Vande Bharat Mission (VBM)

• It is the biggest civilian evacuation exercise to bring back Indian citizens stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions.
• It has surpassed the large-scale airlift of 1,77,000 people in 1990 at the onset of the Gulf War.
• The mission is undergoing its 10th phase and has carried 32 lakh passengers approximately both inbound and outbound.
• National carrier Air India, along with its budget carrier Air India Express (AIE) carried out the bulk of air transfers under the mission.
• AIE used its fleet to lift agricultural products, mainly fruits and vegetables (the most sought-after items among the NRI Indians), to West Asian countries, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
• Besides, helping distressed rural farmers and the NRIs, the aim of the mission is to keep the supply chain intact.
• While overseas Indians from as many as 93 countries have availed repatriation through the VBM, the government has entered into special travel arrangements called ‘air travel bubbles’ with 18 different countries so far.
• Transport bubbles or air travel arrangements are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the pandemic.
• It allows carriers of both the countries to fly passengers either way without any restrictions.
• Reciprocal in nature, the bilateral pact aims to benefit airlines from both countries with faster repatriations.
• Due to a recent spurt in Covid-19 cases in the country and many countries of late, patronage has come down in the VBM flights.

International Labour Day and Labour Reforms

• Context: Labour is an important topic of UPSC GS Paper II and Paper III in Mains Examination. Recent Labour Codes are highly important even for Essay.
• Labour is in the Concurrent List in Schedule 7 of the Constitution. Hence, both the Parliament and the state legislatures can enact laws on it.

International Labour Day

• Every year 1st May is observed as May Day and is also known as International Labour Day worldwide.
• It is celebrated to recognise the contributions of labourers and the working class.

History

• The first Labour’s Day was celebrated in 1923 in Chennai. This day was observed by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.
• On this day, communist leader Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar asked the government that 1st May should be considered as a national holiday to symbolise the efforts and work of the workers.
• This day is also known as Kamgar Divas, Kamgar Din and Antarrashtriya Shramik Divas in India.

Constitutional Provisions Related to Labour

• Article 14 commands the State to treat any person equally before the law.
• Article (19) (1) (c) grants citizens the right to form associations or unions.
• Article 21 promises protection of life and personal liberty.
• Article 23 prohibits forced labour.
• Article 24 prohibits employment of children below the age of fourteen years.
• Article 39(a) provides that the State shall secure to its citizens equal right to an adequate means of livelihood.
• Article 41 provides that within the limits of its economic capacity the State shall secure for the Right to work and education.
• Article 42 instructs the State to make provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
• Article 43 orders the State to secure a living wage, decent conditions of work and social and cultural opportunities to all workers through legislation or economic organisation.
• Article 43A provides for the participation of workers in Management of Industries through legislation.

• Before the new labour codes were passed, there were more than 40 central laws and more than 100 state laws on labour and related matters.
• The Second National Commission on Labour (2002) recommended that the central labour laws should be integrated into groups like: Industrial relations, Wages, Social security, Safety and Welfare and working conditions.
• The Commission suggested simplification of the labour codes for the sake of transparency and uniformity.
• In 2019, the Central Government introduced four bills on labour codes to consolidate 29 central laws. These are:

1. Code on Wages
2. Industrial Relations Code
3. Social Security Code
4. Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code

Code on Wages, 2019

• The Wages Code seeks to regulate wage and bonus payments in all employments where any industry, business, trade or manufacture is carried out.
• This code replaces the following laws:

1. Minimum Wages Act, 1948
2. Payment of Wages Act, 1936
3. Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
4. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

• The code will apply to all employees.

1. The Central Government will take decisions on wages for employments in mines, railways, oil fields, etc.
2. For all other types, the state governments will make the decisions.

• Wages include salary, allowance or any other monetary component. It does not include bonuses and travelling allowances.
• Floor wage:

1. As per the code, the Central Government will fix the floor wages considering the workers’ living standards. The floor wage may vary depending on the geographical location.
2. The minimum wages decided by the central or state governments should be above the floor wages. In case the existing minimum wages are higher than the floor wages, the central or state governments cannot reduce the minimum wages.

