THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1.‘LAKSHYA ZERO DUMPSITE’

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved proposals worth ₹28.5 crores submitted by the UT for remediating 7.7 lakh MT of waste in Daddumajra dumpsite.

THE EXPLANATION:

This initiative is set to give residents of Chandigarh respite from diseases and the foul smell of garbage and will ensure that the city is on its way to remediate its legacy waste and become 5-Star Garbage Free in the coming period of time.

• The ‘Heritage City’ of Chandigarh, founded in 1953 and planned by famous Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, stands out for its immaculate urban planning and design. The city is renowned for its open public spaces, adequate green covers, and strict norms for residential and commercial zones that have preserved the sanctity of the city.

What is the need?

• The city generates 521 metric tonnes (MT) of waste every day, mostly consisting of horticultural waste due to the wide spread green cover across 1,800 parks, and processes the same into 4,000 quintals of compost annually.
• The city has been certified as 1-Star Garbage Free in the recently concluded Star Rating Assessment for Garbage Free Cities in 2021, under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. It was also recognized for its commitment to transform ‘manhole to machine hole’ by winning the ‘Best Performing UT’ inSafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge 2021.
• For decades, the city’s waste would travel to the Daddumajra dumpsite which is now estimated to hold around 7.7 lakh MT of legacy waste. As part of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, the UT has pledged to achieve ‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsites’ within the Mission period and has undertaken the challenge of remediating the 7.7 lakh (MT) of legacy waste lying across 8 acres of land as part of the Daddumajra dumpsite.
• The land captured by Chandigarh’s largest and only dumpsite is valued at around ₹80 crores and efforts are now underway to completely remediate the dumpsite and provide a healthier future to the residents of the city.

2. DRAFT INDIA DATA ACCESSIBILITY & USE POLICY, 2022

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) on February2022 released a policy proposal titled as, “Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy, 2022”.

THE EXPLANATION:

About “Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy, 2022”:

Aim:  To “radically transform India’s ability to harness public sector data”. The proposals of the Draft Data Accessibility Policy has been in the spotlight for permitting the licensing and sale of public data by the Government to the private sector.

Highlights of the Draft Policy:

• Commercial Use: The policy will be applicable to all data and information created/generated/collected/achieved by the government directly or through authorised agencies by various ministries/departments/organisations/ agencies and autonomous bodies.
• Data Authority: Indian Data Office (IDO) will be constituted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to streamline and consolidate data access and share public data repositories across the government and other stakeholders.
• Consultative body: Indian Data Council (IDC) will comprise the IDO and data officers of five government departments. Its tasks will include defining frameworks for defining high-value datasets, finalizing data standards and metadata standards and reviewing the implementation of the policy.
• Database Integration: All central and state government bodies will have to compulsorily share data with each other to create a common “searchable database”. A data-sharing toolkit will be provided to ministries and departments to assess and manage risks associated with data sharing.
• The monetisation of Data: The datasets that have undergone value addition could be monetised by the government.
• Stakeholders: Start-ups, other enterprises, individuals and researchers will be able to access enriched data through data licensing, sharing and valuation within the frameworks of data security and privacy.

What are the privacy issues with the Draft Data Accessibility Policy?

• India does not have a data protection law that can provide accountability and remedy for privacy violations such as coercive and excessive data collection or data breaches. Here, inter-departmental data sharing poses concerns related to privacy since the open government data portal which contains data from all departments may result in the creation of 360 degree profiles and enable state-sponsored mass surveillance.
• Even though the policy considers anonymisation as a desired goal there is a lack of legal accountability and independent regulatory oversight. There is also a failure to consider scientific analysis and the availability of automated tools for the re-identification of anonymous data.
• The commercial value of the data increases with greater amounts of personal data.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. INDIAN RAILWAYS INSTALLING SOLAR FENCES TO SAVE ELEPHANTS

THE CONTEXT: Agricultural Engineering Department is planning to install hanging solar-powered fences. Though the concept is not new to the State, it will be carried out with a 40% back-ended subsidy to be provided to farmers willing to have such fences.

THE EXPLANATION:

The barrier, to be hung from a height of about 12 ft, is made up of hot-dip galvanised aluminium conductor steel reinforced wires, which are considered rust-free. This is said to be useful in protecting the fields against wild boar and bison attacks.

The cost varies depending upon the number of lines of the wire. For instance, wires with five lines are estimated to cost about ₹2.91 lakh, of which the government’s subsidy will cover around ₹1.16 lakh. If the number of lines is 10, the cost goes up to approximately ₹3.37 lakh, of which the subsidy component will be nearly ₹1.35 lakh.

Significance:

• While electrocution claimed the lives of 741 elephants, train hits led to the death of 186 pachyderms, followed by poaching (169) and poisoning (64).
• Karnataka and Odisha lost 133 elephants each to electrocution and Assam reported 129 deaths in the recent past. Among elephant casualties due to train hits, Assam stood first with 62 deaths, followed by West Bengal at 57. A total of 169 elephants were killed by poachers in the 10 years and Odisha reported the highest of 49, fol-lowed by Kerala 23. Assam reported the highest number of elephants poisoned, 32, and Odisha stood second with 15.
• According to the Ministry, India had a total of 29,964 wild elephants as per an esti-mate done in 2017. The southern region comprising Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra accounted for the highest population — 14,612 elephants.

4. NUEVA PESCANOVA: WORLD’S FIRST OCTOPUS FARM

THE CONTEXT: A Spanish company plans to open the first commercial octopus farm  in 2023, but as scientists discover more about the enigmatic animals, some have warned it could be an ethical and environmental disaster.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Nueva Pescanova, the company pouring 65 million euros ($74 million) into the farm, which is pending environmental approval from local authorities.
• The commercial incentives for the farm, which is slated to produce 3,000 tonnes per year by 2026 for domestic and international food chains and generate hundreds of jobs on the island of Gran Canaria.
• Between 2010 and 2019 the value of the global octopus trade ballooned to $2.72 billion from $1.30 billion, according to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, while landings only rose around 9% to 380,000 tonnes.
• Despite increasing concern for animal rights, demand is booming, led by Italy, Korea, Japan and Spain, the world’s biggest importer. Natural fishing grounds are feeling the strain.
• However, previous efforts to farm octopus have struggled with high mortality, while attempts to breed wild-caught octopus ran into problems with aggression, cannibalism and self-mutilation.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. NASA’S RETIREMENT PLAN FROM SPACE STATION

THE CONTEXT: According to a NASA’s press release, NASA plans to retire the International Space Station at the end of 2030 and crash it into the Pacific Ocean in an area called Point Nemo.

THE EXPLANATION:

For over two decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting Earth at a speed of about eight kilometres per second, while an international crew of astronauts and cosmonauts onboard conducted ground-breaking scientific investigations that have thrown open the doors for deep space exploration.

What is International Space Station?

• The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live. The space station is also a unique science laboratory. Several nations worked together to build and use the space station. The space station is made of parts that were assembled in space by astronauts.
• It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 250 miles. It travels at 17,500 mph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes. NASA is using the space station to learn more about living and working in space. These lessons will make it possible to send humans farther into space than ever before.

What’s next for the ISS?

