15th January 2021 Current Affairs Analysis - IASToppers
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15th January 2021 Current Affairs Analysis
By IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2021-01-15 17:00:00
Government Schemes and Policies
Call for a National level policy for Working from Home
Recently, International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report titled “Working from home:
From invisibility to decent work”.
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Key Highlights of the Report
So far, only 10 countries had ratified the Convention on Homework, which was adopted by the
International Labour Conference on June 20, 1996.
The home-based working had remained “invisible”.
There is a need to develop effective policies for home-based workers and ensure their proper
implementation.
It talked about three main types of home-based workers:
1. Industrial home-based workers:
They are involved in the production of goods including artisanal production, such
as making of handicrafts, rolling of beedis, making of laces, etc.
2. Teleworkers:
They use information and communication technologies to perform their work
remotely.
3. Home-based digital platform workers:
They are crowdworkers that perform service-sector tasks as specified by
employers or intermediaries.
The propensity of women (11.5%) to work from home was much higher than that of men
(5.6%).
ILO’s Recommendations
Governments need to adopt a national policy on home-based work to protect home-workers.
It called upon governments to develop and implement a gender-responsive legal and policy
framework that provided equal treatment for all categories of home-based workers in relation to
other wage earners.
The policy must facilitate the transition of informal workers to formal employment.
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Home-based workers needed to be counted to record their earnings, hours worked and other
conditions of employment.
The labour registries needed to be revised to incorporate place of work and count those home-
based workers.
Adopt labour inspection schemes for home-based work.
It called for better compliance, legal protection, occupational safety and social security for
industrial home-based workers.
It recommended the right to disconnect on teleworkers behalf, who are at the risk of working
overtime.
About International Labour Union (ILO)
ILO was created in 1919, as part of theTreaty of Versailles.
The only tripartite U.N. agency, which brings together governments, employers and workers.
Objective: To promote social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.
Mission: Social Justice is essential to Universal and lasting peace.
Functions: To set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent
work for all women and men.
Members: 187
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Organisational Structure:
The International Labour Conference
It meets annually to formulate international labour standards.
The Governing Body
It serves as the executive council and decides the policy and budget.
The International Labour Office
The permanent secretariat administers the organization and implements activities.
In 1969, ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize.
[Ref- Down To Earth]
Issues related to Health & Education
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)
Recently, Kerala has noticed a deadly pandemic affecting bovines has prevailing over the village of
Kammana, Wayanad district.
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About the Disease
LSD was first discovered in 1929 in Zambia, Africa and remained confined only to the Africa
and parts of West Asia.
It is a viral illness that causes prolonged morbidity in cattle and buffaloes.
It appears as nodules of 2-5 Cm diameter all over the body.
The lumps gradually open up like large and deep wounds.
In some cases, the infected animal succumbs to the disease.
No treatment is available for the disease.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) declares it as a notifiable disease.
Spread of disease
Blood sucking insects such as- mosquitoes, flies and ticks
Contaminated water and food
Saliva
Symptoms
Mild fever
General malaise
Ocular
Nasal discharge
Sudden decrease in milk production
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Prevention
Movement control
Vaccination
Slaughter campaign
Management strategies
Impact on Economy
Decreased milk Production
Abortions, infertility and damaged hides cause significant losses to farmers.
[Ref- Down To Earth]
Economy
IRFC IPO: India’s 1st PSU NBFC issue opens
Indian Railway Finance Corporation is the first Public Sector Unit Non-Banking Financial Company to
have an Initial Public Offering (IPO).
About Indian Railway Finance Corporation:
It is the finance arm of the Indian Railways.
Objective: To financial resources for expansion and running through capital markets and other
borrowings.
The IRFC deals with:
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Financing the acquisition of rolling stock assets, which includes both powered and
unpowered vehicles such as locomotives, coaches, wagons etc.
Leasing of railway infrastructure assets.
National projects of the Government of India.
Lending to other entities under the Ministry of Railways.
What is an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?
It is a type of public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and
usually also retail (individual) investors.
It is underwritten by one or more investment banks, who also arrange for the shares to be listed on
one or more stock exchanges.
