THE INDIAN MODERN HISTORY

1. WOMEN HEROES OF INDIA’S FREEDOM STRUGGLE

THE CONTEXT: During the Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister hailed “nari shakti”, and urged people to pledge to not do anything that lowers the dignity of women. He also paid tribute to women freedom fighters for showing the world the true meaning of India’s “nari shakti”.

THE EXPLANATION:

Prime Minister hailed “nari shakti”, and urged people to pledge to not do anything that lowers the dignity of women. He also paid tribute to women freedom fighters like Laxmibai, Jhalkari Bai, Durga Bhabhi, Rani Gaidinliu, and VeluNachiyar, among others, embody the spirit of India’s ‘nari shakti’ and for showing the world the true meaning of India’s “nari shakti” and stressed that women is an important pillar of India’s growth.

RANI LAXMIBAI

• The queen of the princely state of Jhansi, Rani Laxmibai is known for her role in the First War of India’s Independence in 1857. Born Manikarnika Tambe in 1835, she married the king of Jhansi. The couple adopted a son before the king’s death, which the British East India Company refused to accept as the legal heir and decided to annex Jhansi.
• Refusing to cede her territory, the queen decided to rule on behalf of the heir, and later joined the uprising against the British in 1857. Cornered by the British, she escaped from Jhansi fort. She was wounded in combat near Gwalior’s Phool Bagh, where she later died. Sir Hugh Rose, who was commanding the British army, is known to have described her as “personable, clever…and one of the most dangerous Indian leaders”.

JHALKARI BAI

• A soldier in Rani Laxmibai’s women’s army, Durga Dal, she rose to become one of the queen’s most trusted advisers. She is known for putting her own life at risk to keep the queen out of harm’s way. Till date, the story of her valour is recalled by the people of Bundelkhand, and she is often presented as a representative of Bundeli identity.
• According to Ministry of Culture’s Amrit Mahotsav website, “Many Dalit communities of the region look up to her as an incarnation of God and also celebrate Jhalkaribai Jayanti every year in her honour.”

DURGA BHABHI

• Durgawati Devi, who was popularly known as Durga Bhabhi, was a revolutionary who joined the armed struggle against colonial rule. A member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, she helped Bhagat Singh escape in disguise from Lahore after the 1928 killing of British police officer John P Saunders.
• During the train journey that followed, Durgawati and Bhagat Singh posed as a couple, and Rajguru as their servant. Later, as revenge for the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, she made an unsuccessful attempt to kill the former Punjab Governor, Lord Hailey.
• Born in Allahabad in 1907 and married to Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) member Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Durgawati, along with other revolutionaries, also ran a bomb factory in Delhi.

RANI GAIDINLIU

• Born in 1915 in present-day Manipur, Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga spiritual and political leader who fought the British.
• She joined the Heraka religious movement which later became a movement to drive out the British. She rebelled against the Empire, and refused to pay taxes, asking people to do the same. The British launched a manhunt, but she evaded arrest, moving from village to village.
• Gaidinliu was finally arrested in 1932 when she was just 16, and later sentenced for life. She was released in 1947. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, according to the Amrit Mahotsav website, described Gaidinliu as the “daughter of the hills”, and gave her the title of ‘Rani’ for her courage.

RANI CHENNAMMA

• The queen of Kittur, Rani Chennamma, was among the first rulers to lead an armed rebellion against British rule. Kittur was a princely state in present-day Karnataka.
• She fought back against the attempt to control her dominion in 1824 after the death of her young son. She had lost her husband, Raja Mallasarja, in 1816. She is seen among the few rulers of the time who understood the colonial designs of the British.
• Rani Chennamma defeated the British in her first revolt, but was captured and imprisoned during the second assault by the East India Company.

BEGUM HAZRAT MAHAL

• After her husband, Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah, was exiled after the 1857 revolt, Begum Hazrat Mahal, along with her supporters, took on the British and wrested control of Lucknow. She was forced into a retreat after the colonial rulers recaptured the area.