According to NASA, once it retires, the ISS will be replaced by “one or more commercially-owned and -operated” space platforms. “The private sector is technically and financially capable of developing and operating commercial low-Earth orbit destinations, with NASA’s assistance.

What about India’s Space Station?

According to the ISRO, India will launch its first indigenously made space station by 2030, just a few years after the ‘Gaganyaan’ mission which will kick off starting 2022.

THE PT PERSPECTIVE

6. THE STRATEGIC LOCATION OF GOLAN HEIGHTS

The Golan Heights are a fertile plateau of around 1,300 sq km area lying to the north and east of the Sea of Galilee, which Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967, and has occupied ever since.

The inhabitants

Around 50,000 people are estimated to live on the Golan, divided almost equally between Israeli Jewish settlers and Arabic-speaking Druze people of Syrian origin, who follow a monotheistic Abrahamic religion related to Ismaili Shia Islam.

Significance:

• The heights give Israel an excellent vantage point for monitoring Syrian movements. The topography provides a natural buffer against any military thrust from Syria.
• Israel’s government says it also fears that Iran, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is seeking to establish itself permanently on the Syrian side of the border in order to launch attacks on Israel.
• The area is also a key source of water for an arid region. Rainwater from the Golan’s catchment feeds into the Jordan River.

7. THE 9,000-YEAR-OLD SHRINE FOUND IN JORDAN

THE CONTEXT: A team of Jordanian and French archaeologists found a roughly 9,000-year-old shrine at a remote Neolithic site in Jordan’s eastern desert.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The ritual complex was found in a Neolithic campsite near large structures known as “desert kites,” or mass traps that are believed to have been used to corral wild gazelles for slaughter.
• Such traps consist of two or more long stone walls converging toward an enclosure and are found scattered across the deserts of the West Asia.
• “It’s 9,000 years old and everything was almost intact.” Within the shrine were two carved standing stones bearing anthropomorphic figures.

MAPPING-PLACES IN NEWS

8. WHO ARE ANGADIAS?

The Angadia system is a century-old parallel banking system in the country where traders send cash generally from one state to another through a person called Angadia that stands for courier. It is by and large used in the jewellery business with Mumbai – Surat being the most popular route as they are two ends of the diamond trade.

 The cash involved is huge and it is the responsibility of the Angadia to transfer cash from one state to another for which they charge a nominal fee. Generally, it is the Gujarati, Marwari and Malbari community that are involved in the business.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 24^th FEBRUARY 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. Israel does not share its border with Syria.
2. Jordan does not share its border with Mediterranean Sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 23^rd FEBRUARY 2022

1. Answer: D

Explanation:

Mission Shakti:

• It envisages a unified citizen-centric lifecycle support for women through integrated care, safety, protection, rehabilitation & empowerment to unshackle women as they progress through various stages of life.
• It has two sub-schemes ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’.
• ‘Sambal’ is for safety and security of women, the ‘Samarthya’ sub-scheme is for empowerment of women.
• The Sambal sub-scheme consists of the existing scheme of One Stop Centres (OSC), Women Helplines (181-WHL) and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP). Besides, a new component of Nari Adalats has been added as women’s collectives to promote and facilitate alternative dispute resolution and gender justice in society and within families.
• The Samarthya sub scheme is for empowerment of women, consisting of existing schemes of Ujjwala, SwadharGreh and Working Women Hostel. In addition, the National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which have been under the Umbrella ICDS Scheme till now, are also subsumed in ‘Samarthya’.

2. Answer: B

Explanation:

The iconic island Char Chinari in the middle of the Dal Lake in Srinagar:

• Recently, two tall chinar trees were planted on the picturesque island with the Zabarwan hills in the backdrop. This will be the second time in the past decade that chinar trees, which can survive for centuries, will be planted on the island.
• The 2014 floods left two mighty chinars damaged.
• The island, in fact, owes its name to chinar trees, as Char Chinarimeans four chinars.

1. Nueva Pescanova: World’s First Octopus Farm Stirs Ethical Debate READ MORE
2. Living in gratitude is a way to be at peace READ MORE
3. Apathy, cynicism of babus hurt welfare READ MORE

1. India must revisit its forestry goals READ MORE
2. In Antarctica, Does a Burgeoning Krill Fishery Threaten Wildlife? READ MORE
3. Human presence has accelerated snow melting in Antarctica: Report READ MORE

1. On Hijab issue, listen to the missing voices READ MORE
2. Why Judges Should Not Interpret Religion READ MORE
3. Introduce digital media literacy in schools READ MORE

1. Drafting a new Constitution is impossible: That the Centre is suppressing the powers of the States is not reason enough for a new statute READ MORE
2. Understanding the Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy, 2022 READ MORE
3. India needs to take a serious look at its business laws. Here’s why READ MORE
4. Democracy needs challenges to assert itself READ MORE
5. India needs judicial reforms – but granting more powers to the chief justice won’t solve anything READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. NASA’s plan to decommission the International Space Station READ MORE
2. Indian Navy’s MILAN exercise to be held in Visakhapatnam from February 25 READ MORE
3. Ukraine Crisis: US Imposes Sanctions On Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline READ MORE
4. Tejas to participate in prestigious Cobra Warrior exercises of the Royal Air Force in the U.K. READ MORE
5. Explained: Who are Angadias and what are the challenges they face? READ MORE
6. SC to hear plea to declare ‘Ram Sethu’ national heritage monument on March 9 READ MORE
7. ‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsite’: Daddumajra Dumpsite Remediation in Chandigarh READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. India must revisit its forestry goals READ MORE
2. On Hijab issue, listen to the missing voices READ MORE
3. Why Judges Should Not Interpret Religion READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Drafting a new Constitution is impossible: That the Centre is suppressing the powers of the States is not reason enough for a new statute READ MORE
2. Understanding the Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy, 2022 READ MORE
3. India needs to take a serious look at its business laws. Here’s why READ MORE
4. Democracy needs challenges to assert itself READ MORE
5. India needs judicial reforms – but granting more powers to the chief justice won’t solve anything READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUE

1. Introduce digital media literacy in schools READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Emerging axes, new equations: Pak-Russia dynamics in a changing world READ MORE
2. Quad takes another step forward READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Explained: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could impact Indian exports READ MORE
2. No garble, please READ MORE
3. Dealing with unclaimed bank deposits READ MORE
4. Circular economy for plastic: Progress in handling waste has been uninspiring READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. In Antarctica, Does a Burgeoning Krill Fishery Threaten Wildlife? READ MORE
2. Human presence has accelerated snow melting in Antarctica: Report READ MORE

