 A very good evening to all my friends, today we have two important announcements to make. The first one is on the Phoenix Initiative course of Shankar IAS Academy. This course consists of four modules, module one will be on Art and Culture and Modern History, module two will be on Indian Policy, module three will be on Environment and Geography and module four on Economics, Science and Technology and International Organization. And each of these four modules will be having free test series along with it. The free test series consists of 18 tests in total, which consists of eight full mock tests, three CSAT full tests, two current affairs tests covering the current affairs from the months of June 2019 to March 2020 and then five monthly current affairs tests covering the current affairs from the months of April 2020 to August 2020. Now each module will be costing rupees 3600 and if the student selects all the four modules, the course fee will be rupees 9999 and for aspirants who had attended the interviews of 2019, this will be free of cost. And it is also free for Shankar IAS Academy 2019-20 batch PCM students and the pre-storming test series 2020 batch students. Now the second important announcement is about the test series which consists of 18 tests in total. So these 18 tests include eight full mock tests, three CSAT full tests, two current affairs tests covering the current affairs from the months of June 2019 to March 2020, then five monthly current affairs tests covering the current affairs from the months of April 2022 to August 2020. So these tests began from 22 August 2020 and the admission will be open till 4 October 2020 and it should be noted that under this test series, top three minute candidates in each of the five monthly current affairs tests will be given 100% fee reimbursement. So in total 15 candidates will be awarded 100% fee reimbursement and for the benefit of the students, if you subscribe for five monthly current affairs test series, then as a complimentary, Shankar IAS Academy is providing additional 13 tests free of cost. Now the cost fee for this exclusive test series is Rs. 1000 and the registration link for these courses is given in the description box and also in the comment section. So with this we'll start our news analysis for today. The list of the news articles along with the page numbers of five different editions is given here for your reference. So now let us take up the first news article for today's discussion. Now this news article is about the great Andamanis tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group testing positive for COVID-19. So in this context, let us discuss in detail about the particularly vulnerable tribal groups or PVTGs. The syllabus relevant for this analysis is highlighted here for your reference. Please go through it. See, the tribal communities are often identified by some specific signs such as primitive traits, distinctive culture, then geographical isolation, etc. And a particularly vulnerable tribal group or PVTG is a more vulnerable tribal group among the tribal groups. So the Ministry of Home Affairs is trying to identify such groups to ensure their welfare. So in this context, we should know that the Ministry of Home Affairs so far identified 75 tribal groups as particularly vulnerable tribal groups. So at present, the PVTGs reside in 18 states and also in the Union Territory of Andaman and Igoba Islands. Now let us see the four criteria based on which the Ministry of Home Affairs identifies a tribal group as a particularly vulnerable tribal group. So these criteria include pre-agricultural level of technology, then low level literacy, then economic backwardness and also a declining or stagnant population. And know that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements the scheme called development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups exclusively for the development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups. See, this scheme aims at planning their socio-economic development in a comprehensive manner while retaining the culture and heritage of the community by adopting a habitat level development approach. So under this scheme, conservation cum development, that is CCD or annual plans, are to be prepared by each state or Union Territory for their particularly vulnerable tribal groups. So the plans are made based on their need assessment, which are then apprised and approved by the Project Appraisal Committee of the Ministry. Know that the activities for development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups are undertaken in sectors which include education, health, livelihood and skill development, agricultural development, housing and habitat, then conservation of culture, et cetera. So it is very important for us to have a brief knowledge about the particularly vulnerable tribal groups of India. But today we will focus on the types of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. See, five tribes from Andaman and Nicobar Islands are categorized as particularly vulnerable tribal groups. They are the great Andamanis, Jarawas, Ongs, Sentinelis and Shonpens. And for their protection, we have the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation 1956. It was later amended in 2005 and 2012. So as per the Act, the Aboriginal Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands means any of the given tribal communities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and their subgroups. So they include Andamanis, Jarawas, Ongs, Sentinelis, Nicobaris and Shonpens. Now let us discuss this news article. So it says that five members of great Andamanis tribe, which is