VELU NACHIYAR

• Many years before the revolt of 1857, VeluNachiyar waged a war against the British and emerged victorious.
• Born in Ramanathapuram in 1780, she was married to the king of Sivagangai. After her husband was killed in battle with the East India Company, she entered the conflict.
• She is remembered for producing the first human bomb as well as establish the first army of trained women soldiers in the late 1700s
• “She went on to produce the first human bomb as well as establish the first army of trained women soldiers in the late 1700s,” says the Amrit Mahotsav website. Her army commander Kuyili is believed to have set herself ablaze and walked into a British ammunition dump. She was succeeded by her daughter in 1790, and died a few years later in 1796.

2. COMMEMORATING PARTITION HORRORS REMEMBRANCE DAY ON AUGUST 14

THE CONTEXT: India is commemorating August 14, as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. The commemoration was announced by Prime Minister in 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The day would be observed every year to commemorate the “struggles and sacrifices” of millions of people who were displaced and lost their lives during Partition.
• On August 14, Pakistan emerged as a political entity after Partition and is observed as Independence Day of Pakistan.

Significance

• This move by Prime Minister becomes significant in the backdrop of situation in Afghanistan and advance of the Taliban raising old spectres in the region.

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

• This day is a national Memorial Day in India, that was announced to be observed on August 14. The day commemorates the victims and sufferings of people during Partition of India. It remembers the sufferings of Indians during partition. The day was announced with the aim of reminding Indians the need of removing social divisions and disharmony. It seeks to further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment.

About Partition

• Partition was the division of British India into two independent dominions namely India and Pakistan. These two dominions have gone through further reorganisation. Dominion of India is called as Republic of India. The Dominion of Pakistan was composed of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
• Partition basically divided two provinces, Bengal and Punjab on the basis of district-wide non-Muslim or Muslim majorities. Partition also led to the division of British Indian Army, Royal Indian Navy, Indian Civil Service, central treasury and railways. The partition was done in accordance to the Indian Independence Act 1947. The act also dissolved the British Raj in India. Dominions of India and Pakistan legally came into existence on 15 August 1947.

Why partition is a horror?

• Partition led to the displacement of some 10 and 20 million people on the religious lines, creating a refugee crisis in India and Pakistan. It is marked with large-scale violence that ultimately created an everlasting atmosphere of hostility and suspicion between India and Pakistan. 

THE HEALTH ISSUES

3. POLIO BEEN FOUND IN LONDON, NEW YORK AND JERUSALEM

THE CONTEXT: Polio, a deadly disease that used to paralyze tens of thousands of children every year, is spreading in London, New York and Jerusalem for the first time in decades, spurring catch-up vaccination campaigns.

THE EXPLANATION:

Polio- A Dreaded disease

• Polio terrified parents around the world for the first half of the 20th century. Affecting mainly children under five, it is often asymptomatic but can also cause symptoms including fever and vomiting. Around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, and among those patients, up to 10% die.
• There is no cure, but since a vaccine was found in the 1950s, polio is entirely preventable. Globally, the wild form of the disease has almost disappeared.
• Afghanistan and Pakistan are now the only countries where the highly infectious disease, spread mainly through contact with faecal matter, remains endemic. But this year, imported cases were also found in Malawi and Mozambique, the first in those countries since the 1990s.

VALUE ADDITION:

About:

• Polio is a highly infectious disease, caused by the virus which multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
• Once that happens, the patient is crippled for life because there is no treatment for the affliction. Colloquially they are referred to as wild polio virus.

Variants:

There are three types of wild poliovirus:

• Type 1: still exists but efforts are going on to eradicate it.
• Type 2: eradicated.
• Type 3: eradicated.

Transmission

• The virus is transmitted by person-to-person, mainly through the faecal-oral route or less frequently, by a common vehicle (contaminated water or food).
• Because the virus lives in the faeces of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others when they do not wash their hands well after defecating.