SCIENCE

1. Fixing the under-representation of women in the sciences READ MORE
2. Promote the whys & hows: Objective should be to encourage the spirit of enquiry, not reverence for science READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Explained: How big is insurgency threat in Manipur? READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Nueva Pescanova: World’s First Octopus Farm Stirs Ethical Debate READ MORE
2. Living in gratitude is a way to be at peace READ MORE
3. Apathy, cynicism of babus hurt welfare READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘India needs judicial reforms but granting more powers to the chief justice won’t solve this issue’. Comment on the statement.
2. Discuss the need for a protection law that can provide accountability and remedy for privacy violations such as coercive and excessive data collection.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The important thing is to never stop questioning.
• Mining activities result in deforestation, alter the community ecology of native wildlife and push populations to extinction or migration. This will increase the instances of human-wildlife conflict.
• Drafting a new Constitution will be a chaotic exercise and will shut the voices of some sections, especially the vulnerable.
• India does not have a data protection law that can provide accountability and remedy for privacy violations such as coercive and excessive data collection or data breaches.
• Efforts to ensure gender equity should not be limited to the academies. All stakeholders must get involved.
• Muslim women’s voices are infantilised, dismissed, and they are forced to choose between false binaries such as education or hijab, Indianness or Muslimness.
• Financial illiteracy and lack of awareness about the procedures among the people lead to these kinds of situations. Therefore, financial literacy drive is welcome.
• A recent study focused on the United States and India pointed out the lack of attention to digital media literacy in education policies as a critical factor in spreading online misinformation.
• To reform the system, bureaucrats must start believing in welfare. Only then they will be able to find the right algorithm.
• Instead of wasting public money on grand events, government agencies engaged in science popularisation should direct their resources towards genuine engagement with people and communities.
• The fate of Indian democracy at this juncture hangs on the outcome of this struggle.
• The Quad has to now deliver on the identified sectors to maintain credibility and not regress again into a dormant state.
• Instead, the focus should have been on the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for judicial infrastructure, which is the flagship program for funding judicial infrastructure.

50-WORD TALK

• Mining activities result in deforestation, alter the community ecology of native wildlife and push populations to extinction or migration. This will increase the instances of human-wildlife conflict. These short term economic gains will ruin wildlife habitat as well as impose soil, water and air pollution. Such projects are being challenged by public interest litigators in the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

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.

[WpProQuiz 166]

THE CONTEXT: Among the many initiatives taken around the world to neutralize the gender binary, India faces its own challenge in the form of gender-caste intersectionality.

THE ISSUE: On the 2018 Gender Inequality Index, India ranked 122 out of 162 nations (United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2019). India has both low rates of female labour force participation (FLFP) and large pay disparities between women and men in India. The FLFP is about 25% in rural regions and less than 20% in urban areas (Lahoti and Swaminathan 2016). The average wage of female employees is about 65% of average male wages in 2018-2019 (Chakraborty 2020). Aside from the steps taken to improve women’s political representation, no constitutional mandate or law ensures seats for women in public-sector employment or educational institutions. Only a few states – like Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab – have introduced reservations for women in government jobs during the last decade. In terms of educational institutions, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) introduced a reservation of 20% seats for women in 2018 to correct the low levels of female participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. This measure has been quite successful in increasing the share of women, from about 14% of total seats in 2018-19 to 20% in 2020-21. Yet, a large gulf remains in achievement by subaltern caste.

WHAT IS INTERSECTIONALITY?

The intersectionality perspective emphasizes that an individual’s social identity influences the individual’s beliefs and experiences of gender making it essential to understand gender within the context of power relations.

SOME OF THE EXAMPLE

Intersectionality of class, caste, and gender and its linkages with unmet need for care. Research on economic inequality and poverty demonstrated that unequal distribution of resources manifests in unequal access to opportunities including healthcare. Economic differences may not shape the opportunities in isolation rather than caste inequalities and

gender biases which are rooted in the social system, interacting with economic class influences the pathways of healthcare access some of the data in the case of gender intersectionality.

This clearly shows that a social gradient to health exists in India in the case of health outcomes.

The social gradient in health is a term used to describe the phenomenon whereby people who are less advantaged in terms of socioeconomic position have worse health (and shorter lives) than those who are more advantaged.

THIS INTERSECTIONALITY PREVAILS IN OTHER SECTORS TOO

• One of the RTI reports reveals that just 19% of the 17,000 companies had adopted the voluntary code of affirmative action for SC/ST communities. The hesitation of corporates in giving importance to caste-based hiring comes from their preference for talent over inclusion.
• However, the need for inclusion is imperative. Despite higher education systems providing placement opportunities to Dalit students, their scarce presence in corporates’ higher management across the country is worrying about.
• Many of the leaders of top companies in India have been vocal about their willingness to hire based on merit and academic performance instead of caste.
• At the same time, a few companies like Muthoot ask for the caste of candidates in the application form.
• A study conducted in 2012 found that over 93% of the Indian Corporate board members belong to the “upper-castes”. In such a scenario, the unconscious bias of companies and especially the recruiters can hardly be ignored.
• It has been observed that most of the Dalit workers in the private sector are employed at ground level and often as unskilled laborers. The absence of Dalit members in the management body directly impacts these lower-level employees.
• As a marginalized section, their needs and concerns remain unheard of and unresolved. This creates the condition of underrepresentation at the top level and overrepresentation at the bottom level.
• Impact of such anomaly.
• Impact on entrepreneurship: Dalit entrepreneurship has suffered due to a lack of resources as well as skills. The combined support of the government and the corporate houses is needed to boost such an entrepreneurial spirit. It is crucial to fill the gaps left by the education system through systematic training and skill development. Business houses such as Godrej and M&M are providing training facilities as well as funds to the deprived class entrepreneurs. The government has also been talking about bringing in equal opportunity legislation in the private sector along with financing for the training costs of underprivileged meritorious youth.

THE WAY FORWARD

The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs came out with a “diversity index” that measures the workforce’s diversity in an organization. It has been found through several studies that the more diverse companies perform better financially and consumers prefer them over those that take no stand in societal issues. Consequently, many companies have now started caste-profiling their employees. The need of the hour is a conscious effort from the corporate industry for inclusive hiring and talent development rather than just a few short-term CSR activities.

THE CONCLUSION: Despite caste-based reservations, caste-based discrimination persists, raising the question of whether alternative approaches in implementing affirmative action – other than reservations – should be considered. An alternative affirmative action strategy to reservations may be to devote more educational resources to prepare underrepresented groups for higher education students better. This approach may enhance representation while reducing negative stereotypes that women and lower caste groups have lower productivity or provide lower quality services. Enhanced representation and reduced discrimination against women and lower caste groups in high-skilled occupations can encourage competition and improve the overall quality of services.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1.THE UKRAINE’S BREAKAWAY AREAS

THE CONTEXT: Russia has formally recognised the Luhansk and Donetsk ‘People’s Republics’ in Ukraine’s Donbass.

THE EXPLANATION:

The amid tension between the Russia and Ukraine, the Russian President formally recognised the Luhansk “People’s Republic” and Donetsk “People’s Republic”, two breakaway areas of the Donbass region of Ukraine.

The President has ordered Russian troops into these areas for “peacekeeping”. The deployment is viewed as bringing Russia and the US-European alliance closer to war.

The two areas

• Luhansk and Donetsk are areas in south-eastern Ukraine, both major industrial centres in an area collectively known as the Donbass that borders Russia. They had declared themselves independent of Ukraine in 2014, encouraged by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but had remained unrecognised by Moscow and the international community. Western intelligence reports have spoken about the presence of Russian troops in these two areas since then, but this was denied by Russia.
• Donbass has the largest coal reserves in Ukraine. Donetsk, with a population of about 2 million, is the fifth largest city in Ukraine, and is known for a wide range of metallurgical industries. Luhansk, also an industrial city centred on metal industries, has a population of 1.5 million.

