 A very good evening as friends. Welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar IAS Academy for the day 26th of March 2022. Displayed here are the list of news articles that I have chosen for today's discussion. See as I assure you today there is an economic topic which is very much important for your mains. It is about the free trade agreement, its significance and impacts. Not only this there are also many topics for your problems. As problems is fast approaching I have made a point to cover many of the problems topic from today's news article and I have also taken the practice questions which are very much important for your problems okay. So without wasting much time now let's get into our news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. See according to this news article India and the United Kingdom concluded a second round of negotiations towards a bilateral free trade agreement. This was concluded in London last Thursday. Here they have not concluded the FTA itself they have just completed second round of negotiations alone and following the discussions in 64 separate sessions covering 26 policy areas the two sides have decided to carry forward the negotiations next month in India. So in the work of the comprehensive FTA India and the United Kingdom hope to reach an early harvest temporary deal by April. So this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context let us quickly go through what is FTA its significance and impacts okay. Before that the syllabus relevant to this news article is highlighted here for your reference please go through it. Firstly what is this FTA? See a free trade agreement is nothing but a pact between two or more nations. This is to reduce barriers to imports and exports among them. So here you must note one important point as the name implies free trade agreement does not actually mean trade free from restrictions okay. It actually means that the system does allow tariffs and in limited circumstances there will be other forms of protection also. See to be precise it is a set of norms designed to promote open fair and undistorted competition okay. So under a free trade policy goods and services can be bought and sold across international borders with little or no government tariffs quotas subsidies or prohibitions which all inhibits their exchange. Now let us see how does this FTA actually work. See in the modern world free trade policy is often implemented by means of a formal and mutual agreement of the nations involved am I right. In principle you can say that free trade on the international level has no difference from trade between neighbors towns or states but still it allows businesses in each country to focus on producing and selling commodities that make the most of their resources. Not only this they also support businesses which import goods that are scarce or unavailable domestically okay. So this combination of domestic production and foreign trade not only enables economies to grow quicker but also help in better meeting the needs of its consumers also. So this is how this FTA is working okay. See from the discussion itself you could have found that the concept of free trade is opposite of trade protectionism or you can say it is opposite to economic isolationism. Now let me tell you about these two terms. See trade protectionism is nothing but policy of protecting domestic industries against foreign competitions by means of tariffs subsidies import quotas or other restrictions or handicaps placed on the imports of foreign competitors. When you take at the economic level no isolationism aims to maintain national autonomy. This is done by defending national economic interest and by maintaining economic self-sufficiency. This is done in addition to promoting regionalism and opposing free trade. See economic isolationism is being economically self-sufficient and avoiding free trade and trade protectionism is protecting the domestic industries to become economically self-sufficient. This is done by imposing trade restrictions okay. Having this basic understanding now let us see some of the advantages of FTA. Firstly as I already said free trade agreements contribute to greater economic activity and job creation and deliver opportunities for big and small businesses in order to benefit from trade and investment. Secondly free trade agreements don't just reduce and eliminate tariffs they also address behind the border barriers that would otherwise impede the flow of goods and services. See they encourage investment and improve the rules affecting such issues like intellectual property e-commerce and government procurement okay. Thirdly the free trade agreement enable businesses and consumers to have improved access to a wider range of competitively priced goods and services not only goods and services it also provides access to wider range of new technologies and innovative practices okay. Fourthly this free trade agreement help in obtaining more benefits from foreign investments not only this they also promote regional economic integration and build shared approaches to trade and investment between a country and its trading partners okay. So to know about the FTA signed by India I have just pinned a link in the description just visit to have more idea about the FTA signed by India so far okay. See an awareness of the FTA signed by India will be helpful if there is a statement type preliminary questions okay. Having done with the advantages of FTA now let us quickly go through the disadvantages of FTA. See the biggest criticism of free trade agreement is that they are responsible for job outsourcing. What does this term outsourcing mean? See outsourcing is the business practice of