Endemism:

• Currently, wild poliovirus is endemic in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• The detection of Type 1 outside the two countries where the disease is endemic demonstrates the continuous risk of international spread of the disease until every corner of the world is free of Type 1.

4. WHO NEW NAMES FOR MONKEYPOX VARIANTS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) rechristened the variants of monkeypox virus that are currently in circulation. It was done to avoid any cultural or social offence. Monkeypox variant has been renamed as “Clades I, IIa and IIb”.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Phylogeny and nomenclature of known and new monkeypox virus variants or clades was reviewed by experts in pox virology and representatives of research institutes from worldwide.
• Clades have been renamed using Roman numerals, on the recommendations of experts.
• Former Congo Basin (Central African) clade has been renamed as Clade one (I) while the former West African clade has been renamed as Clade two (II). Clade II also comprises of two subclades.

About Monkeypox:

• Monkeypox is an ongoing outbreak. First case of the viral disease was reported in May 2022 in the United Kingdom. First case was reported in individual with travel links to Nigeria. Monkeypox disease is endemic to Nigeria. For the first time, this disease is being reported outside Central and West Africa. It was declared a public health emergency of international concern on July 23, 2022.
• Monkeypox cases have been reported in over 80 countries. Considering this, the WHO has declared it as a global health emergency. The confirmed cases have reached over 32,000. In Delhi, 5 monkeypox cases have been reported.

Symptoms of monkeypox:

Monkeypox is a viral infection, that displays week or two after exposure with the virus. Common symptoms include fever, followed by rash with lesions. The lesions last for 2–4 weeks before falling off.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INTERVENTIONS

5. NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AWARENESS MISSION (NIPAM)

THE CONTEXT:The National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) was launched on December 8, 2021 by Ministry of Commerce & Industry in association with Intellectual Property Office and Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM).

THE EXPLANATION:

Under this programme, awareness and training are provided on Intellectual Property (IP). This scheme has met its goal of training one million students on July 31, 2022, before the deadline of August 15, 2022.

IP Awareness:

• Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has mandated to increase IP awareness, in line with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. This is because, IP awareness is significant to ensure that intellectual capital developed in country is recognised and protected in order for IP producers to take advantage.
• IP encourages and extends support to innovation and creativity, that are contributing towards societal cultural and economic progress.
• It encourages inventors, artists and authors, as well as ensures sustainability of research and development.

About National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission:

The National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission targets students in two levels:

1. Level A– It includes school students of class 9^th to 12^th.
2. Level B – It includes students from Universities or Colleges

This programme was launched with the aim of raising and stimulating innovation and creativity, and thus contributing to cultural and economic development of society. It seeks to contribute towards creation of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat by increasing awareness on IP among one million students across India.

VALUE ADDITION:

What is IPR?

• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are the rights acquired by an owner of an intellectual property.
• Intellectual property is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect.
• In simple terms, it refers to creations of the mind, such as
• inventions
• literary & artistic works
• designs & symbols,
• names & images used in commerce.
• The main purpose of intellectual property law is to
• encourage the creation of a wide variety of intellectual goods &
• strike the right balance between the interests of innovators & wider public interest.

6. EXPLAINED: DIGIYATRA, THE CONTACTLESS PASSENGER PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR AIRPORTS

THE CONTEXT: The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), run by GMR, announced the soft launch of the Centre’s DigiYatra initiative, rolling out the beta version of its app for Android platforms. DigiYatra , the passenger processing system based on facial recognition technology, has been piloted at the Delhi airport and has had the required infrastructure set up at the airport’s Terminal 3.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is DigiYatra and how will it work?

• DigiYatra envisages that travellers pass through various checkpoints at the airport through paperless and contactless processing, using facial features to establish their identity, which would be linked to the boarding pass.
• With this technology, the entry of passengers would be automatically processed based on the facial recognition system at all checkpoints – including entry into the airport, security check areas, aircraft boarding, etc.

How can people avail the DigiYatra facility?

