UPSC Civil Services Final Result 2023

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TAG: GS 2: POLITY

THE CONTEXT: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has introduced draft guidelines to regulate misleading advertisements by coaching centres, emphasizing the need to protect consumers from false claims and deceptive practices.

EXPLANATION:

• The guidelines aim to bring transparency, prevent misinformation, and ensure accountability within the coaching sector.

Context and Background:

• Government Initiative:
  • The move comes in the wake of the government’s commitment to address issues related to coaching centres.
  • Guidelines have been drafted prohibiting enrolment of students below 16 and restricting misleading promises.
• CCPA’s Call for Public Feedback:
  • The CCPA has actively sought public feedback on the ‘Draft Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector,’ demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity and a collaborative approach.

Scope and Definition:

• Definition of Coaching:
  • The guidelines define ‘coaching’ broadly, encompassing tuition, academic support, learning programs, or guidance provided by any person.
• Conditions for Misleading Advertisements:
  • The draft outlines specific conditions that classify an advertisement as misleading within the coaching sector, focusing on claims related to success rates, student selections, and rankings in competitive exams.

Prohibited Practices:

• Concealment of Information:
  • Coaching centres are discouraged from concealing essential information related to course details and duration, influencing a consumer’s decision.
• False Claims:
  • Prohibition of false claims regarding success rates and rankings without providing verifiable evidence.
• Acknowledgment of Individual Efforts:
  • Mandate for coaching centres to acknowledge the individual efforts of students in their success and clearly state the extent of coaching involvement.
• Avoidance of Fear-Based Tactics:
  • Prevention of creating a false sense of urgency or fear of missing out, aiming to protect students and parents from undue anxieties.

Applicability and Consumer Protection:

• Broad Applicability:
  • The guidelines are designed to be applicable to every person engaged in coaching, reinforcing a comprehensive approach to curb misleading practices across the sector.
• Consumer Protection Framework:
  • Aligning with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the proposed guidelines act as a regulatory framework to safeguard consumer interests.

Accessibility and Stakeholder Consultation:

• Website Placement:
  • The draft guidelines are made accessible on the Department of Consumer Affairs website, facilitating public scrutiny and feedback.
• Stakeholder Consultation:
  • Prior to drafting, a stakeholder consultation on misleading advertisements in the coaching sector was conducted, garnering input from key entities like the Ministry of Education, FIITJEE, and National Law University Delhi.

Consumer Protection Act, 2019:

• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (Act No. 35 of 2019) was enacted in India to safeguard the interests of consumers and establish mechanisms for timely and effective resolution of consumer disputes. Here are some key provisions of the act:
• Three-Tier Quasi-Judicial Mechanism:
  • The act establishes a three-tier quasi-judicial mechanism for redressal of consumer disputes:
    • District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission: At the district level.
    • State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission: At the state level.
    • National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission: At the national level.
  • Pecuniary Jurisdiction:
    • The act specifies the pecuniary jurisdiction of each tier of the consumer commission, ensuring that disputes are handled appropriately based on their financial value.
  • Improved Protection for Consumers:
    • The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
    • It aims to strengthen consumer protection, especially in the context of globalization, online platforms, and e-commerce markets.
    • The act provides improved protection for consumers involved in online transactions.
  • Establishment of Authorities:
    • Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA):
      • CCPA is a statutory body constituted under Section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
      • Responsible for administration and settlement of consumer disputes at the central level.
      • Empowered to recall goods, issue penalties against false/misleading advertisements, and more.
    • District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission:
      • Each tier handles consumer complaints and disputes within its jurisdiction.
      • Provides a structured process for resolution, including mediation, hearings, and appeals.

Conclusion:

• The draft guidelines represent a proactive step by the government to address challenges in the coaching sector.
• By involving stakeholders and seeking public feedback, the authorities aim to create a robust framework that not only regulates misleading advertisements but also ensures transparency, accountability, and protection of consumers’ interests.
• The guidelines, once finalized, are poised to shape a more ethical and consumer-friendly environment within the coaching industry.

