1. DUMPING AND ANTI-DUMPING (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Economy)

Context: For long, India was counted to be the top user of anti-dumping duty and often came under attack at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

• But for the last three years, the government has been very selective in imposing the duty even after the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) investigations have established that the goods were being "dumped" into India.

Dumping

• When the goods are exported by a country to a foreign country at a price lower than the price it charges in its own home market is called dumping. 
• Under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, dumping is illegal only if the foreign country can reliably show the negative effects the exporting firm has caused its domestic producers.
• In order to protect domestic producers from dumping, countries use tariffs and quotas.

Anti-dumping

• It is a protectionist tariff, imposed by a domestic government on foreign imports that are at a price lower than the price it normally charges in its own home market.
• Anti-dumping duty is imposed as a remedy to the distortive trade which arises due to the dumping of goods. 
• This tool of fair competition is permitted by the WTO.

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2. PMFBY (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Agriculture)

Context: Crop insurance claims worth around Rs 2,761.10 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) were pending till 2021-22, with maximum pendency of claims in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat. 

• The admissible claims under the PMFBY are generally paid by the concerned insurance companies within two months of completion of harvesting period and one month of notification for invoking the risks of prevented sowing, mid-season adversity and post harvest losses.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

• It was launched on 18th February 2016 by Prime Minister.
• It provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop thus helping in stabilising the income of the farmers. 
• The Scheme covers all Food & Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural Crops for which past yield data is available and for which requisite number of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) are conducted being under General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES). 
• Farmers including sharecroppers and tenant farmers growing notified crops in the notified areas are eligible for coverage.
• The scheme is implemented by empanelled general insurance companies. 
• Selection of Implementing Agency (IA) is done by the concerned State Government through bidding. 
• The scheme is being administered by Ministry of Agriculture.

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3. RIGHT TO REFERENDUM (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Polity)

Context: There is no question of a Brexit-like referendum on the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court said, as it grappled with the question whether it was constitutionally legal. 

• The remark by the five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice came in response to senior advocate's argument that the scrapping of Article 370 - which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir - was a political act like Brexit, where the opinion of British citizens was sought through a referendum.

Right to referendum

• It is a form of direct democracy in which citizens are allowed to vote on a specific issue or question, typically proposed by a government or other official body.
• In 1905, Norway became the first country to hold a national referendum on a constitutional issue, and other countries soon followed suit.
• There is no provision for a referendum in the Indian Constitution. 
• As a result, the referendum is neither unlawful nor forbidden in India.
• Referendums have been used in India in the past.
• Sikkim conducted a referendum to remove the monarchy on April 14, 1975. With 97.55 percent of the vote, the state was declared an Indian state.
• The Goa Opinion Poll, held on January 16, 1967, in the Indian state of Goa, determined the future of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman, and Diu within the Indian Union.

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4. CAG REPORT ON PMJAY (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Health)

Context: The database of India’s Public Health Assurance Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), the world’s largest, has revealed several errors. This has come to light in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.

Key Points

• The report states that crores of rupees were spent on ineligible beneficiaries due to these discrepancies. 
• This amount has been spent on ineligible beneficiaries mainly due to insufficient verification.
• According to reports, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Many pensioners in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were found to have PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) cards and were receiving treatment under the scheme.
• Highlighting irregularities in the registration and verification of beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has revealed that nearly 7.5 lakh beneficiaries were linked through a single cell phone number 9999 99999.
• In its audit report on Ayushman Bharat - PMJAY, tabled in the Lok Sabha, the CAG said that 7,49,820 beneficiaries of the scheme were linked to a single mobile number.
• Errors in the database of Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana included invalid names, wrong dates of birth, duplicate health IDs and unrealistic number of family members.

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5. NNMC BILL 2023 (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - Health)

Context: The Parliament has passed the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Bill, 2023. 

• The Act will replace the existing Indian Nursing Council with a modern regulatory structure, marking a significant legislative reform in the sector.
• The NNMC Act, 2023, will introduce several crucial provisions to elevate the standards of nursing education and services, enhance professional conduct, and ensure greater transparency and accountability.

Key highlights of the proposed Act

• Establishment of National and State Commissions: Under the NNMC Act, a National Nursing and Midwifery Commission and Autonomous Boards at the National level will be established. 
• Tenure and Accountability: One of the pivotal reforms introduced by the Act will be the provision of fixed tenures for members and the chairperson of the Commission, eliminating reappointment and preventing vested interests.
• Uniform Admission Process and Competence: The National Commission will implement a standardized admission process to ensure consistency across nursing education.
• Embracing Innovation and Collaboration: The NNMC Act will encourage the use of cutting-edge technology and innovation in nursing education.
• Development of Soft Skills and Specialized Courses: The Act will emphasize on the development of soft skills among registered professionals and recognizes specialized courses and certification programs in nursing and midwifery. 
• Global Mobility and Expertise: The NNMC Act will seek to facilitate global mobility and employability of Indian nurses by inviting foreign experts and domain specialists to participate in the National Commission meetings.
• National Advisory Council and Coordination: The Act will provide for the formation of a National Advisory Council to ensure balanced representation from all states and Union Territories. 