• To use this facility, passengers will need to first download the DigiYatra app. The Android version of the app is out, while the iOS version is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Users can register on the app using Aadhaar credentials, followed by a selfie with the Aadhaar card. After this, vaccination details using CoWIN credentials will have to be added to the app. Then, the person will have to scan his or her boarding pass with the QR code or Bar code, after which the credentials will be shared with the airport.
• For entry into the airport, passengers will need to scan their boarding passes at the e-gate and look into the facial recognition system camera installed there. A similar method will be applicable for entry into other checkpoints.

How is DigiYatra being implemented?

• Recently, the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Civil Aviation met to discuss the DigiYatra project. The project is being implemented by the DigiYatra Foundation — a joint-venture company whose shareholders are the Airports Authority of India (26% stake) and Bengaluru Airport, Delhi Airport, Hyderabad Airport, Mumbai Airport and Cochin International Airport. These five shareholders equally hold the remaining 74% of the shares.
• The DigiYatra Foundation will be the custodian of the passenger ID validation process. It will also define the criteria for compliance and guidelines for the local airport systems. There will be regular audits of the various compliances and guidelines (including guidelines on security, image quality, and data privacy) defined by the DigiYatra guidelines for the local airport Biometric Boarding Systems.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

7. PRESIDENT’S TATRAKSHAK MEDAL (PTM)

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the President of India  approved around 107 gallantry awards for the armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). It comprises of 3 Kirti Chakras and 13 Shaurya Chakras. Apart from that, 81 Sena Medals, 1 Nao Sena Medal and 2 Bar to Sena medals were also announced.

THE EXPLANATION:

• 40 Mention-in-Despatches for Indian Army, 1 to for Indian Air Force and another for Army Dog Axel (posthumously) was also approved by the President, to honour their significant contributions in military operations like Operation Tirkit and Operation Snow Leopard.
• Kirti Chakra was awarded to Naik Devendra Pratap Singh from the Army, for his courage and devotion in eliminating two hardcore terrorists at Pulwama.
• Shaurya Chakra was awarded to 8 Army personnel, including two posthumously. It was also awarded to one personnel from Indian Navy.
• Out of 8 Shaurya Chakra awardees, 2 are from Para Special Forces while rest were from Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir Valley.
• All Shaurya awards were given for conducting counter-terror and counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir.
• Kirti Chakra was awarded posthumously to Constable Sudip Sarkar and sub-inspector PaotinsatGuite from BSF, for their bravery away from the battle field.

President’s Tatrakshak Medal

On the occasion, President also approved 3 Tatrakshak Medals (TM) to Coast Guard personnel, to honour their acts of conspicuous gallantry, meritorious service and exceptional devotion to duty. It is a military decoration, that is presented for selfless devotion and distinguished service in Indian Coast Guard. President of India confers the award on the occasion of national celebrations, Republic Day and Independence Day.

POINTS TO REMEMBER: UPSC 2021 QUESTION ON BHARAT RATNA

Q. Consider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards:

1.  Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are titles under the Article 18 (1) of the Constitution of India.
2.  Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, were suspended only once.
3.  The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year.

Which of the above statements are not correct?

a)      1 and 2 only

b)      2 and 3 only

c)       1 and 3 only

d)      1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

THE DATA POINT

1. Turn attention inside to change your destiny READ MORE
2. Equality And Unity READ MORE

1. Arctic Is Warming Nearly Four Times Faster Than the Rest of the World READ MORE
2. Climate and Us | India’s domestic goal of 450 GW RE capacity by 2030 is crucial READ MORE  
3. Another Okay for Biodiversity Change Bill Is a Reminder To Remember Its Dangers READ MORE

1. For progress, dilute caste purity notions READ MORE
2. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi writes: Commitment to inclusivity and social justice should drive the nation’s march to 100 READ MORE  
3. The menace of trafficking READ MORE