2. GERMANY SUSPENDS NORD STREAM 2 GAS PIPELINE

THE CONTEXT: Germany has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Nord Stream 2?

• Nord Stream 2 is a 1,200km pipeline under the Baltic Sea, which will take gas from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to Lubmin in Germany.
• It cost €10bn (£8.4bn) and was completed September 2021. The Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom put up half of the cost and western energy firms such as Shell and ENGIE of France are paying the rest.
• Nord Stream 2 runs parallel to an existing gas pipeline, Nord Stream, which has been working since 2011.

Why is Nord Stream 2 pipeline important for Russia?

While Europe needs Russian gas, Gazprom relies on the European market for sales to support Russian government budgets. The European Union has been able to force Gazprom to comply with many of its anti-monopoly rules in recent years.

German dependence

Germany finds itself in a precarious position. Oil and gas are the lifeblood of Germany’s manufacturing economy, but the country produces very little energy domestically and is dependent on imports for 98% of its oil and 92% of its gas supply. As of 2015, Russia already supplied the plurality of its oil and gas (40% and 35% respectively), so it was with no great surprise that plans to increase Russia’s presence were met with hostility on both sides of the Atlantic.

Nordic security

The 1,200 kilometer pipeline travels from Russia to Germany, but its proposed route enters the territorial waters and EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of three other countries: Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES THREATEN AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY IN AFRICA: STUDY

THE CONTEXT: According to a new report, the Invasive alien species (IAS) of plants, animals and microbes lead to losses running up to billions of dollars annually in every part of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The region has seen the arrival of many IAS in recent years.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Africa may lose about $3.66 trillion annually from the impact of the IAS on agriculture and other vital food production programmes, a 2021 study showed.
• The new study was conducted in Ghana on nearly 200 potentially harmful alien plant species that can affect agriculture, forestry and biodiversity. It was led by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International and published in the journal NeoBiota.

What is Invasive Alien Species?

• The International Union for the Conservation of Nature defines an alien species as a species introduced outside of its natural range. They may be brought in by people accidentally or intentionally into regions where they do not exist.
• There are around 18,000 invasive alien species around the world, according to another study by an international team of scientists from 13 countries.
• IAS cause yield loss, resulting in serious negative impacts on livelihoods. They are also responsible for the extinction or decline of many species.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES IN NEWS

4. THE CHILD WELFARE SCHEME SAW HIKE OF 390%

THE CONTEXT: According to the Union Ministry of Women and development, that a children-centric scheme of the government had seen a “390%” increase in budgetary allocations since 2014.

MISSION VATSALYA: Children have been recognized by policy makers as one of the supreme national assets. India is home to 472 million children upto the age of 18 years and comprise 39 percent of the country’s population. The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for every child in India; foster a sensitive, supportive and synchronized ecosystem for development of children; assist States/UTs in delivering the mandate of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015; achieve the SDG goals.

Components under Mission Vatsalya will include statutory bodies; service delivery structures; institutional care/services; non-institutional community based care; emergency outreach services; training and capacity building.

Recently, the ministry of women and child development classified all of its major schemes under 3 umbrella schemes: MissionPoshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti.

MISSION SHAKTI: It envisages a unified citizen-centric lifecycle support for women through integrated care, safety, protection, rehabilitation and empowerment to unshackle women as they progress through various stages of their life. Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’. While the “Sambal” sub-scheme is for safety and security of women, the “Samarthya” sub-scheme is for empowerment of women. The Sambal sub-scheme consists of the existing scheme of One Stop Centres (OSC), Women Helplines (181-WHL) and BetiBachaoBetiPadhao (BBBP). Besides, a new component of Nari Adalats has been added as women’s collectives to promote and facilitate alternative dispute resolution and gender justice in society and within families. The “Samarthya” sub scheme is for empowerment of women, consisting of existing schemes of Ujjwala, SwadharGreh and Working Women Hostel. In addition, the National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers and the Pradhan Mantri MatruVandanaYojana (PMMVY), which have been under the Umbrella ICDS Scheme till now, are also subsumed in ‘Samarthya’.

Mission POSHAN 2.0:It is an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme. It seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery and by creation of a convergent eco-system to develop and promote practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity. Poshan 2.0 will seek to optimize the quality and delivery of food under the Supplementary Nutrition Program.

Mission Poshan 2.0 will contribute to human capital development of the country; address malnutrition challenges; promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health & well-being and address nutrition related deficiencies through key strategies.Under the programme, nutritional norms and standards and quality and testing of THR will be improved and greater stakeholder and beneficiary participation will be promoted besides traditional community food habits.Poshan 2.0 will bring 3 important programmes/schemes under its ambit, viz., Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and PoshanAbhiyaan.

Poshan 2.0 shall focus on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, Treatment of MAM/SAM and Wellness through AYUSH. It will rest on the pillars of Convergence, Governance, and Capacity-building. Poshan Abhiyan will be the key pillar for Outreach and will cover innovations related to nutritional support, ICT interventions, Media Advocacy and Research, Community Outreach and Jan Andolan.

Mission Poshan 2.0 will integrate several key strategies to fulfil its objectives, viz., Corrective strategies, Nutrition Awareness strategies, Communication strategies and Creation of green eco-systems. The objectives under Mission Poshan 2.0 will be realized through strong interventions-driven convergent activities with key Ministries/Depts./Organizations.

Digital infrastructure under the “Poshan Tracker” rolled out by MoWCD on 1st March 2021 through National e-Governance Division as a governance tool, will strengthen and bring about transparency in nutrition delivery support systems. Technology under Poshan Tracker is being leveraged for (i) dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, under-weight prevalence among children; (ii) last mile tracking of nutrition service delivery.

THE PT PERSPECTIVE

5. THE CHAR CHINARI ISLAND ON SRINAGAR’S DAL LAKE

THE CONTEXT: The Char Chinar, the iconic tourist spot in the middle of Dal Lake in Srinagar, is set to regain its glory that had somewhat faded in the wake of the decay of three of the four majestic chinar trees from which the island got its name.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Char Chinar, also sometimes called Char Chinari, Ropa Lank, or Rupa Lank, is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Dal Lake includes 3 islands, 2 of which are marked with beautiful Chinar trees.
• The island located on the Lakut Dal (small Dal) is known as Roph Lank (Silver Island), is marked with the presence of majestic Chinar trees at the four corners, thus known as Char-Chinari (Four Chinars).
• The second Chinar Island, known as Sone Lank (Gold Island), is located on the Bod Dal (Big Dal) and overlooks the holy shrine of Hazratbal.
• Chinar trees characteristically grow in Eastern Himalayas. Their botanical name is Platanus orientalis. They have been an important part of Kashmiri tradition, in that, a Chinar tree is found in almost every village in Kashmir. These trees have survived for ages, because Chinar is basically a long-living tree.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 23^rd FEBRUARY  2022

Q1. ‘Samarthya’, is one of the two sub-schemes of umbrella scheme ‘Mission Shakti’. It does not include which of the following earlier scheme?