Through this process known as floating, or going public, a privately held company is
transformed into a public company.
Raise new equity capital for companies.
Monetize the investments of private shareholders such as company founders or private
equity investors.
Enable easy trading of existing holdings or future capital raising by becoming publicly
traded.
About Non-Banking Financial Company:
A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act,
1956.
It is engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/ stocks/ bonds/
debentures/ securities issued by Government or local authority or other marketable securities.
NBFC does not include any institution whose principal business is:
Agriculture activity
Industrial activity
Purchase or sale of any goods (other than securities)
Providing any services and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.
NBFCs whose asset size is of ? 500 crore or more as per last audited balance sheet are
considered as systemically important NBFCs.
Difference between Banks & NBFCs:
NBFC cannot accept demand deposits.
NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques
drawn on itself.
Deposit insurance facility is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.
[Ref: Indian Express]
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Ecology, Environment and Disaster Management
43 million hectares of forest lost in a decade
An analysis by WWF on forest loss was released recently.
Analysis by WWF:
More than 43 million hectares of forest have been lost in a little over a decade in the hotspots.
The Forest cover continue to be flattened each year, mainly due to industrial-scale
agriculture as biodiversity-rich areas are cleared to create space for livestock and crops.
It found that just 29 sites across South America, Africa and South East Asia were responsible
for more than half of the global forest loss.
The Brazilian Amazon, the Bolivian Amazon, Paraguay, Argentina, Madagascar, along with
Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia and Malaysia were among the worst affected.
In Brazil’s Cerrado region, land has been cleared rapidly for cattle production, leading to a
32.8-percent loss of forest area between 2004-2017.
It is home to five percent of the planet’s animals and plant.
Drivers of Deforestation and Responses:
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Recommended future actions:
Increase investments in protected areas and strengthen forest protection laws.
Promote verifiable progress in deforestation-free supply chains, especially for beef.
Enhance funding to support farmers and graziers to regenerate forests, with incentives for those
who demonstrate improved forest condition.
Develop policies and structures to support a transition from native forest logging to plantations
and independently certified forest management.
Ramp up responses such as certification and REDD+.
Strengthen enforcement of government regulations, particularly regarding logging, land
acquisition and fire management.
[Ref: The Indian Express]
Indian History
PM bows to the venerable Thiruvalluvar on Thiruvalluvar Day
The Prime Minister recently bowed to the venerable Thiruvalluvar on Thiruvalluvar Day.
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Thiruvalluvar Day:
It was first celebrated on May 17 and 18 in 1935.
In the present time, it is usually observed either on January 15 or 16 in Tamil Nadu and is a part
of Pongal celebrations.
Thiruvalluvar:
According to Tamil orator and writer and father of Pure Tamil movement, Maraimalai Adigal the
birth year of Valluvar was 31 BC.
While Czech scholar in Indian literature and linguistics, Kamil Zvelebil inferred that Thiruvalluvar
lived around 500 AD.
Earliest references of the poet are found in the text Tiruvalluva Maalai.
Multiple accounts regarding Thiruvalluvar are available but little is known about his family
background, religious affiliation or birthplace.
He is believed to have lived in Mylapore, a neighbourhood in present-day Chennai and flourished
between the 4th century and 6th century.
Though the period in which he lived is also widely debated with some accounts saying that he lived
from 8th to 9th century.
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Works:
His primary work “Thirukkural” or Kural contains 1330 couplets (kurals) that are divided into 133
sections of 10 couplets each.
The text is divided into three parts with teachings on dharma, artha, and kama (virtue,
wealth and love).
It is the most celebrated of the Patiren-kirkkanakku (“Eighteen Ethical Works”) in Tamil
Literature.
He contributed the Tirukkural to the Sangam literature.
Ideas of Thriuvalluvar
He dismissed the caste system.
He believed that goodness is its own reward and should not be regarded as a mere means to a
comfortable afterlife.
[Ref: PIB]
Science and Technology
More effective Nanobodies to fight novel coronavirus
An international research team has identified and further developed novel antibody fragments against
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
About the development:
The nanobodies are combined into potentially particularly effective molecules, which attack
different parts of the virus simultaneously.
