Daily Current Affairs for 2nd July 2021

GS PAPER II

Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report

Why in News

A Union government survey of 15 lakh schools from across the country has revealed that only 22% of schools in India had internet facilities in the academic year 2019-20.

Key Points

• 
• This survey indicates the vast majority of schools for which imparting digital education, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has proved an uphill task.
• Among government schools, less than 12% had Internet in 2019­20, while less than 30% had functional computer facilities.
• The vast majority of the country’s 26 crore schoolchildren have not set foot in a school since then, depending instead on various forms of distance education.
• The availability of digital education was largely dependent on whether schools, teachers and parents had access to the necessary infrastructure.
• In many States, teachers came to school and taught in their own empty classrooms, using their blackboards and lab facilities, while facing a computer screen that communicated the lessons to their students at home.
• However, the UDISE+ data makes clear the digital divide, which made this a viable option only in some States.

Highlights of the report

• In many Union Territories, as well as in the State of Kerala, more than 90% of schools, both government private, had access to working computers.
• In States such as Chhattisgarh (83%) and Jharkhand (73%), installation of computer facilities in most government schools paid off, while in others such as Tamil Nadu (77%), Gujarat, (74%) and Maharashtra (71%), private schools had higher levels of computer availability than government schools.
• However, in States such as Assam (13%), Madhya Pradesh (13%), Bihar (14%), West Bengal (14%), Tripura (15%) and Uttar Pradesh (18%), less than one in five schools had working computers.
• The situation is worse in government schools, with less than 5% of Uttar Pradesh’s government schools having the facility.
• The connectivity divide is even starker. Only three States, Kerala (88%), Delhi (86%) and Gujarat (71%), have Internet facilities in more than half their schools.
• 90% of schools across the country have facilities for handwashing, which will gain added importance as they implement COVID­19 safety protocols while reopening.
• More than 80% of schools conducted medical check-ups during the year before the pandemic. Temperature testing and monitoring of symptoms need to become a daily activity.
• The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) improved in 2019­20, with 98% of students in Classes 1­8 attending school, though the GER for secondary and senior secondary students stood at 78% and 51% respectively.
• The dropout rate at secondary level was 17% in 2019­20, with experts warning that dropouts are likely to surge due to the pandemic.

Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report

• The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report is the report that collates data from schools across the country on various parameters, such as dropout rates, enrolment ratios, access to digital education facilities, among others.
• It was initiated in 2012-13 integrating DISE for elementary education and SEMIS for secondary education is one of the largest Management Information Systems on School Education covering more than 1.5 million schools, 8.5 million teachers and 250 million children.
• UDISE+ is an updated and improved version of UDISE. It will improve the quality and credibility of the data provided thereby making it analysis more robust and accurate.
• With the introduction of this system, it will be easier for the States and UTs to monitor the progress of the schools and to reduce the time taken in data collection and analysis.

GS PAPER III

Global Cybersecurity Index 2020

Why in News

India is ranked 10th in the Global Cybersecurity Index 2020 (GCI) released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations (UN) agency for information and communication technologies (ICT).

India’s Performance

• India was the fourth among Asia-Pacific nations and the rankings demonstrated India’s success and commitment to cybersecurity.
• The third iteration of the GCI was released in 2018 and India was ranked 47 with a global score of 0.719.
• Also, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan were the other countries in the Asia-Pacific that were ahead of India in the rankings. India scored 97.5 in GCI.

Global Rankings

• The fourth edition of the index 2020, was based on five pillars namely, legal measures, technical measures, organisational measures, capacity development and cooperation.
• An aggregate score of all the measures determined the rank of each country.
• For each of the pillars, country commitment was assessed through a question-based online survey, which further allowed for the collection of supporting evidence.
• The US was ranked first with a score of 100 and the UK and Saudi Arabia shared the second rank with a score of 99.54 each. Estonia followed closely at third rank with a global score of 99.48.
• While the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Singapore and Spain scored 98.52 each and shared the fourth position, Russia, UAE and Malaysia tied for fifth place with a score of 98.06. Lithuania, Japan, Canada and France followed in subsequent positions in the list.
• Among other nations, Turkey (score – 97.49) was ranked 11, Germany (score – 97.41) was ranked 13, China (score – 92.53) ranked 33 and Israel (score – 90.93) was ranked 36.

Global Cybersecurity Index

• The Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) is a commitment of countries to cybersecurity at a global level to raise awareness of the importance and different dimensions of the issue.
• As cybersecurity has a broad field of application, cutting across many industries and various sectors.
• Each country’s level of development or engagement is assessed along five pillars:
• Legal Measures,
• Technical Measures,
• Organizational Measures,
• Capacity Development, and
• Cooperation – and then aggregated into an overall score.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.
• It was founded in 1865 to facilitate international connectivity in communications networks by allocating global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.
• ITU is committed to connecting all the world’s people – wherever they live and whatever their means.​
• On 15 November 1947, the ITU entered into an agreement with the United Nations to become a specialized agency within the UN system, which formally entered into force on 1 January 1949.
• Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the ITU’s global membership includes 193 countries and around 900 business, academic institutions, and international and regional organizations.

GS PAPER III

Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

Why in News

Manufacturing activity contracted in June for the first time in 11 months despite states easing lockdown curbs as cautious consumer sentiment.

Key Points

• The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector dropped to 48.1 in June from 50.8 in May. A figure below 50 indicates contraction.
• It highlighted renewed contractions in factory orders, production, exports and quantities of purchases. With business optimism fading over the month, job shedding also continued.
• Companies were at their optimistic for almost a year and jobs continued to be shed for the 15th month in a row.
• COVID­19 restrictions also curtailed international demand for Indian goods, and new export orders decreased for the first time in 10 months, albeit modestly.
• The strict containment measures to cope with the second wave of COVID­19 negatively impacted demand and led to renewed contractions in factory orders, production, exports
• and quantities of purchases.