a particularly vulnerable tribal group, have tested positive for COVID-19. So they have been shifted to an isolation facility in Port Blair, which is the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. So according to the article, there are around 74 members in great Andamanis tribal group. And they speak a language which is called Jarawas. Now with this, we have come to the end of discussion of this article. Now we will move on to the next news article. Now this news article talks about the GST revenue gap and also the measures suggested by the central government to make this shortfall. So in this context, we will discuss some important concepts which are relevant for civil service preparation. The syllabus relevant for this analysis is highlighted here for your reference. Please go through it. According to the center's estimate, the annual GST compensation requirement is estimated to be around 3 lakh crore rupees in 2020-21. And the compensation CES collections are only projected to reach rupees 65,000 crore. And this is only 22% of this requirement. Since as you are aware that the GST Compensation Act of 2017 guaranteed the state's compensation for any loss of revenue in the first five years of GST implementation. That is until 2022. So it is compensated by living a compensation CES. We discussed about the GST compensation and CES on our 29th July news analysis. Therefore, overall there will be a shortfall of 2.35 lakh crore rupees which is the GST revenue gap for 2020-21. Now according to the center's estimate, out of this 2.35 lakh crore rupees, only 97,000 crore was due to GST implementation itself. And the remaining was caused by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. That is the shortfall in compensation due to the implementation of GST has been estimated only to be 97,000 crore rupees. So to meet this shortfall, the center has offered two options to the states for borrowing and the states have seven days to decide their option. See option one is to provide a special window to the states in consultation with the RBA to provide rupees 97,000 crores at a reasonable interest rate. And this amount can be repeated after five years through the collection of CES. And the option two is that the entire gap of 2.35 lakh crore rupees can be met by borrowing in consultation with RBA. This means the states can choose to borrow more that is beyond the expected compensation itself. And this is because of the injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. So for the states, the choice is between borrowing less and getting CES later or borrowing more and paying for it using the CES collected during the transition period. In short, if the state goes for option one, it will borrow less but its compensation entitlement will be protected. Here note that for the states that are choosing the first option, the government will give a further relaxation of 0.5% in states borrowing limit another FRBM Act that is the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act of 2003. See talking about the FRBM Act, the Act envisages the setting up of limits on the central government's debt and deficits. So it limited the fiscal deficit to 3% of the GDP. And this is according to the section four, close one of the FRBM Act. Further, every state has its own FRBM Act which sets the same 3% of gross state domestic product cap that is GSBP cap on their annual budget deficits. Now the same section four provides for relaxation under close two. This is also known as the escape close. So under this close, the center can exceed the annual fiscal deficit target citing certain grounds. So these grounds include national security or war, national calamity, collapse of agriculture, structural reforms, or decline in the real output growth of a quarter by at least 3% below the average of the previous four quarters. Now this exceeding of the annual fiscal deficit target or any deviation from the fiscal deficit target shall not exceed 0.5% of the GDP in a year and this is according to the section four, close three. So based on this, the government may have agreed for further relaxation of 0.5% in states borrowing limit. Now with respect to borrowing from RBA, you should know about the ways and means advances or WMA. See ways and means advance is a facility for both center and the states to borrow from RBA. It is a fiscal instrument in the hands of the government tied over short-term mismatches between cash in the banks and cash out go. That is, it is a support for temporary mismatches in the cash flows in the government's receipts and expenditure. In simple terms, it is an advance by RBA to the central or state governments for meeting temporary cash mismatches. So this is provided by RBA according to the section 17, close five of Reserve Bank of India at of 1934. So under this, the Reserve Bank of India is authorized to release WMA that is ways and means advances to the central and the state governments and these are repayable not later than three months from the date of making the advance. So the ways and means advance loans have three months tenure and there is no statutory provision regarding the maximum amount of advances or the rate of interest to be charged. So these matters are therefore regulated by the respective agreements or arrangements which the RBA has made with the central government and the respective state governments. So according to the existing arrangements, the interest rate on WMA is the RBA's repo rate. We know that the repo rate is the rate at which RBA lends short-term money to the banks. So here the interest rate on WMA is the RBA's repo rate. Also know that there are two types of WMA. They are normal