THE INDIAN ART, CULTURE AND HERITAGE

1. DURGA PUJA GETS INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE TAG

THE CONTEXT: Durga Puja in Kolkata, one of largest cultural carnivals and street art festival of the country, received an important international recognition by making it to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Kolkata’s Durga Puja festival has become the latest event to be inscribed in the ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
• With this, festival becoming the new addition in the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list by the UNESCO, India now has a total of 14 events that represent the country’s tradition and culture in it.
• An annual festival, Durga Puja is celebrated in different parts of the country, but most notably in Kolkata. It marks the ten-day worship of goddess Durga which involves artisanal sculptures of the goddess sculpted from clay pulled from the Ganga.

UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ list

• The list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.
• The list was established in 2008 when Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.
• UNESCO maintains three lists under its “Intangible Cultural Heritage” banner: the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity and the register of good safeguarding practices. 

• Some of the criteria for inclusion in the representative list are if the inscription of the element will ensure visibility and awareness of it and if the element has been nominated after having “the widestpossible participation” of the community, group or individuals concerned and with their free, prior and informed consent.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

2. DEMAND FOR INCLUSION OF LADAKH IN THE SIXTH SCHEDULE

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a Member of Parliament from Ladakh demanded that the region be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard land, employment, and cultural identity of the local population.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is the Sixth Schedule?

• The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 provides for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions — Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) — that have some legislative, judicial, and administrative autonomy within a state.
•  with more than 40 members and the right to make laws on 39 issues.
• ADCs have up to 30 members with a term of five years, and can make laws, rules and regulations with regard to land,forest, water, agriculture, village councils, health, sanitation, village- and town-level policing, inheritance, marriage and divorce, social customs and mining, etc.
• The Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam is an exception

The Sixth Schedule applies to the Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram (three Councils each), and Tripura (one Council).

Why does Ladakh want to be part of the Sixth Schedule?

There was much enthusiasm initially, mostly in Leh, after the August 5, 2019 decisions that created two new Union Territories. Buddhist-dominated Leh district had long demanded UT status because it felt neglected by the erstwhile state government, which was dominated by politicians from Kashmir and Jammu.

The UT has two Hill councils in Leh and Kargil, but neither is under the Sixth Schedule. Their powers are limited to collection of some local taxes such as parking fees and allotment and use of land vested by the Centre.

Voices from the ground:

In Kargil district, which is dominated by Shia Muslims, demands have been raised for the restoration of special status — also for a merger with the UT of J&K which has been provisioned a legislature. Representatives of social, religious, and political groups in Kargil have come together under the banner of the KDA.

Can Ladakh be included in Sixth Schedule?

In September 2019, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes recommended the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, noting that the new UT was predominantly tribal (more than 97%), people from other parts of the country had been restricted from purchasing or acquiring land there, and its distinct cultural heritage needed preservation.

Notably, no region outside the Northeast has been included in the Sixth Schedule. In fact, even in Manipur, which has predominantly tribal populations in some places, the autonomous councils are not included in the Sixth Schedule.Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, which are totally tribal, are also not in the Sixth Schedule.

According to Home Ministry. “The Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule would be difficult. The Constitution is very clear, Sixth Schedule is for the Northeast. For tribal areas in the rest of the country, there is the Fifth Schedule”.

However, it remains the prerogative of the government — it can, if it so decides, bring a Bill to amend the Constitution for this purpose.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. HIMACHAL PRADESH PUSHING TOWARDS WATER INSECURITY

THE CONTEXT: According to a report by the State Centre on Climate Change Shimla and Space Application Centre of the ISRO in Ahmedabad said, that the Himachal Pradesh, a state that has five important perennial rivers fed particularly by glaciers, has witnessed a decline in snowfall over the past year. The area under snow cover in the state has declined by 18.5% between 2019-’20 and 2020-’21.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The study revealed that the area under snow cover in 2019-’20 was 23,542 sq km, which dropped to 19,183 sq km in 2020-’21, a decline of 3,404 sq km or 18.52%. Usually, in the winter season, about one-third of the geographical area of the state, which amounts to about 18,556 sq km, remains under thick snow cover.
• Most of the major rivers like Chenab, Beas, Parvati, Baspa, Spiti, Ravi, Sutlej andtheir perennial tributaries originating from the Himalayas depend upon the seasonal snow cover for their discharge dependability.
• Also, the centre noted, they observed a shift in snowfall patterns in the last few years and snow cover is continuously declining “. They also observed a decreasing trend in four river basins of the state which put long-term implications on water availability in the river basins.

Falling snow cover

The report added that the snow cover in the Chenab basin fell from 7,154 sq km in 2019-’20 to 6,516 sq km in 2020-’21, a reduction of 638 sq km or 8.92%. The Beas basin shows a decrease of about 19% with its average snow cover area having decreased from 2,458 sq km to 2,002 sq km, a loss of 455 sq km. The Ravi basin saw an overall reduction of 23% in the total area under snow cover.

The snow cover in the Sutlej Basin, which covers 45% area of Himachal and is the longest river in the state, shrunk the most by 23.49% or 2,777 sq km. It was 11,823 sq km in 2019-’20 and 9,046 sq km this year.

Another study published in 2019 said that the Sutlej River basin glaciers are melting fast and may shrink significantly by as soon as 2050. The research estimates that the melting would cause 33% of the glaciers to disappear by 2050 and 81% by the end of the century.

Melting glaciers

Not only Himachal, glaciers in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are also melting at a significant rate. According to a 2020 study, over 1,200 glaciers in the region saw an annual reduction in mass of 35 centimetres on average between 2000 and 2012. The study added that the glaciers have reduced from 102 sq km in 1980 to 72 sq km in 2018 showing a recession 28.8% decrease.

The Ganges River system in the Indian Himalayas can be divided into four major river basins i.e the Yamuna, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and Ghaghara River Basins. The Ganges River system remains the main source of fresh water for half the population of India and Bangladesh and nearly the entire population of Nepal. Reports also mention a decline in snow cover of the Brahmaputra basin.

According to a study Glacio-hydrology of the Himalaya-Karakoram by Ministry of Science and Technology, snow and glaciers are melting rapidly in the Himalayan range due to climate change, altering water supplies in the rivers like Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra in the Himalaya-Karakoram ranges. Total river runoff, glacier melt and seasonality of flow in these rivers are projected to increase until the 2050s, with some exceptions and large uncertainties.

Panchprayag:

The five holy places of PanchPrayag include:

1. Vishnuprayag = Alaknanda +Dhauli Ganga
2. Nandprayag = Alaknanda + Nandakini
3. Karnaprayag =   Alaknanda + Pinderi
4. Rudraprayag = Alaknanda + Mandakini
5. Devprayag =   Alaknanda + Bhagirathi\

4. THE PUSH FOR ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING

THE CONTEXT:The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of Zero Budget Natural Farming and, he called for the method to become a mass movement.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the Agriculture Ministry, the Centre has sanctioned support for converting four lakh additional hectares of crop land in eight States to using ZBNF techniques. This is meant to provide a showcase for their benefits although scientific studies on the method have not yet been completed.

What is Zero Budget Natural Farming?

ZBNF is a method of chemical-free agriculturedrawing from traditional Indian practices. It was originally promoted by agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar, who developed it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green Revolution’s methods driven by chemical fertilizers, pesticides and intensive irrigation.

What is it and how did it come about?

According to Subhash Palekar, he argued that the rising cost of these external inputs was a leading cause of indebtedness and suicide among farmers, while the impact of chemicals on the environment and on long-term fertility was devastating. Without the need to spend money on these inputs — or take loans to buy them — the cost of production could be reduced, and farming made into a “zero budget” exercise, breaking the debt cycle for many small farmers.

What is the method?

• Instead of commercially produced chemical inputs, ZBNF promotes the application of jivamrita — a mixture of fresh cow dung and aged cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour, water, and soil — on farmland.
• This is a fermented microbial culture that adds nutrients to the soil and acts as a catalytic agent to promote the activity of microorganisms and earthworms in the soil. About 200 litres of jivamritashould be sprayed twice a month per acre of land; after three years, the system is supposed to become self-sustaining.
• Only one cow is needed for 30 acres of land, according to Mr. Palekar, with the caveat that it must be a local Indian breed — not an imported Jersey or Holstein.

A similar mixture, called bijamrita, is used to treat seeds, while concoctions using neem leaves and pulp, tobacco and green chillis are prepared for insect and pest management.

The ZBNF method also promotes soil aeration, minimal watering, intercropping, bunds and topsoil mulching and discourages intensive irrigation and deep ploughing. Mr. Palekar is against vermicomposting, which is the mainstay of typical organic farming, as it introduces the most common composting worm, the European red wiggler (Eisenia fetida) to Indian soils. He claims these worms absorb toxic metals and poison groundwater and soil.

Is it effective?

A limited 2017 study in Andhra Pradesh claimed a sharp decline in input costs and improvement in yields. However, reports also suggest that many farmers, including from Mr. Palekar’s native Maharashtra, have reverted to conventional farming after seeing their ZBNF returns drop after a few years, in turn raising doubts about the method’s efficacy in increasing farmers’ incomes.

ZBNF critics, including some experts within the central policy and planning think tank NITI Aayog, note that India needed the Green Revolution in order to become self-sufficient and ensure food security. They warn against a wholesale move away from that model without sufficient proof that yields will not be affected. Sikkim,(First organic state in India) which has seen some decline in yields following a conversion to organic farming, is used as a cautionary tale regarding the pitfalls of abandoning chemical fertilizers.

Which are the States with big plans?

The Centre has sanctioned the proposals of eight States for support under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana scheme. Andhra Pradesh has the biggest ambition to bring one lakh additional hectares of land under ZBNF under the scheme, followed by Chhattisgarh, with 85,000 additional hectares and Gujarat, with 71,000 additional hectares.