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6. INDIA-VIETNAM JTSC (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - IR)

Context:  The 5th meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Trade Sub-Commission (JTSC) was held in New Delhi. 

• This meeting was held after a gap of more than four years since 4th JTSC meeting held in January 2019, on account of COVID-19 pandemic and other factors.

Key Points

• Both sides reviewed the progress on bilateral trade and economic cooperation and discussed ways to unlock the vast untapped potential in bilateral trade to enable the business communities from the two sides to benefit from the partnership of two of the fastest growing economies.
• The Indian side also suggested Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on professional services, internationalization of RuPay card, QR based payment system, and domestic currency trade settlement.
• Vietnam is the 23rd largest global trade partner of India and the 5th largest among ASEAN countries with bilateral trade of USD 14.70 Bn during 2022-23. 
• Vietnam accounts for 11.2% of India’s total trade with ASEAN. 
• Vietnam is an important destination for India’s iron & steel and agricultural and animal products mainly meat products, animal fodder, cereals and marine products.

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7. INNOVATION YATRA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Sci & Tech)

Context:  A 11-day innovation yatra spanning across 14 States and UTs - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh (UT), Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, will sensitize common people about innovations, especially the grassroots innovations and student creativity based innovations by illustrating and demonstrating such technologies and disseminating information about a lot more.

Key Points

• The innovation yatra is being organised by the National Innovation Foundation - India (NIF), an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India in different parts of the country in association with the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India from 5th August 2023 to 15th August 2023 to celebrate atmanirbharta under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava, through Rural Innovations of the country.
• Through the yatra, it is envisaged that important socio-economic pillars of the country like rural employment generation, drudgery reduction, problem-solving, sustainability, and atmanirbharta will get a huge impetus. 
• In addition, technological ideas and innovations will also get mobilized from the rural population of the country and it will strengthen the supply side of technologies for the nation. 
• Some of the eligible amongst them may be taken up by NIF for further incubation. 
• This yatra also provides an excellent platform to disseminate region-specific literature on sustainable practices for agriculture and also to facilitate the diffusion of grassroots innovations through line departments, grassroots-level functionaries, and district administration, among others.

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8. AIWGST-14 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Sci & Tech)

Context:  The 14th meeting of ASEAN-India Working Group on Science and Technology (AIWGST-14) discussed joint cooperation initiatives and cooperation mechanism between ASEAN and India.

Key Points

• The Meeting of The Governing Council of ASEAN-INDIA Science and Technology Development Fund (GC-AISTDF-8) highlighted the importance of India's ASEAN technology partnership for prosperity of today and for the next generations.
• The India ASEAN Science and Technology partnership encompasses all aspects of Research and Innovation, essential for both nations to achieve new heights together. 
• Through the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund (AISTDF) and the Plans of Action for Peace, Progress, and Shared Prosperity, the collaboration extends to various areas like blue economy, healthcare, climate action, and sustainable development. 
• The aim is to leverage science and technology to bridge disparities between urban and rural areas, with a specific focus on developing affordable technologies.

AIWGST

• ASEAN-India Science & Technology Collaboration formally started in 1996 with establishment of ASEAN India S&T working group (AIWGST). 
• Initially, the collaborative S&T projects and activities between India and ASEAN were supported through ASEAN India Fund (AIF) but in 2008, a dedicated ASEAN India S&T Development Fund (AISTDF) with an equivalent amount of 1 million US $ was established jointly by MEA and DST to support R&D projects and associated project development activities. The AISTDF was enhanced to an equivalent amount of 5 Million US$ through an announcement by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India on sidelines of ASEAN-India Summit in Malaysia in November 2015. 
• The ASEAN-India Innovation Platform is the major element of enhanced AISTDF.

• Several projects and scientific activities have been supported and implemented under ASEAN India S&T program which includes:

• ASEAN-India Collaborative R&D on Thermally Sprayed Ceramic-Based Coatings.
• R&D project on Extent of Transfer of Alien Invasive Organisms (Nuisance) in South/SE Asia Region by Shipping.
• Training Course on Analysis of Chemicals and Biological Contaminants in Raw and Processed Products for ASEAN Countries.

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9. EG.5.1 VARIANT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Sci & Tech)

Context: A new strain of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in the United Kingdom last month. 

Key Points

• The EG.5.1 variant, code-named Eris, accounts for 14.6 percent of all cases in the country. 
• However, the strain may not be a concern for India.
• While it is currently not clear whether any EG.5.1 variants have been reported in India, New Delhi-based public health specialist said there is no concern due to the nature of the virus and the country’s past exposure.
• As a strain of Omicron, the variant symptoms include runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat.

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10. SPRATLY ISLANDS (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 - Geography)

Context: China renewed calls for the Philippines to remove an ageing ship from a reef that Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands in defiance of Beijing's claim to nearly the entire South China Sea.

• The move comes after the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannon against boats on a resupply mission to its garrison stationed on the grounded vessel at the weekend.

Spratly Islands

• The Spratly Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.
• The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam.
• It is claimed in its entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines.
• The northeast part of the Spratly Islands is known as Dangerous Ground and is characterized by many low islands, sunken reefs, and degraded, sunken atolls with coral.
• Economic activity has included commercial fishing, shipping, guano mining, oil and gas exploitation, and more recently, tourism.

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