SOURCE: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/draft-guidelines-to-curb-misleading-ads-by-coaching-centres-released-2503074-2024-02-16

We all are charmed by the grandeur associated with the civil services in India. According to a report, UPSC civil services exam is one of the toughest exams of the world. Naturally, the preparation process for the exam will attract several myths around it.
But, as George Orwell famously said: “Myths, which are believed in, tend to become true. Hence, if you start believing in myths associated with the UPSC preparation, your dream of becoming a civil servant will surely get ruined.
Here, we are listing down some of the common myths about the UPSC and debunking them too:

Myth 1: Engineers have it easy in the UPSC exam.

This is a common myth among the students from non-science background. Time and again, toppers of the exam have proved that the UPSC exam is not skewed against students from humanities or commerce background. Be it Garima Lohia (AIR 2), Shruti Sharma (AIR 1) or Tina Dabi (AIR 1), all come from non-engineering background. Apart from them, there are many others who have cleared this exam without harbouring any ‘ifs and buts’ mentality.

Myth 2: Preparation requires 15-16 hours of study routine.

This is absolutely not true. The exam requires a dedicated and consistent performance. Always remember, this journey can be a long one for some aspirants. And, it is normal. Mental health is more important than anything else. Putting in more than 15-16 hours can take a toll on your health, which can affect your performance in the long run. Follow a disciplined regime, but it shouldn’t be taxing on the mind.

Myth 3: UPSC exam cannot be cracked with a job.

There are many aspirants who have cleared this exam, along with a full-time job. These candidates were not superhumans. All they had was the clear-cut goal in their mind. Besides knowing what should be studied, an aspirant should also know, or learn to know, what shouldn’t be studied.

Myth 4: Answer-writing should be done only after prelims.

This is a common misconception among aspirants, due to which they ruin their valuable years in preparation. They get caught in the vicious cycle of attempts and reattempts and getting stuck at the same stage where they clear prelims easily, but do not get the interview call. To break this cycle, answer-writing practice should be initiated early on.

Myth 5: You need to have super-human memory to clear this exam.

Unlike the state-PCS which focuses more on facts, the UPSC CSE exam is more about developing analytical skills. A person who has strong analytical skills with an ability to connect the dots between different issues would surely have an edge over other candidates.

Myth 6: UPSC exam prefers English-medium students.

UPSC doesn’t favour anyone with a particular background over others. It only has preferences for people with sharp analytical skills. Medium of instruction should never be counted amongst the hurdles. Just focus on deeper understandings of the subjects and issues plaguing the country. Eventually, you will develop officers-like qualities.

Myth 7: You need to read the ‘The Hindu’ newspaper inside-out.

There are certain aspirants who give more than four hours to study the newspaper. They even make notes of city-based stories. This not only wastes their precious time, but also provides them a pile of notes which are of no use at the time of revision. Candidates are required to read and analyze only the important articles. They can develop this understanding by following previous-year questions and syllabus.

Myth 8: You need to start your preparation right after school.

UPSC looks for a candidate who has a well-rounded personality. It can only be developed when you have greater exposures in life. Some parents enroll their kids in coaching institutes just after college. This unnecessarily burdens the child’s mind and limit his/her capability. It should only be the child’s prerogative to decide when to start his/her preparation.

Myth 9: Candidates from premier colleges are preferred during the personality test.

UPSC Interview consists of members from varied backgrounds. They are only looking for candidates who possess essential traits for administrative roles. It doesn’t matter which school or college you have been to. You only need to demonstrate officer-like qualities in the personality test.

Myth 10: My chances of success will increase only if I give multiple government exams.

A lot of candidates start preparing for multiple government exams simultaneously. Following this strategy in the beginning of the preparation can possibly backfire. The strategy to give other government exams simultaneously, or a ‘Plan B’, can be adopted after two unsuccessful attempts. A candidate meets failure only when his/her improvement stops. You can only how to bring improvements only under right guidance. So, always go for the trusted guidance.

These myths work as a potent tool in diminishing your chances of success. Never fall for them. Clearing this exam requires concerted efforts and a strong belief in your capabilities. Approach this exam with real expectations and unwavering dedication and success will follow you.