Need of the hour:

While harnessing the advantages of the prescribed natural inputs, it is also important to explore the feasibility of alternatives in case of inaccessibility to critical inputs. Considering the Government’s interest in promoting ZBNF at the national level, the extent of its sustainability needs to be critically monitored in the next few years. An extensive study with a larger sample size and a few demonstration units in small pockets of monitored agricultural land is recommended.

As the prescribed guidelines for ZBNF are similar for all crops and agro-climatic conditions, the single-solution applicability of natural ingredients needs to be tested for all crops and soil types. Close monitoring of the soil health during and after transition would allow us to understand the long-term impact of the practice.

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

5. THE PCA FRAMEWORK FOR NBFC

THE CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced a prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for large non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), putting restrictions on para-banks whenever vital financial metrics dip below the prescribed threshold.

THE EXPLANATION:

• This brings them almost on a par with banks in terms of supervision and regulatory reach. This follows the scale-based regulations and revision in non-performing asset (NPA) norms brought in by the regulator for the sector.
• The PCA framework for NBFCs comes into effect on October 1 next year on the basis of their financial position on or after March 31. It will be applicable for all deposit-taking NBFCs and other large ones that sit in the middle, upper, and top layers of the central bank’s scale-based regulation for the sector.
• However, those not taking deposits and with an asset size of less than Rs 1,000 crore, primary dealers, government owned NBFCs, and housing finance companies are exempt from this framework.
• This will, therefore, be applicable for only a few NBFCs while the vast majority of the nearly 10,000 such entities will be excluded. However, the central bank can take any action irrespective of the size of an NBFC.
• The central bank cited the growing size of the NBFC sector and “substantial interconnectedness with other segments of the financial system” as the reason for the PCA framework. It said it would further strengthen the supervisory tools for NBFCs.
• According to RBI, the objective of the PCA Framework is to enable supervisory intervention at appropriate time and require the supervised entity to initiate and implement remedial measures in a timely manner, so as to restore its financial health”.

What is Prompt Corrective Action (PCA)? 

• PCA is a framework under which banks with weak financial metrics are put under watch by the RBI.
• The RBI introduced the PCA framework in 2002 as a structured early-intervention mechanism for banks that become undercapitalised due to poor asset quality, or vulnerable due to loss of profitability.
• It aims to check the problem of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in the Indian banking sector.
• The framework was reviewed in 2017 based on the recommendations of the working group of the Financial Stability and Development Council on Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions in India and the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission.

6. INDIA LOSES WTO DISPUTE OVER SUGAR-EXPORT SUBSIDIES

THE CONTEXT: A World Trade Organization panel ruled that India violated international trade rules when it offered excessive subsidies for the production and export of sugar and sugarcane.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to WTO, India’s policies were inconsistent with WTO rules that govern the levels at which nations can subsidize domestic agricultural production. Under WTO rules, India’s sugar subsidies are capped at a de minimis limit of 10% of the value of production.
• India — the world’s largest sugar producer after Brazil — has already pledged to refrain from subsidizing sugar exports this year due to high global prices. The government previously approved a subsidy of $475 million for the 2020-2021 growing season.

The dispute dates back to 2019 when Brazil, Australia and Guatemala filed parallel WTO complaints that alleged the Indian government massively increased its sugar subsidies and reintroduced a minimum price for sugar, which led to increased production of sugar that outstripped domestic demand.

According to Brazil’s complaint, during the 2018-2019 growing season, India approved dozens of federal and state-level assistance programs for the sugar industry that collectively exceeded 55 billion rupees ($730 million).

India’s response:

• The findings of the WTO panel are “completely unacceptable,” India’s commerce ministry said in a statement adding its measures on sugar are consistent with its obligations under WTO agreements.
• “India has initiated all measures necessary to protect its interest and file an appeal at the WTO against the report, to protect the interests of its farmers”.

WTO Agreement on Agriculture:

AoA is aimed to remove trade barriers and to promote transparent market access and integration of global markets. Agreement on agriculture has three components:

• Domestic Support: It aims for reduction in domestic subsidies that distorts free trade and fair price.

Under this provision, the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) is to be reduced by 20% over a period of 6 years by developed countries and 13% over a period of 10 years by developing countries.

Under this, Subsidies are categorized into three parts:

• Market Access: It requires that tariffs fixed (like custom duties) by individual countries be cut progressively to allow free trade. It also required countries to remove non-tariff barriers and convert them to Tariff duties.
• Export Subsidy: Subsidy on agriculture inputs or making export cheaper or other incentives for exports such as import duty remission etc are included under export subsidies. These can result in dumping of highly subsidized (and cheap) products in other countries and damage the domestic agriculture sector of other country.

7. UNION CABINET APPROVES ₹76,000 CRORE PUSH FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MAKERS

THE CONTEXT: In an attempt to push Semiconductor manufacturing within the country, the Union Cabinet,cleared a Rs 76,000 crore production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) for semiconductor and display manufacturers to make the country an electronic system design and manufacturing global hub.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the government, it proposes to provide incentives worth Rs 76,000 crore for semiconductor production over the next six years.
• “The programme will usher in a new era in electronics manufacturing by providing a globally competitive incentive package to companies in semiconductors and display manufacturing as well as design”.
• The PLI scheme will provide monetary support of up to 50% of the project cost for setting up semiconductor and display fabrication units in the country. Moreover, the government noted that the Centre will work with the States to set up high-tech clusters with the necessary infrastructure such as land and semiconductor-grade water.

What is the need?

Semiconductors and displays are the foundation of modern electronics driving the next phase of digital transformation under Industry 4.0. Semiconductors and display manufacturing is very complex and technology-intensive sector involving huge capital investments, high risk, long gestation and payback periods, and rapid changes in technology, which require significant and sustained investments.

• The program will give an impetus to semiconductor and display manufacturing by facilitating capital support and technological collaborations.
• The programme aims to provide attractive incentive support to companies / consortia that are engaged in Silicon Semiconductor Fabs, Display Fabs, Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors (including MEMS) Fabs, Semiconductor Packaging (ATMP / OSAT), Semiconductor Design.

Following broad incentives have been approved for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem in India:

Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL): Union Cabinet has also approved that Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will take requisite steps for modernization and commercialization of Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL).MeitY will explore the possibility for the Joint Venture of SCL with a commercial fab partner to modernize the brownfield fab facility.

Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors (including MEMS) Fabs and Semiconductor ATMP / OSAT Units: The Scheme for Setting up of Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors (including MEMS) Fabs and Semiconductor ATMP / OSAT facilities in India shall extend fiscal support of 30% of capital expenditure to approved units. At least 15 such units of Compound Semiconductors and Semiconductor Packaging are expected to be established with Government support under this scheme.

Semiconductor Design Companies: The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme shall extend product design linked incentive of up to 50% of eligible expenditure and product deployment linked incentive of 6% – 4% on net sales for five years.

India Semiconductor Mission: In order to drive the long-term strategies for developing a sustainable semiconductors and display ecosystem, a specialized and independent “India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)” will be set up. The India Semiconductor Mission will be led by global experts in semiconductor and display industry. It will act as the nodal agency for efficient and smooth implementation of the schemes on Semiconductors and Display ecosystem.

Significance:

• In the current geopolitical scenario, trusted sources of semiconductors and displays hold strategic importance and are key to the security of critical information infrastructure. The approved program will propel innovation and build domestic capacities to ensure the digital sovereignty of India. It will also create highly skilled employment opportunities to harness the demographic dividend of the country.
• Development of semiconductor and display ecosystem will have a multiplier effect across different sectors of the economy with deeper integration to the global value chain. The program will promote higher domestic value addition in electronics manufacturing and will contribute significantly to achieving a USD 1 Trillion digital economy and a USD 5 Trillion GDP by 2025.

BACKGROUND:

What is a Semiconductor?

• A semiconductor material is defined by its ability to conduct electricity and its conductivity properties lie between conductor and insulator.
• Under specific conditions, Semiconductors have the ability to act either as a pure conductor or a pure insulator.
• Examples of Semiconductor materials are Silicon, Germanium, Gallium Arsenide etc., where Silicon is the most commonly used.
• Gallium arsenide stands as the second-best semiconductor material and is used in solar cells, laser diodes, microwave frequency integrated circuits etc.

THE PRELIM PRACTICE QUESTION

1.Consider the following are in the UNESCO intangible heritage sites:

1. Kuttiyattam
2. Nowruz
3. Holi
4. Kalbelia

Which of the statements given above are incorrect?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) None

ANSWER FOR 13TH DECEMBER 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: c)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct: WPI measures inflation at the first stage of transaction i.e. at wholesale level.
2. Statement 2 is correct: It is compiled by Office of Economic Advisor in DIPP, in Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
3. Statement 3 is incorrect: It measures inflation on a year-on-year basis.