1. Fundamental duties are not just pedantic, they are key to social transformation: CJI READ MORE
2. The shackles of 1861 need to go: Though much has changed, attention needs to be paid to lingering issues in India’s police agency READ MORE
3. Meeting aspirations: India needs better governance for the sake of its own people, not global approbation READ MORE
4. NITI Aayog has failed cooperative federalism READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Researchers develop 3D printed artificial cornea READ MORE
2. President approves 107 Gallantry awards to Armed Forces and CAPF personnel on Independence Day READ MORE
3. The spectrum of law-making in independent India READ MORE
4. New law for SEZs: Commerce ministry proposes host of incentives READ MORE
5. Explained: What happened in the Constituent Assembly 75 years ago, when the National Flag was adopted? READ MORE
6. Explainer: What’s the Risk of Disaster at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant? READ MORE
7. US lawmakers arrive in Taiwan amid China tensions READ MORE
8. Arctic Is Warming Nearly Four Times Faster Than the Rest of the World READ MORE

Main Exam

1. For progress, dilute caste purity notions READ MORE

 GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Fundamental duties are not just pedantic, they are key to social transformation: CJI READ MORE
2. The shackles of 1861 need to go: Though much has changed, attention needs to be paid to lingering issues in India’s police agency READ MORE
3. Meeting aspirations: India needs better governance for the sake of its own people, not global approbation READ MORE
4. NITI Aayog has failed cooperative federalism READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi writes: Commitment to inclusivity and social justice should drive the nation’s march to 100 READ MORE  
2. The menace of trafficking READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. C Raja Mohan writes: Diplomacy for Viksit Bharat READ MORE
2. A road map for India-EU ties: India and EU should not let divergence of views on some issues overwhelm the convergence of views on other areas READ MORE
3. Biggest external challenges come from China READ MORE
4. Saving India from unruly neighbours READ MORE
5. Seventy Five Years of Indian Foreign Policy: Key Successes, and the Gaps That Still Remain READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Our problem is fiscal mismanagement and not freebies READ MORE
2. To be developed: Farm reform, judicial reform, freer trade are critical if India wants an economic change of status READ MORE
3. Manufacturing needs cohesive policies READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Climate and Us | India’s domestic goal of 450 GW RE capacity by 2030 is crucial READ MORE  
2. Another Okay for Biodiversity Change Bill Is a Reminder To Remember Its Dangers READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Turn attention inside to change your destiny READ MORE
2. Equality And Unity READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Fundamental duties are not just pedantic; they are key to social transformation’. Examine the statement.
2. NITI Aayog generated hopes of building Team India making states equal partners in nation’s development and promoting cooperative fiscal federalism. Critically examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.
• Fundamental duties are not just pedantic, they are key to social transformation.
• India and EU should not let divergence of views on some issues overwhelm the convergence of views on other areas.
• India and the EU should not let such divergences of views overwhelm the many areas of convergence among them.
• European partners acknowledge India as an important pillar in ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
• India needs better governance for the sake of its own people, not global approbation.
• India might not need approval from other countries, but it needs to do better on rights and freedoms, welfare and justice, growth and development, and in building a more egalitarian society.
• We need a course correction so that our upcoming generations witness a free and prosperous society. We should ensure our republic protects all citizens and approaches checkpoints in this journey with a scientific temper.
• India must act on its domestic renewable energy and climate goals for this will also help in delivering on its updated NDC. It will also help maintain people’s trust in the Centre’s seriousness when it comes to clean energy.
• Despite several measures, human trafficking goes on unabated. It must be the Govt’s priority to check this inhumane trade.
• While liberty and equality are enforced with constitutional means, fraternity is getting the short shrift Fraternity, as opposed to liberty and equality, fails to get traction in public discourse or political programmes.
• Aayog generated hopes of building Team India making states equal partners in nation’s development and promoting cooperative fiscal federalism.

