 Good evening aspirants, today is the third and the last date for the free mains scholarship test. Today's question is announced at the end of the video. Let's begin today's Hindu news analysis for the date 14th October 2020. These are the list of the topics chosen from different editions of the Hindu along with their page numbers. The PDF link of the handwritten notes and timestamping of the news articles are given in the description of the video and also in the comment section. Let's start with the first news article analysis. This news article is about the World Economic Outlook published by the International Monetary Fund. This publication is titled as a long and difficult ascent. Know that the World Economic Outlook database and publication are updated and published twice in a year, usually in the months of April and October and these publications analyze the global economic developments during the near and medium terms. In this context, let us discuss in detail about the important findings of this report. The relevant syllabus to the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. In response to the growing demand for more frequent forecast updates, the World Economic Outlook update is also published in the months of January and July between the two main World Economic Outlook publications which are usually released in the months of April and October. So in today's analysis, we are going to discuss the main World Economic Outlook publication for October 2020. According to the World Economic Outlook database, the global economy's long ascent back to pre-pandemic levels of activity, which remains prone to several setbacks, particularly for many emerging market and developing economies, excluding China, prospects continue to remain precarious and all emerging market and developing economies such as India and Indonesia are expected to further contract in the coming months. So this reflects a combination of different factors such as the continuing spread of the pandemic and stress on health care systems, then the greater importance of affected sectors such as tourism, then also the greater dependence on external finances including remittances. So based on these set of factors, World Economic Outlook database estimated important facts and figures and projected that India's economy is going to further contract by 10.3% in the year 2020. So this simply means that the Indian economy which grew at 4.2% in the year 2019 is expected to grow at a negative rate of 10.3% in the year 2020. So this projection is a downgrade of 5.8% points from the previous June World Economic Outlook forecast. However, World Economic Outlook further forecasted that the Indian economy will rebound in the year 2021 and expected to grow at positive rate of 8.8%. And this is an upgrade of 2.8% points relative to the previous update. So it is very clear that India will be suffering the worst contraction among BRICS countries. Furthermore, the United States economy is expected to shrink about 4.3% in this year and expected to grow by 3.1% in the next year. So the corresponding numbers for the Euro area are minus 8.3% and 5.2%. Then for China, these numbers are 1.9% and 8.2% respectively. So with this information, let's come back to the overall World Outlook. See the global growth is projected at a negative rate of 4.4% in the year 2020. And this is 0.8% points above the June 2020 IMF update forecast. Note that the global growth rate was at 2.8% in the year 2019. The report further forecast, the growth is going to rebound in the year 2021 with a rate of 5.2%. Then after the rebound in the year 2021, global growth is expected to gradually slow to about 3.5%. So this implies only a limited progress toward catching up to the path of economic activity. For the period that is from 2020 to 2025, which is projected before the pandemic for both advanced and emerging and developing economies. So from these estimates, we can conclude that there is a serious setback to the projected improvement in average living standards across all country groups. And the pandemic will reverse the progress made since the 1990s in reducing global poverty and is expected to further increase existing inequalities. So as a consequence, close to 90 million people could fall below the poverty level. That is about $1.9 of income per day of extreme deprivation in this year. Also notice that these figures differ from the World Bank's poverty and the shared prosperity report. And this report has mentioned that due to pandemic, global extreme poverty is expected to rise in the year 2020 for the first time in over 20 years. It also mentioned that extreme poverty, which is defined as a living on less than $1.9 in a day, is likely to affect between 9.1% and 9.4% of the total global population in the year 2020. So according to World Bank, the pandemic is estimated to push an additional 88 million to 115 million people into extreme poverty in this year. And with the total rising to as many as 150 million by the year 2021. So this is all about the recent World Economic Outlook published by International Monetary Fund and also observations made in the poverty and the shared prosperity report released by World Bank. With this information, let's proceed to the next news article analysis. This opiate article is about the citizen importing legislation for right to information. This news article talks about persistent attacks made on the statutory institutions which are established by the Right to Information Act. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. Now the very first statement made in the news article is, Right to Information Law has empowered millions to asset their citizenship. And this statement has been made because as per section 3 of the Right to Information Act, all citizens shall have the right to information but subjected to the provisions of the Act. Then the news article talks about the legal standing of this law. Know that in the year 2004, in People's Union for Civil Liberties versus Union of India, Supreme Court held that right to information is a facet of the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution. So without access to relevant information, people's ability to formulate opinions and express meaningfully is curtailed. Then we also know that in several case laws, Supreme Court has recognized that RTA is an implied fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. And we know that as per section 7, if the information is sought for the consent of life or liberty of a person, such information shall be provided within 48 hours of the receipt of the request. Then the next aspect is about right to freedom, which is the second set of fundamental rights included in the Part 3 of Indian Constitution. And this set is covered by Articles 19 to 22. Now we will discuss one more important aspect, that is, national assessments have shown that a large portion of RTA applications are filed by the poorest and the most marginalized sections. Here the authors were able to make this statement because they could have got the information about the proportion of RTA applications filed by persons who are below poverty line. So in this context, we know that to enable better participation by the economically disadvantaged persons under section 7 of RTA Act, it has mentioned that persons who are of BPL category shall not pay RTA application fee and also they shall not pay the fee for providing information. So for understanding the difference, fee for application and fee for providing information as per RTA rules 2012 is given here for your reference. Now with this information, let us come to the obligations of public authorities and it is to be noted that every Indian citizen must read and understand the obligations of public authorities under section 4 of RTA Act. And these obligations are given here for your reference. So as per section 4 of RTA Act, every public authority shall maintain all its records duly cataloged and indexed in a manner and the firm which facilitates the right to information. Then the other obligations of public authorities include implementation of the Procedure of Right to Information Act in the interest of every citizen of India. The most important of these obligations is that it shall be a constant endeavor of every public authority to take steps to provide as much information to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications which include through internet so that the public have a minimum resort to the use of Procedure of Right to Information Act. Despite the statutory requirement, around 60 lakh applications are filed every year because much information is not available in the public domain. So this number is actually lesser as many Indian citizens are not yet really aware of their right to information under this Act. Now we will discuss one more important aspect where the authors mention about the attacks on the transparency watchdogs. The authors are referring to information commissions that are established under the Right to Information Act. We know that the Act provides for the Constitution of Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions as the final educating authorities at their jurisdictions. Also notice that under section 19 subsection 7, the addition of the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission shall be binding. However, the institutions established by the Right to Information Act faced an important constraint in the form of a regressive amendment made by the parliament in the year 2019. Through this amendment, the statutory protection of fixed renew and the high status conferred on the commissioners were removed from the legislation. And this was criticized as a pressurizing tool in order to not issue any directions to disclose the information of which the governments are not comfortable. This is because now the commissioners hold office for such term as may be prescribed by the central government. So in reality, this is an attack on citizens' right to get information. This is because the information commissions serve as appellate authorities for the denial of information or for providing incomplete or incorrect information by the public authorities. Then the next aspect is that there is a lack of political will at the central level and also at the state levels to ensure continuous and full capacity functioning of these commissions. And many times we see that information commissioners are not appointed in a timely manner. So at present the post of Chief Information Commissioner and five information commissioners are lying vacant at the Central Information Commission. As a conclusion, the author states that RTI is for the citizens. So the citizens have to assert and protect their fundamental right to information which they have attained after a long struggle of social movements, public protest and also through democratic actions. So this is all about the Right to Information Act and the present issues regarding Right to Information Act. Let's move on to the analysis of next news article. Now this editorial talks about the Arab world. It assumes significance as major geopolitical developments are happening in the Arab