. It was necessary to bring these to
protect them from middlemen. These are farmers' shields."
The Centre has passed 3 farm acts, the Farmers' Produce Trade And
Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment
and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and
the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act in Parliament to replace
ordinances promulgated earlier.
These acts seek to provide a barrier-free trade for farmers' produce outside
the notified farm mandis (wholesale markets) and empower farmers to enter
into farming agreements with private players prior to production for the sale
of their produce

118. o Mood of the Nation
o 25% think Modi govt. failed to curb Covid-19 pandemic.
With India becoming the third worst-hit country by the
coronavirus, Indians feel the Modi government's handling of
the pandemic is its single biggest failure.
o 25 per cent of Indians think the Modi government has failed
to curb Covid-19, found the India Today-Karvy Insights Ltd
Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll.
o India reported its first coronavirus case on January 30 when
a Wuhan-returned student was found positive in Kerala's
Thrissur. Now, India has over 20 lakh cases of the viral
infection.

119. Other notable failures of the Modi government include the
handling of the lockdown-induced migrant crisis (14%), price
rise (11%) and handling of the economy (7%).
Regionally, more than one-third of citizens from South have
mentioned handling of the Covid-19 pandemic as the topmost
failure of Modi government, whereas in other zones,
unemployment has been mentioned as the biggest failure.

120. Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India is no more.
The veteran politician left for his heavenly abode on 31st August
2020. He was 84 at the time of his demise. Pranab Mukherjee
served as India’s president between the period of 2012 to 2017.
He had a long political career during which he was elected as the
Member of Parliament for seven times.
"I have seen vast, perhaps unbelievable, changes during the journey that has brought me
from the flicker of a lamp in a small Bengal village to the chandeliers of Delhi."
Endowed with perspicacity and wisdom, Bharat Ratna Shri Mukherjee combined tradition
and modernity. In his 5 decade long illustrious public life, he remained rooted to the
ground irrespective of the exalted offices he held. He endeared himself to people across
political spectrum. The Centre declared a seven-day state mourning period that is from
August 31 to September 6 as a tribute to former President Pranab Mukherjee.

121. JAI HIND