• While fixing the minimum wages, the government should take into account the difficulty level of the work, and the workers’ skill levels also.
• Also, the minimum wage fixed will be reviewed by the government at least every five years.
• Employers cannot employ people on less than the minimum wage.
• The number of working hours will be fixed by the central or state governments. In the case of overtime work, the worker is entitled to overtime compensation which should be at least twice the normal wages.
• The employer can fix the wage period as either daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly.
• The employer can deduct wages for the following. However, the deductions should not exceed 50% of the worker’s wages.

1. Fines
2. Absence from duty
3. Accommodation given by the employer
4. Advances given to the employee

• All employees whose wages do not exceed a specific monthly amount will be entitled to an annual bonus.
• The Code prohibits gender discrimination in wages and recruitment of people for the same work or work of similar nature.
• Work of a similar nature is defined as work for which the skill, effort, experience, and responsibility required are the same.
• Advisory boards

1. Advisory boards will be set up by the central and state governments. These boards will consist of an equal number of employees and employers, state government representatives and independent persons.
2. One-third of the boards will be women members.
3. These boards will advise the governments on minimum wage fixing and increasing the employment opportunities for women.

• The Code specifies penalties for offences committed by an employer.

1. Contravention of any provision of the Code
2. Paying less than the minimum wage
3. The maximum punishment is three-month imprisonment along with a fine of Rs. 1 lakh.

Industrial Relations Code, 2020

• The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 had made it mandatory for employers of industrial establishments with 100 or more workers to define the conditions of employment and rules of conduct for workmen, by way of standing orders/services rules and to inform the workers of the same clearly.
• However, under the new Code, the minimum number of workers employed for an establishment to have standing orders has been raised to 300.
• With the increased threshold, it becomes more flexible and easier to hire and fire thus leading to increased employment according to the government.
• Prior permission of the government is mandated before closure, lay-off, or retrenchment of employees in establishments having more than 300 workers.
• The Code also introduces new conditions for conducting a legal strike.
• Employees are prohibited from going on strike without giving a 60-day notice.
• Employees are also prohibited from going on strike during the pendency of proceedings before a Tribunal or a National Industrial Tribunal.
• They should also not go on strike before 60 days are completed after the tribunal’s proceedings.
• The new Code also proposes the setting up of a re-skilling fund for training retrenched workers with contribution from the employer, of an amount equal to 15 days last drawn by the worker.

Code on Social Security, 2020

• The definition of employees has been widened to include inter-state migrant workers, construction workers, film industry workers and platform workers.
• The gratuity period for working journalists has been reduced from 5 years to 3 years.
• The Code talks about setting up social security funds for unorganized workers, platform workers, and gig workers.
• There is a provision for the central government to decrease or defer the employer’s or employee’s contribution towards the PF or ESI for up to 3 months in the event of a pandemic, national disaster or an epidemic.
• The Code proposes the establishment of a National Social Security Board for recommending to the central government the formulation of schemes for the various sections of unorganised, gig and platform workers.

Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2020

• The Code expands the definition of a factory as a premise where at least 20 workers work for a process with power and 40 workers for a process without power.
• The Code removes the manpower limit on hazardous working conditions and makes the application of the Code obligatory for contractors recruiting 50 or more workers (earlier it was 20).
• The Code fixes the daily work hour limit to a maximum of eight hours.
• The Code empowers women to be employed in all kinds of establishments and at night (between 7 PM and 6 AM) subject to their consent and safety.
• To encourage formalisation in employment, the employer is required to issue an appointment letter.
• The Code defines an inter-state migrant worker as someone who has come on his/her own from one state and received employment in another state and earns up to Rs.18000 per month.
• Portability benefits for inter-state migrant workers: They can avail benefits in the destination state as regards ration and benefits of building and other construction worker cess.
• However, the Code has dropped the earlier provision for temporary accommodation for workers near worksites.
• The Code also proposes a Journey Allowance – this is a lump sum fare amount to be paid by the employer for the journey of the worker from his/her native state to the place of employment.
• Many of the provisions of the codes have been termed as anti-worker by trade unions and workers’ organizations. Some experts say that they give more power to the employer especially to hire and fire arbitrarily.