a) Ujjwala

b) SwadharGreh

c) Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

d) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

Q2. Char Chinari island is located in which of the following?

a) Wular lake

b) Dal lake

c) Maharana Pratap Sagar

d) Harike lake

ANSWER FOR 22^nd FEBRUARY 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

Please refer to the given map:

[WpProQuiz 165]

1. Two questions worth asking yourself this year READ MORE
2. For the sake of peace READ MORE
3. Can the world unlearn helplessness? READ MORE

1. Paper forests: India’s missing stretches of green READ MORE
2. Why the Plastic Waste Amendment Rules 2022 Is a Paper Tiger READ MORE

1. More than Covid-19, inequality killed many READ MORE
2. Are ‘metaverse’ weddings the new normal in India? READ MORE

1. Regulation, not prohibition: The online skill gaming industry hopes that a reform-oriented policy structure will soon be in place READ MORE
2. What price regulatory credibility? READ MORE
3. Election freebies: But at whose cost? READ MORE
4. Election Commission Must Count All VVPAT Slips to Protect Electoral Integrity READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Child welfare scheme saw hike of 390%: Smriti Irani READ MORE
2. Chinars return to iconic ‘Char Chinari’ island on Srinagar’s Dal lake READ MORE
3. Centre extends scheme for children orphaned by COVID-19 READ MORE
4. New India leaders less from English-speaking world, so judged harshly: MEA paper READ MORE
5. Reserve Bank of India plans to manage liquidity via forex swap before LIC IPO READ MORE
6. Invasive alien species threaten agriculture and biodiversity in Africa: Study READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. Paper forests: India’s missing stretches of green READ MORE
2. More than Covid-19, inequality killed many READ MORE
3. Are ‘metaverse’ weddings the new normal in India? READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Regulation, not prohibition: The online skill gaming industry hopes that a reform-oriented policy structure will soon be in place READ MORE
2. What price regulatory credibility? READ MORE
3. Election freebies: But at whose cost? READ MORE
4. Election Commission Must Count All VVPAT Slips to Protect Electoral Integrity READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Three is a crowd: US did a China on Soviet Union in 1972; now, China is doing a Russia on America READ MORE
2. A helping hand for our neighbour Lanka READ MORE
3. New leadership models in the post-Covid world READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. A new measure of inflation is brewing on the horizon READ MORE
2. The reforms that farming really needs READ MORE
3. Alternative growth path: Raghuram Rajan’s idea must be debated READ MORE
4. Onerous disclosures: New CSR reporting requirements raise tricky issues READ MORE
5. Amending the FRBM Act READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Why the Plastic Waste Amendment Rules 2022 Is a Paper Tiger READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Explained: How big is insurgency threat in Manipur? READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Two questions worth asking yourself this year READ MORE
2. For the sake of peace READ MORE
3. Can the world unlearn helplessness? READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘The uncertainty over economic growth in view of Covid is understandable. But in such a situation setting the goalposts for fiscal rectitude becomes even more important’. In the light of the statement do you think Government to amend the FRBM Act and set another target for the fiscal deficit?
2. How far do you agree with this view that Supreme Court should put a stop to freebies practice and save the precious national resources? Analyse your case.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.
• An amended FRBM Act or the medium-term fiscal consolidation plan would have been useful also for getting a sense of how the government planned to reduce its debt over the next few years.
• The uncertainty over economic growth in view of Covid is understandable. But in such a situation setting the goalposts for fiscal rectitude becomes even more important.
• Encouraging companies to spend their surpluses on social projects such as education and health instead of merely enhancing shareholder value may sound logical in theory, but the question is whether a mandate of this nature can transform society in a meaningful way.
• Most concerning, perhaps, is that at a time when India urgently needs investment, the new disclosure requirements are unlikely to enhance India’s reputation as an easy place to do business.
• In order to gain a greater foothold in diverse services, India will need to invest heavily in education in the coming years, and it’s not clear how this will happen.
• Only the SC can put a stop to freebies practice and save the precious national resources from the clutches of the amoral political class.
• The nightmare scenario for India would be if the US decides that it confronts a greater threat from Russia and that this justifies a strategic accommodation with China.
• What SEBI’s decision would mean for the credibility of regulatory organisations, and the need for continuity in regulatory provisions is a matter worth losing sleepover.
• Now that the contentious farm laws have been repealed, focus can shift to strengthening APMC markets, which will improve access, give bargaining powers to farmers.
• The online skill gaming industry and government can work together to create a policy structure based on principles of light-touch regulation and not prohibition.

50-WORD TALK

• Pakistan has finally done the right thing by allowing Indian humanitarian aid to transit through Wagah to Afghanistan. Trade normalisation should be the next step. In 2019, Pakistan stopped imports from India, hurting its own economy. Top Pakistani industrialists are now seeking resumption of trade. Islamabad should heed their calls.
• The government’s decision to examine if SEBI took necessary punitive action in NSE scandal is apt. It should extend this to NSE’s independent directors at the time and probe if they fulfilled their fiduciary responsibility. Independent directors, especially former bureaucrats, need to be accountable, not treat such critical positions as sinecures.

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 the news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and 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 CONTEXT: Efforts in the fight against “the tsunami of hate and xenophobia in social media” appear to be largely failing, because hate is increasing, not diminishing. In this context, attempts are being made to control it by moral suasion, voluntary controls by the regulators but the attempts are largely failing, sometimes due to vested interest, other time due to recognition of such issues.

THE ISSUE: In an unequal society, hate speech has developed out of unequal power relations, which determine one’s ‘vulnerability’ to extreme forms of discrimination. Hate speech is inflicted based on religion, gender, sexuality, disability, nationality, race, and caste. The tangible presence of hate speech can have the effect of silencing exactly those at the forefront of expressing dissent against that hate speech. But when it is done, offline, there are various mechanisms to prevent it. But, when it is done on digital platforms where the “ sense of control is missing”  generally out of regulatory lacuna problem arises. Further, it can condescend into real-life violence which was witnessed in the events like:

• Capitol Hill violence
• Frequent trolling of influential persons
• Caste-based hate speech
• Gender-based hate speech

WHAT IS CYBERHATE?

Cyberhate can be defined as the use of violent, aggressive or offensive language, focused on a specific group of people who share a common property, which can be religion, race, gender or sex or political affiliation through the use of the Internet and Social Networks, based on a power imbalance, carried out systematically and uncontrollably, through digital media and often motivated by ideologies to which individuals and groups adhere, deriving in behaviours that can be considered as acts of deviant communication as they may violate shared cultural standards, rules or norms of social interaction in group contexts.