50 WORD TALK

• It will be a make-or-break effort in the next decade and a half for India to catch up with China while India still has the potential for demographic dividend. So, out-of-the-box thinking is vital or else the present, all-round asymmetry with China will become permanent. This will drive India into the arms of the US, a declining global power, and New Delhi’s strategic autonomy will be lost.

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 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 CONTEXT: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 (released on 7th July 2022) provides a global overview of progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, using the latest available data and estimates. It tracks the global and regional progress towards the 17 Goals with in-depth analyses of selected indicators for each Goal.The Report highlights the severity and magnitude of the challenges before us. The confluence of crises, dominated by COVID-19, climate change, and conflicts, are creating spin-off impacts on food and nutrition, health, education, the environment, and peace and security, and affecting all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article discusses the challenges before us in detail.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORT

ABOUT

• It is a global assessment of countries’ progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
• It is published by a group of independent experts at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
o SDSN was launched in 2012 to mobilize global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for sustainable development and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
o Following their adoption, SDSN is now committed to supporting the implementation of the SDGs at national and international levels.

RANKING

• Countries are ranked by their overall score.
• The overall score measures the total progress towards achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The score can be interpreted as a percentage of SDG achievement.
• A score of 100 indicates that all SDGs have been achieved.

PERFORMANCE OF THE COUNTRIES

• The 2022 SDG Index is topped by Finland, followed by three Nordic countries –Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
• East and South Asia is the region that progressed most on the SDGs since their adoption in 2015.
• Bangladesh and Cambodia are the two countries that progressed most on the SDGs since 2015.
• By contrast, Venezuela has declined the most on the SDG Index since their adoption in 2015.

SDG REPORT 2022 AND INDIA

• India’s rank in the report has slipped for the third consecutive year. It has been ranked 121 out of the 163 countries in 2022. India ranked 117 in 2020 and 120 in 2021.
• India continues to face major challenges in achieving 11 of the 17 SDGs, which has pushed down its global ranking on SDG preparedness.
• The progress in around 10 of the SDG goals is similar to those in 2021. These include SDG 2 on ending hunger, SDG 3 on good health and well being and SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation.
• But ensuring decent work (SDG 8) has become more challenging.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?

• The United Nations defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
• It includes “harmonising” three elements: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• The United Nations Document “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.
• This agenda contains 17 goals and 169 targets.
• The agenda is built on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were adopted in 2000 and were to be achieved by 2015.
• SDGs provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
• They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT

MEETING THE DEADLINE

• The report highlights the severity and magnitude of the crises before us and states that urgent action is needed to achieve the 2030 deadline of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

GLOBAL ISSUES AFFECTING SGDS

• According to the report, all 17 SDGs, set at the UN General Assembly in 2015, are in jeopardy due to the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in the number of conflicts across the world.
• The pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have already led to a lowering of global economic growth projections by 0.9 percentage points.
• It is harming in more ways than one:
o Raising food and fuel prices.
o Hampering global supplies and trade.
o Disturbing financial markets.

IMPACTED AREAS

The “cascading and intersecting” issues impact the environment, food and nutrition, health, peace and security as well as education, according to a UN statement on the report.
Environment:
o Greenhouse gas emissions are set to rise 14 per cent over a decade, antithetical to the Paris Agreement plan — a 2025 peak followed by a 43 per cent decline by 2030 and Net 2050.
o Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions shot up 6 per cent, taking down gains due to COVID-19.
Economic shocks and poverty:
o Economic shocks due to the worldwide health emergency pushed 93 million into poverty in 2020 alone, undoing “more than four years” work at alleviating poverty.
Education and healthcare:
o It also affected the education and healthcare services for millions.
o Immunisation, for example, has dropped for the first time in a decade even as deaths from malaria and TB have risen.
Cascading effect:
o The report also flagged threats to food security and aids, rising unemployment (especially among women) and increases in child labour as well as child marriages.
o The burden was greater on least developed countries and vulnerable population groups.

UNDOING PROGRESS:

The report details the reversal of years of progress in eradicating poverty and hunger, improving health and education, providing basic services, and much more.