hiring a party outside a company to perform services or create goods that were traditionally performed in house by the company's own employees and staff. So outsourcing is a practice usually undertaken by companies as a cost cutting measure okay. See there is an increased job outsourcing why does that happen? Reducing tariffs on imports allows companies to expand to other countries am I right? Thus it makes it difficult for companies in those same industries to compete. So in order to compete with the domestic competitors they may reduce their workforce. On one hand it is true that FTA promotes job creation and on the other hand it also leads to outsourcing. The second issue is theft of intellectual property. See many developing countries don't have laws to protect patterns, inventions and new processes. The laws that they have aren't always strictly enforced. As a result corporations often have their ideas stolen. They must then compete with lower priced domestic knockoffs okay. The other disadvantages include crowding out of domestic industries, poor working conditions, degradation of natural resources, destruction of native cultures and reduced tax revenue okay. So that's all about this news article. See whatever points we have covered in FTA will be very much helpful in addressing any preliminary type of questions. Also you can utilize this point to enhance your answers if at all it is from GS paper 3 because free trade agreement is actually a development of the national economy as well as it has some impacts as we saw there are some tax revenue reduction. So I have covered FTA holistically in both brilliance and mains perspective. So aspirants do make note of all these points and improve your preparation. With these key points in mind now let's move on to our next article discussion. Now look at this news article according to the article more than 5000 persons turned up at a camp held in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. This is to find a blood stem cell donor for a seven-year-old from Anchil in Kolam. See the child is diagnosed with a rat type of leukemia and his body has stopped producing bloods and requires transfusion at regular intervals. So this is the brief about the article given here. Now let us take this opportunity to learn what are stem cells and its types okay. As you all know a cell is defined as the smallest basic unit of life that is responsible for all of life's processes. Stem cells are undifferentiated or blank cells meaning they are capable of developing into cells that serve numerous functions in different parts of the body. Don't worry let me explain about it. See most cells in the body are differentiated cells that is each cell has a specific purpose and these cells can only serve that specific purpose in a particular organ. For example take the red blood cells they are specifically designed to carry oxygen through the blood am I right. But stem cells are undifferentiated cells and they act as the body's raw materials that is stem cells are the cells from which all of the cells with specialized functions are generated. See they have the ability to divide and make an indefinite number of copies of themselves. Interesting right. So when a stem cell divides it can either remind a stem cell or turn into a differentiated cell. See for example it can turn into differentiated cells such as muscle cell or a red blood cell okay. Remember and the right conditions in the body or a laboratory stem cells divide to form more cells called daughter cells. I am repeating this point see the right conditions in the body or a laboratory can help the stem cells divide to form more cells called daughter cells okay. Now talking about the types of stem cells there are three main types of cells one is the embryonic stem cell the other one is the adult stem cells and the last one is the induced pluripotent stem cells. Now let's see the types in brief one by one. Firstly take the embryonic stem cells the embryonic stem cells supply new cells for an embryo as it grows and develops into a baby. These stem cells are said to be pluripotent which means they can change into any cell in the body okay. The next type adult stem cells see adult stem cells supply new cells is an organism grows and to replace the cells that get damaged. See these adult stem cells know are said to be multi-potent. What is the meaning of that see cells that have the capacity to self renew by dividing and to develop into multiple specialized cell types present in a specific tissue or organ we call it as multi-potent okay. For example take the blood stem cells which can only replace the various types of cells in the blood whereas when you take the skin stem cells they provide the different types of cells that make up our skin and hair okay. Now the last type is the induced pluripotent stem cells see the induced pluripotent stem cells or the IPS cells are stem cells that scientists make in the laboratory. See here from the term induced itself we can understand that they are made in the lab by making normal adult cells like use a skin or blood cells and reprogramming them to become stem cells okay. See just like this embryonic stem cells they are also pluripotent so they can develop into any cell type okay. So that's all about this news article so we discussed about what is a stem cell and what are all the types of stem cells. So you can expect some preliminary questions under these topics okay because these are all coming under the general science which is highlighted in our preliminary syllabus itself okay. So with these key points in mind now let's move on to the next news article discussion. See this article here it talks about the repetition against the rejection of