05 April 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – Asian Development Bank: GS II – International Relations:

Context:

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) attributes the sharp decline in India’s growth prediction for the years 2023–24 from the previously anticipated 7.2% to 6.4% to the slowdown in the global economy, restrictive monetary policies, and persistently high oil prices.
• The Bank issued a warning, stressing that while private investment growth is anticipated to rise more slowly this year due to high borrowing rates and falling business environment confidence, domestic consumer demand is likely to remain strong.

What is the Asian Development Bank?

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was founded in 1966, has its headquarters in Manila. (Philippines). 67 of its members represent Asia and the Pacific.
• ADB is owned by the United States (15.567%), China (6.473%), India (6.473%), and Japan (15.677%), in that order.
• With investments in infrastructure, health, and public administration, the Asian Development Bank helps governments manage natural resources and lessen the effects of climate change.
• The Asian Development Bank publishes an annual report outlining its activities, budget, and other pertinent documents (ADB).

Goals of the Asian Development Bank:

• In order to eradicate poverty in Asia and the Pacific, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a social development organization dedicated to promoting regional integration, environmentally sustainable growth, and inclusive economic progress.
• To do this, 80% of the investment goes to the public sector.
• This is accomplished through making investments in the systems of public administration, financial, healthcare, and infrastructure, as well as in other fields, like assisting nations in better managing their natural resources or preparing for the effects of climate change.

2030 ADB Strategy:

• The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Strategy 2030 places the organization on a course for successfully addressing the region’s changing demands.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will continue to fight to eradicate extreme poverty in accordance with Strategy 2030 and to realize its vision for a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.

Developments between India and the ADB at the moment:

• To improve urban services in five cities in Tamil Nadu, India and the Asian Development Bank have agreed to lend each other $206 million.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has introduced its Rs 850 crore 10-year masala notes using India’s foreign debt listing platform.
• A Conceptual Development Plan (CDP) for the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) was created by INX Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• The Asian Development Bank has offered its member countries a grant of USD $4 million to combat coronavirus epidemics.
• In an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide a credit of Rs 100 crore to the hospital network Medanta for medical supplies and services. Personal protective equipment (PPE), daily necessities, and patient care equipment including ventilators and beds will all be acquired as part of the initiative.

Source The Hindu

2 – ONDC: GS III – Indian Economy:

Context:

• The Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) founding chairman and non-executive chairman, Nandan Nilekani, believes that ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) is the upcoming big thing that would assist democratize e-commerce in India.

About:

• ONDC is a publicly accessible, government-backed platform with the objective of democratizing e-commerce by changing it from a platform-centric paradigm to an open network for buying and selling products and services.
• Under the ONDC, a customer who has an account on one participating e-commerce site (such as Amazon) may purchase goods from a seller on another participating e-commerce site (for example, Flipkart).
• Presently, both the buyer and the seller must be using the same app in order for a transaction to take place through the same platform. For instance, in order to buy a product from a vendor on Amazon, the buyer must go there.
• It is a nonprofit company that will offer a network to enable network-enabled applications to locate and communicate with nearby digital commerce businesses across various industries.
• The open network idea extends beyond the retail sector to include all aspects of digital commerce, including wholesale, mobility, food delivery, logistics, travel, urban services, etc.
• The ONDC network is open to any currently accessible digital commerce applications and platforms; it is neither an aggregator application nor a hosting platform.
• Independent of any one platform, the ONDC aims to enhance open networks developed using open-sourced approaches, open standards, and open network protocols.
• Several operational characteristics set up by e-commerce platforms may be coordinated by the adoption of ONDC, which is predicted to resemble the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• The task of integrating e-commerce platforms through a network created using open-source technology has been assigned to the Quality Council of India.
• If the source code of a piece of software may be easily accessed and modified by anybody, it is said to be open source. Users of an application have the ability to use open source access to update the original code, enhance the design, or correct broken links.