COVID – 19 AND SDGs

SDG 1 (NO POVERTY)

• The COVID-19 pandemic has put steady progress in poverty reduction over the past 25 years into reverse, with the number of people in extreme poverty increased for the first time in a generation.
• Between 657 and 676 million people are currently projected to live in extreme poverty in 2022, compared to the pre-pandemic projection of 581 million.
• In 2020, for the first time in two decades, the share of the world’s workers living in extreme poverty increased, rising from 6.7 per cent in 2019 to 7.2 per cent, pushing an additional 8 million workers into poverty.

SDG 3 (GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING)

• The pandemic has severely disrupted essential health services, triggered an increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression, lowered global life expectancy, derailed progress towards ending HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, and halted two decades of work towards making health coverage universal. As a result, immunization coverage dropped for the first time in 10 years, and deaths from TB and malaria increased.

SDG 4 (QUALITY EDUCATION)

• The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened a crisis in education, with severe disruptions in education systems worldwide. School closures have had worrisome consequences for children’s learning and well-being, particularly for girls and those who are disadvantaged, including children with disabilities, rural dwellers and ethnic minorities.
• An estimated 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person instruction over the past two years and 24 million learners from the pre-primary to university level are at risk of not returning to school.

SDG 8 (DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH)

• The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated the worst economic crisis in decades and reversed progress towards decent work for all. Although the global economy began to rebound in 2021, bringing some improvement in unemployment, recovery remains elusive and fragile. Recovery patterns also vary significantly across regions, countries, sectors and labour market groups.
• By the end of 2021, global economic recovery had been hampered by new waves of COVID-19 infections, rising inflationary pressures, major supply-chain disruptions, policy uncertainties and persistent labour market challenges.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SDGs

SDG 13 (Climate Action)

• The world is on the brink of a climate catastrophe, and the window to avert it is closing rapidly. Increased heatwaves, droughts and floods caused by climate change are already affecting billions of people around the world and causing potentially irreversible changes in global ecosystems.
• To limit warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the Paris Agreement, global greenhouse gas emissions will need to peak before 2025. Then they must decline by 43 per cent by 2030, falling to net zero by 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body responsible for assessing the science related to climate change.
• However, current national commitments are not sufficient to meet the 1.5 °C targets. Under these commitments, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to increase by almost 14 per cent over the next decade.

SDG 14 (Life Below Water)

• Human activity is endangering the planet’s largest ecosystem – its oceans and seas – and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people. Continuing ocean acidification and rising ocean temperatures are threatening marine species and negatively affecting marine ecosystem services.
• In 2021, more than 17 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean – a number projected to double or triple by 2040.

CONFLICTS AND SDGs

SDG 1(NO POVERTY)

• Forecasts for 2022 estimate that 75 million more people than expected prior to the pandemic will be living in extreme poverty. Rising food prices and the broader impacts of the war in Ukraine could push that number even higher, to 95 million, leaving the world even further from meeting the target of ending extreme poverty by 2030.

SDG 2 (ZERO HUNGER)

• Global food supply systems have been partially undermined by a cascading combination of growing conflicts, climate-related shocks and widening inequalities. As a result, as many as 828 million people may have suffered from hunger in 2021.
• The outbreak of war in Ukraine poses an additional threat to food insecurity, with the potential to provoke a surge in levels of hunger and malnutrition, especially among the poorest and most vulnerable.

SDG 10 (REDUCED INEQUALITIES)

• The number of refugees worldwide reached the highest absolute number on record in 2021; sadly, that year also saw a record number of migrant deaths.
• The ongoing war in Ukraine has created the worst refugee crisis in recent history. To date, the movement of more than 6 million people from Ukraine to other countries has been registered, the majority of whom are women and children. In addition, at least 8 million people have been displaced inside the country to escape the conflict.