Capital goods worst hit

• As a result of subdued optimism, jobs were shed again in June.
• Out of the three broad areas of the manufacturing sector monitored by the survey, capital goods were the worst affected area in June.
• Output here declined at a rate due to a sharp fall steep in sales. The sector also saw the fastest contraction in buying levels.
• While pre­production as well as post­production inventories declined at manufacturing units, pre­production stocks contracted for the first time in 10 months.
• Falling new orders, business closures and the COVID­19 crisis triggered a reduction in output among Indian manufacturers.
• The decline was moderate relative to the first half of 2020, but ended a ten-month sequence of growth.
• The intensification of the COVID­19 crisis… had a detrimental impact on the manufacturing economy.
• Growth of new orders, production, exports and input purchasing was interrupted in June as containment measures aimed at bringing the pandemic under control restrained demand.

Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

• Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity, both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
• It is a survey-based measures that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.
• It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.
• It derived from a series of qualitative questions. Executives from a reasonably big sample, running into hundreds of firms, are asked whether key indicators such as output, new orders, business expectations and employment were stronger than the month before and are asked to rate them.

Purchasing Managers’ Index implications for the economy

• The PMI is usually released at the start of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available.
• It is considered a good leading indicator of economic activity. Economists consider the manufacturing growth measured by the PMI as a good indicator of industrial output, for which official statistics are released later.
• Central banks of many countries also use the index to help make decisions on interest rates.

GS PAPER III

Longest High-speed test track

Why in News

• Asia’s longest high-speed test track has been inaugurated in the Pithampur district of Madhya Pradesh.

Key Points

• The newly opened world-class NATRAX facility is 11.3 km long and will facilitate automotive and component testing in the country going forward.
• Union Minister virtually inaugurated the new facility. The minister said that this track is the fifth largest in the world and also, more equipped than facilities in China and Japan.
• The oval-shaped test track is 16 meters wide and has four independent lanes. With the development of the NATRAX (National Automotive Test Tracks) Indore facility, it is being ensured that domestic vehicles are not needed to be sent abroad for testing.

National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX)

• NATRAX is developed in an area of 1,000 acres of land and is claimed to be a one-stop solution for all sorts of high-speed performance tests for widest categories of vehicles from two wheelers to heavy tractor-trailers.
• The NATRAX centre has multiple test capabilities like measurements of maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption, emission tests through real road driving simulation, high-speed handling and stability evaluation during manoeuvring such as lane change, high speed durability testing, etc. and is a centre of excellence for vehicle dynamics.
• Vehicles can achieve the maximum speed of 375km per hour on the curves with steering control and the track has less banking on ovals making it one of the safest in the world.
• The central location of the track will help attract foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)s as it will become more accessible for the development of prototype cars for Indian conditions. Currently, foreign OEMs go to their respective high-speed tracks abroad to test the speeding requirements.
• Being the fifth largest in the world, the track can cater to a wide category of vehicles, from two wheelers to the heaviest tractor trailers.

GS PAPER III

Informal Sector Workers of India

Why in News

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $500 million program to support India’s large informal workforce and create greater flexibility for states to cope with the ongoing pandemic, future climate, and disaster shocks.

Key Points

• Creating a Coordinated and Responsive Indian Social Protection System (CCRISP) builds on the $1.15 billion Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Program to support schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).
• The loan has a maturity period of 18.5 years including a grace period of five years.
• Total funding towards strengthening India’s social protection programmes to help the poor and vulnerable households since the start of the pandemic stands at USD 1.65 billion.
• The funds will be utilised in social protection programme for urban informal workers, gig-workers.
• This will allow policymakers to address gender-based service delivery gaps and effectively reach the unreached, particularly widows, adolescent girls, and tribal women.
• Street vendors are an integral part of India’s urban informal economy. The programme will give street vendors access to affordable working capital loans of up to Rs 10,000. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will identify them through an IT-based platform.
• Some five million urban street vendors could benefit from the new credit programme.
• The operation will enhance the capability of states to use resources based on an assessment of local risks and expand the social protection net for underserved urban informal workers while laying the groundwork for a more climate-responsive social protection system.

GS PAPER III

Gross Non­performing Asset ratio (GNPA)

Why in News

The gross non­performing asset ratio (GNPA) of India’s scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) may climb by the end of the current fiscal year to as much as 11.2% under a severe stress scenario, from 7.48% in March 2021.

Key Points

• Macro stress tests indicate that the GNPA ratio of SCBs may increase… to 9.8% by March 2022 under the baseline scenario; and to 11.22% under a severe stress scenario, although SCBs have sufficient capital, both at the aggregate and individual level, even under stress.
• The capital to risk weighted assets ratio of SCBs increased to 16.03% and the provisioning coverage ratio stood at 68.86% in March 2021.
• Sustained policy support, benign financial conditions and the gathering momentum of vaccinations were nurturing an uneven global recovery.
• Policy support has helped in shoring up financial positions of banks, containing non­performing loans and maintaining solvency and liquidity globally.
• On the domestic front, the ferocity of the second wave of COVID­19 has dented economic activity, but monetary, regulatory and fiscal policy measures have helped curtail the solvency risk of financial entities, stabilise markets, and maintain financial stability.

Gross non­performing Asset Ratio (GNPA)

• Gross NPA stands for the Gross Non-Performing Assets. The term used by commercial banks that refer to the sum of any unpaid debt, which is classified as non-performing loans.
• Commercial banks offer loans to their non-honoured customers, and financial institutions are required to classify them as non-performing assets within ninety days because they do not receive the principal amount or net payments