The Cabinet Secretary, Shri Pradeep Kumar Sinha, reviewed the work done so far under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA),and in particular the second field visit of the 1100 central government officers to the 256 most water stressed districts of India. He lauded the efforts and commitment of the officers in helping makethe Jal Shakti Abhiyan a people’ movement for water conservation.

Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, DDWS, started the review by welcoming the 1100 plus central government officers and narrating inspiring case studies on water conservation stories from the field during the JSA period.

Later in the afternoon, a delegation from Israel, led by the country’s ambassador Rd. Ron Malka, made presentations on water management, water use efficiency, creating public awareness on water conservation and Innovation for Water purification.

The Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhwat concluded the review meeting with an inspiring address.He urged them to tap the traditional water conservation knowledge and improvise upon it with the help of the people. He also advised the officers to be abreast with modern water technologies and learn from water efficient countries such as Israel. He highlighted how each person had a major role to play in transforming India and making it water secure.

The JSA is a countrywide effort to enhance water security, especially in water stressed districts. In the past two months, JSA has delivered over 5 lakh local water conservation infrastructure in 256 districts. Out of these, 2.73 lakh are water conservation and rain water harvesting measures, over 44,000 relate to the rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, about 1.5 lakh are reuse and recharge structures and 1.23 lakh are watershed development projects. An estimated 3.7 crore people have already participated in the Abhiyan making it a Jan Andolan and about 12.3 crore saplings have been planted as afforestation intervention. Apart from the Cabinet Secretary and the OSD and Cabinet Secretary designate Shri Rajeev Gauba, other Union secretaries and more than 1100 central government officers and Assistant Secretaries attended the review meeting.

The Government today reiterated its commitment in providing Wi-Fi in all the villages through GramNet with connectivity between 10mbps to 100 mbps speed. Delivering a keynote address at the 36th Foundation Day celebrations of C-DOT here, Minister of State for Communications Shri Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre said that BharatNet also plans to provide 1 GBPS connectivity, which can be expanded up to 10 GBPS and C-DOT’s XGS-PON launched today will help in a great way to achieve this. He said, when India is celebrating 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, this will be a real tribute to Bapu, who had dreamt of a self-reliant Indian village.

Mr Dhotre said that C-Sat-Fi technology of C-DOT will empower Indian People especially in rural and remote areas as telephone and Wi-Fi facilities will be available in all corners of the country on any mobile phone. He said that the new technology will bring people in remote areas to mainstream by connecting them through satellites, where fiber is difficult to be laid and internet is not available.

The Minister launched C-DOT’s latest innovations, “C-Sat-Fi (C-DOTSatellite WiFi”, “XGSPON (10 G Symmetrical Passive Optical Network)” and “C-DOT’s Interoperable Set Top Box (CiSTB).

Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Director of C-DOT Mr Vipin Tyagi said that C-Sat-Fi (C-DOT Satellite WiFi) is based on the optimal utilization of wireless and satellite communication to extend connectivity to the unserved areas including the remote islands and difficult terrains. Besides offering the ease of deployment, the solution is ideally suited to addressing disasters and emergencies when no other means of communication are available, he added. This cost-effective solution does not require the expensive Satellite Phones and can work on any WiFi enabled phone.

Similarly, C-DOT’s XGSPON (10 G Symmetrical Passive Optical Network) is an effective solution to fulfil the rapidly increasing demands of high network speeds emanating from the new dimensions of user applications like IPTV, HD Video Streaming, Online Gaming and host of other cloud based services that necessitate the seamless availability of high bandwidth.

The third innovation, C-DOT’s Interoperable Set Top Box (CiSTB) will prove to be a boon to the dissatisfied customers who cannot change their Cable TV operator in view of the recurring costs of setting and installing the physical infrastructure afresh. Based on a portable smart card like a mobile SIM, this solution will revolutionize the experience of the Cable TV operators by offering them a high degree of choice, ease and convenience without having to replace the once installed STB.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Government of India is observing its 36th Foundation Day celebrations on 26-27 August, 2019. This year too, continuing the same tradition, C-DOT held a technical conference as part of GB Meemamsi Lecture Series 2019, wherein several field experts, Telecom veterans and academicians from around the world shared their experiences and discussed innovative ways to address the numerous issues and challenges faced by the technology developers, policy makers and end-users in the new era defined by the all-pervasive “Internet of Things (IoT)”. The conference was jointly organized by C-DOT and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) under the aegis of European Union (EU) funded project on “India-EUCooperation on ICT- Related Standardization, Policy and Legislation” in association with Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).

