 Good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu news analysis session by Shankarayesh Academy dated 2nd July 2021. The list of news articles for today's discussion is given for your reference along with the page numbers in various editions of the newspaper. So, now let us move on to the article's discussion. Our first topic for today's discussion is High Court Gives a Pat on the Back for Stradocs. This news article is about the guidelines and directions issued by the Delhi High Court regarding feeding of stray dogs. See, feeding of stray or the community dogs has been an issue for a long time and there were many guidelines that have been issued already by the Animal Welfare Board of India in this regard. But first of all, why this issue is important? Because it is our constitutional duty to keep wildlife including animals safe from any cruelty. For example, if you take the article 48A of the constitution, it clearly declares that it is the duty of the state to protect and make all endures to safeguard wildlife. And note that additionally, under the fundamental duties that is declared under part 4A of the constitution, it specifically says that for every citizens of India, one of the duty imposed under article 51A subsection G is to protect and improve the natural environment. In addition, it also promotes compassion for living creatures. That means it is the duty of every citizen to show kindness and love towards the non-vocal being and having concerns for their suffering, sympathy, kindness, etc. And another fundamental duty under article 51A subsection H, stipulates to develop the scientific temper or humanism. This highlights the principle of humanism to look after the welfare and well-being of the animal and the duty to prevent the infliction of pain or suffering on animal. These constitutional duties or responsibilities have to be read along the section C and section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. If you consider this Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the section 3 of this act stipulates the duties of persons having charge of animals to take all responsible measures in order to ensure the well-being of such animal. And also, to prevent any infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on those animals, this act includes provisions to deal with it. If you consider section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty Act, it takes into account that no animal shall be starved to death. In addition, note that the stray dogs are also protected along with other animals under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the rules enacted under it. Particularly, the Animal Birth Control Rules 2001 makes it illegal for any individual, be it the resident welfare associations or estate management, to remove or relocate dogs. Keeping this in mind, the Delhi High Court has issued guidelines for the welfare of stray dogs. These include forming of guard and dog partnerships by resident welfare associations or imposing duty and obligations of every resident welfare association or municipal corporations to ensure that every community dog in every area has access to food and water. Finally, the guidelines also deals with feeding of community dogs in the areas designated by Animal Welfare Board of India in consultation with Residential Welfare Associations or Municipal Corporation. With this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now, let us move on to the next topic. Moving to the second topic, let us take up this editorial Relief and Recompense. See, recently, the Supreme Court of India has persuaded the Union Government to perform its duty of fixing a compensation for families those who have lost their kin to the COVID-19 pandemic. This editorial is a discussion on that. Also, this editorial discusses the recent intervention made by the Supreme Court of India in fixing the deadline for comprehensive registration of all interstate and unorganized workers in the country. Let us learn about it. The syllabus covered under this topic discussion is given for your reference. Firstly, the author of this editorial has welcomed the Supreme Court's decision regarding the compensation. The author hopes that this decision will bring immense relief and satisfaction to the people who are suffering due to this terrible pandemic. See, the current COVID pandemic has destroyed many lives. It has affected the livelihood of many communities as well. As a result, it has displaced our country's vast unorganized workforce and interstate laborers. Note that it has pushed many more millions into poverty. So, it is termed as a national disaster. Even our government notified the current pandemic as a disaster under Disaster Management Act. So, the payment of compensation for the families who have lost their kin due to the pandemic seems justified. But our government was reluctant to pay X Gracia payment to those affected by the pandemic. See, the X Gracia payment is a payment which is done as a favor and not because of legal obligations. The union government was initially reluctant to pay this compensation because it lacked the financial resources to compensate for every COVID-19 death. This was the official reason given by the union government. However, it later admitted that it was not the adequacy of resources that made it avoid any compensation, but rather its decision to prioritize expenditure in response to the pandemic. So, the recent cited by the union government kept shifting. See, the COVID pandemic is unlike more frequent disasters such as cyclones, earthquakes and floods. See, these disasters are one-time calamity, whereas the COVID pandemic is an ongoing and prolonged phenomenon. So, it is tough to make X Gracia payments to a pandemic unlike other one-time calamities. But these claims did not satisfy the Supreme Court of India and it said that government cannot evade its duty of providing compensation. Hence, the union government has to provide X Gracia assistance to those who have lost their life due to the cruel pandemic. The compensation amount, however, will be decided by the union government and the National Disaster Management Authority. This decision of Supreme Court of India has been welcomed by many. Hope, it gives some relief to the people who have lost their dear ones due to this terrible pandemic. In addition to that, the Supreme Court of India also dealt with the need for comprehensive registration of interstate and unorganized workers in the country. See, we all know that we are trying to register all interstate and unorganized