REASONS FOR CYBERHATE

• Anonymity: One of the supposed advantages of the Internet as a medium for communication is that people are not compelled to reveal aspects of their offline identity unless they wish to do so. It has been suggested that the anonymity of the Internet can provide opportunities for freer speech because people can say what they think without fear that other people will react or respond unfavourably simply because of the colour of their skin, their sexual orientation, or even their gender identity
• The perceived anonymity of the Internet may remove the fear of being held accountable for cyberhate and may also evince a sense that the normal rules of conduct do not apply; the associated feeling of liberation may drive people to give in to their worst tendencies
• Invisibility A second potentially distinctive feature of online hate speech is that there can be a physical distance between speaker and audience, meaning that the speaker can be non-visible or in some sense invisible to the audience and vice versa.
• Community There is always people’s innate desire) to engage with like-minded others allied to the power of the Internet to put people in touch with each other—people who otherwise might be unable to connect due to geography or people who might be simply ignorant of each other’s existence
• In that sense, online hate speech is different in one sense simply because it has become the method of choice among hate groups for cementing in-group statuses and fermenting a sense of intra-group community. Of course, this fact itself also relies on some other distinctive features of the Internet. One feature is that the Internet is relatively cheap and easy to use compared to other comparable means of communication
• Instantaneousness: On the Internet, the time delay between having a thought or feeling and expressing it to a particular individual who is located a long distance away, or to a group of like-minded people or to a mass audience can be a matter of seconds.

THE ORIGIN OF INTERNET TROLLING

HARM

• Because the Internet allows cheap access to mass communication and easy transmission of words, images, music and videos, it has a tendency to support and encourage ingenuity, creativity, playfulness, and innovation in such content
• The same applies to hate speech. Online hate speech is heterogeneous and dynamic: it takes many different forms, and those forms can shift and expand over relatively short spaces of time
• The Internet is home to forms of hate speech that are banned by existing hate speech laws in India, including the stirring up of hatred toward people based on certain protected characteristics and certain public order and harassment offences aggravated by hostility toward people based on certain protected characteristics.
• But the Internet is also home to hate speech that is not directly banned by existing hate speech laws in India including forms of negative stereotyping, vilification, group defamation.

CURRENT LEGAL PROVISIONS TO DEAL WITH HATE SPEECH

• Not defined in the legal framework: Hate speech is neither defined in the Indian legal framework nor can it be easily reduced to a standard definition due to the myriad forms it can take.
• The Supreme Court, in Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan v. Union of India (2014), described hate speech as “an effort to marginalise individuals based on their membership in a group” and one that “seeks to delegitimise group members in the eyes of the majority, reducing their social standing and acceptance within society.”
• The Indian Penal Code illegalises speeches that are intended to promote enmity or prejudice the maintenance of harmony between different classes.
• Specifically, sections of the IPC, such as 153A, which penalises promotion of enmity between different groups;
• 153B, which punishes imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration;
• 505, which punishes rumours and news intended to promote communal enmity, and
• 295A, which criminalises insults to the religious beliefs of a class by words with deliberate or malicious intention.
• Summing up various legal principles, in Amish Devgan v. Union of India (2020), the Supreme Court held that “hate speech has no redeeming or legitimate purpose other than hatred towards a particular group”.
• Lack of established legal standard: Divergent decisions from constitutional courts expose the lack of established legal standards in defining hate speech, especially those propagated via the digital medium.

From the private side

YouTube included caste policy in 2019

PROBLEMS IN CONTROLLING ONLINE HATE SPEECH

• Absolute free speech laws that protect against any type of censorship inadvertently render protection to hate speech as well. In India, hate speech is not profusely restricted, it remains undefined with appropriate IT Act provisions or a regulatory mechanism for online content. Absent appropriate codes or regulations for intermediaries, those who tend to have a louder voice—such as politicians or celebrities—can harness this capacity to incite anger or divide communities without being threatened by any form of liability. But, overcriminalisation can have a problem, as it will have a chilling impact on free speech.
• Both government authorities and social media platforms alike, have been criticised for their failure to secure data and effectively regulate content. Many platforms, experts, and politicians have welcomed a government-led moderation of illicit content, with ample checks and balances against arbitrary imposition.
• Human rights groups and activists express scepticism against allowing any avenue for governmental intervention through either the arbitrary imposition of bans, content moderation or internet shutdowns. Another paradigm champions the principle of “self-regulation”—where the platform itself adjudicates on their user-policy and community guidelines. Self-regulation has largely been ineffective in preventing abuse of the platform and has garnered criticism in various democracies
• The difficult question concerning hate speech or fake news legislation pertains to the existing ethical-legal gap, the executive response departing from the conservative understanding of online spaces and data. While disruptive technologies are evolving at a faster rate, the regulations fail to address gaps to deter unethical behaviour. The platforms alone are not equipped to oversee the task for a remodelled approach to counter manipulation and hate speech. Due to the overarching jurisdictional nature of these acts and easy multiplication, taking down content is not a silver bullet in countering hate speech and fake news.

THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEM

• The overregulation vs. under-regulation debate tends to overshadow the deeper and more inherent structural problems in the tech platforms themselves. The platform structure is driven by exploiting the disparities of wealth and power, as algorithms reward virality and interactions for monetary gains, even though they might be “divisive, misleading or false”.
• Platforms are also known to amplify certain types of users and content over others. Platforms decentralise free speech, but “special” megaphones are provided to sensationalist ideologies or popular content. Its algorithmic nature creates and perpetuates an information divide, alienating communities with different subscriptions through echo chambers and information silos.
• This has become obvious with the platform’s incentive structure, which is driven by monetisation of user data, advertisement money, and constant engagement. For example, a few popular YouTube channels that earlier achieved “Creator Award” were inciting violence including rape but suffered fewer takedowns. Platforms conveniently hide behind the garb of free speech enablers, with little responsibility, if at all.
• Even as xenophobia, communication and racism have long existed in the real world, the susceptibility of social media platforms to misuse has magnified such ill-speech at a faster pace.

THE BEST PRACTICES AROUND THE WORLD

WHAT SHOULD BE THE INDIA APPROACH?

• Institute an independent regulator to oversee compliance with fake news and hate speech codes that will be adopted;
• Proportional, necessary and minimal interventions from the government and platforms with effective and consistent application of their duties;
• An inclusive and ethical Code of Conduct developed in consultation with all stakeholders to realign the platform’s fiscal-driven-incentives with the public interest;
• Democratic application of penal and non-penal standards of existing laws; Periodic review policies to improve effectiveness;
• Encourage transparency by commissioning open-source research with periodic reports from regulators, platforms, civil society organisations and academia;
• Avoid creating any barriers or strengthening any dominant positions by large incumbents;
• Promote digital education initiatives and workshops to acquire necessary skills from a young age;
• Redressal and appellate mechanisms to provide support to any wrongful application of standards, take-downs or breach.
• There should be continuous collaborative engagements within the industry, along with state and non-state actors.
• While the creation of charters or codes that define each stakeholder’s duties and rights will be a lengthy process, a pre-emptive plan cannot be delayed further.
• This can enable the creation of voluntary multi-platform and multi-stakeholder initiatives. The Code of ethics and voluntary audits are other welcome by-products of these collaborative measures. Issue-specific methods of advertisement rules for transparency and media guidelines or ethical codes also aim to strengthen industry standards.
• Some shared responsibilities between the stakeholders have already been outlined but limited action has been taken to counter online harm.
• Platforms have deployed minimal resources to take down blatantly illegal content, as they lack real-time local responders who are well-versed in Indian languages.
• Even their community guidelines are globally uniform and limited due to implementational and definitional challenges locally. Therefore, the government and the tech platforms should complement other information gatekeepers like media and politicians.