maternity leave application of a woman. The leave was rejected on grounds that particular person has already two surviving child but the Madras High Court said that as long as the maternity benefit act of 1961 does not place any restriction on the number of children for the purpose of availing maternity benefits no other rule or regulation can put restrictions for availing the benefit. So this is the crux of the news article given here taking this as an opportunity we are going to learn about the maternity benefit act 1961. See the maternity benefit act 1961 is a legislation that protects the employment of women at the time of her maternity. It entitles women employees of maternity benefit which is fully paid wages during the absence from work and to take care of her child. See when it comes to applicability the act is applicable to establishments such as factories, mines and plantations and it also applies to establishments belonging to government and establishments wherein persons are employed from the exhibitions of equestrian acrobatic and other performances. See this maternity benefit act of 1961 is also applicable to every shop or establishment defined under the law wherein 10 or more persons are employed on a day during the preceding 12 months. An additional information here note that an appropriate government has a power to exempt through a notification an establishment from the ambit of the act subject to the condition laid down in section 26. You don't have to go into details here because in the examination they are not going to ask what is section 26 of maternity benefit act. Instead you should know that the act has a provision that enables the government to remove an establishment from availing the maternity benefit under section 26. And when it comes to eligibility a woman must be working as an employee in an establishment for a period of at least 80 days in the past 12 months to be entitled to maternity benefit under the provisions of the maternity benefit act. So with this basic understanding let us move on to see the amendments to the act. See the amendment to the act is maternity benefit amendment act 2017. See firstly the act states that every woman shall be entitled to a maternity benefit of 12 weeks the amendment act and it was to increase the same to 26 weeks. Furthermore as per the prior provisions a woman could not avail of the said benefit before six weeks from the date of expected delivery. Now here comes the amendment which changes this to a period of eight weeks. In the case of a woman having two or more children the maternity benefit will continue to be 12 weeks which cannot be a while before six weeks from the date of the expected delivery. Secondly the amendment furthermore grants 12 weeks of maternity leave to a woman who legally adopts a child below three months of age. Also the amendment grants 12 weeks of maternity leave for a commissioning mother who has been defined as a biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo to be implanted in another mother. The 12 weeks of maternity benefit will be calculated from the date the child is handed over to the adoptive or commissioning mother. See thirdly the amendment also brings in a novel provision that permits women to work from home depending upon the nature of the work that is to be carried out by beneficiary. Now by a mutual agreement the work can be decided upon by the employer and the employee. Fourthly the amendment brings in a fresh provision of having creed facility within a stipulated distance so that the mother shall be allowed for visits to the creed in a day including her time for rest. And finally after a miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy a woman shall be given a six months maternity benefit on the production of medical documents. See these are some of the important provisions regarding the maternity benefit act 1961 and the amendment act 2017. So you can expect a preliminary kind of question wherein the question contains some of the benefits of the amendment act or the benefits of the old which is the 1961 act okay. So be clear with whatever amendments had been done and remember this is very much important for your problems as well as mains because you can utilize this points to enrich your mains answers also okay. So with this let us move on to the next article discussion. Now look at this article here it says that five commercially important species are identified for the Merrines Tea Worship Council certification. See the assessment was conducted by the Seafood Exporters Association of India in collaboration with the Worldwide Fund India and other research organizations. The species identified are squid, cuttlefish, octopus and two varieties of marine shrimp. So this is the essence of the news article given here in this context let us learn about this Merrines Tea Worship Council and what is this Merrines Tea Worship Council certificate okay. See the Merrines Tea Worship Council is an international non-profit organization. It recognizes and rewards efforts to protect oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for the future. Here the council promotes sustainable fishing. See we all know that India is marching towards sustainability okay. So this organization is promoting sustainability in fishing sector okay. See here sustainable fishing means leaving enough fish in the ocean and protecting habitats and threatened species. So by safeguarding the oceans people who depend on fishing can maintain their livelihoods am I right. See the sustainability of a fishery can be addressed regardless of the size, geography or the fishing method used. So to measure the sustainability the Merrines Tea Worship Council has fishery