1. The Categorical Imperative: Understanding a key tenet of the Kantian philosophy READ MORE
2. Human rights: The changing dimensions READ MORE
3. The Depths of Our Humanity READ MORE
4. Finding idealism in humanities education in India READ MORE

1. Vehicular pollution: The road to redemption is in shared mobility, cleaner fuels READ MORE   
2.  How Uttarakhand Leaders Hurt the Fragile Ecology of their State READ MORE  
3.  The loss of Indian glaciers is pushing Himachal Pradesh towards water insecurity READ MORE

1. Raising the legal age of marriage for women: the law, the reasons and the criticism READ MORE
2. The foundations of a robust society READ MORE
3. Poor and unequal: Economic disparity in India a stumbling block in pursuing high growth READ MORE

1. A false conflation between duties and rights READ MORE
2. The Speaker who stifled debate: The Speaker has ample power to quell disorderly behaviour, but thereafter, the House is the master READ MORE
3. To Solve Violence Against Women, We Need More Than Just Criminal Law Reforms READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Implementation of PESA Act READ MORE
2. Union Cabinet approves ₹76,000-crore push for semiconductor makers READ MORE
3. What is the Sixth Schedule, and can Ladakh be included under it? READ MORE
4. Moving African rhinos: What it takes to translocate an endangered species READ MORE
5. RBI introduces tough PCA framework for large NBFCs, effective October 2022 READ MORE
6. India Loses WTO Dispute Over Sugar-Export Subsidies READ MORE
7. Not all black holes are black – and we have found thousands of the brightest ones READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Raising the legal age of marriage for women: the law, the reasons and the criticism READ MORE
2. The foundations of a robust society READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A false conflation between duties and rights READ MORE
2. The Speaker who stifled debate: The Speaker has ample power to quell disorderly behaviour, but thereafter, the House is the master READ MORE
3. To Solve Violence Against Women, We Need More Than Just Criminal Law Reforms READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Poor and unequal: Economic disparity in India a stumbling block in pursuing high growth READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. India’s Afghan policy, a tricky affair READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Protecting gig workers: Social security law must balance equity with profitability READ MORE
2. More clarity on shadow banking: New regulations for stressed NBFCs harmonise with those for banks READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Vehicular pollution: The road to redemption is in shared mobility, cleaner fuels READ MORE   
2.  How Uttarakhand Leaders Hurt the Fragile Ecology of their State READ MORE  
3.  The loss of Indian glaciers is pushing Himachal Pradesh towards water insecurity READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The Categorical Imperative: Understanding a key tenet of the Kantian philosophy READ MORE
2. Human rights: The changing dimensions READ MORE
3. The Depths of Our Humanity READ MORE
4. Finding idealism in humanities education in India READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Explain the concept of the Categorical Imperative as proposed by Immanuel Kant.
2. ‘Human rights constitute the matrix of all fundamental rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution of India’. Examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much and so many have so little.
• The moral duties that issue from a categorical imperative are distinct from conduct that persons normally pursue to satisfy their human desires and inclinations.
• Human rights, like divinity, are a fundamental truth that dwells universally.
• Human rights constitute the matrix of all fundamental rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution of India. These rights are basic rights that are integral to human life.
• Dignity for all humans is the goal of human rights.
• In order to tide over the numerous challenges to human rights realization, it is imperative for the State to design its programs and formulate its policies to educate and provide health services to all while providing opportunities for skill enhancement, employment and self-development.
• We must inspire our students to look beyond the physical classroom to the lessons all around, including the lessons ‘within’.
• With the Taliban not changing their stripes, India is working closely with Afghanistan’s western neighbours in devising policy.
• Unless India’s public expenditure on health, education and skill development increases drastically, along with efficient use of the money, the quality of the workforce will not improve, and without that GDP growth cannot be expected to take off in the manner in which it has done in China.
• To create a meaningful and worthwhile society the ‘pre-ten’ age of learning needs to be a part of competent parenting.
• Responses to violence against women set in the domain of criminal law often prove inadequate or introduce new problems. We must step away from criminal law and towards gender sensitisation and sexuality education to tackle the problem at its roots.

50-WORD TALK

• It is only that rights and duties go together. But the government’s position proposes something rather more ominous. It puts forward an idea that our rights ought to be made conditional on the performance of a set of extraneous obligations. This suggestion is plainly in the teeth of the Constitution’s text, language, and history.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the main point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. THE DELHI SPECIAL POLICE ESTABLISHMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

THE CONTEXT: The Rajya Sabha passed the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which seeks to amend the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, and the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021.  It replaces the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021, passed in Lok Sabha in early December 2021. It seeks to extend the tenure of the director of the Enforcement Directorate to a maximum of five years. And also, the bill extends the tenure of the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to a maximum of five years from the present two years, is a move by the Central Government to check corruption and to ensure and enhance transparency.

According to the Government, the nation is faced with the triple menace of corruption, black money and international crime that is linked to drug trafficking, terrorism and criminal offences and all these are a threat to the security and financial structure of the country.

BACKGROUND:

Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was passed in 1946. CBI derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. It was established in 1941 as the Special Police Establishment, entrusted with domestic security. Later, the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption recommended the establishment of the CBI. It is the main investigating agency of the GOI.

The CBI figures in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule of the constitution of India. Sl. No. 8 of this List reads: “Central Bureau of Intelligence and Investigation.”

About the CBI Director and his appointment:

• The Director of the CBI is appointed as per section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946.
• The Director is appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a Committee consisting of the: (i) Prime Minister (Chairperson), (ii) Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and (iii) Chief Justice of India (CJI) or a judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the CJI. Under the Act, the Director has a tenure of minimum two years (Now it is 5 years).

About Enforcement Directorate:

• The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1st May 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit’ was formed, in the Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 (FERA ’47).
• In the year 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’.
• Presently, it is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
• The Organization is mandated with the task of enforcing the provisions of two special fiscal laws – Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).

Composition: Besides directly recruiting personnel, the Directorate also draws officers from different Investigating Agencies, viz., Customs & Central Excise, Income Tax, Police, etc. on deputation. Now the tenure of the director of the Enforcement Directorate is up to a maximum of 5 years.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. INDIA VOTES AGAINST UN DRAFT RESOLUTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

THE CONTEXT: India voted against a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) linking climate to security, saying it was an attempt to shift climate talks from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the Security Council and a “step backward” for collective action on the issue.

THE EXPLANATION:

India was the only other country in the 15-member group to vote against the move. One of the objectives of the debate was to examine how terrorism and security risks could be linked to climate change, as per a concept note circulated by Niger.

What was the proposal?

• The proposal of the draft resolution was tabled during the debate titled ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Security in the Context of Terrorism and Climate Change.’ The debate sought to understand how security risks would evolve over the coming decades as a result of climate change.
• Climate change often leads to food and water shortages, loss of land or livelihoods, or migration. All these factors contribute to increasing global instability and insecurity, which the supporters of the draft said were pertinent matters for the UNSC to discuss.
• The draft resolution would have created the framework and space necessary for the UNSC to discuss matters of climate change as well. The resolution was sponsored by Niger and Ireland, the former also holding the presidency of the UNSC for the month of December.

Undermining progress

• The draft resolution, according to India would undermine progress made at Glasgow, where the latest round of talks under the UNFCCC, the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), concluded in November 2021.
• According to India, the developing and ‘least developed’ countries had worked, over the last two decades, to make “common but differentiated” responsibilities a fundamental tenet of climate action,
• Also, it noted, that this attempt is to link climate with security really seeks to obfuscate the lack of progress on critical issues under the UNFCCC process.

About UNSC:

• Established in 1945, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations, charged with the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to the United Nations and approving any changes to UN Charter.
• Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

2. CLIMATE SMART CITIES ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

THE CONTEXT: The Centre used a competitive process to select 100 cities for upgradation with significant investments through the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) launched on June 25, 2015.

THE EXPLANATION:

THE STATUS OF THE SMART CITIES MISSION:

• In September 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) expanded the emphasis on climate-friendly infrastructure in smart cities through the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0 and a “Streets for People” plan that would put pedestrians and non-motorised road users at the centre of urban planning.
• Yet, many plans under the SCM, which is funded partly by the Centre, remain incomplete due to the COVID-19 pandemic that stalled activities for most of 2020. In response, the Smart Cities Mission has extended the implementation date and given cities until June 2023 to complete the work.

How far have smart cities progressed?

The Urban Affairs Ministry says that as of November 12, 2021, a total of 6,452 projects at a cost of ₹1,84,998 crore had been tendered. In terms of work progress, 5,809 projects worth ₹1,56,571 crore were under implementation or had been completed, it says, although it is not clear how many were completed.

Image Courtesy: Smart city mission, GOI

What challenges are faced by smart city plans?

• The key features of smart cities, according to the Ministry, are liveability, economic ability and sustainability. These broad ideas have a universal character and incorporate access to clean water, safe streets and public spaces, good public transport, facilities for health and education and places for recreation. They also seek to expand economic opportunity for all and address environmental stresses – rising temperatures, extreme weather events, bad air quality, flood and drought, and lost urban biodiversity.
• A core factor of liveability and inclusivity, such as affordable rental housing, determines the usability of other features of a smart city.
• Some centres, such as Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Indore, and Thane have pencilled in housing developments of various models, ranging from slum improvement to free sale of houses, into their smart city projects, a few involving over ₹1,000 crores; others have smaller levels of outlays for housing.
• Ongoing smart city plans also face the pressure of designing for climate change. The Climate Smart Assessment Framework would need to put in compulsory features to align all investments with national commitments towards obligations under the Paris Agreement of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

4. WHOLESALE INFLATION RISES

THE CONTEXT: Wholesale inflation, based on the Wholesale Price Index, jumped to 14.23 per cent in November from 12.54 per cent in October 2021 (on a year-on-year basis), primarily due to a rise in food prices especially of vegetables, and minerals and petroleum products, data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Fuel and power prices rose 81 per cent versus 37.18 per cent in October, while manufactured product prices rose 11.92 per cent, against 12.04 per cent in the prior month.
• Inflation rates at both wholesale and retail levels are showing a rising trend. The WPI grew 12.54 per cent during October, while the WPI for September was revised to 11.80 per cent from 10.66 per cent. The WPI inflation rate in November 2020 was at 2.29 per cent. The retail inflation print for October was at 4.48 per cent and 6.93 per cent in November 2020. It is, however, within the 4+/-2 per cent targeted range of the Reserve Bank of India.

Factors behind the uptick

• High food, fuel and commodity prices along with supply-side bottlenecks are reflected in the inflation rates at both retail and wholesale level. A sharp surge in primary articles inflation which doubled to 10.34 per cent in November 2021 from 5.20 per cent in October 2021 was mainly responsible for taking the wholesale inflation to record levels.
• Within primary articles, food articles inflation jumped to 4.88 per cent in November from a negative 1.69 per cent a month ago. At the retail level, food inflation increased to 1.87 per cent in November from 0.85 per cent in October 2021.
• Core inflation — the non-food, non-fuel inflation component — jumped to a five-month high of 6.08 per cent at the retail level in November. At the wholesale level, it climbed to a fresh high of 12.3 per cent in November 2021.