The inaugural session of the celebrations was graced by Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications Shri Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Mr. Luis Jorge Romero, Director General, ETSI and H.E. Raimund Magis, Charge d’Affaires, European Union delegation to India and several senior officials of the Ministry of Telecommunications.

Besides, insightful deliberations on a wide range of contemporary subjects spanning the critical need of IoT/M2M standardization and its impact on digital economy with special emphasis on oneM2M which has emerged as the Global Standard for IoT/M2M, various security and data protection aspects related to IoT/M2M deployments, diverse applications and use cases of IoT/M2M, the upcoming trends of LiFi and WiFi 6 and a session dedicated to the standardized implementation of Smart Cities. This conference becomes very topical and important as TEC is currently in the process of deciding on oneM2M as the national standard of IoT/M2M.

What is it? It is a flagship event of the WorldSkills International, organised every two years.

It is the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world that truly reflects global industry. The aims of the competition include demonstrating the advantages of learning a vocational skill, and encouraging ‘parity of esteem’ between vocational and academic qualifications.

About Worldskills: WorldSkills currently has 79 Member countries and regions, most of which organise national skills competitions that help to prepare the workforce and talent of today for the jobs of the future.

WorldSkills International was formerly known as the International Vocation Training Organisation (IVTO). It was founded in the 1940s and emerged from a desire to create new employment opportunities for young people in some of the economies that were devastated by the Second World War.

What Is WorldSkills India? WorldSkills India is an initiative of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. NSDC, through its WorldSkills India initiative, has been leading the country’s participation at WorldSkills International competitions since 2011.

The key objectives of WorldSkills India are to: Promulgate skills in the society and motivate the youth to pursue vocational education. Champion skills and learning for work through local, regional, national and international skills competition and contribute to the society.

Invite sponsorships to organize the local, regional, national and international skills competitions and also host international competitions. Establish links and a long-term association with the WSI secretariat along with development of cooperation with the Government of India, state Governments, registered vocational skills training and awarding bodies.

What you need to know about RCEP? RCEP is proposed between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).

RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia. Aim: RCEP aims to boost goods trade by eliminating most tariff and non-tariff barriers — a move that is expected to provide the region’s consumers greater choice of quality products at affordable rates. It also seeks to liberalise investment norms and do away with services trade restrictions.

Why has it assumed so much significance in recent times? When inked, it would become the world’s biggest free trade pact. This is because the 16 nations account for a total GDP of about $50 trillion and house close to 3.5 billion people. India (GDP-PPP worth $9.5 trillion and population of 1.3 billion) and China (GDP-PPP of $23.2 trillion and population of 1.4 billion) together comprise the RCEP’s biggest component in terms of market size.

Why is India concerned? Greater access to Chinese goods may have impact on the Indian manufacturing sector. India has got massive trade deficit with China. Under these circumstances, India proposed differential market access strategy for China. There are demands by other RCEP countries for lowering customs duties on a number of products and greater access to the market than India has been willing to provide.

Why India should not miss RCEP? If India is out of the RCEP, it would make its exports price uncompetitive with other RCEP members’ exports in each RCEP market, and the ensuing export-losses contributing to foreign exchange shortages and the subsequent extent of depreciation of the rupee can only be left to imagination. Some of the sectors that have been identified as potential sources of India’s export growth impulses under RCEP to the tune of approximately $200 billion.

There are more compelling trade and economic reasons for RCEP to become India-led in future, than otherwise. India would get greater market access in other countries not only in terms of goods, but in services and investments also.

However, there are views that in present form the RCEP agreement is not good for India. Why? The current account deficit (CAD) touched 8 per cent of GDP, and the agreement in the present state of negotiations would mean forgoing a substantial part of the revenues.

Greater access to Chinese goods may have impact on the Indian manufacturing sector. India has got massive trade deficit with China. In fiscal year 2017-18, the trade deficit with China was $63 billion. Under these circumstances, India proposed differential market access strategy for China.