standard. It is a science-based way to measure the sustainability okay. When fisheries are independently assessed to the standard three main principles are considered. Now let us see them one by one. The first one is the sustainability in fishing stocks. See the first principle addresses the question are enough fish left in the ocean okay. So they mean that if there is enough fish we can ensure the sustainability in the fishing stocks okay. Now the second principle is minimizing environmental impact. See fishing activity must be managed such that other species and habitats within the ecosystem should remind healthy. And the final one is effective fisheries management. See the Merrines Tea Worship Council certified the fisheries that it should comply with relevant laws and it should be able to adapt to the changing environmental circumstances. So fisheries are assessed whether they are up to the fishery standards or not and they are certified by the Merrines Tea Worship Council or the MSC okay. See there is also one more provision called the Blue MSC label or the Merrines Tea Worship Council label. See it is nothing but a label applied to wild fish or seafood from fisheries that have been certified to the MSC fisheries standards. Now you may think why do we need this table. See overfishing is a great threat to our oceans am I right. And it is also the reason why the MSC and the blue eco label exist. Seafood is already among the most widely traded food commodities in the world and the demand for seafood now is rising as a global population is growing okay. So the effects of overfishing are exhibited by climate change which is altering marine ecosystems and the habitats that fish depend on okay. So in the northeast and Atlantic for example mackerel stalks are moving northwards as sea temperatures rise. So the blue label serves as a check towards overfishing okay. It ensures that the fishing activity is done in a sustainable manner. So that's all about this news article. See you may get a preliminary question like MSC certification in news mentions about that kind of question can be asked or sometimes this blue MSC label means what. So these are some preliminary questions and mainly you can utilize these points for your mains answer writing as well. You may ask how. See whenever a question comes like how to protect the marine environment and how to ensure sustainability in the fishing sector you can very well utilize these points okay. So these key points in mind now let us move on to our next news article discussion. See this article here the southern bench of the national green tribunal has set up a joint committee. See this joint committee is to prove whether Kochi metro rail limited has encroached upon the Weymanat backwaters as a part of the Kochi water metro project or not. See it is alleged that the Weymanat backwaters is being reclined in the disputed area and the proponents are trying to construct bridges which will have an impact on the entire marine ecology. So this is the essence of the article given here in this context. Let us see about the national green tribunal in prelims point of view okay. See the national green tribunal was established in the year 2010 and this is as per the national green tribunal act. See it is a specialized judicial body equipped with expertise solely for the purpose of adjudicating environmental cases in the country. It is established for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to the environmental protection and conservation of forest and other natural resources. This includes enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for the damages to persons and property and for matters connected their worth or incidental debt too okay. See it is a specialized body that is equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multidisciplinary issues. Recognizing that most environmental cases involve multidisciplinary issues which are better addressed in a specialized forum the tribunal was set up as the recommendations of the Supreme Court Law Commission and India's international law obligations to develop national laws on environment and implement them effectively okay. Also know that the tribunal shall not be found by the procedure laid down under the court of civil procedure 1908 but shall be guided by principles of natural justice. See the tribunal's orders are binding and it has the power to grant relief in the form of compensation to the damages it causes to the affected persons okay. Now let us see about the composition. See the tribunal has a presence in five zones that is not central east south and west. The principal bench is situated in north zone headquartered in Delhi and the central zone bench is situated in Bhopal east zone in Kolkata south zone in Chennai and west zone in Pune. The tribunal is headed by the chairperson who sits in the principal bench and has at least 10 but not more than 20 judicial members. Also it has at least 10 but not more than 20 export members also okay. With this basic knowledge know we should also know about the jurisdiction of the tribunal. See any person seeking relief or compensation for the environmental damage involving subjects in the legislations that is mentioned in schedule one of this national green tribunal act 2010 may approach the tribunal. The statutes in the schedule are the water prevention and control of pollution act 1974 then the water prevention and control of pollution says act 1977 forest conservation act 1980 then air prevention and control of pollution act 1981 then comes the environmental protection act 1986 then the public liability insurance act 1991 and the biological diversity act 2002 so all these statutes comes under the schedule one