Value Addition:

• Inflation is the rate at which the value of a currency is falling and, consequently, the general level of prices for goods and services is rising.
• Inflation is sometimes classified into three types: Demand-Pull inflation, Cost-Push inflation, and Built-In inflation.
• The most commonly used inflation indexes are the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
• The core inflation rate is the price change of goods and services minus food and energy. Food and energy products are too volatile to be included.
• As per RBI, an inflation target of 4 per cent with a +/-2 per cent tolerance band, is appropriate for the next five years (2021-2025).

5. ADB GROWTH UPDATE

THE CONTEXT: The Manila-based lender now sees 2021 gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7.0% for developing Asia, down from 7.1%, and 2022 growth of 5.3%, down from 5.4% in September 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• “COVID-19 has receded in developing Asia but rising infections worldwide and the emergence of a fast-spreading variant suggests that the pandemic will take time to play out,” the ADB said in a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook report.
• Most of developing Asia’s subregions are forecast to grow slower than previously thought this year, due in part to weak recovery in China.
• China’s economy, which staged an impressive rebound from last year’s pandemic slump, has lost momentum in recent months as it grapples with surging prices, a slowing manufacturing sector, debt problems in the property market and persistent COVID-19 outbreaks.
• The ADB projects China’s economy will grow 8.0% this year, slightly weaker than its 8.1% estimate in September, before it slows to 5.3% in 2022, down from its earlier projection of 5.5%.

For India:

• “India, South Asia’s largest economy, is now expected to grow 9.7% in fiscal year (FY) 2021, which ends 31 March 2022.
• The reduction of 0.3 percentage points comes amid supply chain issues that are affecting the industry. India’s outlook for FY2022 is maintained at 7.5%, as domestic demand is expected to normalize.

About ADB:

• It is a regional development bank, established on 19 December 1966.
• It’s headquartered at Manila, Philippines.
• ADB is an official United Nations Observer.

Who can be its members?

• The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East or ECAFE) and non-regional developed countries.
• ADB now has 68 members, 49 from within Asia.

Voting rights:

• It is modelled closely on the World Bank and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
• As of 31 December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).

Roles and functions:

• Dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
• This is carried out through investments – in the form of loans, grants and information sharing – in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public administration systems, helping nations prepare for the impact of climate change or better manage their natural resources, as well as other areas.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

6. BORDER DISPUTES WITHIN STATES

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 11 States and one Union Territory have boundary disputes between them. It added that “occasional protests and incidents of violence are reported from some of the disputed border areas”.

THE EXPLANATION:

“There are boundary disputes arising out of demarcation of boundaries and claims and counter-claims over territories between Andhra Pradesh-Odisha, Haryana-Himachal Pradesh, Union Territories of Ladakh-Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra-Karnataka, Assam-Arunachal Pradesh, Assam-Nagaland, Assam-Meghalaya, Assam-Mizoram”.

Assam-Mizoram:

Mizoram borders Assam’s Barak Valley, and both border Bangladesh. The boundary between the two states, which runs 165 km today, has a history dating back to the time when Mizoram was a district of Assam and known as Lushai Hills. Boundary demarcations in 1875 and 1933, particularly the second one, are at the heart of the dispute.

The 1875 demarcation, notified on August 20 that year, derived from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. It differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cachar in Assam’s Barak Valley. This was done in consultation with Mizo chiefs, and it became the basis for the Inner Line Reserve Forest demarcation in the Gazette.

Assam-Arunachal Pradesh

The boundary issue between Assam and Arunachal is as ancient as the reign of the Ahom Kings who ruled Assam till the British annexed Assam in 1826. Encroachments by residents across the 804-km border that Assam shares with Arunachal Pradesh have led to rising tensions occasionally. A suit has been pending in Supreme Court since 1989 on the issue. Border Roads Organisation has marked Kim in Arunachal Pradesh as part of Assam by mistake.

Assam-Nagaland

Assam and Nagaland share a 434-km border and the disputes relate to 66000 Sq Km of land mostly along the Sivasagar district of Assam. The two states have been disputing their shared border ever since Nagaland was carved out of Assam’s Naga Hills district. While Assam wants the status quo and sticks to the border decision taken on December 1, 1963, Nagaland demands all Naga territories be transferred to the state. Claiming that all Naga territories belong to them, Nagaland wants restoration of land-based on a 16-point agreement of 1960, which led to the creation of the state.

Assam-Meghalaya

Meghalaya shares its internal border only with Assam and there are disputes along the 733 km border at 12 places. The border row between both States started with the formation of states under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. As per the Act, Blocks I and II of the Mikir Hills—presently, the Karbi Anglong district—were granted to Assam. Meghalaya claims that both these blocks were part of the erstwhile United Khasi and Jaintia Hills when it was created in 1835.

Himachal Pradesh-Haryana

Himachal Pradesh has an inter-state boundary dispute at Parwanoo with Haryana. Haryana also claims that a large area of the land bordering Himachal in Parwanoo belongs to them and has asked the Survey of India to demarcate the land. Haryana blames that Himachal does not accept joint forest demarcations. A Survey of India had recently reported that Himachal Pradesh encroached upon some land at Parwanoo that belongs to Haryana.

Ladakh-Himachal Pradesh

Sarchu, situated at an elevation of 4,290 metres on the Leh-Manali highway, is a disputed territory between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

Maharashtra-Karnataka

Maharashtra is claiming Marathi-speaking regions consisting of more than 800 villages of Belgaum, Karwar and Nippani that were included in Karnataka. Belgaum district in Karnataka, which has both Kannada and Marathi speakers, was added to Karnataka in 1956 when states were reorganised on a linguistic basis. As part of the Bombay Presidency in British India, Belgaum was under Bombay state. Karnataka says that some of its Kannada-majority villages had been included in Maharashtra.

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

The border dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha over the contentious Kotia Gram Panchayat in the Koraput district. The Kotia Gram Panchayat has 28 revenue villages; Odisha mistakenly did not survey 21 villages during its formation in 1936. At the time of the creation of Andhra Pradesh in the year 1955, those 21 villages were also not surveyed by Andhra resulting in a perpetual dispute over these bordering villages.

THE PRELIM PRACTICE QUESTION

Q1. Consider the following statements about the Wholesale Price Index (WPI):

1. It measures inflation at the first stage of the transaction.
2. It is compiled by the Office of Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
3. It measures inflation on a month-on-month basis.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

       a) 1 and 2 only                   b) 2 and 3 only

       c) 3 only                              d) 1 and 3 only

ANSWER FOR 14TH DECEMBER 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: D

Explanation:

1. CPI for Industrial Workers (IW): Compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
2. CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL): Compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
3. CPI for Rural Labourer (RL): Compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
4. CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined): Compiled by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

1. Troubling question: Instead of casting off stereotypes, school authorities are reiterating old wrongs READ MORE
2. When you realise self READ MORE

1. Delhi’s Annual Average NO2 Level Way Beyond Safe Limit Since 2013: Report READ MORE  
2. Antarctic Ice Shelf May Disintegrate in 5 Years, Posing Grave Threat to Sea-Level READ MORE

1. Caste-based violence: Empower suppressed classes, punish criminals READ MORE
2. We need a renewed conversation on inequality in India READ MORE
3. On health, India must protect the poorest READ MORE

1. Going back to the foundation of the Republic READ MORE
2. Democracy and decorum in Parliament READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main:

1. Testing of Soil Quality READ MORE
2. Selection Criteria for Roads under PMGSY READ MORE
3. Rajya Sabha clears tenure extension of ED, CBI chiefs amid Opposition walkout READ MORE
4. Explained: Why is WPI inflation at a record high and what are the implications? READ MORE
5. Tornadoes and climate change: What a warming world means for deadly twisters and the type of storms that spawn them READ MORE
6. Omicron variant: ADB slashes growth forecasts for developing Asia to 7% READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Caste-based violence: Empower suppressed classes, punish criminals READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Going back to the foundation of the Republic READ MORE
2. Democracy and decorum in Parliament READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. We need a renewed conversation on inequality in India READ MORE
2. On health, India must protect the poorest READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Explained: Why India, Russia blocked move to take climate change to UNSC READ MORE  
2. India’s bid to regain ground in Sri Lanka READ MORE
3. Why it is time for India to get serious about diplomacy over the Antarctic READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Pain from prices: More fuel tax cuts are needed to prevent inflation from hurting the recovery READ MORE
2. Boosting agrifood life sciences is key to India’s agricultural future READ MORE
3. Why cryptocurrencies must be regulated READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Delhi’s Annual Average NO2 Level Way Beyond Safe Limit Since 2013: Report READ MORE  
2. Antarctic Ice Shelf May Disintegrate in 5 Years, Posing Grave Threat to Sea-Level READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Flood policies that do not wash away READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Troubling question: Instead of casting off stereotypes, school authorities are reiterating old wrongs READ MORE
2. When you realise self READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Discuss the role of school in creating a rational, considerate and responsible citizenry of tomorrow.
2. ‘Critical reforms are needed to bring back faith in our banking services and regulations of cryptocurrency is a positive step in this regard’. Examine the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
• While the country’s policy continues to lag behind, climate change is fast becoming a force that it has to reckon with.
• Parliament needs to function effectively on framing Bills, budget scrutiny and holding the Government accountable. But that is not the focus today.
• Democracy demands that Parliament scrutinize the government’s decisions, but settling political scores on the floor of the House makes lawmakers fail in their duty to discuss and debate bills.
• To mitigate the impact of floods, adequate disaster adaptation measures and better disaster management policies are essential in the flood-prone areas.
• The Government should create a massive community awareness campaign regarding the impacts of natural disasters, their causes, and mitigation measures.
• Self-realisation means self-discovery in the highest sense of the term.
• India must prioritise health services for its vulnerable population. Indians have one of the world’s highest out-of-pocket health expenditures.
• Critical reforms are needed to bring back faith in our banking services. Otherwise, like previous examples of money flowing into chit funds and Ponzi schemes, savings will be channelled into cryptocurrencies that are non-productive for investment and economic growth.
• Gaps of income and wealth have worsened after liberalization and a response is clearly necessary.