SDG 16 (PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS)

• Pleas for global peace are growing louder as the world witnesses the largest number of violent conflicts since 1946, with one-quarter of the global population living in conflict-affected countries at the end of 2020.
• Amid these crises, and despite movement restrictions prompted by COVID-19, forced displacement has continued and even grown.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE THREE CASCADING AND INTERLINKED CRISES:
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on almost every aspect of our lives. And it is still far from over. The pandemic wiped out more than four years of progress on poverty eradication. The immediacy of the COVID-19 crisis is now overshadowed by the existential threat of climate change. Increased heat waves, droughts and apocalyptic wildfires and floods are already affecting billions of people around the globe and causing potentially irreversible damage to the Earth’s ecosystems. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement. The outbreak of war in Ukraine has caused food, fuel and fertilizer prices to skyrocket, disrupted supply chains and global trade, and roiled financial markets, fuelling the threat of a global food crisis.
To stay ahead of these crises, we need to understand where we are and where we are headed, and that will require significant investment in our data and information infrastructure. Policies, programmes and resources aimed at protecting people during this most challenging time will inevitably fall short without the evidence needed to focus interventions. Timely, high-quality and disaggregated data can help trigger more targeted responses, anticipate future needs, and hone the design of urgently needed actions. To emerge stronger from the crisis and prepare for unknown challenges ahead, funding statistical development must be a priority for national governments and the international community.

THE WAY FORWARD:
1. The severity and magnitude of the challenges before us demand sweeping changes on a scale not yet seen in human history. We must start by ending armed conflicts (such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict) and embarking on a path of diplomacy and peace – a precondition for sustainable development.
2. We must adopt low-carbon, resilient and inclusive development pathways that will reduce carbon emissions, conserve natural resources, transform our food systems, create better jobs and advance the transition to a greener, more inclusive and just economy.
3. The COVID-19 crisis has been an extraordinary challenge for statistical systems also. It has also been an opportunity to experiment with innovative data collection methods, explore new data sources and modernize ICT infrastructures to meet data demands for policy making. Moving forward, experiences during the pandemic can be used to inform the future of innovation in statistics.
4. The last two years have seen a major blow to the world’s economy and people, and lower-income countries were hit particularly hard. Investing in data capacities and data partnerships to leave no one behind, build trust and fill data gaps to achieve the SDGs must be a priority for national governments and the international community if countries are to rely upon evidence-based policy responses to emerge stronger from the crisis and face the unknown challenges ahead.
5. The conflict has caused a steep and sudden reduction in exports of grain, sunflower seeds and fertilizers. As a result, import-dependent countries are vulnerable to rising food costs and supply chain disruptions. Joint, coordinated activities and policy solutions are urgently needed to avert food shortages for the world’s poorest people and to reduce the impact of the conflict, as well as lingering consequences of the pandemic, on global food insecurity. (For instance, the recently adopted “GENEVA PACKAGE” at the 12th ministerial conference of WTO, also agreed on Exemptions from Export Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Food Purchases made by World Food Programme (WFP).
6. Millions of children and youth worldwide are in similar situations as those in Ukraine whose learning has been interrupted – by war, disasters and other crises. Providing safe, inclusive and continuous education to those girls and boys is crucial in helping them cope with current and future crises. Online Education/Classes is one of the soundest and most important investments that can be made in human and socio-economic development.

THE CONCLUSION: The road map laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals is clear, just as the impact of crises is compounded when they are linked, so are the solutions. When we take action to strengthen social protection systems, improve public services and invest in clean energy, for example, we can address the root causes of increasing inequality, environmental degradation and climate change. The report emphasized that to emerge stronger from the crisis and prepare for unknown challenges ahead, it is imperative for the national governments and the international community to fund the data and information infrastructure at a priority level.

Mains Practice Questions:
1. Geo-political conflicts, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have put the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in jeopardy. Comment.
2. What are the cascading and intersecting contemporary issues having an impact on the environment, food and nutrition, health as well as global peace and security?Suggest possible ways to address them.

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