Important

• For a comprehensive lecture on Labour Chapter of India Year Book: Click here
• For a comprehensive lecture on Labour Laws in India: click here

Kyrgyztan – Tajikistan border issues

What is the issue?

• The genesis of the issue lies in World History and the disintegration of the USSR. (Given below also)
• The latest conflict erupted when Tajik officials attempted to mount surveillance cameras to monitor the water supply facility in the Kok-Tash area amid the tensions over water distribution, and Kyrgyz residents opposed the move. Both sides began hurling stones at each other and troops quickly entered the fray.
• Kok-Tash is an area which is claimed by both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and has a water supply facility. This dispute is dating back decades to when they were both parts of the Soviet Union.
• The current configuration of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is the product of Soviet mapmakers drawing the dividing lines for Soviet republics, after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) collapsed in late 1991.
• The meandering boundary between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is particularly tense as over a third of its 1,000-km length is disputed.
• Restrictions on access to land and water that communities regard as theirs have often led to deadly clashes in the past.

Recent updates

• A ceasefire on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was largely held on Friday following a day of intense fighting between the two ex-Soviet Central Asian neighbours that killed 39 people and wounded more than 175.
• More than 7,000 Kyrgyz residents have been evacuated from the area engulfed by the fighting as troops from the two countries exchanged gunfire around a water supply facility near the village of Kok-Tash, located in western Kyrgyzstan on the border with Tajikistan.
• A large part of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border remains unmarked, fuelling fierce disputes over water, land and pastures.

Prelims PT Pointers

• Capitals

1. Kazakhstan – Nur us Sultan
2. Uzbekistan – Tashkent.
3. Turkmenistan – Ashgabat
4. Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek
5. Tajikistan – Dushanbe

• Both Kyrgyztan and Tajikistan borders Uzbekistan and China.
• Communism peak is a mountain between Kyrgyztan and Tajikistan.
• Issyk Kul is in Kyrgyztan.
• Ishfara is a city in Tajikistan.
• Lake Balkash is in Kazakhstan.
• Aral Sea is shrinking and it is between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
• Amu Darya and Syr Darya drain in Aral Sea.
• Ust-Urt plateau is between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
• Only Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan borders Caspian sea.
• Karakum Desert is in Turkmenistan.

Air Pollution in Delhi UPSC

Air Pollution and AQI

Context: UPSC GS Paper III – Air Pollution (Prelims – Mains – Interview)

What is the National Air Quality Index?

• Launched in 2014 with outline ‘One Number – One Color -One Description’ for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity.
• The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants, namely: Particulate Matter (PM10), Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb).
• AQI has six categories of air quality. These are: Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe.
• It has been developed by the CPCB in consultation with IIT-Kanpur and an expert group comprising medical and air-quality professionals.
• It is a part of Swachh Bharat Mission. It is not for all India.
• It has 5 color coding. It takes 24 hour average.

EPCA (Environment Pollution Control Authority)

• It is a SC-mandated body established in 1998 under Environment Protection Act, 1986 to control Air Pollution.
• GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) = When the concentration of pollutants reaches at a certain level, which action to take is recommended by it. It is prepared by EPCA.
• Air Quality Early Warning System is designed to predict extreme Air Pollution events and give alerts as per GRAP. It is for Delhi and Developed by IITM, Pune and National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Noida.

