Bharath 2020
It has been a long and excruciating year for everyone. It’s quite human to start at such a low and to end the year with hope to inspire, innovate and excel. With a sense of indebtedness to the unmentioned, behind those masks, working throughout the day; let us begin this read with a sincere thanks to the doctors, nurses, firefighters, police and social workers who volunteered to treat us, to serve our needs and help us in physically distancing, meanwhile socially connecting with everyone around us.
As it has been a long year, to enumerate some of those glimmers that occurred in 2020… let's reminisce on them. This article has been scripted into 6 categories which can be browsed through these hyperlinks in the content box. All content has been scripted with the frame of reference of an Indian perspective(as the title suggests). I hope they bring back some good memories as well as prepare us for the upcoming trying years.
Content
COVID
Starting with elephant in the room – Covid-19 has been a Goliath that has been squashing human-order as inconsequential as a colony of ants. From redefining 'work/job' to the "new normal", humanity has regained as well as lost a lot from this epidemic-turned-pandemic. To phrase it more attractively: we survived. And at this moment, I would like you―the readers―to please, join me in a moment of silence... for the remembrance of the dear ones who we lost and to provide solace to those who couldn’t even mourn their loved ones in this social quarantining period.
1. Masks
The inconvenience of wearing an additional commodity on top of other dressing etiquettes have probed the consciousness of many. The journey from essential commodity to fashion, has been a long one for masks, in human-public life. From double layered, surgical, N95; ending with the triple-layered ones… a brilliant journalistic article summarizes the effectiveness of these various masks
2. State-wise comparison
Many states have been successful in curbing the first wave of coronavirus. Whereas many states have been struggling with the second wave of coronavirus pandemic. Testing as well as reporting has been low in India, but it has improved a lot from where we began.
3. WHO Cooperation
The credibility of the World Health Organization(WHO) has been repeatedly questioned over the previous year. But the organization has always stood its ground(defending it's position) and have led many distribution and strategic maneuvering of medical efforts on other diseases too; around the world, including impoverished nations.
Yet the organization couldn't find time to publish any on Covid-19 in its site(as of January 2021). WHO had, (only on March 11, 2020) declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19|SARS-CoV-2) outbreak a global pandemic.
4. Effects on Religion
Most religious festivals have still continued, but they were severely restricted. So widely were donations and pilgrimage detrimentally affected that, their treasury management has hit record bottoms. Social and public activities of such places have not been able to cope-up with expenses. Still, many devotees still send whatever meagre earnings that they could spend.
Religion has nonetheless proved to have helped tremendously for the improvement of mental fortitude as well as mental health issues. Relieving the sense of loneliness and improving camaraderie, many have lent themselves to volunteering and public service, alleviating malnutrition and hunger in addition to shelter and safety.
5. India ― the world's vaccine provider
Continuing its dominance in the Pharma sector, India proved its commitment and sincerity in vaccine provision to the world as well as for its own. Cooperation with the UK and the World Health Organization has led to appreciation from around the world for India's genuine hand of help.
From a country that did not even have any production facility for ventilators or basic equipment like PPE, India became a large exporter of them.
6. Sports
Matches were delayed, sponsorships were withdrawn and many scheduling and lockdown measures had stalled sports in many countries. The suspension of air travel had adversely affected the travel plans and the quarantining between countries had affected International sports such as cricket and football. They have been widely waited upon when restarted in November.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics dates were shifted, now to be conducted between 23rd July, 2021- 8th August, 2021.
The face of many sports had changed due to social grievances(BLM, Antifa and George Floyd) in the US. Along with the increase in social exhibition, TV ratings for those sports fell sharply. This severely strained the sports finances as no live spectators were allowed.
7. Media Misinformation
Many opinion portals have sprung up claiming to be news portals. Many illustrative, ingenuous, miss-informed and narrow-minded opinions have flooded advertisement boards. Armed with elusive writings, such campaigns have trapped many in scams and fiscal repercussions in many countries.
Such elusively written were they, that even journalists fall for them, only to be later called out in public and self-correct those mistakes.