Exports from ASEAN into India have grown far quicker than Indian exports to the bloc, which they attribute to the fact that India is a “services economy.” There are demands by other RCEP countries for lowering customs duties on a number of products and greater access to the market than India has been willing to provide.

Apart from China, India is also losing out to financial and technological hub of Singapore, agriculture and dairy majors Australia and New Zealand, plantations of South East Asian countries, and pharmaceutical trade with China and the US.

With e-commerce as part of the discussion, the Indian resistance at WTO of not letting the discussion on digital trade will weaken. The free movement of investments will benefit investors in the US, Singapore, Japan and China, but very few Indians will be taking advantage of this. New Delhi is also worried that the RCEP will open backdoor negotiations and may lead to the country losing out on TRIPS agreements. This may result in giving way to global majors in agriculture seed and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Way ahead: Bilateral talks between India and China are crucial for an early conclusion of RCEP negotaiations as agreed by other members. Indian policymakers need to be mindful of domestic sectors’ concerns before agreeing on terms of deal. Simultaneously, there is a necessity to improve our competitiveness in the economy. India must play its due role to get its due place in the regional economic configurations.

What is gravitational lensing? How it works? Gravitational lensing is an effect of Einstein’s theory of general relativity – simply put, mass bends light. The gravitational field of a massive object will extend far into space, and cause light rays passing close to that object (and thus through its gravitational field) to be bent and refocused somewhere else.

The more massive the object, the stronger its gravitational field and hence the greater the bending of light rays – just like using denser materials to make optical lenses results in a greater amount of refraction.

Why is lensing useful? Gravitational lensing is useful to cosmologists because it is directly sensitive to the amount and distribution of dark matter. Lensing can help astronomers work out exactly how much dark matter there is in the Universe as a whole and also how it is distributed. Lensing has also been used to help verify the existence of dark matter itself.

What is the James Webb Space Telescope? The James Webb Space Telescope, also called Webb or JWST, is a large, space-based observatory, optimized for infrared wavelengths, which will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. It will cover longer wavelengths of light than Hubble and will have greatly improved sensitivity.

The longer wavelengths enable JWST to look further back in time to see the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, and to peer inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.

Why is Webb an infrared telescope? By viewing the universe at infrared wavelengths Webb will show us things never before seen by any other telescope. It is only at infrared wavelengths that we can see the first stars and galaxies forming after the Big Bang. And it is with infrared light that we can see stars and planetary systems forming inside clouds of dust that are opaque to visible light.

Who is James Webb? This space-based observatory is named after James E. Webb (1906- 1992), NASA’s second administrator. Webb is best known for leading Apollo, a series of lunar exploration programs that landed the first humans on the Moon. However, he also initiated a vigorous space science program that was responsible for more than 75 launches during his tenure, including America’s first interplanetary explorers.

Background: The yearly observance report for each member country lists the compliances and deviations from the SDDS under each data category for that year. There are over 20 data categories which IMF considers for this report to capture a nation’s economic health including national accounts (GDP, GNI), production indices, employment, and central government operations.

The report lists three types of deviations from SDDS: The first deals with delays in data dissemination from the periodicity prescribed in the SDDS.

The second occurs when member countries do not list a data category in their Advance Release Calendars (ARC) despite the category being mandated by the SDDS. The third deviation occurs when data is not disseminated at all for a particular period.

What is Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS)? The SDDS is a global benchmark for disseminating macroeconomic statistics to the public. SDDS subscription indicates that a country meets the test of “good statistical citizenship.”

Countries that subscribe to the SDDS agree to follow good practices in four areas: the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of data; public access to those data; data integrity; and data quality.

SDDS Plus: The SDDS Plus is the highest tier in the Fund’s Data Standards Initiatives and builds on the progress achieved under the SDDS. It is open to all SDDS subscribers, although it is aimed at economies with systemically important financial sectors. In addition to the requirements under the SDDS, the SDDS Plus emphasizes stronger data dissemination practices to enhance data transparency and help strengthen the international financial system.

Need: Data dissemination standards enhance the availability of timely and comprehensive statistics, which contributes to sound macroeconomic policies and the efficient functioning of financial markets.