50-WORD TALK

• The government decision to continue the ban on opening new engineering colleges is the right call. Existing colleges don’t have enough takers and most new graduates need further learning, training when employed. Engineering colleges need to reboot their curricula and focus on emerging areas like AI, robotics and machine learning.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. INDIA SIGNS AIRBUBBLE AGREEMENT WITH AUSTRALIA

THE CONTEXT: The Indian government has finalized an air bubble agreement with Australia, which will allow all eligible passengers to travel between the two countries.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Air Bubble Agreement?

• A bilateral air bubble is a mechanism to resume flights between two nations with preconditions during the pandemic.
• As things stand, scheduled international flight operations remain suspended at least till 31 January 2022, according to a recent notification by civil aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). As things stand, scheduled international flight operations remain suspended at least till 31 January 2022, according to a recent notification by civil aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
• India suspended international flight operations, effective 23 March 2020. This was periodically extended every month till 30 November, before the government on 26 November announced plans to resume scheduled international flight services.

With other countries:

India currently has bilateral air bubble agreements with 33 countries, which include Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, Seychelles, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, the UAE, the UK, and the USA, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

2. FIVE CENTRAL ASIAN LEADERS INVITED AS R-DAY CHIEF GUESTS

THE CONTEXT: India is awaiting responses from leaders of five Central Asian nations to an invitation to attend as chief guests of Republic Day, with the details expected to be finalised during a ministerial-level meeting of the India-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ dialogue (third India-Central Asia Dialogue).

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the officials, uncertainty over the COVID-19 situation, as well as the extra coordination required for multiple invitations, has led to the delay in the process of the invitations, which is normally wrapped up by December each year.
• If they accept, this will be the first time all five countries will attend the Republic Day parade together.

India- Central Asia relations:

• The invitation was part of India’s reach-out to the former Soviet States, that intensified since 2015, when Prime Minister visited all five capitals.
• India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2017, which all Central Asian States other than Turkmenistan are members of.
• The India-Central Asia dialogue was launched in 2019, and in July 2021, External affairs Minister attended the Central Asia-South Asia connectivity conference.
• The invitation is also a signal that India wants to increase its links to the region, where land connectivity has been difficult due to Pakistan’s [obstructive] position.
• Maritime connectivity remains important, and the Republic Day meeting will help strengthen India’s initiatives through Chabahar and through the al North South Transport Corridor.
• It is also part of the present government’s attempts to bring together immediate neighbours and “far neigh- bours” in a group format on multiple occasions. Govt. invited SAARC and BIMSTEC group leaders to his swearing in ceremonies in 2014 and 2019 respectively and invited 10 leaders of the ASEAN as Republic Day guests in 2018.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. THE MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION

THE CONTEXT: According National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report, the US produces a large share of the global supply of plastic resin – the precursor material to all plastic industrial and consumer products. It also imports and exports billions of dollars’ worth of plastic products every year.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Plastic waste of all shapes and sizes permeates the world’s oceans. It shows up on beaches, in fish and even in Arctic Sea ice.
• On a per-capita basis, the US produces an order of magnitude more plastic waste than China – a nation often vilified over pollution-related issues. These findings build off a study published in 2020 that concluded that the US is the largest global source of plastic waste, including plastics shipped to other countries that later are mismanaged.
• Humans also consume plastic that fragments into beverages and food from packaging and inhale microplastic particles in household dust. Scientists are only beginning to assess what this means for public health.
• Research to date suggests that exposure to plastic-associated chemicals may interfere with hormones that regulate many processes in our bodies, cause developmental problems in children or alter human metabolic processes in ways that promote obesity.

Impacts on marine ecosystems

According to IUCN, the most visible impacts of plastic debris are the ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of hundreds of marine species. Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fish and turtles mistake plastic waste for prey; most then die of starvation as their stomachs become filled with plastic.

How India can face the tidal wave of marine plastic

• The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Annual Report on Implementing the Plastic Garbage Rules, 2016, is the only regular estimate of the quantum of plastic waste generated in India. According to it, the waste generated in 2018-19 was 3,360,043 tonnes per year (roughly 9,200 tonnes per day).
• Given that total municipal solid waste generation is between 55 and 65 million tonnes per day, plastic waste contributes about 5-6 per cent of total solid waste generated in India.
• Approximately 12 per cent has been burnt, while the remaining 79 per cent has accumulated in landfills. Plastic waste is blocking our sewers, threatening marine life and generating health risks for residents in landfills or the natural environment.

The Way forward:

1. Designing a product: Identifying plastic items that can be replaced with non-plastic, recyclable, or biodegradable materials is the first step. Find alternatives to single-use plastics and reusable design goods by working with product designers. Countries must embrace circular and sustainable economic practices throughout the plastics value chain to accomplish this.
2. Pricing: Plastics are inexpensive because they are made with substantially subsidised oil and may be produced at a lower cost, with fewer economic incentives to employ recycled plastics. Price structures that reflect the adverse impacts of plastic consumption and promote alternative materials or reused and recycled plastics are necessary.
3. Technologies and Innovation: Developing tools and technology to assist governments and organisations in measuring and monitoring plastic garbage in cities. ‘Closing the loop’ project of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific assists cities in developing more inventive policy solutions to tackle the problem. A similar approach can be adopted in India.
4. Promoting a plastic-free workplace: All catering operations should be prohibited from using single-use plastics. To encourage workers and clients to improve their habits, all single-use goods can be replaced with reusable items or more sustainable single-use alternatives. By reconsidering how we operate, this initiative can save tonnes of plastic waste each year.
5. Producer responsibility: Extended responsibility can be applied in the retail (packaging) sector, where producers are responsible for collecting and recycling products that they launch into the market.

Initiatives to Curb Plastic Waste

• GoLitter Partnerships Project
• Swachh Bharat Mission
• Project REPLAN
• Un-Plastic Collective
• India Plastics Pact

4. THE GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD HABITAT UNDER THREAT

THE CONTEXT: The Centre has approached the Supreme Court seeking modification of its order directing that all transmission cables in the habitat of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) be laid underground, saying that the area falling in Rajasthan and Gujarat contains a large proportion of the country’s total solar and wind energy potential and the process will escalate the cost of renewable energy production and hurt India’s renewable energy cause.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In a bid to check the dwindling numbers of the endangered Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican, a Supreme Court bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India S A Bobde had, on April 9, directed that overhead power lines be laid underground, wherever feasible, passing along the habitat of the birds in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Seeking modification of this order, the application filed jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said the SC direction “has vast adverse implications for the power sector in India and energy transition away from fossil fuels” and that the MNRE was not heard before the order was passed.
• The government said that energy transition is essential for reducing emission and controlling climate change and India has made international commitments including under the agreement signed in Paris in 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for transition to non-fossil fuels and for emission reduction. India, it added, has set a target to achieve installed renewable energy capacity (excluding large Hydro) of 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
• The government said that to ensure conservation of the GIB and its habitat, MoEF&CC has developed the National Bustard Recovery Plans which are currently being implemented by conservation agencies. MoEF&CC, Rajasthan government and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have also established a conservation breeding facility in Desert National Park at Jaisalmer in June 2019.
• It said that the threat to GIBs is due to multiple reasons requiring measures at Central, State and local levels spanning across different sectors. The plea also pointed to several technical difficulties in undertaking the project as “there is no manufacturer of underground/ insulated cables for 765 kV in the world”.

ABOUT GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD:

• GIBs are the largest among the four bustard species found in India – the other three being MacQueen’s bustard, lesser florican and the Bengal florican. GIBs prefer grasslands as their habitats.  It is important to note that Great Indian Bustards are State bird of Rajasthan.
• Being terrestrial birds, they spend most of their time on the ground with occasional flights to go from one part of their habitat to the other.
• They feed on insects, lizards, grass seeds etc.
• GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland and hence barometers of the health of grassland ecosystems.
• In February 2020, the Central government told at the 13th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) that the GIB population in India had fallen to just 150.
• Maximum numbers of GIBs are found in Jaisalmer and the Indian Army controlled field firing range near Pokhran, Rajasthan.
• Other areas where they are found in less than 10 in number are Kutch district in Gujarat, Nagpur and Solapur districts in Maharashtra, Bellary and Koppal districts in Karnataka and Kurnool district and Amravati in Andhra Pradesh.
• Pakistan is also believed to host a few GIBs.
• The GIB lays one egg every 1-2 years, and the success rate of these eggs is 40-50 % due to predators like foxes and dogs.

Protected areas:

• Rajasthan: Desert National Park – Jaisalmer and Balmer
• Gujarat: Naliya Sanctuary in Kutch
• Madhya Pradesh: Karera Wildlife Sanctuary (The species disappeared from Madhya Pradesh in early 90s’)
• Maharashtra: Nannaj Grasslands, Solapur
• Andhra Pradesh: Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary

Recent Development:

India’s proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted during the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). This conference was held at Gandhinagar in Feb 2020. The mascot for CMS COP13 was “Gibi – The Great Indian Bustard”.

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

5. BANK-NBFC CO-LENDING MODEL

THE CONTEXT: Recently, several banks have entered into co-lending ‘master agreements’ with NBFCs, and more are in the pipeline. This, however, has come in for criticism from several quarters.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Co-Lending Model?

• Co-lending or co-origination is a set-up where banks and non-banks enter into an arrangement for the joint contribution of credit for priority sector lending. To put it simply, under this arrangement, both banks and NBFCs share the risk in a ratio of 80:20 (80 percent of the loan with the bank and a minimum of 20 percent with the non-banks).

How does a co-lending model work?