workers in the country so that they can get their proper benefits during disasters and crises. But this initiative is getting delayed. Even during this terrible pandemic, where millions of workers have been displaced or in need of humanitarian, social and economic help, this initiative of registration is not ready yet. So, the Supreme Court of India has finally fixed a deadline of December 31st of this year for all states and union territories to complete the process of registration. In addition, the Supreme Court of India has also fixed a deadline of July 31 for the union government to make a portal available for registering unorganized workers across the country. You have to note that this is not the first time that Supreme Court of India had directed the center to create such a portal. Back in 2018, a similar direction was given. However, the union government had failed to create the portal. The union government cited this pandemic as a reason for the delay in creating a portal. So, the Supreme Court of India interfered and finally has fixed a deadline. This verdict of the Supreme Court of India is expected to bring immense relief to the interstate and unorganized workers. It is believed that they can finally reap the benefits of welfare laws enacted for them. The apex court also criticized the union labor ministry for its apathy and careless attitude during this pandemic. Finally, the author of this editorial concludes by saying that these interventions by the Supreme Court of India have signified the rejuvenation and assertion of judicial system in India. With this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now, let us move to the third topic. Our next news discussion is going to be based on this editorial article titled Envisioning the Post-Pandemic Smart City. Say, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organized an online event to commemorate the sixth year anniversary of three transformative urban missions. Those are the Smart Cities mission, Attal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and the Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojana Urban. So, in this light, the author through this editorial presents to us a comprehensive analysis of this Smart Cities project so far. And he also shares his opinion on the need for a change in pathway adopted for Smart Cities and also for other towns. So, in this light, let us see some important points mentioned in the article. The syllabus covered by this editorial is highlighted for your reference. See, the basic urban infrastructure remains to be a part of national policy since the third planned period, which was around the period from 1961 to 1966. But, however, the concept of Smart Cities came into picture only six years ago when the ruling government threw light on the concept of urban development. The idea behind it is to select a set of cities across the country through a competition among states and to transform and make smart the chosen ones. And these chosen projects will be supported by the central government. Know that the concept of Smart Cities lacks a universal definition. However, generally Smart Cities are attributed with technocratic vision with sensors everywhere, smart homes, high level of connectivity, massive data collections and many more. And most of the above common features of such urban spaces are derived from the concepts in Global North. When you take Indian cities, we know that it has got a lot of shortcomings. This includes gaps in infrastructure, inadequate water supply, inadequate waste management, sewerage and transport arrangements, problems associated with climate change and many more. So, having these issues in mind, the Smart City mission has been designed in such a way that it integrates the upgraded civil services as well as expensive showpiece projects in the selected city. This burdens the central government due to the high financial cost associated with the projects. Note that in the course of its evolution, the project under the Smart Cities mission began to get converged with other infrastructure programs. These mainly includes the AMROOT, that is the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and the Pradhan Mantriyava Siojana for Housing. Apart from these, the Smart City project also earned support from international agencies in order to adopt the best practices when it comes to aspects like mobility, transports, etc. As per the estimations of the latest official government, know that around 5924 mission projects having worth of nearly 1,78,000 crore have been tendered so far. And for your additional information, we have elaborately covered about the urban missions, that is the Smart Cities, AMROOT and Pradhan Mantriyava Siojana on our 26th June 2021 Hindu News Analysis session. So, we advise the aspirants to also watch it since it helps you in having a holistic understanding of the concept. Coming back to the editorial, the author here quotes the views of Danish urban design expert on the concept of cities. Accordingly, the universal values of cities should be one which serves as a meeting place of people, that is inviting them to spend time in the area. And he defines a good city to be one which aims at prioritizing pedestrianization over motorization. And when you view the Indian cities in that line, though the mission tries to accommodate some of these elements, it is not likely to attain that structural shift which prioritizes people movement over vehicle use. The author then moves on to explain the need for the smart city to be inclusive. And he puts forward a few examples to substantiate his claims. This includes paving way for the availability of road spaces for bicycle, expanding the public transports where commuters return in big number to bus and urban rail. Similarly, adequate opportunities for street vending should be given in harmony with pedestrianization and biking. That is, the smart cities should be designed in such a way that it prioritizes and allocates more of the commons. Apart from these, the other essential modernization facilities should also be focused. And this includes deployment of multiple sensors to gauge air, noise and water pollution, provision of electronic delivery of citizen services, etc. In addition to these, a real-time control room with a good public dashboard of information is also an essential step. The author further asserts on the need to plan these smart cities in a way that it ensures every section of the society to have a voice in the process. Know that in the recent Smart City Award 