Context: PM Narendra Modi has announced a renovation project of USD 4.2 million for the iconic Shri Krishna Temple in Bahrain.

Key facts: The temple completes 200 years this year. The temple is estimated to have been established around 1817 and was built by Thathai Bhatia Hindu community, and is still being managed by them. It is considered to be the first and the oldest temple in the Gulf countries and has been a place of worship for a host of Hindus since centuries. UAEs Highest Civilian Award ‘Order of Zayed’:

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was honoured with prestigious ‘Order of Zayed’, United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) highest civilian award. The award is in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of UAE.

The SURE project is a commitment by India’s apparel industry to set a sustainable pathway for the Indian fashion industry.

SURE stands for ‘Sustainable Resolution’ a firm commitment from the industry to move towards fashion that contributes to a clean environment. This framework would help the industry reduce its carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency, tackle waste and water management, and create positive social impact to achieve long-term sustainability targets.

It is celebrated on August 26 every year to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment in the United States of America that provides equal rights to women including the right to vote.

Context: U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month attacked the World Trade Organization (WTO) for allowing countries such as India and China to engage in unfair trade practices that affect American economic interests.

What’s the issue? Mr. Trump took issue with the “developing country” status enjoyed by India and China at the WTO. He argued that these countries are not developing economies, as they claim to be, but instead grown economies that do not deserve any preferential trade treatment from the WTO over developed countries such as the U.S.

What is the “developing country” status? The “developing country” status allows a member of the WTO to seek temporary exception from the commitments under various multilateral trade agreements ratified by the organisation. Introduced during the initial days of the WTO as a mechanism to offer some respite to poor countries while they try to adjust to a new global trade order marked by lower barriers to trade.

How are they classified? The WTO does not formally classify any of its members as a developing country. Individual countries are allowed to unilaterally classify themselves as developing economies. So, as many as two-thirds of the 164 members of the WTO have classified themselves as developing countries.

Need: Countries such as India and China, while seeking exception from various WTO agreements, have argued that their economic backwardness should be considered when it comes to the timeline of implementation of various trade agreements.

Developed countries such as the U.S. have tried to force poorer countries to impose stringent labour safety and other regulations that are already widely prevalent in the West. These regulations can increase the cost of production in developing countries and make them globally uncompetitive. Developing countries further view the introduction of labour issues into trade agreements as beyond the scope of the WTO, which is primarily supposed to be an organisation dealing with trade.

Benefits: Developing countries can seek to delay the implementation of the WTO agreements owing to their disadvantaged economic status. They can continue to impose tariffs and quotas on goods and services in order to limit imports and promote domestic producers who may otherwise be affected adversely by imports that are lower in price or better in quality.

What’s the allegation by the US now? While the “developing country” status was supposed to help poor countries ease gradually into a more globalised world economy, it has had other unintended effects.

Since the WTO allows countries to unilaterally classify themselves as “developing”, many countries have been happy to make use of this freedom. Even many developed economies such as Singapore and Hong Kong which have per capita income levels higher than the U.S., have made use of the provision to classify themselves as growing economies.

Further, countries such as China justify that while their per capita income level has increased many-fold over the last few decades, these are still far below that of high income levels in countries such as the U.S. Many economists also oppose the fundamental argument of poorer countries that low per capita income levels justify their decision to raise trade barriers. They argue that free trade benefits all countries irrespective of their income levels.

In fact, they argue that protectionist trade barriers impede the transition of developing economies to higher income levels. The developing country status may thus simply be a false pretext to justify protectionism.

What lies ahead? Since developing countries are likely to oppose any efforts to stop them from protecting their domestic economic interests, global trade rules are unlikely to experience any drastic reform any time soon.

Further, ahead of the next ministerial-level talks of the WTO scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan next year, the inability of the WTO to rein in global trade tensions has raised questions about its relevance in today’s world.

Need for urgent reforms: Global tariff rates over the years have dropped more due to bilateral trade agreements rather than due to multilateral trade agreements brokered at the WTO.

The dispute resolution mechanism of the WTO, which can pass judgments on disputes, lacks the powers to enforce them as the enforcement of decisions is left to individual member states. While initially envisaged as a global body to promote free trade, the WTO has now deteriorated into a forum where competing governments fiercely try to protect their narrow interests.