8. Lockdown riots
In many countries, especially the developed nations, lockdowns were not imposed. Although India was among the majority that did impose lockdown. The initial response of herd immunity was seldom used by countries, but no country actually had a previously written policy to follow for this unprecedented global pandemic.
Many countries started implementing lockdowns, as the year neared conclusion. This was the same time when global Covid cases were diminishing. With the fear of the second wave, governments were concerned, while citizens alleged incompetence and severe unwarranted restraints on civil liberty. This being cited the reason for riots against lockdown and public scam.
9. Legal Fights
This lockdown has seen many among the global populi getting interested in politics, law, journalism and International relations. Since these are the professionals who are most seen in visual media these days, it's not that difficult to understand that outcome. Globally there has also been a rise in the number of legal cases filed. Most of them relating to severe lockdowns, while others fighting for liberty and the freedom to travel.
Some important instances from India include Tablighi Jamaath, mishandling of Migrant workers and woman-empowerment.
SCIENCE
2020 has been a wonderful year for science and technology. And rightly so, I will be rewarding the greatest number of articles to this section. My research on this segment wouldn't have been possible without the help of vigyanprasar.
1. Aarogya Setu app
Aarogya Setu, developed by the Government of India(GoI), is a mobile application, introduced to connect and coordinate health services with the people of India in order to combat the covid-19 pandemic. Launched on 2nd April 2020, the app went on metamorphosis phases: receding it's previous mandatory provisions and then succeeding a writ petition, laying the foundation of privacy in the mobile sector. Later, on 31st December, the app was conferred with the Jury's Choice Award during the Digital India Awards 2020.
2. Did pollution gradually fade out?
As lockdowns were implemented around the world, nature seemed to take over and pollution sounded to temporarily disappear from the intensity that it had ravaged in 2019. Admittedly, 2020 has also seen some of the most intense climate yet in this century.
3. AarogyaPath supply chains
Developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) in partnership with Sarvodaya Infotech(and others), AarogyaPath portal ensures single point availability of key Healthcare goods and a good supply chain delivery capabilities.
4. IIT Hyderabad deploys AI for study of biofuel supply chain network
As a bid to reduce Greenhouse gas emission as well as generate revenue, this research has played a deep role to forecast demands and other supply chain parameters. This paper by two researchers at IIT Hyderabad has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
5. India's stint at the Nobel Prize
After Kailash Satyarthi(along with Malala Yousafzai) who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, Abhijit Banerjee(along with Esther Dulo and Michael Kraemer) has won the prestigious Nobel Prize for their "experimental approach to alleviating global poverty". The report below journals all Indians who have received the Nobel Prize.
6. Footwear sizes
As Indians, we have always considered this daily wear so tedious a selection to choose. India being the second largest footwear manufacturer in the world, after China, the Central Leather Research Institute of India(CLRI) has decided to conduct a survey to reclassify and appropriate footwears to indigenous sizing.
7. Women in Science
For long have women been subjected to the walls of gender stereotyping. But 2020 have released them and allowed them an opportunity to portray their skills in all fields; especially in medical as well as strategic management. To bolster woman-empowerment, SERB-Power Fellowship offers Fellowship grants and Research grants, while SERB – Power Research Grants provides funding seeds to researches.
8. Prefabricated isolation centers
Since the covid-19 ravaged and mandated social distancing, construction works have been at the low. Hence the rise of prefabricated construction materials that haste the setting up of essential social distancing and isolation centers.
Even road construction didn't stop, albeit they were delayed from the expected day of completion.
9. Rise in popularity for Ayurveda
Kerala being the first state to implement Ayurvedic treatment to strengthen immunity, the popularity for the science soared. The globally recognized and appraised State Health Minister(Mrs. K. K. Shailaja) had promoted its usage for immunization rather than as a cure.
10. Mental Health
The immense isolation and stress due to the pandemic-spread have resulted in many people having suffered mental health issues. Unfamiliarity and mortification of social stigma have cornered many souls to the brink of suicides. Recreational opportunities, help and awareness about these needs have been advertised and meted out in public domains by various state governments and private hospitals.
11. Wastewater recycle
Novel innovations and research about waste water recycling has been conducted throughout the year culminating in an overall increase in awareness raising campaigns. Water has also been scarce in many regions which has also increased tensions between city-dwellers and have given seed to awareness of situations prevailing in villages too.