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs gave the integrated command and control centers a health focus. See, during the pandemic, around 70 of such centers were in operation and they not only functioned as war rooms but also helped in fighting the pandemic through means of information dissemination, improving communications and supporting effective management. But however, this was not the case in several states and the national capital during the second way of the pandemic. This is because as a result, many people struggled for information and access to medical care during the second way of the pandemic. The author finally concludes the editorial by highlighting the role played by the pandemic in the process. That is, the pandemic has given a remarkable opportunity to review the pattern of this Smart Cities project and also to guide the course of hundreds of other towns that are so far not on the plans. And such towns should be helped to frame their plans inclusive around people and nature so that they could learn from mistakes and avoid expensive technological solutionism. With this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. So, in this discussion, we saw about the origin, objective, concept, infrastructural convergence, universal values and also about essential amenities to the Smart Cities mission in the way forward. So, with these points in mind, let us now move to the next part of the discussion. Moving to the fourth topic for today's discussion, PMI survey shows manufacturing shrank in June. This news article talks about the Purchasing Managers Index, which is shortly called PMI. Firstly, let us see what it is. Then we shall discuss the article. See, the PMI is a survey based economic indicator that is designed to provide a timely insight into the business conditions. This PMI is widely used to anticipate changing economic trends in official data such as GDP. Note that it is also used as an alternative measure to official data about economic performance and business conditions. Thus, PMI data are used by financial and corporate professionals to better understand where economies and markets are headed and in addition, it helps them to uncover opportunities. Note that PMI is compiled and produced globally by a company called IHS Market. This index is produced for more than 40 economies worldwide. Know that originally PMI was compiled for the manufacturing sector only. Later, it was extended to include other sectors such as services, construction and retail. Today's focus is manufacturing PMI which is simply known as PMI. See, this manufacturing PMI is a survey based economic indicator designed to provide a timely insight into the changing business conditions in the goods producing sector and it is weighted average of five indices based on new orders, output, employment, suppliers, delivery times and inventory of good purchases. So, based on the data by PMI, we can assess India's manufacturing sector activity. Now, coming to the news, see India's manufacturing output shrank in the month of June according to this article. This is highlighted by the slide in PMI where in the month of May PMI recorded 50.8 but in the month of June it slid to the value 48.1. Note that this is the first contraction since July 2020. Also, according to the IHS market, companies are least optimistic and they continue to shed shops. Buying levels are also falling at a greater pace. There is also weak demand which has led to reduction in production requirements. This COVID-19 restrictions also curtailed international demand for Indian goods. This had led to the decrease in export orders. The strict containment measures during the second wave of COVID-19 negatively impacted demand and led to contraction in factory orders, productions, exports and quantities of purchases. Also, the capital goods was the worst affected area in the month of June from the perspective of manufacturing sector. Also note that the output of capital goods declined at a steep rate due to sharp fall in sales. The sector also saw the fastest contraction in buying levels. Falling new orders, business closures and the COVID-19 crisis triggered a reduction in output among Indian manufacturers. See, the intensification of COVID-19 crisis had a detrimental impact on the manufacturing economy. Alongside this, the growth of new orders, production, export and input purchasing was interrupted in June as lockdown was implemented in many places. This was highlighted by the article. And with this, we have come to the end of this topic discussion. Now, let us move to the final topic. Now, let us take up this news article. Nirov's sister transfers Rs 17.25 crore to government account. The article is about the most famed case of Nirov Modi who is accused for money laundering. So in this regard, let us see some important facts about the enforcement direct rate. See, the direct rate of enforcement is a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue which comes under the Ministry of Finance. The origin of this direct rate can be traced back to 1956 when an enforcement unit was formed in the Department of Economic Affairs. This was for handling the exchange control loss violation under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947 and later it got shifted to the Department of Revenue for administration in 1960 after which it was renamed as enforcement direct rate. The composition of enforcement direct rate consists of persons who are appointed through direct recruitment. Apart from this, the direct rate also draws officers from across different investigating agencies like the customs and central excise, income tax, police, etc. on deputation or in order to undertake a mission. This enforcement direct rate has its headquarters in New Delhi and has also got many regional offices all over the country and it is headed by the direct rate of enforcement who is an officer from the Indian Revenue Service. Note that the major functions of the enforcement direct rate include investigating violations of FEMA that is the Foreign Exchange Management Act laws and provisions, investigating offenses of prevention of money laundering Act 2002, processing cases of fugitives from India under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018, adjudicating showcast notices issued under the repealed Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1973, sponsoring cases of preventive detention under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act that is COFI-POSA Act with respect to FEMA violations and also finally rendering cooperation to foreign countries