world. We know that in the last two months, two important Arab nations that is United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have entered into a peace deal agreement with the Israeli government. And this is a step towards success for Israel because previously Israel had strained relations with the Arab nations. And we have discussed these aspects in detail on our 16th August and 15th September Hindu News Analysis videos. So in this context, the author discusses about the Arab nationalism and the position of Arab countries on Palestinian issue. The syllabus relevant to the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. To begin the analysis of this news article, first we should know about Arab world. Now that Arab world is composed of members of League of Arab States. And we know that Arab League is an organization which consists of 22 independent Arab nations. And these nations are on the territory of Northern and North Eastern part of Africa and West Asia or Middle East. And these nations are Arab speaking lands. And most of these lands were ruled directly or indirectly by Ottoman Empire till the end of World War I. And we know that Arab nationalism began in the 19th century which led to the fall of Ottoman Empire. And then in the year 1945, Arab League was formed. This League was formed with important objectives such as to draw closer relations between the member states and to coordinate their political activities with the aim of realizing a close collaboration between the members of Arab League. It also include to safeguard their independence and sovereignty and also to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab nations. But according to author, Arab League has not achieved any of these objectives, rather the nations have only disappointment and mistrust among the member states. And this is a result of deficits of knowledge, freedom and empowerment of women. And these intent resulted in the absence of participatory governance and its institutions. And it also resulted in the disregard for individual freedoms. So all these issues led to the Arab uprising of 2011. And we know that a wave of popular protest started in the month of December 2010 in Tunisia when people protested against their oppressive ruler. And this protest raised hopes among millions of other citizens in the neighboring Arab countries. So within a short span of time, the protest spread to other countries like Algeria, Libya, Jordan and also in Egypt and Syria and also protest spread into Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen. Therefore, these protests came to be known as Arab Spring of 2011. And the demands of these protests were democratic reforms in the authoritarian Arab world. So the protesters were demanding political freedom, social freedom, press freedom, improved human rights conditions, economic betterment and so forth and so on. But basically the demands varied from country to country. And if you notice these protests, major regional countries fought political and diplomatic wars among themselves as they wanted to assert their influence over the Arab region. Furthermore, outside powers like Turkey strengthened their interest by intervening in these conflicts. So on a whole, the regional security scenario in West Asia further worsened with the arrival of Arab Spring. And at the end of these protests, the deep disagreements among the nations became very evident and it prevented the emergence of an Arab border, which also affected Arab unity as envisaged by the Arab League. So according to author Arab World, in a geopolitical sense no longer exist. However, other states that Arab states professed unity of opinion related to Palestine and the demand for a Palestinian state. And this is clear from the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative of Saudi Arabia. And this peace initiative calls for certain resolutions which include the resolution of the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israel conflicts then normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries. Then de facto recognition of Israel in exchange of Israeli commitment to fully withdraw from the Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza Strip. And we know that these demands did not realize fully, especially the Palestinian issue. And this is due to a perceived threat from Iran, then the spread of regional terrorism and the rise of Islamism. And we know that Iran fuels regional terrorism by supporting the rebels in Egypt, rebels in Libya and also in Tunisia. So all these issues, along with the need to counter Iran, have brought the Arab nations closer to Israel. As we know that Israel is a rival of Iran. But Israeli deals are perceived as the change in perceptions of the Palestinian issue by the Arab nations. So this change is also visible from the findings of Arab Opinion Index for 2019 to 2020. Know that it is released by Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies of Doha. And it is a yearly public opinion survey conducted in about 13 Arab nations. As per the report, it was found that 79% of the Arab public agree that Palestinian cause concerns all Arabs and not the Palestinians alone. So based on these findings, Arthur concludes that the two state solution is not going to happen in the near future. Know that a two state solution envisages a Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel. So in place of two state solution, he the author suggests to explore a one state solution that is the creation of a unitary federal or confederate Israeli Palestinian state which would