12. Tech to combat pollution: IIT-Delhi on DG emissions
IIT Delhi Had developed technology to combat pollution created by Diesel Generator(DG) sets. Reducing 80% of harmful pollutants, the Chakr shield emission control has already been installed, tested and commissioned for retrofit.
13. Vaccine cold chain management
India is ready for cold chain management of vaccines. Vaccines that are usually temperature sensitive, require delicate handling and they also mandate storage requirements that are usually dependent on external factors right up to the immunization centers.
14. Covid-19 vaccines
The word has caught up to vaccine creation for a viral pandemic within 10 months of declaration. This wonderful feat has restored the faith in human perseverance and ingenuity. These vaccines are Sputnik V, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, (University of Oxford)AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech vaccine(Covaxin) and Sinovac. Among these, AstraZeneca(partnered with Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin have obtained emergency use authorization in India.
15. CSIR hydrogen Car
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) has successfully developed, tested and demonstrated a hydrogen-fuel battery powered car. This marks the first indigenously developed hydrogen car.
16. DRDO QKD demo
Defense Research and Development Organization(DRDO) have surprisingly and successfully demonstrated Quantum Key Distribution(QKD) communication between two centers. Everyone was expecting this feat from ISRO(Indian Space Research Organization), but showcasing its intelligentsia and scientific prudence, DRDO have achieved not only a scientific communication skill, but also a military-strengthening cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics.
17. Satellites-Telescope
◆Mangalyan discovers mars dust-flow reducing the mass of the planet.
◆MACE(Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope) telescope goes live in 2020. It is the highest (in altitude) Cerenkov telescope in the World.
◆Astrosat telescope continues its data provision since its launch on PSLV-XL on 28 September 2015.
18. Param Siddhi Supercomputer
It has enlisted itself as the world's 63rd non-distributed supercomputer.
19. GMRT IEEE Milestone
The IEEE has so far recognized 212 milestones for their scientific and engineering contributions.
“The GMRT is the third IEEE Milestone in India. This IEEE milestone not only recognizes the contributions of scientists and engineers of India, it also helps to attract young talent towards fundamental science and engineering,”
~ Harish Mysore,
senior director, IEEE India Operations
20. HS200 segment delivered to ISRO
L&T has delivered the first hardware, a booster segment, among the many to construct ISRO's Gaganyan Launch Vehicle.
POLITICAL
This segment does not limit only to politics, but also incorporates judicial questions as well as questions on law and polity; all related to India.
1. CAA protests
With it's beginning in November 2019, the anti Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA-2019) protests including the Shaheen Bagh protest had captured headlines over the entire period of protests till it's disbanding in February due to Covid-19 pandemic.
An important judgement had been passed on 07/10/20, ruling that public protests must be “in designated areas alone” and “public ways and public spaces cannot be occupied, and that too indefinitely”.
2. Ram Vilas Paswan and other Deaths
An eminent politician and a kingmaker in Bihar, the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, passed away; which left his party―Lok Janashakti Party(LJP)― to fight the state election just 20 days after his death.
3. Sushant Singh Rajput
A wonderful actor and motivational speaker, Sushant Singh, died in his apartment. Many media trials allege foul play in his death and investigations on the same have strayed away towards the drugs mafia thereby hounding the Bollywood industry.
4. Farmers protest
This protest is touted as an agitation against the three Farm ordinances proposed on 5th June, 2020, which were later enacted as acts by being passed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, along with acquiring the Presidential assent on 17th, 20th and 24th September 2020, respectively.
The supporters of these acts cry foul to the double standards of the protestors who have been previously demanding the same result, now sobbing over political losses. Whereas protestors demand the audience to hear and meet their rightful MSP and governmental assurances. Many non-state actors, from across the world, support these protests, which have also―once―turned into a violent mob.
5. Privacy
Netizens around the world have opened eyes to a new form of privacy awareness ― one in the digital world. With the creation of "campaign"-movies funded by production companies like 'Exposure Labs', new dimensions of the warily crafted policies of companies have been repeatedly cornered and questioned about their relevance.
