Non-Personal Data Governance Framework The Expert Committee constituted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Chair: Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan) to study various issues relating to non-personal data submitted its report in July, 2020. The Committee observed that non-personal data should be regulated to: (i) enable a data sharing framework to tap the economic, social, and public value of such data, and (ii) address concerns of harm arising from the use of such data.

Non-personal data: Any data which is not personal data (data pertaining to characteristics, traits or attributes of identity, which can be used to identify an individual) is categorised as non-personal data. In terms of origin, non-personal data can be data which never related to natural persons (such as data on weather or supply chains), or data which was initially personal data, but has been anonymised (through use of certain techniques to ensure that individuals to whom the data relates to cannot be identified).

Non-personal data can further be classified as: (i) Public non-personal data: data collected or generated by the government in course of publicly funded works. For example, anonymised data of land records or vehicle registration can be considered as public non-personal data. (ii) Community non-personal data: raw or factual data (without any processing) which is sourced from a community of natural persons. For example, datasets collected by municipal corporations or public electric utilities. (iii) Private non-personal data: data which is collected or generated by private entities through privately owned processes (derived insights, algorithms or proprietary knowledge).

Risks associated with non-personal data: The Committee observed that even when personal data has been anonymised, the possibility of harm to the original data principal exists as no anonymisation technique is perfect. Therefore, it is necessary to address privacy concerns arising from possible re-identification of anonymised personal data, to ensure no harm is caused due to such processing. The Committee recommended certain categories of data to be considered as sensitive based on the risks: (i) non-personal data which is derived from sensitive personal data (such as health, caste or tribe) which bears a risk of re-identification, (ii) data which bears risk of collective harm to a group, and (iii) data related to national security or strategic interests.

Key roles in non-personal data governance framework: The data principal is the entity to whom the non-personal data relates to. This entity can be an individual, a community, or a company. A data custodian collects, stores and processes data in a manner that is in the best interest of data principal. Data principals may exercise rights over their data through a representative entity, called data trustee. For example, Ministry of Health would be the trustee for health data of the citizens. Trustees can recommend transparency and reporting obligations to the regulator for data custodians to follow. The Committee recommended establishing ‘data business’ as a new category of business in the country. Entities (including government agencies) which collect, process or store data beyond a threshold (as specified by the regulator) will be classified as data businesses.

Non-Personal Data Authority: This regulatory authority will be established for putting in place the framework for governance of non-personal data. It will consist of experts in fields such as data governance and technology. The Authority will be responsible for framing guidelines with respect to data sharing and risks associated with non-personal data.

Sharing of non-personal data: Any entity may raise a data-sharing request for a: (i) sovereign purpose (such as national security or legal requirements), (ii) public interest purpose (policy making or better delivery of services), or (iii) economic purpose (to provide for a level playing field or for a monetary consideration). The Committee recommended that public data, community data or private data (limited to raw/factual data collected by a private entity) can be requested at no remuneration.

Private data where the processing value add is significant may be shared based on remuneration which is fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory. Algorithms or proprietary knowledge may not be considered for data sharing. Data sharing request can be made to a data custodian. If the custodian refuses the request, the request will go to the Authority which will evaluate it based on social, public or economic benefits of such data sharing.

Further, all entities will have open access to meta-data of data collected by data businesses (including government). Meta-data provides information about other data. The Committee observed that this will encourage innovation in the country. For example, automobile companies may collect data about roads through censors. The meta-data provided by such companies can be used by a startup to combine it with traffic data to identify safest routes for citizens.

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Food Corporation of India set new records in procurement of food grains; procured 389.76 LMT wheat and 504.91 LMT rice in the just concluded crop season

Posted On: 28 JUL 2020 7:20PM by PIB Delhi After successful implementation of Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) from April to June 2020, the Government of India extended this scheme for another 5 months from July to November 2020.