Benefits:

• Small businesses will find it simpler and easier to conduct business online as a result of the ONDC’s standardized processes for cataloging, inventory management, order management, and order fulfillment.
• Potential Issues: According to analysts, there are a number likely potential issues that could arise, including the need for more e-commerce platforms to sign up as well as issues with customer service and payment integration.
• Regardless of the e-commerce platform they are connected to, buyers and sellers can do business on ONDC.
• This might give newcomers and smaller online retailers a huge boost.
• A mandate for this could be difficult for larger e-commerce companies because they already have their own processes and technology in place for different operational areas.
• It is predicted that the ONDC will digitise the entire value chain, simplify business processes, promote supplier inclusion, boost logistical effectiveness, and enhance customer value.
• In addition to increasing customers’ access to and inclusion in e-commerce by enabling them to potentially find any seller, good, or service by utilizing any compatible application or platform, the platform also provides for equal-opportunity participation.
• It will actually turn ONDC into a “open network for democratic trade” by enabling transactions of any denomination.
• Over the next five years, the ONDC expects to expand its network by 90 crore clients and 12 lakh suppliers, resulting in 730 crore more in revenues.

Source The Hindu

3 – Vacancy of Judges: GS II – Judiciary-related issues:

Context:

• In Indian courts, there is a growing backlog of cases. They are also using fewer judges than is permitted, according to the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022.
• In contrast to a sanctioned strength of 1,108 judges, as of December 2022, the High Courts were only employing 778 justices. The subordinate courts were found to be functioning with 19,288 judges as opposed to the sanctioned strength of 24,631 judges.

There are openings at several levels of the Indian judiciary:

• Out of the 1,100 judges in the nation’s high courts, there are typically 400–500 vacancies available at any given time.
• Almost 5,300 seats, or over 20% of the lower judiciary, are unfilled at the moment.
• Given that there are around 1 crore cases waiting in these courts, these openings are critical.
• There is no analogous system in place for the lower courts, despite the Supreme Court and High Court openings being documented in a thorough dataset that the Union Ministry of Law and Justice releases each month.

How many judges do we need?

• The Law Commission of India stressed in 1987 the importance of manpower planning for the judiciary. Each judge’s workload is increased when there aren’t enough judges. So, it is essential to choose the best judge strength in order to manage both ongoing and new cases in the courts.

Why cases are still pending:

• an increase in the number of cases The number of court cases has significantly increased as a result of population expansion, advances in literacy, and the development of citizen-friendly instruments like PIL.
• Increasing Vacancies: The court system is only operating at around a third of its full potential. Out of a sanctioned strength of 1,079 judges, there were 403 vacancies in the High Courts as of 2017. But, there hasn’t been any progress in filling these posts. In subordinate courts, there are 5,676 open positions out of a total of 22,704 judges. The increase in vacant posts is a result of the appointment delays.
• Rigid procedural requirements: Each case requires a significant quantity of paperwork, which could cause unwarranted delays.
• Lawyers’ Unprofessionalism: Lawyers have been caught conspiring with corrupt officials to drag out the case, especially at lower levels. Also, the lawyers repeatedly ask for adjournments with fictitious excuses.
• Police personnel inefficiencies: On occasion, they are perceived as being complacent in putting together charge sheets and wrapping up investigations quickly, which causes a delay in the delivery of prompt judgment.
• Future judges are not the main goal of law schools; rather, it is the creation of lawyers.

Pendency of Case Effects:

• As the backlog increases, judges are under too much stress.
• Pendency increases the number of inmates awaiting trial, which ultimately leads to jail overcrowding.
• That puts the right to life at danger.
• While the case is ongoing, the accused and victim are both hounded. They are forced to go through years of severe financial, physical, and mental hardship as a result of the delay.
• A person’s faith and trust in the judicial system are also undermined if justice isn’t served promptly.
• At the Supreme Court, 28% of cases have been decided, 59% of cases have been decided in the High Courts, and 40% of cases have been decided in the lower courts.

How to Proceed:

• Time standards must be established, and they will alter for different cases and for different courts depending on their capability for disposition. Priorities should determine time limitations for pendency for all cases.
• For agreements reached outside of court, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques should be encouraged.

Source The Hindu

4 – Nathu La Pass: GS I – Geography-related issues:

Context:

• Seven people were murdered and 20 others were rescued after an avalanche slammed five or six trucks carrying 20 to 30 tourists on Tuesday morning at Nathu La in East Sikkim. As a second avalanche occurred at the same location about 5.35 p.m., authorities announced that search and rescue efforts had been put on hold.

About:

• Nathu La, one of the world’s highest motorable roads, is a mountain pass in the Himalayan peaks situated on the Indo-Tibetan border at a height of 14,450 feet.
• Both Nathu and La make reference to passing and listening ears.
• China and India can trade openly across this border.
• The other passes in Sikkim include Donkia Pass, Chiwabhanjang Pass, and Jelep La Pass.

Source The Hindu