"Data is the new oil"
~Clive Humby
6. UAPA and Sedition
A lot of unfortunate evidentiaries have led to 3,005 cases being registered in the past 3 years(statement of Central government). With increasing arrests of ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorists, the trend has even extended to contested arrests of college students who allegedly 'conspire against India'.
The same UAPA and sedition laws(including the retracted Sec 118A of Kerala police act, 2011) come as a reasonable exception to these rights:
1. Freedom of Speech and Expression
2. Right to Form Associations or Unions
3. Right to Assemble peaceably and without arms
7. Uttar Pradesh Vidhi Virudh Dharma Samparivartan Pratishedh Adyadesh 2020 (prohibition of unlawful religious conversion)
The media-coined "love-jihad" law has controversially amounted to 14 arrests from the first month after implementation.
The term 'love jihad' was used by a christian church in kerala.
There were also many anti-conversion laws introduced in many states(eight out of twenty-nine states): Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.
DEFENCE
1. Galwan
In gross attempts for transgressions into Indian soil, China has soured it's relations with India, visibly starting with the clash for six hours that resulted in 20 deaths from the Indian camp and an undisclosed casualty on Chinese camp on 15th June 2020. This was followed by attempted transgressions in the state of Arunachal Pradesh too.
2. 12 missiles tested in 2 months
In a race to complete test missiles, the defense department has tested out 12 missiles which were backlogged due to the coronavirus pandemic. These missiles include:
RUDRAM, NAG, DURAVASTHA, BrahMos(supersonic cruise), Hypersonic cruise(HSTDV: Hypersonic Technology demonstration), ABHYAS, Laser-guided ATGM, Prithvi-II, Dhairyam, SMART missiles.
3. Bharat drone
For Surveillance in China border, an indigenously developed project has boosted the “Aatmanirbhar”(Self-reliance) initiative of the GoI.
4. LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA
Signed in 2016, 2018 and 2020 respectively, these agreements form a strong intelligence as well as a military – INDO-US relationship. Our defense forces now have the complete support of high-tech US satellites as an additional feather to our military operations.
ECONOMY
1. Oil value
Oil rates have soared to reach unprecedented values in 2020. This was just recently― in 2021― eclipsed. As explained by most news-anchors, the rise is mainly contributed to the swell in the appraisal of the taxes levied on fossil fuels by the government. It is definitely not because of the trade between dealers.
All the more, India has 18 public sector refineries and five refineries in the private sector/or as a joint venture, the largest refineries being RIL Jamnagar (Gujarat), NEL Vadinar (Gujarat) and IOC Panipat (Haryana). This comprehensively repudiates the claims of Indian oils costing more due to it's buying of refined oils. Indian government has particularly benefitted from the crash in oil price in the global market due to Covid-19.
2. Taxes
There was constant tussle between states and the center on tax settlements, which were only settled when the center was coerced to submit them. The center cried foul when enquired about state’s rightful GST compensations rationalizing the same with tax cuts from the year’s budget(which is usually announced in the February-May parliamentary Budget Session). Whereas in December, India saw it’s highest tax collection.
3. Budget 2020-21
Sector-wise measures announced in a glance:
a)Taxation (GST, Customs)
b)MSMEs
c)Public Sector Banks(PSBs)
d)Education(National Education Policy was approved later in October)
e)Financial Sector
f) Agriculture(krishi train)
g)Water, Wellness, and Sanitation Goals(This budget was announced before Covid19 was declared a pandemic)
To read more, please go through the following article.
4. Budget 2021-22
Sector-wise measures announced in a glance:
a)Health
b)Infrastructure(roads, metro, pipelines)
c)Tax
d)Agriculture(Mandi and E-Nam)
e)Financial Sector
f) Employment(Margin capital)
To read more, please go through the following article.
INTERNATIONAL
1. UNSC India stint
Garnering 184 of the 192 votes in UNGA(United Nations General Assembly), India was elected on 18th June 2020, and has joined the 15-member countries of UNSC(United Nations Security Council) on 1st January 2021 for the 2021-22 period. This is the 8th term as a non-permanent member. India was also touted as a responsible country to be included in the Permanent seat of UNSC, but it seems the UN has to reform a lot more as the Indian delegates have pointed out in its speeches.