About 81 crore beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Antyodaya Ann Yojana (AAY) are being provided 5 Kgs of Rice/wheat free of cost under this scheme. The total allocation for PMGKAY II from July to November 2020 is 200.19 LMT (91.33 LMT Wheat and 109.96 LMT rice).

There has been very enthusiastic response from the state governments as well as beneficiaries to this scheme. The scheme was rolled out on 08.07.20 and till 27.07.20, a quantity of 33.40 LMT food grains (13.42 LMT wheat and 19.98 LMT rice) has already been handed over to state governments across the country for further distribution to the beneficiaries, which is about 83% of the allocation for the month of July 2020.

India now in leadership role in Tiger Conservation; will share best practices with Tiger range countries: Shri Prakash Javadekear

LIDAR survey technology to be used for the first time for effective fodder and water augmentation in forest area: Environment Minister Posted On: 28 JUL 2020 1:38PM by PIB Delhi

“Tiger is an incredible part of the nature and the increased number of the big cats in India reflects equilibrium in the nature.”, said the Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar at the release of the detailed report of Tiger Census on the eve of Global Tiger Day in New Delhi today.

Shri Javadekar said, Tigers and other wild life are a kind of soft power India has to show on the international front. The Minister said, despite several constraints such as less land mass, India has eight percent of bio-diversity because our country has a culture of saving and preserving the nature, trees and its wild life. Noting that wildlife is our natural wealth, Shri Prakash said, it is praise worthy that India has 70 percent of world’s tiger population. The Minister mentioned, India is tirelessly working with all 13 tiger range countries towards nurturing the tiger.

Shri Javadekar also announced that his Ministry is working on a programme in which efforts would be made to provide water and fodder to animals in the forest itself to deal with the challenge of human-animal conflict which is causing deaths of animals. For this LIDAR based survey technology will be used for the first time. Lidar is a method for measuring distances by illuminating the target with laser light and measuring the reflection with a sensor.

Highlighting the keystone nature of the tiger, a poster on presence of small cats was also released by the Environment Minister. With the presence of nearly 30 percent of India’s tigers outside tiger reserves, India had embarked upon assessing management interventions through the globally developed Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework, which will now be extended to all fifty tiger reserves across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State of Environment, Shri Babul Supriyo said, human- animal conflict can be avoided but it cannot be ruled out in the country. He said, frontline officials have done commendable job in raising the numbers of tiger in the country.

The detailed report of the 4th All India Tiger Estimation is unique in the following ways; Abundance index of co-predators and other species has been carried out which hitherto was restricted only to occupancy

Sex ratio of tigers in all camera trap sites has been carried out for the first time. Anthropogenic effects on tiger population have been elaborated in a detailed manner.

Tiger abundance within pockets in tiger reserves has been demonstrated for the first time.

The Heads of the Governments of Tiger Range countries at St. Petersburg, Russia, had resolved to double tiger numbers across their global range by 2022 by signing the St. Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation.

During the said meeting it was also decided to celebrate July 29 as Global Tiger Day across the world, which is since, being celebrated to spread and generate awareness on tiger conservation.

During Global Tiger Day 2019, it was a proud moment for India as the Prime Minister declared to the world fulfilment of India’s resolve as it had doubled its tiger numbers four years in advance to the target year highlighting resolute action taken by all concerned.

India’s tiger population now stands at 2967 which is 70 percent of the global tiger population. A feather in India’s cap was added with the Guinness World Records recognizing the country’s efforts as the world largest camera trap survey of wildlife.

Hurricane Hanna has made landfall recently near Texas. It is expected to produce heavy rains across portions of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico.

What Are Hurricanes? Hurricanes are large, swirling storms. They produce winds of 119 kilometers per hour (74 mph) or higher. They form over warm ocean waters.

What Are the Parts of a Hurricane? Eye: The eye is the “hole” at the center of the storm. Winds are light in this area. Skies are partly cloudy, and sometimes even clear.