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had come out with the co-origination framework in 2018 to push lending in priority sectors including rural areas, renewable energy and MSMEs and allowing banks and NBFCs to co-originate loans. These guidelines were later amended in 2020 and rechristened as co-lending models (CML) by including Housing Finance Companies and some changes in the framework.
• The primary aim of CLM is to improve the flow of credit to the unserved and underserved segment of the economy at an affordable cost. This happens as banks have lower cost of funds and NBFCs have greater reach beyond tier-2 centres.
• As per RBI norms, a minimum 20 percent of the credit risk by way of direct exposure shall be on NBFC’s books till maturity and the balance will be on the bank’s books. Upon maturity, the repayment or recovery of interest is shared by the bank and NBFC in proportion to their share of credit and interest.
• This joint origination allows banks to claim priority sector status in respect of their share of credit. NBFCs act as the single point of interface for the customers and a tripartite agreement is done between the customers, banks and NBFCs.

SBI AND ADANI TIE-UP:

• On December 2,2021 SBI, the country’s largest lender, signed a deal with Adani Capital, a small NBFC of a big corporate house, for co-lending to farmers to help them buy tractors and farm implements.
• SBI’s giant network includes 22,230 branches, 64,122 automated teller machines (ATMs) and cash deposit machines (CDMs), and 70,786 business correspondent (BC) outlets across the country. Adani Capital has a network of just 60 branches and has disbursed around Rs 1,000 crore, according to its website.
• On November 2021, Union Bank of India entered into a co-lending agreement with Capri Global Capital Ltd (CGCL), with the aim “to enhance last-mile finance and drive financial inclusion to MSMEs by offering secured loans between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 100 lakh” initially through “100+ touch points pan-India”.

Risk in co-lending

• The move by big banks to tie up with small NBFCs for co-lending has come in for criticism from several quarters.
• Under the CLM, NBFCs are required to retain at least a 20 per cent share of individual loans on their books. This means 80 per cent of the risk will be with the banks — who will take the big hit in case of a default.
• The terms of the master agreement may provide for the banks to either mandatorily take their share of the individual loans originated by the NBFCs on their books, or to retain the discretion to reject certain loans after due diligence prior to taking them on their books.
• Interestingly, the RBI guidelines provide for the NBFCs to be the single point of interface for customers, and to enter into loan agreements with borrowers, which should lay down the features of the arrangement and the roles and responsibilities of the NBFCs and banks. In effect, while the banks fund the major chunk of the loan, the NBFC decides the borrower.

Corporates in banking

• While the RBI hasn’t officially allowed the entry of big corporate houses into the banking space, NBFCs — mostly floated by corporate houses — were already accepting public deposits. They now have more opportunities on the lending side through direct co-lending arrangements.
• This has come at a time when four big finance firms — IL&FS, DHFL, SREI and Reliance Capital — which collected public funds through fixed deposits and non-convertible debentures, have collapsed in the last three years despite tight monitoring by the RBI. Collectively, these firms owe around Rs 1 lakh crore to investors.
• While the RBI has referred to “the greater reach of the NBFCs”, many bankers point out that the reach of banks is far wider than small NBFCs with 100-branch networks in serving underserved and unserved segments.

Value Addition:

Non-Banking Financial Corporation (NBFC)

• An NBFC is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013 or 1956.
• According to section 45-I (c) of the RBI Act, a Non–Banking Company carrying on the business of a financial institution will be an NBFC.
• It further states that the NBFC must be engaged in the business of Loans and Advances, Acquisition of stocks, equities, debt etc issued by the government or any local authority or other marketable securities.

NBFC business:

• The NBFC business does not include business whose principal business is the following:
• Agricultural Activity
• Industrial Activity
• Purchase or sale of any goods excluding securities
• Sale/purchase/construction of any immovable property – Providing of any services

Difference between Banks and NBFCs:

• NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are akin to that of banks; however there are a few differences as given below:
• NBFC cannot accept demand deposits;
• NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself;
• Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in the case of banks.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. THE SUPERSONIC MISSILE- SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED

THE CONTEXT: A supersonic missile-assisted torpedo system (SMART) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully launched from Wheeler Island in Odisha.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It’s designed to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability far beyond the conventional range of the torpedo.
• According to DRDO, the system is a next-generation missile-based standoff torpedo delivery system. During the mission, full-range capability of the missile was successfully demonstrated. The system has been designed to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability far beyond the conventional range of the torpedo”.
• Also, DRDO, stated It was a textbook launch, where the entire trajectory was monitored by the electro-optic telemetry system, various range radars, including the down range instrumentation and down range ships. The missile carried a torpedo, parachute delivery system and release mechanisms.
• This canister-based missile system consists of advanced technologies – two-stage solid propulsion, electro-mechanical actuators and precision inertial navigation. The missile is launched from ground mobile launcher, and it can cover a range of distances.

What is SMART?

• SMART is a missile-assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range.
• It takes off like a regular supersonic missile when launched from a warship or a truck-based coastal battery.
• Most of its flight in the air is covered at lower altitudes with two-way data link from the warship or an airborne submarine target detection system.
• It is also provided the exact location of the hostile submarine to correct its flight path midway.
• When it approaches close to a submerged submarine, the missile would eject the torpedo system into the water and the torpedo will start moving towards its target to hit the submarine

What is Supersonic Missile?

• Speed of an object such as missile moving through any media like air, or water compared to speed of sound at certain physical conditions is measured in Mach. 1Mach is equal to speed of sound.
• 2 Mach is double than the speed of sound. Speed more than a Mach but less than 5 Mach is called supersonic. Speed less than 1 Mach is called Subsonic. The speed between 0.8 to 1.2 Mach is also referred to sometimes as A speed more than 5 Mach but less than 10 Mach is called Hypersonic. An object moving at speed of more than 10 Mach is called High-hypersonic. India’s BrahMos is a Supersonic Cruise Missile.

THE COVID CORNER

7. EFFECT ON COVID-19: WHO

THE CONTEXT: According to WHO, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted global health services and dealt a debilitating blow to people’s “ability to obtain healthcare and pay for it”.

THE EXPLANATION:

Around half a billion people were pushed into extreme poverty because they had to pay healthcare costs. A wide gap in affordable healthcare access, combined with reduced income can exacerbate crisis.

• The pandemic halted work being done to achieve Universal Health Coverage, while also plunging a significant population into economic crisis, the United Nations health agency noted.
• A wide gap in affordable healthcare access, combined with reduced income can exacerbate the crisis for the poorest population.
• Also, WHO noted, In the first year of the pandemic, the health systems were spread thin, making it difficult to run other services such as the general immunisation programmes and treatment of other communicable diseases. “As a result, for example, immunization coverage dropped for the first time in ten years, and deaths from tuberculosis and malaria increased.“
• Healthcare costs were driving around half a billion people into extreme poverty and the number is estimated to have gone up, the organization noted. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, almost 1 billion people were spending more than 10 per cent of their household budget on health”.
• Also, the UN agency noted, To make matters worse, around 90 per cent of households “incurring impoverishing out-of-pocket health spending are already at or below the poverty line”.

THE PRELIM PRACTICE QUESTION

Q1. Which of the following index is not compiled by Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment?

a) CPI for Industrial Workers (IW)

b) CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL)

c) CPI for Rural Labourer (RL)

d)  CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined)

ANSWER FOR 13TH DECEMBER 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: a)

Explanation:

French territories:

• Reunion island, Mayotte, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Indian Ocean)
• French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna (Pacific Ocean)
• The Islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Atlantic Ocean).

1. Remain Stress-Free READ MORE
2. Why Police Brutality and Torture Are Endemic in India READ MORE
3. Faith targeted READ MORE

1. Ensuring dam safety: Extreme weather events have increased risks READ MORE
2. Previously unrecorded Chilean tsunami identified READ MORE

1. Build back better to achieve universal health care READ MORE
2. Aspects of Poverty~II READ MORE

1. Explainer: How speakers are undermining the anti-defection law by simply sitting on petitions READ MORE  
2. Judicial reform promotes rule of law READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. PM inaugurates Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi READ MORE
2. Sankalp Scheme READ MORE
3. Five Central Asian leaders invited as R-Day chief guests READ MORE
4. Bank-NBFC co-lending: how it works, and the concerns it raises READ MORE
5. Great Indian Bustard habitat: Govt urges SC to modify order on underground cables READ MORE
6. COVID-19 effect: Healthcare costs push over half billion into extreme poverty READ MORE
7. India signs air bubble agreement with Australia READ MORE

Main Exam  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Explainer: How speakers are undermining the anti-defection law by simply sitting on petitions READ MORE  
2. Judicial reform promotes rule of law READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Build back better to achieve universal health care READ MORE
2. Aspects of Poverty~II READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Fathoming the new world disorder: It is pegged to the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, a development with a far-reaching impact on global politics READ MORE
2. The case for deeper technological ties with London READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Fixing the MSP mess, through futures and options READ MORE
2. Women are key drivers in Bangladesh’s rapid economic growth READ MORE
3. Fertiliser industry is not yielding results READ MORE
4. Holistic solutions needed to tackle income inequality READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Ensuring dam safety: Extreme weather events have increased risks READ MORE
2. Previously unrecorded Chilean tsunami identified READ MORE

SECURITY

1. A dangerous churn in Af-Pak READ MORE
2. Cyber security breach a matter of serious concern READ MORE
3. Cyber threat READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Remain Stress-Free READ MORE
2. Why Police Brutality and Torture Are Endemic in India READ MORE
3. Faith targeted READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The American withdrawal from Afghanistan will have a far-reaching impact on global politics. Discuss.
2. ‘Mitigating the social and economic determinants of health and reducing out-of-pocket costs are important to achieve Universal Health Care’. In the light of the statement, discuss how Strong PHC services can be a deciding factor in this regard?
3. ‘Professionalizing the judiciary not only makes courts more trustworthy and respectable in the eyes of the people, but also enhances its capability to resolve disputes, and thus contributes to a more vibrant, prosperous community’. In the list of the statement, discuss how the court play an important role in Rule of Law.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The folly of endless consumerism sends us on a wild goose chase for happiness through materialism.
• The Afghan withdrawal and the downsizing in West Asia suggest that America’s strategic focus has shifted towards China.
• It makes strategic and economic sense for Delhi, as the UK is one of the few nations to have laid out ambitious policy goals with an eye on the unfolding technological revolution.
• For Delhi, the essence of the new alliance with Britain is fourfold — generate domestic prosperity, enhance national security, climb up the global technology hierarchy, and contribute to the construction of a free, open, and democratic global technological order.
• Insecurity and escalating violence in the region could provide opportunity for Islamist terror outfits.
• Insolvencies can have cross-border implications. An insolvency framework that lays down common principles is crucial.
• Strong PHC services that are publicly financed help mitigate the social and economic determinants of health and reduce out-of-pocket costs.
• The Govt should remove control on urea and stop giving subsidy through manufacturers; instead, the Government can give it directly to farmers.
• In a country like India where privileges manifest in various forms—gender, caste and religion—the increasing wealth and income disparity only exacerbate the situation.
• India happens to be a rich country inhabited by very poor people.
• A ‘poverty line’ that ignores individual characteristics altogether cannot do justice to our real concerns underlying poverty, viz. capability failure because of inadequate economic means.”
• Professionalizing the judiciary not only makes courts more trustworthy and respectable in the eyes of the people, but also enhances its capability to resolve disputes, and thus contributes to a more vibrant, prosperous community.