encompass all of the present territory of Israel, West Bank and possibly Gaza Strip and Golan Heights. So in this context, try to recollect that the Indian government has committed and supported for two state solution. So this is all about major geopolitical developments in the Arab world. Let's proceed to the analysis of next news article. This news article is about the life mission of the government of Kerala which was marred by the alleged violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act of 2010. In this context, the High Court of Kerala has state the inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged violation for the two months. So in this context, I will discuss in detail about the life mission of Kerala State. Here know that life stands for livelihood inclusion and financial empowerment which was launched in the year 2016 and it is a comprehensive housing scheme for all the landless and homeless in the state of Kerala. The objective of the life mission is to provide safe and decent housing to all landless and homeless people within the next five years. The mission will emphasis on financial empowerment and also providing various means of livelihood. See the target of mission is to provide safe housing to nearly 430,000 homeless people in the state of Kerala and the homeless will be provided with the modern housing complexes with the pros and four pursuing their livelihood. It will also focus on converging social services including primary health care, old age health care support systems, skill development and also pros and four financial services inclusion. Also notice that the mission will help those who received assistance from other schemes but could not complete the construction and move into safe houses. So priority will be given to coastal population, plantation workers and those who stay in temporary shelters in government lands. Therefore, the life mission envisages to empower the beneficiaries for active participation in the maintenance of housing complexes. Furthermore, the mission gives priority to certain groups of people and these groups include mentally challenged, blind or physically challenged, then also the poor people with disabilities, then people with serious or fatal illness, then unmarried mothers and widows, then also certain other groups who are unable to earn income by working due to illness or accident. Now the question is how the beneficiaries are identified under this scheme? According to the socio-economic caste census conducted by the central government in the year 2011, the list of available landless and homeless were prepared. In addition to this, Kudambasri staff will directly identify eligible families who are not included in these lists. Know that Kudambasri is the poverty eradication and woman empowerment program of Kerala state. So this is all about life mission of the Kerala state. In this context, also know that the government of Vadisha has launched Vadisha urban housing mission known as Avas in the year 2015. This mission envisages housing for all in the urban areas. So this is all about life mission of Kerala state and Avas mission of Vadisha state. With this information, let's proceed to the analysis of next news article. Now let's take up this news article which mentions about EVN network, which is being repurposed for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine supply will be handled by EVN network. So what is EVN? Know that it stands for Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network and it was introduced in the year 2015. It is a new age indigenous technology system that digitizes vaccine stocks. It also monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application. The network was developed by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and was rolled out in partnership with ENDP. It is being implemented under national health mission of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The network comes to support universal immunization program of government of India and this will be done by providing real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows and storage temperatures across all cold chain points. See, it is important to ensure that the vaccines are stored under the recommended temperature range. Therefore, EVN will monitor the temperature remotely and instant alerts will be given when there is a temperature breach. So, EVN network provides for efficient immunization supply chain management and it builds the capacity of program managers and cold chain handlers to integrate technology in their regular work. As a whole, you can notice that EVN technology uses the smartphone, web-based application, temperature loggers and cloud-based server. Therefore, this network combines state-of-the-art technology with a strong IT infrastructure and a trained human resources to support the universal immunization program. Also, notice that EVN network has helped to create a big data architecture that generates analytics, which increases data-driven decision-making and consumption-based planning. So, this system helps in maintaining optimum stocks of vaccines leading to cost savings. So, due to EVN network, vaccine availability at all times has increased to 99% in almost all health centers. Additionally, on an average, the instances of stock outs have been reduced by about 80% and the time taken to replenish stocks has also decreased by more than 50%. So, overall, EVN network has ensured that every child who reaches the immunization session site is immunized and not turned back due to unavailability of vaccines. So, this