Eye wall: The eye wall is a ring of thunderstorms. These storms swirl around the eye. The wall is where winds are strongest and rain is heaviest. Rain bands: Bands of clouds and rain go far out from a hurricane’s eye wall. These bands stretch for hundreds of miles. They contain thunderstorms and sometimes tornadoes.

How Does a Storm Become a Hurricane? A hurricane starts out as a tropical disturbance. This is an area over warm ocean waters where rain clouds are building.

A tropical disturbance sometimes grows into a tropical depression. This is an area of rotating thunderstorms with winds of 62 km/hr (38 mph) or less. A tropical depression becomes a tropical storm if its winds reach 63 km/hr (39 mph).

A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if its winds reach 119 km/hr (74 mph).

What Makes Hurricanes Form? Warm ocean waters provide the energy a storm needs to become a hurricane. Usually, the surface water temperature must be 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for a hurricane to form.

Winds that don’t change much in speed or direction as they go up in the sky. Winds that change a lot with height can rip storms apart.

Context: TRIFED has entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA).

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) functions under the Tribal Affairs Ministry.

Significance of the move: With the partnership with IIT Delhi and ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’, the tribal forest dwellers engaged in Minor Forest Produce will get exposure to newer processing technologies, product innovation, mentorship, transformational digital systems and handholding.

About UBA: It is a flagship program of the Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD).

It aims to link the Higher Education Institutions with a set of at least (5) villages,so that these institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these village communities using their knowledge base.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 (UBA 2.0) is the upgraded version of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 1.0. UBA 2.0 was launched in 2018. The scheme is extended to all educational institutes; however under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 participating institutes are selected based on the fulfillment of certain criteria.

Launched by the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in line with the vision and clarion call for making India Atma Nirbhar in the pharma sector.

Scheme for promotion of Bulk Drug Parks: The scheme envisages creation of 3 bulk drug parks in the country. The grant-in-aid will be 90% of the project cost in case of North-East and hilly States and 70% in case of other States.

Funding: Maximum grant-in-aid for one bulk drug park is limited to Rs.1000 crore.

Need of the Scheme: Despite being 3rd largest in the world by volume the Indian pharmaceutical industry is significantly dependent on import of basic raw materials, viz., Bulk Drugs that are used to produce medicines. In some specific bulk drugs the import dependence is 80 to 100%.

The scheme is expected to reduce manufacturing cost of bulk drugs in the country and dependency on other countries for bulk drugs.

The scheme will also help in providing continuous supply of drugs and ensure delivery of affordable healthcare to the citizens.

InstaFact: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is an annual flagship report jointly prepared by:

Food and Agriculture Organization. International Fund for Agricultural Development. United Nations Children’s Fund.

World Food Programme. World Health Organization. Objective of the report: To inform on progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition and to provide in depth analysis on key challenges for achieving this goal in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Context: The latest edition (SOFI 2020) was released on July 13th. A new feature of SOFI 2020 is a detailed analysis of the “cost and affordability of healthy diets around the world”.

India-specific observations: Hundreds of millions of people in India above the international poverty line of $1.90 purchasing power parity (PPP) per person per day cannot afford a healthy or nutritious diet.

This analysis confirms the fact that the problem of poor nutrition in India is largely on account of the unaffordability of good diets, and not on account of lack of information on nutrition or tastes or cultural preferences.

Those we officially count as poor in India – with a cut-off that is lower than the international norm of $1.9 a day – cannot afford a nutrient-adequate diet let alone a healthy diet.

Overall, the report estimates that 18% of South Asians (numbering 586 million people) cannot afford the nutrient-adequate diet and 58% of South Asians (1,337 million people) cannot afford the healthy diet.

Concerns for India: The number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet have risen in the last three months, as employment and incomes collapsed for the majority of workers in the informal sector.

