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Daily News Simplified - DNS

11 05 20Notes

SL. NO. TOPICS THE HINDU

PAGE NO.1 Norms issued for restart of industrial units 01 & 08

2 Trends shaping post-COVID-19 world 06

3 NIV develops test to detect Antibodies 10

4 Tying up with Todas to keep the virus at bay 05

5 Venture Capital Fund for SC/OBS 03

Dated: 11-May-2020 DNS Notes

Title 1. Norms issued for restart of industrial units (The Hindu – Pg. 01 + 08)Syllabus GS paper III – Indian EconomyTheme Industrial RegulationHighlights

Context: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a series of guidelines to all the states and Union Territories for restarting manufacturing industries after the lockdown period. Certain economic activities have already been allowed on gradual lifting of restrictions in some zones.

National Disaster Management Authority has issued guidelines under the following Rules

1. Guidelines on Chemical Disasters, 20072. Guidelines on Management of Chemical (Terrorism) Disasters, 2009 and3. Strengthening of Safety and Security For Transportation of POL Tankers,

2010, which are relevant for chemical industries.4. The Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989

under Environment Protection Act, 1086 provide the statutory requirements for these industries.

Need for a Gradual Start

Industries not following Govt’s SOP - Due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units during the lockdown period, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established Standards of Procedure (SOP).

Cleaning of Industrial Facilities - As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves, etc. may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for the storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable materials.

Sanitizing the industrial units - When Lockout procedures are not in place, many energy sources can prove to be hazardous to operators/supervisors who are servicing or maintaining electrical, mechanical or chemical equipment.

Lack of maintenance of machinery parts - When heavy machinery and equipment are not maintained periodically, they can become dangerous for the operators/engineers.

Need for Safety Codes for hazardous Chemicals - Combustible liquids, contained gaseous substances, open wires, conveyor belts and automated vehicles make manufacturing facilities a high-risk environment. Improper enforcement of safety codes and improperly labelled chemicals can further pose serious health hazards.

Response during disaster - When an unexpected event occurs, managing rapid response becomes challenging. In order to minimise the risk and to encourage a successful restart of the industrial units, the following guidelines are being issued.

Specifics of the Guidelines

For District Authorities State Governments shall ensure that the off-site disaster management plan of

the respective Major Accidental Hazard (MAH) units are up to date and prepared for any kind of disaster.

"Major Accident Hazard (MAH) installation” means isolated storage and industrial activity at a site handling including transport through carrier or pipeline of hazardous chemicals equal to, or in excess of the threshold quantities

It is also advised that all the responsible officers of the district shall ensure that the Industrial On-Site Disaster Management Plans are also in place and cover Standard Operating Procedures for safe re-starting of the industries during & after COVID 19 lock down.

For Restarting Units While restarting the units, the first week shall be considered as a trial or test

run period. It must ensure all safety protocols and should not try to achieve high production targets.

all equipment as per the safety protocols during the restart phase. To minimize the risk it is important that employees who work on specific

equipment are sensitized and made aware of the need to identify abnormalities like strange sounds or smell, exposed wires, vibrations, leaks, smoke, abnormal wobbling, irregular grinding or other potentially hazardous signs which indicate the need for an immediate maintenance or


Title 2. Trends shaping post-COVID-19 world (The Hindu – Pg. 06)Syllabus GS paper II – International RelationTheme International Geo-politicsHighlights

The trends shaping the post COVID -19 World

Context: The author highlights the Global (dis)order that has unfolded due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The outbreak has aggravated the new geopolitical trendlines which were already slowly building up.

These trendlines are reflected in the rising Asian power and decreasing US power, the issues building up inside the EU, the rise of China and falling effectiveness of the international organizations like the UN etc.

So, in this article let us understand in detail these emerging trendlines.

1. Rising Asia

Asia which accounted for half the global GDP before industrial revolution has again emerged as a key global economic player and has displayed its resilience to economic shocks during the 2008 global Recession.

And even today, economic forecasts indicate that out of the G-20 countries, only China and India are likely to register economic growth during 2020.