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The new approach could prevent the pathogen from evading the active agent through
mutations.
These nanobodies are much smaller than classic antibodies.
Background:
A surface protein of the coronavirus was injected into an alpaca and a llama, their immune
system then produces mainly antibodies directed against this virus.
In addition to complex normal antibodies, they produce a simpler antibody variant that can serve
as the basis for nanobodies.
What are Antibodies?
Antibodies are specialized, Y-shaped proteins that bind like a lock-and-key to the body's foreign
invaders such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites.
They are the Search battalion of the immune system's search-and-destroy system, tasked with
finding an enemy and marking it for destruction.
Function:
They're released from the cell and they go out and hunt.
When antibodies find their target, they bind to it, which then triggers a cascade of actions
that vanquish the invader.
Antibodies are part of the adaptive immune system.
What are Nanobodies?
Nanobodies are a novel class of proprietary therapeutic proteins, that contain the unique
structural and functional properties of naturally-occurring heavy chain only antibodies.
Nanobody platform allows for the rapid generation and large-scale production of novel
biological therapeutics that have potential in a wide range of human diseases.
They are an important weapon in the immune system’s defense against infections.
They bind to the surface structures of bacteria or viruses and prevent their replication.
Due to their small size and unique structure, Nanobodies are ideal building blocks for the
generation of novel biological drugs with multiple competitive advantages over other
therapeutic molecules.
They are antibody fragments that are so simple that they can be produced by bacteria or yeast,
which is less expensive.
Significance of nanobodies:
The Nanobodies, penetrate the tissue better and can be produced easily in larger quantities.
One strategy in the fight against disease is to produce effective antibodies in large quantities
and inject them into patients.
However, producing antibodies is difficult and time-consuming.
[Ref: The Indian Express]
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Key Facts for Prelims
Archaeologists find world's oldest animal cave painting
Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known animal cave painting in Indonesia - a
wild pig - drawn 45,500 years ago.
It is found on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The animals appear to be wild pigs and small buffalo, while the hunters are depicted in reddish-
brown colors with human bodies and the heads of animals including birds and reptiles.
The painting suggests that a highly advanced artistic culture existed some 44,000 years ago,
punctuated by folklore, religious myths and spiritual belief.
[Ref: Indian Express]
Indian Army Day
Recently, the 73rd Indian Army Day on January 15 celebrated.
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About:
The Indian Army day is celebrated to honor the soldiers of the country, who have set the
greatest example of selfless service.
On 73rd Indian Army Day, the Indian Army will organise a marathon 'Vijay Run' to
commemorate Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations of India's victory over Pakistan in 1971.
Why is Army Day celebrated?
On January 15, 1949 General KM Cariappa took over from General Sir Francis Robert Roy
Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
[Ref: NDTV]
Kalrav
Recently, Bihar held its state bird festival ‘Kalrav’.
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About:
The first state bird festival will be held in Nagi-Nakti bird sanctuaries.
Nagi dam bird sanctuary was declared as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife
International.
Home of a wide variety of indigenous species of birds and of migratory birds.
Create awareness, especially about migratory birds.
[Ref: Hindustan Times]
Spintronics
Scientists of the Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali produced have produced electron gas
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with ultra-high mobility.
About Spintronics:
Spintronics is also known as spin electronics.
It is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in
addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-state devices.
‘Rashba effect’, which consists of splitting of spin-bands in an electronic system, might play a
key role in spintronic devices.
It has implications in the efficiency of data storage and transfer.
It is most often realized in Dilute Magnetic Semiconductors (DMS) and Heusler alloys
They are important in the field of quantum computing and neuromorphic computing.
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Ultra-High Mobility 2d-Electron Gas(2DEG):
A two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is a scientific model in solid-state physics.
It is an electron gas that is free to move in two dimensions, but tightly confined in the third.
This tight confinement leads to quantized energy levels for motion in the third direction.
Due to the high mobility of the electron gas, electrons do not collide inside the medium for a
long distance and hence do not lose the memory and information.
It can easily remember and transfer its memory for a long time and distance.
[Ref: Outlook]
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