and special. Here the normal ways and means advances are clean and insecure advances while the special WMA are given against the pledge of central government securities which are held by the state governments. So under normal and special WMA, there are different limits to borrow and when the limits of normal and special WMA are exhausted an overdraft emerges. And this overdraft allows the government to borrow in excess of WMA limit. And according to the sources, the interest on such overdraft is two percentage above the repo rate. Now since Prillim's exam is nearby, let us take this opportunity to discuss some relevant provisions in the constitution regarding central state financial relations. See the articles 268 to 293 in part 12 of the constitution deals with central state financial relations. First is the allocation of taxing powers. In the constitution, there is a clear demarcation of taxation powers of the union and the states according to the union list and state list of the seventh schedule. You can see it here. And no taxes are listed in the concurrent list of the seventh schedule. Here article 268 is about the taxes levied by the center but collected and appropriated by the states. So it includes stamp duties on bills of exchanges, checks, promissory notes, et cetera. Then excise duties on medicinal and toilet preparations containing alcohol and narcotics. Then article 269 includes taxes levied and collected by the center but assigned to the states. It includes taxes on the sales or purchase of goods other than the newspapers in the course of interstate trade or commerce. And it also includes taxes on the consignments of goods in the course of interstate trade or commerce. Next with respect to grants to the states, there are two articles governing the grants in its from union to the states. The first one is statutory grant and the second one is discretionary grants. See statutory grants come under article 275. See article 275 close one provides for grants in aids of the revenues of such states as parliament may determine to be in need of assistance. And different sums may be fixed for different states. So the close one of this article deals with the promotion of welfare of the schedule types in the state of ASA. And as per close two, no order with regard to grants under close one shall be made except after considering the recommendations of the finance commission. Also know that the grants under article 275 are charged on the consolidated fund of India. Next one is the discretionary grants. Know that the article 282 empowers both the center and the states to make any grants for any public purpose even if it is not within the respective legislative competence. So these grants are known as discretionary grants because the center is under no obligation to give these grants and the matters lie within the center's discretion. Notably the discretionary grants form the larger part of the center grants to the states as compared to the statutory grants. So that is all in this discussion we saw about the provisions relating to the relaxation of fiscal deficit as per FRBMA. Then we saw ways and means advances of the Reserve Bank of India and some constitutional provisions regarding center state financial relations. With this we'll move on to the next news article. Now let us take up this editorial. Here in this article the authors try to explain how to organize phase three clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The syllabus relevant for this analysis is highlighted here for your reference. Please go through it. See we all know that the COVID-19 has affected almost all sections and all parts of the country. So in this context the authors say that health workers, elderly and those with comorbidities are highly vulnerable. So in this article the authors recommend that these group should be given high priority when a vaccine is made available. Then the authors talk about the ongoing clinical trials of vaccine candidates. So as of now two candidates are in the process of phase three clinical trials. Note that a clinical trial is only done when there is a good reason to believe that a new test or a treatment may improve the health of the patients. And before the clinical trials tests and treatments are assessed in pre-clinical research. Here we should know that pre-clinical research or trial is not done on people. So it is usually done on animals. So what is the objective of a pre-clinical research? It assesses the features of a test or treatment. For example, the research may aim to learn if a device is harmful to living tissues. So as you can see in this picture there are four phases of clinical trial. So phase one trial is for safety and phase two trial is for both safety and vaccine's ability to induce a virus neutralizing antibody. And as you can see the purpose of phase three is to evaluate how a new medication works in comparison to existing medications for the same conditions. And it is also to find other side effects associated with the medication. Then finally phase four is concerned with effectiveness of a drug post its approval. So fortunately, if a vaccine passes all the stages then it can be administered to people. Here we should note that the measure of effectiveness of a vaccine is how many infections or how many death it can prevent rather than how high the production of antibodies is. So what are the objectives of vaccination? See in the short term it is to protect vulnerable individuals from serious disease or death. Then to protect occupationally exposed individuals from acquiring and unintentionally transmitting infections to their patients and family. And another long term objective