THE CONCLUSION: Hate speech is provocative and divisive, and in extreme scenarios where it has remained unchecked, has been responsible for terrorism and genocide. With newer tools to weaponise and sensationalise enmity, it must not be protected under the realm of free speech doctrine. Similarly, misinformation (“fake news”) also has the potential to affect human safety and public health, and instigate violence. If fake news and hate speech continue to proliferate at the current rate, they pose threats to the democratic ecosystem. India must work to devise an all-stakeholder model to counter the weaponisation of online content before it further widens societal faultlines.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. THE RHINO POACHING IN ASSAM

THE CONTEXT: Rhino poaching in Assam is one of the major environmental issues in India which continues in the region of Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and some other grasslands of Assam.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Wildlife officials said 2,479 of the 2,623 horns stored in 12 district treasuries since 1979 were burnt in six large iron pyres placed at a stadium in Bokakhat, about 240 km east of Guwahati. These were lit remotely through drones.

INDIAN RHINO VISION 2020 (IRV 2020)

• Launched in 2005.
• Initiative led by Forest Department, Government of Assam, in partnership with WWF India, International Rhino Foundation.
• Goal of IRV2020 was to increase the rhino population in Assam to 3,000by, establishing populations in new areas.
• Rhinos are now found in four Protected Areas in Assam:Pabitora Wildlife Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National Park.

ONE-HORNED RHINOS:

• Only the Great One-Horned Rhino is found in India.
• Also known as the Indian Rhino, it is the largest of the rhino species.
• It is identified by a single black horn and grey-brown hide with skin folds.
• They primarily graze, with a diet consisting almost entirely of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.
• Conservation status:
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
• CITES: Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.
• The Greater One-Horned Rhinois one among the five different species of Rhino. The other four are:

1. Black Rhino:Smaller of the two African species. (IUCN: Critically Endangered)
2. White Rhino:Recently, researchers have created an embryo of the northern white Rhino by using In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) process. (ICUN: Near Threatened)
3. Javan Rhino: Critically endangeredin IUCN Red List.
4. Sumatran Rhino:Recently gone extinct in Malaysia, but Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

2. THE NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS

THE CONTEXT: According to market data tracker DappRadar data analytics, the sales of NFTs surged $25 billion in 2021 as the crypto asset exploded in popularity, fuelled by the rising interest of celebrities and tech evangelists.

THE EXPLANATION:

The cryptocurrency boom over the past two years has helped propel a newer market to record heights: digital collectibles, also known as NFTs.

What are Fungible and Non-Fungible assets?

• A fungible asset is something that can be readily interchanged like money. With money, you can swap a £10 note for two £5 notes, and it will have the same value.
• On the other hand, a non-fungible asset means it has unique properties which cannot be interchanged with something else.

Example: It could be a painting that is one of a kind. You can take a photo of the painting or buy a print, but there will only ever be one original painting.

What are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)?

• Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated.
• They are one-of-a-kind assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold like any other piece of property, but they have no tangible form of their own.
• The digital tokens can be thought of as certificates of ownership for virtual or physical assets.

How do they work?

• Non- Fungible tokens are unique, irreplaceable, mostly digital items that users buy and sell online.
• NFTs use blockchain technology to keep a digital record of ownership, similar to cryptocurrencies. They were first launched on ethereum, the same blockchain that supports the cryptocurrency ether, and to this day most NFTs can still only be purchased using ether.

How is an NFT different from cryptocurrency?

NFTs and cryptocurrencies are very different from each other. While both are built on Blockchain, that is where the similarity ends.

Cryptocurrency is a currency and is fungible, meaning that it is interchangeable. For instance, if you hold one crypto token, say one Ethereum, the next Ethereum that you hold will also be of the same value. But NFTs are non-fungible, that means the value of one NFT is not equal to another. Every art is different from other, making it non fungible, and unique.

Who can buy NFTs?

Anyone who holds a cryptocurrency wallet can buy an NFT. This is the only prerequisite to purchase an NFT.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES IN NEWS

3. THE ONE RANK ONE PENSION (OROP) POLICY

THE CONTEXT: The government clarified that the same rank and length of service were necessary for claiming the OROP benefits.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is OROP Policy?

• OROP means same pension, for same rank, for same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement.
• It was a longstanding demand of the Indian armed forces and veterans.
• The concept was provoked by the then decision by Indira Gandhi-led government, in 1973, two years after the historic victory in the 1971 Bangladesh war.

How did the issue escalate?

• The Rank pay was a scheme implemented by the Rajiv Gandhi led govt in 1986, in the wake of 4th Central Pay Commission.
• It reduced the basic pay of seven armed officers’ ranks of 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Majors, Lt. Colonel, Colonels, Brigadiers and their equivalent by fixed amounts designated as rank pay.

How was it reviewed?

• In 2008, the then UPA led Government in the wake of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (6CPC), discarded the concept of rank-pay.
• Instead, it introduced Grade pay, and Pay bands, which instead of addressing the rank, pay, and pension asymmetries caused by ‘rank pay’ dispensation, reinforced existing asymmetries.

Issues with this pension policy

• The causes that inform the OROP protest movement are not pension alone, as armed forces veterans have often tried to make clear, and the parliamentary committee recorded.
• The issues, veterans emphasize, are of justice, equity, honor, and national security.
• The failure to address issue of pay-pension equity, and the underlying issue of honor, is not only an important cause for the OROP protest movement, but its escalation.

What is the Present Scenario?

• The ruling Government has accepted the OROP. It has already released Rs. 5500 crores to serve the purpose, but still, there are some grievances from the veterans’ side.
• It refined Pensions for all pensioners retiring in the same rank as the average of the minimum and maximum pensions in 2013.
• The veterans noted governments’ proposal as one rank many pensions since the review of 5 years would lead to differences in pension between senior and a junior.

THE PT PERSPECTIVE

4. THE INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY- FEBRUARY 21

THE CONTEXT: International Mother Language Day is observed every year on February 21 to honour those in Bangladesh who sacrificed their lives to protect their mother tongue, Bangla, against the then rulers of West Pakistan and to honour the ethno-linguistic rights of individuals across the world.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Language movement: The transition from East Pakistan to Bangladesh has a blood-stained story behind it. For the first time in world history, a mother tongue became the focal point for an independence movement.

According to the United Nations, at least 43% of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. The UN proclaimed the period between 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, “to draw global attention to the critical status of many indigenous languages around the world and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization, and promotion.”

 Ray of hope

• International Mother Language Day 2022 was celebrated across the world with the theme, ‘Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities’. It highlighted the role of technology in developing multilingual education and in supporting the development of quality teaching and learning for all.

5. THE 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS

THE CONTEXT: The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics concluded on February 20, 2022 during a snowflake-themed closing ceremony at the Bird’s Nest stadium attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT BY COUNTRIES:

• Recently, India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 over Galwan row with China.
• Other countries like USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada have already announced the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics 2022.

Reason for Boycott: Indian response to boycotting the Beijing Olympics came from the backdrop of China picking a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan incident as an Olympic torchbearer.The Galwan clashes inmid-June 2020 had resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel.