Response of Asian countries in tackling the pandemic has displayed greater responsiveness and effective State capacity. Thus, it is being predicted that these economies are likely to recover faster than the west.

2. Falling US power

US has been one of the key players in shaping the world in the last century.

It has played a decisive role from the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations after World War I to the creation of the United Nations and Bretton Woods institutions after World War II, to leadership of the western world during the Cold War, moulding global responses to threats posed by terrorism or proliferation or climate change.

However, this superior position has lost its sheen due to its interference in Afghanistan and Iraq without conclusive evidence. Further the current US administration which is pursuing the America first policy has alienated its partners.

The U.S. leadership's ad -hoc response to the pandemic indicates


that countries are also losing trust in the U.S.’s competence.

The U.S. still remains the largest economy and the largest military power but has lost the will and ability to lead.

3. Issues in European Union

It is facing internal challenges due to its expansion of membership to include East European states, impact of the financial crisis among the Eurozone members, and ongoing Brexit negotiations.

There is difference of opinion amongst its members about its relationship with Russia and China.

Further the member countries are witnessing rising populism and a tilt towards authoritarian values in their leaderships.

Rising inequality between member countries is also another concern.

In response to the pandemic, Italy's neighbouring countries introduced export controls, which led to China airlifting necessary medical help to Italy.

All these issues highlight that EU will have to reconsider the principles of free movements of goods, service, capital and people and the principle of shared sovereignty.

4. Rising China

China’s growing economic role has been visible since it joined the World Trade Organization

It has become more assertive under President Xi Jinping’s leadership.

The U.S.-China relationship moved from cooperation to competition (US had supported China’s entry into WTO); and now with trade and technology wars, it is moving steadily to confrontation. (Visible in the ongoing trade war and US accusing China of deliberately spreading the virus).

China's rise is visible in the unprecedented centralisation of power in its leadership.

Belt and Road Initiative seeks to connect China to the Eurasia and Africa through both maritime and land routes by investing trillions of dollars in infrastructure building as a kind of pre-emptive move against any U.S. attempts at containment.

5. Falling effectiveness of the international organizations

The way WHO has handled the pandemic has raised concerns about its functioning.


Further US has stopped its funding to the WHO and has accused it of having a pro -China tilt.

The UN Security Council (UNSC), the G-7 and the G-20 are paralysed at a time when the world faces the worst recession since 1929.

These institutions were already facing the credibility issue which is more clearly visible now.

During the Cold War, U.S.-Soviet rivalry blocked the UNSC on many sensitive issues and now with major power rivalry returning, finds itself paralysed again.

Agencies such as WHO have lost autonomy over decades as their regular budgets shrank, forcing them to increasingly rely on voluntary contributions sourced largely from western countries and foundations.

U.S. leadership strengthened the Bretton Woods institutions in recent decades because the U.S.’s voting power gives it a blocking veto.

The absence of a multilateral response today highlights the long-felt need for reform of these bodies but this cannot happen without collective global leadership.

6. Energy Politics

Economic recession and depressed oil prices will exacerbate internal tensions in West Asian countries which are solely dependent on oil revenues. Long-standing rivalries in the region have often led to local conflicts but can now create political instability in these countries.

Conclusion

A vaccine for the novel coronavirus will help deal with the global health crisis but these unfolding trends have now been aggravated. Rising nationalism and protectionist responses will prolong the economic recession into a depression, sharpening inequalities and polarisations. Greater unpredictability and more turbulent times lie ahead.


Personal Notes


Title 3. NIV develops test to detect Antibodies (Page number 10)Syllabus GS paper III – Science & TechnologyTheme Anti-body testsHighlights

ContextNational Institute of Virology (NIV) has developed an immunological assay — enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) — to detect antibodies that the body develops in response to infection by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. [ELISA is routinely used for detecting HIV infection.]

This is the first time India has developed an indigenous ELISA test for coronavirus. The test will detect IgG antibodies present in blood samples.