of a vaccine is to eradicate the viral infection altogether. So to demonstrate that a vaccine achieves the short term objectives it is important that the vaccine trials include a good proportion of special group of individuals. So here the authors are of the opinion that healthcare workers particularly those above 55 years of age should be included in phase three trials. So historically healthcare workers are often being the first to volunteer or participate in several clinical trials. And the participation of healthcare workers will motivate the general public to participate in the trial. And it will also make the recruitment easier. And not just that if healthcare workers are part of the trial it would be very easy to collect and document the information on side effects. This is because the healthcare workers are more aware of the health issues associated with the medication. But the authors tell that due to many factors the moral of the health workers in India is eroded. And the factors include loss of many colleagues then mandatory quarantine of increasing number of infected healthcare workers. Then the struggle to cope with escalating number of cases in the face of workforce depression and also due to the worries about risk to the immediate family members. So how to motivate the healthcare workers to participate in clinical trials? Here the authors take the example of Duke Research Institute. The Duke Research Institute started HERO which has an expansion healthcare worker exposure response and outcomes. So this initiative will encourage healthcare workers to participate in COVID-19 clinical trials. So a similar initiative can be taken in our country as well. But the question is should we include all the healthcare workers in clinical trial? Here the answer is no. Those healthcare workers who have already contracted COVID-19 and those who developed antibodies already do not need vaccination. The surgical studies show that 30 to 40% of the population developed antibodies in metro cities. And the healthcare workers from the remaining population are still susceptible to the virus so they should be included in the trials. In conclusion, the authors say that it would be a good idea for healthcare workers and vulnerable subjects to enrolling phase 3 clinical trials in India. So if this is to be done quickly then professional organizations, civil society, regulatory agency, the Indian Council of Medical Research and also the vaccine manufacturers should act immediately and also allow and encourage enrolment of health workers and the vulnerable people in phase 3 clinical trials. So this is all about the discussion of this news article. With this we'll move on to the next news article. Now have a look at this question. It is framed based on this news article and the article mentions various defence deals between India and Russia. So let us have a brief understanding on different defence equipments from Exxon perspective. Here the article mentions MIG-29 aircrafts, SU-30 MKF fighter jets, then KA-31 helicopters and also S-400 long range air defence systems. First talking about MIG-29 aircrafts, it is a fighter jet developed by Earth-Wire Soviet Union in 1980s. So these jets play vital role in India's air defence. Now Sukhoi SU-30 MKI is a multi-role combat fighter aircraft jointly developed by Sukhoi Design Bureau and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited that is HL and it was developed for Indian Air Force. The first SU-30 MKI variant was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2002. And the Indian Air Force has nearly 250 plus Sukhoi SU-30 MKI aircrafts. Now talking about KA-31, it is a unique AEW that is Airborne Early Warning Helicopter with a collapsible underbody radar developed by Russia. So this helicopter is designed for protection of warship units operating beyond coastal radars. And it also gives ERW that is Early Radar Warning aircraft's coverage against airstrikes. Then it provides detection of low level targets and ground or sea-backed ground aerial and surface targets and also automatic reporting to ground and ship bone control posts or air defence systems. Now India is planning to buy six KA-31 helicopters. Now talking about S-400, it is one of the most advanced air defence system in the world which is developed by Russia. And it is even considered superior to the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defence that is THARD. See THARD is a transportable ground-based missile defence system. And the S-400 is one of the most sophisticated surface-to-air defence system in the world. The S-400 Triumph is a mobile meaning a moving multi-channel air defence missile system that is ADMS. So it is designed to engage current and future air threats. So it can attack a strategic aircraft carrying airborne missiles, then medium range ballistic missiles and other air attack vehicles by its heavy electronic counter-measure environment. Also it has a range of 400 kilometers and can shoot down more than 50 targets simultaneously. And in India, DRDO developed Prithvi Air Defence System and the Advanced Air Defence Systems. But the range of these systems is very limited So India is dependent on foreign nations for its defence needs. Now have a look at this practice question. What is S-400 Triumph? Sometimes seen in news. Here we have four options given here. The correct answer is Option C. It is a Russian air defence system. Now in this regard we have a previous year question which was asked in 2018. What is Terminal High Altitude Air Defence that is THARD? Sometimes seen in the news. Here the correct answer is Option C. It is an American anti-missile system. So with this we'll