50-WORD TALK

• CBSE’s Class 10 examination passage on women and parenting was regressive and steeped in anachronistic notions of patriarchy. Educating children means making them aware and open-minded. Such writing reinforces gender stereotypes and misogyny. CBSE ‘dropping’ the passage is welcome, but it should ensure such thought-processes never find their way in.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. NO PROPOSAL TO SCRAP SECTION 124A

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, that there is no proposal under consideration to scrap Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further, the question of law regarding Section 124A is pending for adjudication before the Supreme Court of India.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is the controversy?

• Recently, the Chief Justice of India made remarks in open court to the Government about the chilling effect of the “colonial law” which suppresses the freedoms of ordinary people.

About Sedition Law

• The sedition law, enshrined in Section 124A of IPC, was introduced by the British government in 1870 to tackle dissent against colonial rule.
• The original draft of the IPC, which was enacted in 1860, did not consist of this law and the Section was drafted by Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1970.

Section 124A states:

• “Whoever, words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.”
• In the 19th and 20th centuries, the law was used primarily to suppress the writings and speeches of prominent Indian nationalists and freedom fighters.
• The first known instance of the application of the law was the trial of newspaper editor Jogendra Chandra Bose in 1891.
• Other major examples of the application of the law include the trials of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Trials of Tilak and Gandhi

• In 1922, Gandhi was arrested on charges of sedition in Bombay for taking part in protests against the colonial government and was sentenced to six years in prison. However, he was released after two years because of medical reasons.
• Tilak faced three trials in cases related to sedition and was imprisoned twice. In 1897, he was charged with sedition for writing an article in his weekly publication called Kesari and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. In 1908, he was tried again for his writings and was represented by Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Arguments For Section 124A

• Section 124A of the IPC has its utility in combating anti-national, secessionist and terrorist elements.
• It protects the elected government from attempts to overthrow the government with violence and illegal means.
• The continued existence of the government established by law is an essential condition of the stability of the State.
• Many districts in different states face a Maoist insurgency and rebel groups virtually run a parallel administration.
• These groups openly advocate the overthrow of the state government by revolution.
• Therefore, there is a need to retain the provision to effectively combat anti-national, secessionist and terrorist elements.
• The plea had contended that the provision which was used by the British against Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak is still being “grossly abused” to stifle freedom of speech and expression of those who choose to express dissent against policies of the Governments in power

Arguments Against Section 124A

• Mahatma Gandhi called Section 124A “the prince among the political sections of the IPC designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen”.
• Jawaharlal Nehru said that the provision was “obnoxious” and “highly objectionable”, and “the sooner we get rid of it the better”.
• It is a constraint on the legitimate exercise of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and expression.
• Dissent and criticism of the government are essential ingredients of robust public debate in a vibrant democracy.
• The British, who introduced sedition to oppress Indians, have themselves abolished the law in their country. There is no reason why India should not abolish this section.
• The sedition law is being misused as a tool to persecute political dissent. A wide and concentrated executive discretion is inbuilt into it which permits the blatant abuse.

Supreme Court’s Earlier Stand

• The sedition law has been challenged several times over the last few years but it has managed to survive all of the challenges against it.
• In the landmark Kedar Nath versus Union of India case (1962), the SC upheld the constitutional validity of the sedition law while trying to curtail its misuse.
• The Court upheld the law on the basis that this power was required by the state to protect itself.
• However, it had added a vital caveat that “a person could be prosecuted for sedition only if his acts caused incitement to violence or intention or tendency to create public disorder or cause disturbance of public peace”.
• It also added that unless accompanied by incitement or call for violence, criticism of the government cannot be labelled sedition.
• The SC laid down that every citizen has a right to say or write about the government, by way of criticism or comment, as long as it does not “incite people to violence” against the government established by law or with the intention of creating public disorder.
• In September 2016, the SC had reiterated these necessary safeguards and held that they should be followed by all authorities.

 2. THE GOVERNOR’S ROLE IN STATE, CENTRAL UNIVERSITIES

THE CONTEXT: A controversy has erupted in Kerala over the reappointment of Vice Chancellor of Kannur University, with Kerala Governor saying he approved the decision against his “better judgement” as Chancellor. In a letter to Chief Minister, Governor expressed his desire to step down as Chancellor, alleging political interference in the universities.

What is the role of Governors in state universities?

• In most cases, the Governor of the state is the ex-officio chancellor of the universities in that state. While the Governor’s powers and functions as the Chancellor are laid out in the statutes that govern the universities under a particular state government, their role in appointing the Vice Chancellors has often triggered disputes with the political executive.
• In Kerala’s case, the Governor’s official portal asserts that “while as Governor he functions with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, as Chancellor he acts independently of the Council of Ministers and takes his own decisions on all University matters”. In marked contrast, the website of Rajasthan’s Raj Bhawan states that the “Governor appoints the Vice Chancellor on the advice/ in consultation with the State Government”.

What about central universities?

• Under the Central Universities Act, 2009, and other statutes, the President of India shall be the Visitor of a central university. With their role limited to presiding over convocations, Chancellors in central universities are titular heads, who are appointed by the President in his capacity as Visitor.
• The VCs too are appointed by the Visitor from panels of names picked by search and selection committees formed by the Union government. The Act adds that the President, as Visitor, shall have the right to authorize inspections of academic and non-academic aspects of the universities and also to institute inquiries.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. THE INDO-SRILANKA ACCORD OF 1987

THE CONTEXT: A group of Opposition MPs in Sri Lanka, representing Tamils from the north and east, hill country (Malaiyaha Tamils), and Tamil-speaking Muslims sought the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to ensure “existing rights are not snatched away”.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is the Accord?

• Popularly referred to as the Rajiv-Jayewardene Accord, after its architects Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R. Jayewardene.
• It sought to collectively address all the three contentious issues between India and Sri Lanka: strategic interests, people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka and Tamil minority rights in Sri Lanka.
• This accord saw the induction of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.
• According to the terms of the accord, Sri Lankan forces would withdraw from the north and the Tamil rebels would disarm.
• The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan Civil War by enabling the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act of 1987.

Why the 13th Amendment contentious?

• As per the 13th amendment, Sri Lanka was divided into nine provinces each governed by a council headed by an elected chief minister.
• The north and east was merged into one province called North-East province. Also, Tamil was made an official language along with the Sinhalese. The powers were divided into three lists viz. Provincial, Reserved and Concurrent.
• However, since all the provisions of 13th amendment were not implemented, it is called 13-Minus. 13 Minus implies that Police, Land and Financial powers have not been devolved. The provinces have struggled to get adequate financial powers. Then in 2007, the North and East were demerged. This was followed by more centralized powers in the hands of President, eroding whatsoever autonomy was with the provinces.
• Before LTTE was decimated, the Sri Lankan government was ready to go well beyond what was promised in 13th amendment, but then LTTE rejected it. In 2006, the then President Rajapaksha had appointed an All Party Representative Committee (APRC) in April 2006 to design a solution which looks good and reasonable enough to address the concerns in the aftermath of LTTE end.
• This committee recommended in 2008 about full implementation of 13th amendment along with creation of a second house. However, once LTTE decimated, implementing 13 itself has hit a roadblock.
• Further, when former President Rajapaksha met Indian Prime Minister, and said that devolving police powers would be “risky and difficult”, thus putting more suspense to the 13th amendment story.

Stance of India

India has always emphasised on a meaningful devolution package, based on the 13th Amendment. India’s interest is not only cultural but also demographic as around 1 lakh Tamil refugees are living in India. Until a political reconciliation is achieved in Sri Lanka, return of these refugees will not be possible.

4. NEW CALEDONIA VOTES TO REMAIN A FRENCH TERRITORY

THE CONTEXT: Voters in the French island territory of New Caledonia chose overwhelmingly to stay part of France, in a referendum boycotted by pro-independence forces.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The vote was the third and last in a decades-long decolonization process that stemmed from violence in 1988, which led to the French government handing New Caledonia broad autonomy under the Noumea Agreement.
• The official results showed 96% of those who took part chose to stay in France. Overall turnout was just 42% — less than half the numbers who showed up in a previous independence referendum last year, where support for breaking away was 46.7%.
• The vote was monitored by the U.N. and regional powers, amid global efforts toward decolonization and amid growing Chinese influence in the region. New Caledonia, colonized by Napoleon’s nephew in the 19th century, is a vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia that is 10 time zones ahead of Paris — and hosts a French military base.