Advantages of the ELISA test for Coronavirus

It has the advantage of testing 90 samples together in a single run of 2.5 hours. Rapid antibody tests imported from China were found to be unreliable and hence

States were instructed not to use them for detecting previous coronavirus infection. ELISA kit has inactivated virus. There are also minimal bio-safety and bio-security

requirements as compared to the real-time RT-PCR test. Detection of recovered patients –

RT-PCR detects the RNA of the coronavirus. It enables detection of current infection. It

Immunological assays are a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a macromolecule or a small molecule in a solution through the use of an antibody or an antigen. Enzymes are popularly used in these immunological assays to track antibodies and antigens.

Immunoglobulin G is a type of antibody. Representing approximately 75% of serum antibodies in humans, IgG is the most common type of antibody found in blood circulation.


will yield negative result if the testing is carried out days after the infection clears as the virus will no longer be present. However, antibodies developed in response to the coronavirus infection will be present in the blood for a longer duration. Both together can be used to detect recovered patients. (negative RT-PCR test and positive ELISA test)

Robust antibody tests are critical for surveillance to understand the proportion of population exposed to infection.

However, as ELISA test is based on detection of antibodies and it takes one-three weeks for the antibodies to develop in response to infection, it cannot be used to detect a recently infected person.

Personal Notes

ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune is the apex laboratory of the country with state-of-art infrastructure and expertise for research in virology.


Title 4. Tying up with Todas to keep the virus at bay (The Hindu Pg 05)

Syllabus GS paper I – Indian SocietyTheme Tribal AffairHighlights

Context

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to sweep across the country, traditional tribal artisans from the Nilgiris are producing masks with exquisite embroidery to help people ward off the infection.The cloth masks, are embroidered with intricate Toda designs, and sold for around Rs 225 each.The idea to hand embroider designs on masks is ingenious. People will have to learn to incorporate masks as part of their everyday clothing for the foreseeable future. By using the skills of the Todas to stitch the motifs, stable livelihood is provided to them. It has helped Toda artisan to find work despite the lockdown.As there are no tourists coming into the district, there is no demand at all for Toda embroidered quilts, shawls or other clothes. But because of the demand for masks, their skills are being put to use and they get a livelihood in return.

Toda tribe

Toda people are a Dravidian ethnic group who live in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The Toda lands are now a part of The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-designated International Biosphere Reserve

The Toda tribe is largely dependent on buffalo herding and embroidery for its livelihood.

The Toda tribals have their own language, which does not have a script. the once thriving tribe has fewer than 1,000 members today. Todas are one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups from Tamil Nadu


Personal Notes


Title 5. Venture Capital Fund for SC/OBS (The Hindu Pg 03)

Syllabus GS paper III – Indian EconomyTheme Venture Capital FundHighlights

Context: The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment had launched on 16.01.2015 the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes.

Venture Capital Fund for SC/OBC

It was announced by the Finance Minister in the Interim Budget Speech for 2014-15. The Venture Capital Fund was to be established in order to promote entrepreneurship among the scheduled castes and to provide concessional finance to them. Accordingly IFCI was tasked to set up a Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes with an initial capital of Rs. 200 crore.

Venture Capital Fund is a Social Sector Initiative to be implemented nationally in order to promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled Castes population in India.

The spirit of the above mentioned fund is to support those entrepreneurs who will create wealth and value for society and at the same time promoting profitable business.

The objectives of the Scheme are as below:

It is a Social Sector Initiative to be implemented nationally in order to promote entrepreneurship among the scheduled caste population in India.

Promote entrepreneurship amongst the Scheduled Castes who are oriented toward innovation and growth technologies.

To provide concessional finance to the scheduled caste entrepreneurs who will create wealth and value for society and at the same time will promote profitable businesses. The assets so created will also create forward/backward linkage. It will further create chain effect in the locality.

To increase financial inclusion for SC entrepreneurs and to motivate them for further growth of SC communities.

To develop SC entrepreneurs economically. To enhance direct and indirect employment generation for SC population in

India.


Personal Notes

Prelims Summary

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