move on to the next news article. Now have a look at this question. This question is framed based on this news article which is about the recent development in the Mediterranean region. It says that Turkey will conduct firing exercises in the Mediterranean region. So this move is expected to further deteriorate the Turkey-Greece dispute over the control of eastern Mediterranean waters. So in this context, let us discuss in brief about Mediterranean Sea and the region. As we know, the Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to Asia on the east. And it also separates Europe from Africa. And it has often been called as the incubator of western civilization. Now talking about the Mediterranean basin, it stretches almost 3,800 kilometres east to west from the tip of Portugal to the shores of Lebanon. It stretches almost 1,000 kilometres north to south from Italy to Morocco and then Libya. So have a look at this map. It is clear that within the European Union, the Mediterranean region encompasses seven member states, partially in France, Portugal, Italy and Spain, and completely in Greece, Malta and Cyprus. And in Africa, it touches countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. See the western extremity of Mediterranean Sea connects the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar. And to the northeast, the Mediterranean is connected with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Strait of Bosporus. To the southeast, it is connected with the Red Sea by the Suez Canal. Now let us see the regional features. Though the Mediterranean region takes its name from the sea it surrounds, the Mediterranean is surprisingly hilly. So it includes high mountains and rocky shores, thick scrub and semi-arid steppes and also coastal wetlands and sandy beaches. The region also has a myriad of islands dotted across the sea. Now talking about the climate, the Mediterranean climate is characterised by hot, dry summers and humid, cool winters. The climate is also very capricious, that is, sudden changes with sudden heavy rains or bouts of high winds such as the Sirocco and the Mistral. And this climate has a profound influence on the vegetation and the wildlife of the region. Now what is Sirocco? See, Sirocco is a warm, southerly wind in the Mediterranean region. Near the north coast of Africa, the wind is hot and dry and often carries much dust. And after crossing the Mediterranean, it reaches the European coast as a moist wind and is often associated with low stratus clouds. Now talking about the Mistral wind, it is a strong north or northwest regional wind caused by air funneling through the narrow Rhone Valley in the France. And Mistral is a cold, dry wind which blows offshore out into the Mediterranean Sea. And it blows between Corsica and Bellaric islands of Spain. The speed of Mistral often exceeds 80 kilometres per hour and it can blow for days, usually during the winter and spring. Now, have a look at this question. Consider the following statements. Sirocco is a warm, southerly wind in the Mediterranean region which is hot and dry in the north coast of Africa and moist in the European region. See, this statement is correct. And the second statement reads, Mistral is a strong, cold, dry north or northwest regional wind which blows offshore into the Mediterranean Sea usually during winter and spring. See, this statement is also correct. So, here we have to identify the correct statement or statements among the given statements. So, here both the statements are correct. So, the correct answer is option C, both one and two. So, now we will see the practice questions based on today's news analysis. Now, see this question. Consider the following tribal communities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. So, we have six tribal communities given here. Great Andamanis, Jaravas, Ongs, Nicobaris, Champans and Sentinelis. So, which of the above are categorised as particularly vulnerable tribal groups. So, as we have discussed, particularly vulnerable tribal groups of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Great Andamanis, Jaravas, Ongs, Sentinelis and Champans. And the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956 and its 2005 and 2012 amendments mentions the Aboriginal Tribes. And they include Andamanis, Jaravas, Ongs, Sentinelis, Nicobaris and Champan. So, Nicobaris is not a particularly vulnerable tribal group. So, here the correct answer is option B. Now, here is the second question, which is a previous year question asked in 2011. All revenues received by the union government by ways of taxes and other receipts for the conduct of government business are credited to, here we have four options given. So, the correct answer is option C that is Consolidated Fund of India. So, all revenues received by the union government by ways of taxes and other receipts for the conduct of government business are credited to Consolidated Fund of India. Now, the third question is with respect to clinical trials. Which of the following bodies or institutions approve clinical trials of a drug in India? Here, the correct answer is option B that is Central Drugs Standard Control Organization or CDSCO. See, it is the Central Drugs Authority for discharging functions assigned to the central government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. So, its functions include regulatory control over the import of drugs, then approval of new drugs as well as clinical trials in India. And with this, we'll come to the end of analysis of all the news articles taken up for today's discussion and also the practice questions discussion. 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