Need of the hour: Redefine poverty line: The Indian poverty line of 2011-12, as defined by the Tendulkar Committee, amounted to ₹33 per day in urban areas and ₹27 per day in rural areas, and corresponded roughly to $1 a day at international PPP prices.

Affordability: If we want to reduce malnutrition and food insecurity, we have to address the problem of affordability of healthy diets.

Insta Concepts: Three types of diet are defined: “Basic energy sufficient” diet: In which the required calorie intake is met by consuming only the cheapest starchy cereal available (say, rice or wheat). A requirement of 2,329 Kcal for a healthy young woman of 30 years is taken as the standard reference.

“Nutrient adequate” diet, one where the required calorie norms and the stipulated requirement of 23 macro- and micro-nutrients are met. This diet includes least cost items from different food groups.

“Healthy diet”: This is one which meets the calorie norm and the macro- and micro-nutrient norm and also allows for consumption of a diverse diet, from several food groups.

Cost of these diets: energy-sufficient diet- $1.9 a day. nutrient-adequate diet costs $2.12 a day. healthy diet costs $4.07 a day.

What constitutes a healthy diet? It includes 30 gm of cereal, 30 gm of pulses, 50 gm of meat/chicken/fish and 50 gm of eggs, 100 gm of milk, 100 gm of vegetables and fruit each, and 5 gm of oil a day. In short, a balanced and healthy meal but not excessive in any way.

The Indian recommendation for a healthy diet includes consumption of items from six groups: starchy staples, protein-rich food (legumes, meat and eggs), dairy, vegetables, fruits, and fats.

Context: There was a 51 per cent increase in the use of spyware and stalkerware during the lockdown period from March to June.

What are spy and stalkerware apps? Spy and stalkerware apps, like viruses and other malware, infect devices that are connected to the internet. While viruses and malware can be detected by anti-virus software, spyware and stalkerware apps disguise themselves as useful and send out stolen data to central servers without the knowledge of the users.

How are they installed? A spyware app can be installed remotely. A stalkerware app can be installed only when someone has physical access to the digitally connected device.

What do they do? A spyware app accesses the data usage pattern of the device, gains access to photos and videos as well as other personal information of the user, and then passes it off to a central server.

A stalkerware app works in a manner similar to spyware apps. It also gives out the location of the device to a master device which controls the stalkerware app.

Most stalkerware apps work in stealth mode with no trace of the app having ever been installed. Once installed, such apps can allow the master device to control, intercept, and even change your emails, text messages and your communication on social media platforms.

Why has the usage of such apps increased during lockdown? Increased usage of internet by everyone due to various lockdown measures in place. This provides enough opportunities for cyber criminals.

Scientific name: Meconopis acculette. It is considered the Queen of Himalayan Flowers. Found from Kumaon to Kashmir at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 meters.

Why in News? A recent study indicated that it is slowly depleting at lower altitudes and rocky moraines.

Not only the Blue Poppy but several other flowering plants, found at very high altitudes, are facing the “climb higher or die” situation due to climate change.

‘Dare to Dream 2.0’ contest: It is an open challenge to promote the innovators and startups of the country.

The winners will be decided after due evaluation by an expert committee. Award money, up to Rs 10 lakh for startup and Rs five lakh to individual category, will be given to the winners.

Launched by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). On the 5th death anniversary of former President and noted scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Ministry of Earth Sciences launches Mobile App “Mausam” for Indian Meteorological Department.

Users can access observed weather, forecasts, radar images and be proactively warned of impending weather events.

The mobile app has been designed and developed jointly by ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture & Youth (DAY) team, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and India Meteorological Department.

It is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.

The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.

Composition: As a corporate body, it has 25 members drawn from Central or State Governments, industry, scientific and research institutions, and consumer organisations.

TTSZ is a major part of the Eastern Himalaya, where the Himalaya takes a sharp southward bend and connects with the Indo-Burma Range.

According to a recent study, TTSZ is generating moderate earthquakes at two different depths in Arunachal Pradesh.