2. Indo Pacific Strategy
The term being the brain-child of the well-loved ex-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, even President Trump has appraised India as a model democratic nation well-matured to lead and protect this Oceanic region. The global significance of this region which comprises at least 38 countries that share 44% of world surface area and 65% of world population, and account for 62% of world-GDP and 46% of the world’s merchandise trade. To top all of that, it is also the most contested region including complex relationships between the same nations. Earlier called the Asia-pacific, the world still has some nations to accept the Indic leadership in these waters.
3. Donald love
1st 2+2 dialogue resulted in the signing of COMCASA, in 2018.
Being a 'political-outsider' before becoming the 45th President, his major accomplishments include the following: First Step Act, Tax reform, creation of the Space Force, Defeating ISIS's caliphate and killing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Abraham Accords and stability in the Middle East propagating the withdrawal of troops from the area.
Being the controversial figure that he always was, most of his major failures were limited to this same year(2020): no control of social violence after Race Campaigns from opposition, handling of coronavirus pandemic where he himself contracted the virus in October 2020. He also became the first president to be impeached twice by the house of representatives.
Some of the major dissatisfactions from the Indian context would include the following. Couldn't fix a trade deal. Calling out India as a "Tariff King, President Trump lamented the protectionism in the Indian Union Budgets. Also, special trading statuses(given since the 1970s) were stripped during his tenure.
4. Biden love
Elected as president after the week-long 2020 November-election result tallying, President Biden ushers in a new era of young and diverse politicians and bureaucrats in his cabinet. His agenda is to return America to the global-diaspora as the leader of the UN and retain the trusts of its allies. It would be rather interesting to see the accomplishments of the oldest person to assume the presidency in the USA.
His 'lead by example' ideology is well-received even in India, where hope for a big trade deal has been flouted for years.
5. Global condemnation for China
Starting off the year with the warm relations carried forward by 2 informal visits(Wuhan and Mamallapram) the two nations(India and China) showcased a bright future in developing globalistic approach and multilateral relationship.
All that changed after the 15 July, Galwan clash. This was expedited globally by the Covid-19 virus, which was also detrimental to China's expansionist projects whose debt-trap policies had taken to form an opaque-shape for the very first time.
6. Terrorism
The beheading of a teacher in France(on 17th October) was the headlines all over the world, as terrorist organizations world-wide had steered their activities away from covid-stricken Europe citing various claims.
The 2020 report of Global Terrorism Index, formed by Institute for Economics & Peace(IEP)―an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank― is linked as pdf here.
Terrorism incidents(in 2020) were reported in: Niger, Australia, Somalia, Uk, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Germany, Canada, Mali, Syria, Pakistan, Cameron, Ukraine, Philippines, Croatia, France, Turkey, Austria, Yemen. India's global admonitions on terrorism, had fallen on deaf ears until 9/11, French and Australian incidents.
7. Language
"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going."
~Rita Mae Brown
Learning a language may be really hard, but with time it opens the door for maturity and renovation in thought processes. Many, in this pandemic period, have found themselves sitting idly without any class/lecture/work. This has ushered-in a session of more readers and has disposed of tremendous global outreach for writers.
All the same, interest in rudimentary disciplines have soared.
MUNNERS Daily
Who we were, and what all have we achieved as a team― has been a blissful escape from mental stress. It has been a remarkable and unconfined platform that fetched courage to publish articles.
Do read our article on the 1st anniversary of our society!
Conclusion
We learnt a lot from the year that was 2020. And we should never lose the lessons taught harshly. Mental health was at the forefront of it, while we could clearly see that we don't want to return to the past, but want to improve on it. I hope all these minutes spent reading this long article has helped you for the better and I wish you all good health. Keep following us until we meet the next time in a new article… and probably a shorter one than this.
Till then goodbye, and Vande Mataram!
References
1.Firstpost
2.WHO.int
3.Vigyan Prasar
4.Indian Kanoon
5.National Geographic
6.News18
7.New Indian Express
8.The Hindu
9.National Herald
10.Indian Express
11.DNA
Read more
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