okay. See the tribunal know has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving a substantial question that is relating to the environment okay. Additionally any person agreed by an order or direction of any of the appellate authorities under the legislation mentioned in the schedule one can also challenge them before the national green tribunal okay. So that's all about this news article so in this news article we had covered this national green tribunal in length and breadth wise this is very much important for your problems okay. So these key points in mind now let's move on to the next news article discussion. Look at this news article see the article here talks about the Udan project of the Rajasthan government the article tells the story of two girls from Rajasthan who are Nisha Verma and Monika. Nisha availed a scholarship to complete her secondary education with the help of Udan which is a women's empowerment program. Her family was facing financial hurdles and this scholarship know helped her overcome these struggles and if you take the case of Monika she got married at a very young age and Monika's parents were pushing her to quit school and moved to her in lost place and in Monika's case know the scholarship provided a safety net as Monika's teachers convinced her parents to allow her to study with the help of Bursari amount. What is this Bursari amount? See Bursari amount is a grant or monetary award which is usually awarded to enable or help a student to attend school, university or college. This Bursari amount is mostly given to students who if not provided with the financial help would not be able to complete their education okay. So now coming back to the Monika's case because of the scholarship know her parents agreed to support her studies along with providing financial support activists through the scheme made visits to Monika's home to sensitize her family about the dangers of early pregnancy. So in essence know this article highlights the success stories of the Udan project. See you can use this case study in your essay paper and GS paper 4. See you can mention this case study to highlight how a well designed scheme or project and its proper implementation has the potential to make enough significant behavioral change in the society. So aspirants try to use this kind of case study to enhance your mains answer it will make your answer really feel unique okay. As a part of this discussion know today I'll utilize this opportunity and discuss with you the Udan program for girls students. This program is launched by the central board of secondary education that is CBSE under the guidance of the ministry of human resource development. The scheme aims to address the low enrollment of girls students in prestigious engineering institutions. How was it planning to address the enrollment gap see through this program the teaching gap between the school education and engineering entrance examination will be addressed. Extra efforts will be put to improve teaching and learning of science and mathematics at school level itself. So these are the objectives of the scheme. Having seen the objective now let us see some of the silent features of the program. First important feature is free of course support to girls students of classes 11th and 12th will be provided for them to prepare for engineering entrance examination. In addition to this girls students of classes 11th and 12th will also be provided with tutorials videos and study material. Then virtual classes will be organized in specific cities not just this the students will also be provided with useful feedback. This is mainly to help them learn from their mistakes peer to peer that is student to student learning and mentoring opportunities will be provided to military students. We aspirants know the difficulties of preparing for competitive exams am I right. You know sometimes when life throws a curve ball at us we might get demotivated. So like us these students might also get demotivated right. So to address this the students are provided with motivation sessions not just students and others program even the parents are provided with motivation sessions. See there is also a helpline to clarify doubts. Finally through this program the progress of the girls students is constantly monitored and valuable feedback is provided. This is to ensure that the students stay on the right path during their preparation journey. So these are the silent features of the Udan program for girls students launched by the CBSC. I have also displayed here the eligibility criteria for this program. You can just go through it and you can use this to create awareness about this program among the people in your surroundings. So that's all regarding this program. In this discussion we saw two case studies of the successful implementation of the Udan project of the Rajasthan government. Then we saw about the Udan program for girls students which is launched by CBSC. Kindly note the difference just don't go with the name Udan alone. Please read whether it's a program or project or we have one more thing Udan scheme is also there so please don't confuse anything. That's all regarding this discussion. So these key points in mind now let's move on to the next part of the news article discussion that is the prelims practice question discussion. Now take this first question see it is regarding the Krishi Udan scheme. Before getting into the question let's see what all Udan project or program or schemes that we saw in our discussion and we are going to see in our question okay. Here first know the difference the Udan project that was mentioned in the news article was launched by the Rajasthan government and it was in