is all about electronic vaccine intelligence network, which is going to handle COVID-19 vaccine supply. Now, let us move on to the practice question session. Now, let us take up this question, which among the following reports is not released by the International Monetary Fund? They have given options like World Economic Outlook, Global Economic Prospects, Global Financial Stability Report, Fiscal Monitor. So, in the context of this question, try to remember that the flagship IMF reports on multilateral surveillance are published twice in a year, such as the World Economic Outlook, Global Financial Stability Report, and also Fiscal Monitor Report. Here, notice that Global Economic Prospects is released by the World Bank, but not by the International Monetary Fund. Also, notice that World Economic Outlook provides detailed analysis of the state of the world economy, addressing issues of pressing interest, such as the current global financial turmoil, and also economic downturn. Then, Global Financial Stability Report focuses on up-to-date assessment of global financial markets and prospects, and it also highlights imbalances and vulnerabilities that could pose greater risks to financial market stability. Then, Fiscal Monitor updates median term fiscal projections and assesses developments in public finances. So, the correct answer for this question is Option B, Global Economic Prospects. Now, let us take up this question. The livelihood inclusion and financial empowerment mission, often seen in the news, is they have given options like an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to provide housing for all in urban areas by the year 2022, a mission by the Government of Kerala to provide safe and decent housing to all landless and homeless people in the state of Kerala, a mission by the Government of Kreesha to provide housing for all in urban areas, then an initiative of the Ministry of Development of Northeast and Eastern to ensure sustainable livelihoods for illy people. For this question, the correct answer is Option B, because life mission was launched by the Government of Kerala in the year 2016 to provide safe and decent housing to all landless and homeless people within the next five years. So, in this context, also know that Option A is about Pradhanamantri Avas Yajna in urban areas, then Option C is about Avas program of the Government of Vudisha. Now, let us proceed to the next question. Now, let us take up this question, which are the following statement or statements is correct regarding Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network. It is an initiative of the GAVI Alliance. It provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows and storage temperatures across all coal chain points. The first statement is incorrect whereas second statement is correct. Know that GAVI Alliance is a global health partnership of public and private sector organizations dedicated to immunization for all. GAVI Alliance since 2017 has been funding new health systems strengthening programs that encourage and enable countries to identify infrastructure and resources weaknesses that are barrier to the achievement of immunization and other public health goals. So, based on this, GAVI provides support to EVN also. Here, notice that EVIN is not a GAVI initiative, but was developed by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and was ruled out in partnership with EVNDP and it is being implemented under the National Health Mission. So, the correct answer for this question is Option B2 only. Now, let us take up the third and the last question for the main scholarship test. Before that, we would like to inform you that answers must be written within the word and page limits. Furthermore, before uploading your answer, please check the answer PDF whether it is legible and containing all the required pages. Also, notice that the link to access reference material for day 2 question is given in the description box and also in the comment section. With this information, let us take up day 3 question for the free main scholarship test. Read the question carefully and answer the question accordingly. The question is, it is said that the global recovery will likely be long, uneven and uncertain with prospects having worsened for some emerging economies with the exception of China but including India. Discuss, it is a 10 marks question and the word limit is 150 words and you have to write within two pages. So, for writing your answer, you can take the printout of main answer sheet and the link for the same is available in the description of the video and also in the comment section. And if you do not have access to the printer, you can draw the required margins as per the instructions on the A4 sheet and also notice that the answer uploading portal link is also given in the description section and also in the comment section. And we hope that everyone is aware of the uploading process and note that answers received other than the specified process will not be considered for evaluation. Furthermore, today's answer uploading portal link will be disabled at 6 p.m. tomorrow. So, make sure that your answer is uploaded by 6 p.m. tomorrow, that is 15th October 2020. So, try to upload your answers as soon as possible in order to avoid last-minute rush due to busy servers. We wish all the best for your Main Scholarship Test. With this, we have come to the end of today's New News Analysis video. If you like the video, please do like, share, comment and subscribe Shankar IS Academy YouTube channel for more updates. Thank you.