in matter related to money laundering and restoration of assets under the PMLA provisions. These are the major functions of ED. With these takeaway points in mind, let us move to the prelims practice question session. Moving to the first question, which of the following statements is or are correct with reference to Animal Welfare Board of India? The statements given are statement one, it is established under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Statement two, it functions under the National Board for Wildlife. Statement three, members of parliament elected by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are its members. Select the correct answers using the code given below. Options are option A, one and two only, option B, two only, option C, one and three only, option D, three only. To answer this question, let us have a brief understanding about Animal Welfare Board of India. See, the AWPI is a statutory body established in the year 1962 under section 4 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 1960. It is established for the promotion of animal welfare generally, but in particular for the purpose of protecting animals from being subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering. So in short, it promotes animal welfare in the country. Note that it is also an advisory body on animal welfare laws. This AWPI was started under the stewardship of late Rukmani Devi Arun Dalit, who was a well-known humanitarian and the first women nominated member of Rajya Sabha. AWPI is under the ages of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Health Binary and Dairy. Its objectives are to ensure that animal welfare laws are diligently followed in the country. Two, to provide grants to animal welfare organizations. Three, advising the Government of India on animal welfare issues. Next, coming to its composition, the AWPI consists of 28 members in that the Inspector General of Forest and the Animal Husbandry Commissioner to Government of India are ex-officio members. It also includes six MPs, four to be elected by the Lok Sabha and the rest of the two to be elected by the Rajya Sabha. The term of office of members is for a period of three years. Now, coming to the question, look at the first statement. It says it is established under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Statement one is incorrect. As we discussed that the AWPI is established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act 1960. Statement two is also incorrect because AWPI is under the ages of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy whereas the National Board for Wildlife is under the ages of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Now, look at this third statement. It says the members of Parliament elected by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are its members. This statement is correct. Among 28 members, six MPs are elected in total, where four are from Lok Sabha and two from Rajya Sabha. So, the answer for this question is option D, three only. Moving to the second question, which of the following statement is or are correct with reference to the Purchasing Managers Index often seen in news? The statements given are statement one, it provides timely insight into changing business conditions in the goods producing sector. Statement two, it is compiled and released by World Bank. Statement three, it is released only for the manufacturing sector. Select the correct answers from the code given below. Option A, one only. Option B, one and three only. Option C, three only. Option D, two and three only. See, from the discussion of the article we know that the first statement is correct. The PMI provides timely insights into changing business conditions in the goods producing sector. Whereas, if you consider the second statement, it says PMI is compiled and released by the World Bank. This is incorrect because PMI is compiled and produced globally by IHS market for more than 40 economies worldwide. Now, coming to the third statement, it mentions that PMI releases only for the manufacturing sector. Originally, PMI was compiled for manufacturing sectors only, but later it was extended to include other sectors such as services, construction and retail. So, the statement three is incorrect. The answer for this question is option A, one only. Moving to the last question, consider the following statements with reference to Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002. Statement one, it was enacted to fight against the criminal offence of legalizing the income profits from an illegal source. Statement two, there are three stages to a transaction of money laundering. Statement three, the enforcement direct rate is responsible for investigating offenses under the Act. Which of these statements given above is so or correct? The options given are option A, one only. Option B, two and three only. Option C, one and three only. Option D, one, two and three. See, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 was enacted to fight against the criminal offence of legalizing the income or profits from an illegal source. This PMLA enables the government or the public authority to confiscate the properties earned from illegally gained proceeds. So, this statement one is correct. Also note that there are three stages to transactions of money laundering. The first stage is placement where the criminals place the proceeds of the crime into normal financial system. The second stage is layering where the money introduced into the normal financial system is layered or spread into various transactions within financial system. The third stage is integration that is where the benefit or proceeds of crime are available with the criminals as untainted money. So, the second statement is also right. And as we saw in the discussion, the direct rate of enforcement in the Department of Revenue under Ministry of Finance is responsible for investigating the cases of offence of money laundering under PMLA. So, this statement is also correct. The question wants us to find the right statement. So, the correct answer for this question is option D, 1, 2 and 3 only. With this we have completed the prelims practice question session. Now, let us see few main questions. These are few main questions that are given for your practice and you may write and post them in the comment section for peer review. That is it for today's discussion. If you like the video, kindly press the like button, comment, share and subscribe to Shankaray's Academy for further updates. Thank you.