collaboration with a development consulting group IPE Global okay and also we saw a program that is Udan program for girls students. It was launched by the central board of secondary education that is CBSC under the guidance of the ministry of human resource developments okay. Note that there is another scheme in the name of Udan that is Udideshka Arm Nagrik that is Udan scheme which is a regional connectivity scheme and it was launched by the ministry of civil aviation okay. See the Udan scheme envisages providing connectivity to an unserved and underserved airports of the country through the revival of existing air strips and airports okay. And now coming back to the question this Krishi Udan scheme know it was also launched by the ministry of civil aviation and it was launched in August 2020 on international and national routes to assist the farmers in transporting agricultural products so that it promotes their value realization okay. Now coming back to the question see as I always say whenever you get a two statement question go through both the statements before confirming your final answer okay. Here the first statement is absolutely incorrect because we saw that the scheme is launched by ministry of civil aviation and not ministry of agriculture okay. Now look at the second statement the second statement is correct because the scheme proposes to facilitate and incentivize the movement of agree produce by ad transportation just now we saw this. So the answer for this question is option B to only since the question is demanding for the correct statements okay. Now moving on to the second question it is regarding the maternity benefit amendment act 2017 see this is also a two statement question so we are going to read both the statements before answering the question. The first statement is correct because we saw in our discussion itself that the act states that every women shall be entitled to a maternity benefit of 12 weeks but the amendment know and the word to increase the same to 26 weeks okay. So statement one is correct. Now look at the second statement it is incorrect because we saw in a discussion that the amendment grants 12 weeks of maternity leave to a woman who legally adopts a child below three months of age okay. So what is the answer here they are demanding for correct statements so your answer will be option A one only okay. Now look at the third question it is regarding the marine stewardship council okay. Consider the following statements with reference to marine stewardship council and choose the correct option here your answer will be option C which says it is a non-profit organization that recognize it and rewards efforts to protect oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for the future and note that we saw in a discussion that the council promotes for sustainable fishing. So when you get this kind of preliminary question and awareness of what is the council is about is more than enough okay. Now moving on to the next question it is about the national green tribunal so it is also a two statement question looking at the first statement you can clearly understand that it is correct. See because the NGT has not been vested with powers to hear any matter relating to the wildlife protection act 1972 then the Indian forest act 1927 and various other laws enacted by states relating to forestry conservation or preservation etc and we saw in a discussion what all the legislation over which NGT has powers just revise it once okay. Now looking at the second statement it is incorrect because we saw in a discussion that the tribunal has a presence in five zones that is north central east south and west am I right and the principal bench is located in yes you are right it is in the north zone headquartered in Delhi and the central bench is situated in Bhopal east zone in Kolkata south zone in Chennai and west zone in Pune okay. So the question is demanding for the correct statement your answer should be option A one only is the correct statement okay now moving on to the last question see we saw about the stem cells and its types so I made a point to cover the stem cell therapy and its application in this question okay so before getting into the question let me tell you about what is stem cell therapy and then let's answer this question see stem cell therapy is nothing but a therapy in which stem cells are used to treat or prevent a disease or condition when you take the stem cells they themselves do not serve any single purpose but are important for several reasons firstly with the right stimulation many stem cells can take on the role of any type of cells and they can regenerate damaged tissue under the right conditions okay see this potential could save lives or repair wounds and tissue damage in people after an illness or injury am I right see these stem cells are present inside different types of tissues including the brain bone marrow blood and blood vessels skeletal muscles skin the liver etc and now let's see some of the applications of this stem cell therapy see the application includes tissue generation cardiovascular disease treatment cell deficiency therapy blood disease treatments and brain disease treatments now let's come back to the question see which of the following statements are applications of stem cell therapy just now I mentioned all these are applications of stem cell therapy so your answer here should be option C 1 2 3 4 and 5 only okay displayed here is a mains practice question please go through the question and write your answers and post it in the comment section if you like this video to like share and comment and don't forget to subscribe to the Shankar IS Academy's YouTube channel thank you for listening