Delhi’s Air Quality

• Delhi’s air quality deteriorated from ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ on April 29. It will be oscillating between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ for the next three days, according to the SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) system of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was 287, an improvement from Wednesday’s 312 and Thursday’s 296.
• An AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’. Above 500 is the ‘severe-plus’ or ‘emergency’ category.
• Delhi’s air typically worsens in October-November and improves by March-April.
• Current weather conditions are not unfavourable, unlike in winter. Hence, apart from local emissions, the deterioration in air quality is being attributed to an increase in fire counts, mostly due to burning of wheat crop stubble in northern India.

On 29 April, the estimated fire counts were 1,500, up from 1,300 a day ago.

Satellite images released by the United States National Aeronautical and Space Administration revealed high fire counts on Friday in areas like

• Patiala
• Bhatinda
• Sangrur
• Jalandhar
• Faridkot
• Barnala
• Kurukshetra
• Kaithal
• Karnal
• Sonipat
• Panipat
• Rohtak

Fires were also spotted Lahore, Gujranwala and Hafizabad in Pakistan.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that the air quality would remain ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ the next few days due to transported dust and biomass-burning aerosol in the National Capital region and surroundings.

• Deteriorating air quality is worrying amid an increasing number of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and deaths. Medical experts have, from time to time, raised concerns about how high pollution levels can worsen the situation and aggravate respiratory conditions of the public.
• An official of the Haryana Pollution Control Board said the department was unable to monitor fires as it wasn’t receiving satellite data from the state’s agriculture department: “Directions to field officials have been issued but nothing can be done until we know active fire locations.”
• The delay in getting data is due to a change in remote-sensing agency. The state agriculture department and the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) have been at loggerheads over fire data after the former said data provided by HARSAC was misleading and the fire locations were not found during field visits.
• Following this, the department decided to directly collect data through Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
• “Earlier, at least there was EPCA [Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority] that shared data with until it was dismantled. Currently, we are not being able to monitor,” the official said.
• Officials also blamed a shortage of workers to cut wheat straw and lockdown-like measures in various areas.
• In Punjab, district-level committees were monitoring stubble burning, claimed Krunesh Garg, member-secretary, Punjab Pollution Control Board:
• “There are district level committees with different nodal officers who are supposed to visit places where such farm fires happen, based on satellite information, and impose an environment compensation / fine but so far due to COVID one or two fines have been made because there is already panic among farmers.”
• The wheat season is not followed by intensive farm fires, unlike paddy harvesting, as managing wheat stubble is comparatively easy and wheat straw is processed into cattle feed by most farmers, he added.
• Delhi should look at local emissions instead of focusing on farm fires, according to him: “Even the wind direction is not towards Delhi. So how come Punjab fires are impacting Delhi air quality?”
• According to SAFAR modelling, the transport-level wind direction was not very favourable for fire-related intrusion, which has led to improvements in air quality in Delhi in the last two days.