FEW FACTS ABOUT WINTER OLYMPICS

Winter Olympic Games are held once every four years for sports that are practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

What sports are in the 2022 Winter Olympics?

There will be a total of 109 medal events across the following 15 sports:

1. Alpine Skiing
2. Biathlon
3. Bobsled
4. Cross-Country Skiing
5. Curling
6. Figure Skating
7. Freestyle Skiing
8. Hockey
9. Luge
10. Nordic Combined
11. Short Track
12. Skeleton
13. Ski Jumping
14. Snowboarding
15. Speed Skating

Additionally, the 2022 Winter Olympics will feature seven new events: Women’s Monobob, Men’s and Women’s Big Air (Freestyle Skiing), Mixed Team Snowboard Cross, Mixed Team Aerials, Mixed Team Short Track Relay, and Mixed Team Ski Jumping.

Mascots of the Beijing Winter Games?

• Bing DwenDwen, the Olympic mascot, is a In Mandarin, the word “Bing” has several meanings, including ice, and also symbolizes purity and strength.
• ShueyRhonRhon, the Paralympic mascot, is a Chinese lantern child with a glowing heart who symbolizes warmth, friendship, courage, and perseverance of Paralympic athletes.

THE PLACES IN NEWS

6. THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE’S DONBASS REGION

THE CONTEXT: As tensions spiral between Russia and the West over Ukraine, the rebel-held self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR/DPR and LNR/LPR) in Eastern Ukraine have started evacuating civilians to the Rostov region in Russia claiming an impending Ukrainian military offensive.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Since Moscow invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014, pro-Russia rebels in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions began seizing territory in Eastern Ukraine and held a referendum to declare independence from Ukraine
• In February 2015, representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE and the leaders of Donetsk and Luhansk signed a 13-point agreement, now known as the Minsk 2 accord.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 22^nd FEB 2022

Q. Which of the following country do not border with Ukraine?

a) Hungary

b) Poland

c) Romania

d) Bulgaria

ANSWER FOR 21^STFEB 2022

Answer: b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Pashmina refers to a fine variant of spun cashmere, the animal-hair fibre forming the downy undercoat of the Changthangi goat.
• Statement 2 is correct: Goats naturally shed their undercoat, which regrows in winter. This undercoat is collected by combing goat, not by shearing, as in other fine wools.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: A traditional producer of pashmina wool in the Ladakh region of the Himalayas are a people known as the Changpa. These are a nomadic people and inhabit the Changthang plateau of Tibet.

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2. Reforming Higher Education, With a Helping Hand From Philanthropy READ MORE

1. Global geography community commits to meaningful action in support of indigenous languages READ MORE
2. Marine Birds Continue to Die as Peru Oil Spill Clean-Up Stretches On READ MORE
3. Humans have degraded 84% of the world’s coastlines, reveals a new study READ MORE
4. Wildfires will be more frequent, larger and intense due to climate change: UNEP READ MORE

1. Why the right of young Indian Muslims to wear the hijab must be protected READ MORE
2. Protect LGBT people from violence, bias READ MORE

1. A red pen moment for corporate governance: Convulsions of outrage after episodes such as the NSE affair are pointless; significant institutional reform is a must READ MORE
2. Appointing High Court Judges–II READ MORE
3. Governors on warpath: Locked in unsavoury tussle with govts in Bengal, Kerala READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Fundamental duties must be enforced, says plea in Supreme Court READ MORE
2. India’s maritime strength in full display at Presidential Fleet Review READ MORE
3. Rajasthan: Cairn Vedanta makes oil discovery in OALP block in Barmer dist READ MORE
4. Assam: Padma Shri awardee & Gandhian Shakuntala Chowdhary passes away at 102 READ MORE
5. 2022 Winter Olympics: Everything you need to know about the Beijing Winter Olympics READ MORE
6. Explained: What are NFTs? How is it different from cryptocurrency? READ MORE
7. Storm Antonia: Fresh hurricane-force winds hit Germany READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. Why the right of young Indian Muslims to wear the hijab must be protected READ MORE
2. Global geography community commits to meaningful action in support of indigenous languages READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A red pen moment for corporate governance: Convulsions of outrage after episodes such as the NSE affair are pointless; significant institutional reform is a must READ MORE
2. Appointing High Court Judges–II READ MORE
3. Governors on warpath: Locked in unsavoury tussle with govts in Bengal, Kerala READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUE

1. Protect LGBT people from violence, bias READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Jaishankar, French counterpart discuss India-EU ties, Ukraine, Afghanistan READ MORE
2. India-US partnership for post-pandemic world READ MORE
3. The Ukraine crisis: Its impact on India READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. What explains India’s high import traiffs READ MORE
2. Digital ecosystems: Who should finance what? READ MORE
3. Workers in Gig and Platform Economies READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Marine Birds Continue to Die as Peru Oil Spill Clean-Up Stretches On READ MORE
2. Humans have degraded 84% of the world’s coastlines, reveals a new study READ MORE
3. Wildfires will be more frequent, larger and intense due to climate change: UNEP READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Information threats to India’s security READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Experience of interbeing READ MORE
2. Reforming Higher Education, With a Helping Hand From Philanthropy READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Centre-State ties require a working relationship and while it is not unusual for different parties to be in power at the Centre and in states, public interest requires them to work in tandem in a parliamentary democracy’. In the light of the statement discuss how the issue of Confrontation between state governments and Governors can be resolved?
2. ‘Confrontation between state governments and Governors are not unusual but they should adhere to political decorum and constitutional propriety with redress of public grievances being the common aim’. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.
• It is urgent to protect gig workers labour rights and ensure minimum wages and social security benefits.
• A reality that acknowledges that in India today there is a perceptible hardening of attitudes towards Muslims in general and an increase in negative feelings and vicious actions against them.
• The insufficient public spending on higher education needs to be supplemented, not with for-profit private investment, which does not consider educational standards and quality, but rather with genuine philanthropy.
• The government should rationalize the direct taxes to address anomalies between Personal Income Tax (PIT) and corporate tax at one level and capital gains tax at another. Moreover, the tax rates should be low but free from exemptions/deductions.
• Low import duties need not boost exports and a selective trade-pact approach could help us replicate other success stories.
• India-USA can spearhead a sustainable and inclusive abundance agenda through our trade partnership, making the case for democracy through our shared prosperity.
• The essence and reach of Geography is much more than the study of the earth’s physical features, atmosphere and the impact of human activity upon them.
• In a political system where securing a majority may make the party in power at the Centre act unilaterally, states are wary of the office of the Governor being used to destabilise an elected government.
• Centre-State ties require a working relationship and while it is not unusual for different parties to be in power at the Centre and in states, public interest requires them to work in tandem in a parliamentary democracy.
• Confrontation between state governments and Governors are not unusual but they should adhere to political decorum and constitutional propriety with redress of public grievances being the common aim.

50-WORD TALK

• The Ukraine crisis is curtailing Indian role in the UN Security Council. New Delhi is doing its best to remain relevant. India is developing relations with EU and other countries and would prefer the European way of dealing with Russia than the tough posture which the US wants NATO to adopt. European nations will toe America’s line if war erupts. This reduces the efficacy of India’s European initiative.

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.