BACKGROUND:

• In the first such referendum in 2018, 43.6% of voters supported independence, and 46.7% favoured it in a second vote held in 2020. While support for a “yes” vote seemed to be growing, the region’s first coronavirus outbreak in September threw the political debate into disarray. Until then, New Caledonia had been one of the few virus-free places left on the planet.
• France is trying to cement its presence in the Indo-Pacific region after it lost a multibillion-dollar submarine contract because of a partnership Australia formed with the United States and the U.K. The secretly negotiated submarine project, announced in September and aimed at countering Chinese ambitions in the region, was a huge blow to France. New Caledonia hosts one of two French military bases in the Pacific.

New Caledonia

• It is an archipelago.
• It is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
• It was discovered in 1774 by the British navigator James Cook.
• It was annexed by France in 1853.
• In 1946, it became an overseas territory.
• By 1953, French citizenship had been granted to all New Caledonians, regardless of ethnicity.
• It accounts for around 10% of the world’s nickel reserve.

French Overseas Territories:

• The Islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Atlantic Ocean)
• Reunion island, Mayotte, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Indian Ocean)
• French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna (Pacific Ocean)

The French Overseas Territories cover almost 120 000 km² and are home to more than 2.6 million people.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

5. ROYAL BENGAL TIGER SIGHTED AT BUXA RESERVE

THE CONTEXT: A camera trap set up at Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Alipurduar district of West Bengal have captured a sight of Royal Bengal Tiger, that the region has not witnessed in more than two decades.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the state forest officials of Buxa Tiger Reserve, there is an improve within the forest density and the large cat prey base, particularly deer, had attracted a Royal Bengal tiger, a primary such sighting in 23 years.
• The favourable habitat at the tiger reserve would invite more tigers, which had migrated to neighbouring Bhutan. The state shares a contiguous range of the protected area with Bhutan.
• The forest department has of late relentlessly tried to increase the density of the jungle. A herd of deer was introduced to the forest so that tigers could find their food from the jungle. The movement of human beings was restricted specially in the core tiger reserve. These measures led to the success. As a result, tigers are now returning from Bhutan.
• In 2020, the report released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change said the ‘Buxa reserve had no tiger, and its infrastructure was found wanting. “Buxa needs to be rebuilt as a tiger habitat. Tigers may have been brought from Kaziranga.

About Buxa Tiger Reserve:

• Located in Northern West Bengal, India
• Located in the Buxa Hills of the southern hilly area of Bhutan.
• Its northern boundary runs along the international border with Bhutan
• Animals found -Royal Bengal Tiger, civet, elephant, gaur (Indian bison), Indian boar and red jungle fowl
• The fragile “Terai Eco-System” constitutes a part of this reserve.
• The Phipsu Wildlife Sanctuary of Bhutan is contiguous to the north of BTR.
• Tiger reserve located inside the Buxa National Park.

The Royal Bengal Tiger:

The Royal Bengal Tiger belongs to specific population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies, which is native to the Indian subcontinent. The tiger is threatened by poaching and fragmentation of habitat. India’s tiger population was 2,967 in 2019. 300–500 tigers are found in Bangladesh, 220–274 in Nepal while 103 tigers in Bhutan. In the red list of IUCN, it has been list into Endangered category.

6. WORLD’S ONLY BREEDING CENTRE FOR ASIATIC LIONS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Sakkarbaug zoo of Junagadh in Gujarat as three of its Asiatic lionesses have given birth to 13 cubs.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden is a 210-acre facility that provides pure-bred Asiatic lions for the Indian and international endangered species captive-breeding programme. Wild, free-ranging Asiatic lions have become extinct in most parts of Asia and are now found only in and around the Gir Forest.

However, it is important to note that, Sakkarbaug Zoo of Junagadh is the only breeding centre in the world for Asiatic lions, and the Gir Forest, the Asiatic lion population went to 674 in 2020.”

ABOUT ASIATIC LION:

• It is one of five big cat species found in India and Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only habitat for Asiatic lions.
• Historically, it inhabited much of Western Asia and the Middle East up to northern India.
• More than two dozen lions died in an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) and Babesiosis.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix I
• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I

Factors responsible for steady rise in population:

Over the last several years, the lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising.

This is powered by:

• community participation
• emphasis on technology
• wildlife healthcare
• proper habitat management
• steps to minimise human-lion conflict.

7. ILLEGAL TRADE OF WILD ANIMALS

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Environment, forest, and climate change, between 2018 and 2020, about 2,054 cases were registered for killing or illegal trafficking of wild animals in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In the three years, about 3,836 accused were arrested for the crime. The number of cases registered in the year 2018 was 648 and 1,099 persons were arrested; followed by 805 cases and 1,506 arrests in 2019; and 601 cases and 1,231 arrests in 2020.
• The WCCB (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau) had launched operation “Save Kurma” from to December 2016 to January 2017 to focus on the poaching, transportation and illegal trade of live turtles and tortoises. The operation resulted in seizure of more than 15,912 live turtles and the arrest of 55 suspects.
• Another operation “Operation Turtshield- I” from December 2019 to January 2020 and Operation Turtshield-II” (December 2020 to February 2021) was taken up to tackle the illegal trade of live turtles, resulting in the seizure of 4,601 live/dead turtles and arrest of 45 accused in the first operation.
• In the second operation, 59 accused were arrested and the efforts led to the recovery of 11,771 live turtles/tortoises and 45 kilograms of turtle calipee.
• “Operation Softgold” was undertaken from October 2018 to March, 2019 to tackle illegal trade in Shahtoosh shawls (made from Chiru wool). During the operation, 350 shawls were found.

About Wildlife Crime Control Bureau:

• Considering the seriousness of organised Wildlife Crime and illegal trade of wildlife parts and products, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau was created in 2007 under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is designated nodal agency for CITES related enforcement.
• WCCB is a statutory multi-disciplinary body under the MoEFCC.

Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, WCCB is mandated to

• collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime.
• disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies to apprehend the criminals.
• to establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank.
• co-ordinate actions by various agencies in connection with the enforcement of the provisions of the Act.
• assist international organizations & foreign authorities to facilitate wildlife crime control.
• capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies.
• assist State Governments to ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crimes; and
• advise the Government of India on issues relating to wildlife crimes.
• It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

8. PINAKA ROCKET SYSTEM

THE CONTEXT: “The DRDO, along with the Army, conducted a series of performance evaluation trials. In these trials, enhanced range Pinaka rockets were test-fired at different ranges with various warhead capabilities. All the trial objectives were met satisfactorily. 24 rockets were fired for different ranges and warhead capabilities to meet the objectives of accuracy and consistency.”

THE EXPLANATION:

Also stated with this, the initial phase of technology absorption of the Pinaka-ER (Enhanced Range) by the industry partner has successfully been completed, making the upgraded rocket system ready for production.

What is Pinaka-ER?

The Pinaka-ER is the upgraded version of the earlier Pinaka, which has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade. The system has been designed in light of emerging requirements with advanced technologies. The extended range of the new Pinaka is over 70 km, as opposed to the 45 km the system currently has.

About Pinaka Rocket System:

• Pinaka is an all-weather, artillery multi-barrel rocket system. It can fire 72 rockets in 44 seconds. It delivers lethal and responsive fire against a variety of area targets such as exposed enemy troops, armoured and soft skin vehicles, communication centres, air terminal complexes, fuel and ammunition dumps.
• The Pinaka gives a deep strike option to the forces on the ground and is capable of hitting critical military installations.
• The Pinaka rocket system was recently deployed at the China border amid tensions that began in Ladakh.
• The system was jointly designed by laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune.
• The Area Denial Munition (ADM) variants designed by ARDE and manufactured by industry partners under technology transfer were successfully carried out at Pokhran Field Firing Ranges. These trials are part of performance evaluation under technology absorption.
• The indigenously developed proximity fuses for Pinaka rockets have also been tested.
• The initial version of weapon system was called Mark I, which had a range of 40 km. The upgraded version or Pinaka Mark II has an extended range of 70 to 80 km.

9. AI TOOL TO SIMPLIFY IDENTIFICATION OF CANCEROUS TISSUE IN TUMOURS

THE CONTEXT: IIT Madras researchers developed this tool using deep learning and traditional machine learning to develop a tool that can diagnose cancer by looking at whole slide images of the tumour. The tool has been tested on datasets of breast, liver and colon cancer tissue images.

THE EXPLANATION:

Digital histopathology

• Traditionally, histopathologists slice the tumour tissue into approximately 20-micron-thick slices which they put on slides. They look at enlarged images of the slides and go over it cell by cell to manually classify it as cancerous or otherwise. This is highly time-consuming, and it is to alleviate this burden that digital histopathology developed.
• In this, after preparing the slides, the entire slide is scanned using a high-resolution microscope and digitised. This is then analysed using computerised tools.This digital process has its own challenges. The first of this is the sheer size of the scanned images which can run into gigabytes.
• A single image could be 100,000 by 100,000 pixels large – compare this with a shot generated by a smart phone which is about 7,000 by 7,000 pixels in size,” says Ganapathy Krishnamurthy of the Engineering Design Department of IIT Madras in an email, giving an idea of the challenge to computer time posed by this task.
• The technique posed further challenges, such as insufficient training data and the variation in staining across labs.
• Also extracting clinically relevant information, that is, directly inferring fine-grained disease classification using deep learning alone was turning out to be prohibitively expensive in terms of computational time.

Algorithms:

To test the algorithms, the researchers enrolled in three open challenges – the CAMELYON17 challenge, the DIGESTPATH 2019 challenge and the PAIP 2019 challenge. “This paper takes data from three different challenges. In two of these, we were placed in the top 3 performing methods and in one challenge (CAMELYON) we were placed in the top 10 out of several hundred entries.

THE PRELIM PRACTICE QUESTION

Q1. Which of the following pairs of French overseas territory is incorrectly matched?

1. French Polynesia – Atlantic Ocean
2. New Caledonia – Pacific Ocean
3. Reunion island – Indian Ocean

Select the correct answer using codes given below?

     a) 1 only             b)  1 and 2

     c) 2 and 3           d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 11TH DECEMBER 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilise efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions.
• Statement 2 is correct: Its headquarter is located in Gurugram, Haryana.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.

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