Sikhism

• Guru Nanak Devji (contemporary of Babur) created a separate sect
  • Birthplace: Nankana Sahib (Pakistan). Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, Pakistan: Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life. Hence Kartarpur corridor connect Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Punjab with Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal district.
  • He advocated the 'Nirguna' form of bhakti. He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims. Sikhs believe in one God. They believe they should remember God in everything they do. This is called simran. The Sikhs call their faith Gurmat. They turned to Farming. Sikhism was egalitarian in character and liberal and progressive for its age. It was secular as Guru's army had Muslim soldiers as well.
  • He advocated the 'Nirguna' form of bhakti. He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
  • He set up rules for congregational worship (Sangat) involving collective recitation.
  • He appointed one of his disciples, Guru Angad, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru).
  • Then Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das succeeded.
  • Guru Ram Das founded Amritsar in 1577 on the land granted by Akbar. He started the construction of Golden Temple/Swarna mandir at Amritsar.
• Guru Arjan Singh (contemporary of Jahangir)
  • He completed the establishment of Amritsar as the Capital of Sikh world.
  • He compiled Baba Guru Nanak’s hymns along with those of his 4 successors and also other religious poets, like Baba Farid, Ravidas (aka Raidas) and Kabir, in Adi Granth Sahib in 1604. These hymns, called 'Gurbani', are composed in many languages.
  • Jahangir imprisoned Guru Arjan Singh Jahangir as he helped rebel prince Khusrau.
  • He led to the completion of construction of Golden temple.
  • He was acclaimed as Shaheeden-de-Sartaj.
  • He was executed by Jahangir on charges of helping prince Khusrau.
• Guru Hargobind Singh
  • He encouraged militarization of community.
  • He tried to build up an army. When Jahangir came to know, he imprisoned Guru Hargovind Singh also.
  • He led to the transformation of the Sikh Community into a Military community. He is known as “Soldier Saint”.
  • He led to the establishment of Akal Takht and fortified the Amritsar City.
  • He waged wars against Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
• Aurangzeb
  • Dara Shikoh (after battle with Aurangzeb) got support from Sikh Guru Harirai.
  • He named his son Guru Tej Bahadur as the successor who was executed by Aurangzeb. He founded Anandpur Sahib.
• Guru Gobind Singh
  • He transferred itself to the sacred scripture of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib aka the Adi Granth (First Volume), which thereafter was regarded as the sole Guru.
  • He asked the Sikhs to take up arms and established the Khalsa order (Soldier saints). Sikhism does not have priests, which were abolished by him.
  • He founded a warrior community known as Khalsa in 1699.
  • He introduced a new rite ”Pahul”.
  • He joined Bahadur Shah’s as a noble.
  • He was the last Sikh Guru in human form and he passed the Guruship of Sikhs to the Guru Granth Sahib.
• Sikh administration
  • Before Ranjit Singh, Sikhs were distribute horizontally in the form of Misls and whenever a misl conquered a new territory, it was divided among its members - from top to bottom and of course unequally.
  • Ranjit Singh continued much of the Mughal administration system (including the nomenclature) and the jagir system (as much as 40% LR went to jagirs).
  • He did not infringe upon power of local khaps and chiefs and even at Center he maintained a delicate balance between Punjabi nobles and non Punjabi nobles.
  • Land revenue was major source of income.

Sikhism summary

• The word 'Sikh' in the Punjabi language means 'disciple'. Sikhs are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus.
• Sikhs believe in one God. They believe they should remember God in everything they do. This is called simran.
• There are over 25 million Sikhs worldwide, the great majority of them living in the Indian state of Punjab.
• The Sikhs call their faith Gurmat (Punjabi: “the Way of the Guru”). According to Sikh tradition, Sikhism was established by Guru Nanak (1469–1539) and subsequently led by a succession of nine other Gurus.
• All 10 human Gurus, Sikhs believe, were inhabited by a single spirit. Upon the death of the 10th, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the spirit of the eternal Guru transferred itself to the sacred scripture of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib (The Granth as the Guru), also known as the Adi Granth (First Volume), which thereafter was regarded as the sole Guru.
• Sikhism was well established by the time of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru. Guru Arjan completed the establishment of Amritsar as the capital of the Sikh world and compiled the first authorised book of Sikh scripture, the Adi Granth.

Sikh Philosophy and Beliefs

• There is only One God (Ek Onkar "Ek" is One and "Onkar" is God). He is the same God for all people of all religions.
• The soul goes through cycles of births and deaths before it reaches the human form. The goal of our life is to lead an exemplary existence so that one may merge with God.
• Sikhs should remember God at all times and practice living a virtuous and truthful life while maintaining a balance between their spiritual obligations and temporal obligations.
• The true path to achieving salvation and merging with God does not require renunciation of the world or celibacy, but living the life of a householder, earning an honest living and avoiding worldly temptations and sins.
• Sikhism condemns blind rituals such as fasting, visiting places of pilgrimage, superstitions, worship of the dead, idol worship etc.
• Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God. It teaches the full equality of men and women. Women can participate in any religious function or perform any Sikh ceremony or lead the congregation in prayer.