The preparation for the UPSC civil services examination can be an overwhelming experience for candidates. This is true not just because of the sheer amount of syllabus that an aspirant has to cover, but also because of the high magnitude of competition involved.
In this process, hence, a candidate is bound to make mistakes, if he/she does not have anyone to guide him/her through this quagmire.
But throw away all your worries out of the window as we have got your back. Here, we are listing down some of the common mistakes made by a UPSC aspirant, which we do not want you to repeat.

#Mistake 1: Studying without a plan.
This is a very common mistake. Most of the students lack any plan or strategy. They just go with the flow with a very common but flawed thinking — ‘ho jaega’. But it doesn’t happen like that. A scientific approach to studying gives you better returns than studying in an ad hoc manner. Do not waste your time in developing the ‘best strategy’. There is no such thing as the ‘best strategy’. Develop proper targets and adhere to them. Do not make your strategy too rigid. It should be agile. You may be required to make changes in it as and when required.

#Mistake 2: Buying every book available in the market related to the subject.
There may be some misguided candidates who would think that piling up books would help them in clearing the exam. They would get inspired by some random ‘source-tracing’ videos, which will show them how UPSC is asking questions from XYZ… book. This leads them to nowhere. Sticking to standard books, limiting your resources and giving them multiple readings is the best approach.

#Mistake 3: Procrastination or lack of consistency.
There is another category of candidates who are heavy procrastinators. They may be making meticulous daily time-table only to be remade the next day. They are the ones who fall for instant gratification and get easily distracted. Or, there may be candidates who will study for 15-18 hours in a day but then will not turn up for studying for the next two-three days. This lack of consistency has a high cost. Always remember, consistency is the key in this exam. You may not be able to put in 14-15 hours daily. But that is fine. Six-eight hours of consistent and quality study is enough to crack this exam.

#Mistake 4: Ignoring NCERTs.
This is a very silly mistake. The allure of reading advanced books can make some candidates skip NCERTs. But, UPSC has time and again asked easy but analytical questions from NCERTs. Hence, skipping NCERTs would not be advisable, especially when your basic concepts are not clear.

#Mistake 5: Not giving enough mock tests for prelims.
In recent years, the level of difficulty in prelims has increased considerably, and falling cut-offs reflect this. Hence, there is a need to develop MCQs-solving aptitude. This can only be developed when you solve more questions.

#Mistake 6: Ignoring CSAT.
Many candidates have faltered at the prelims stage just because they could not score 66 marks in the CSAT paper. One simple reason behind this is that aspirants simply ignore this subject. Assess your preparation for CSAT by attempting previous year papers. If you are comfortably scoring above 66 marks, then it is fine. Otherwise, you need to pull up your socks and give this paper some extra attention.

#Mistake 7: Lack of answer-writing practice.
There are several reasons for this. First, this happens when a candidate follows a segregated approach for prelims and mains, while what we require is an integrated approach. Second, when an aspirant thinks of attempting tests only after finishing the entire syllabus. Third, when a candidate focuses just on prelims and thinks of writing tests only when he/she clears the prelims so that his/her efforts are not wasted. In all the three scenarios, the result would not turn out to be desirable. Answer writing practice is one of the major determinants of your success. Ignoring it would make you stuck in the vicious cycle of giving attempt after attempt.

#Mistake 8: Giving up on writing tests on scoring low marks in mock tests.
This is true for many students. It is natural that initially a candidate would not be scoring very good marks. But a usual response by the candidates is to give up on answer writing practice. While the best approach is to know your mistakes and keep improving on them.

#Mistake 9: Not revising enough.
Because of the colossal syllabus, multiple revision becomes very important. Revision enhances the recalling power of the mind. Make short, hand-written or digital notes, depending on your convenience, and revise them frequently.

#Mistake 10: Underestimating or overestimating your potential.
UPSC exam is a great equalizer. Whether a candidate underestimates or overestimates his/her potential, both are equally harmful scenarios. While preparing, always be grounded and have a company of those people who can motivate you in your difficult times, while also giving you a reality check.

It is very easy to fall for traps, but a candidate needs to develop a level-headed mind in order to successfully navigate through this journey.

https://blog.lukmaanias.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ECONOMIC-SURVEY-2022-23.pdf

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

EXPLAINED: WHEN CAN A RAJYA SABHA VOTE BE REJECTED?

THE CONTEXT: Recently elections for 57 Rajya Sabha seats across 15 states are being held. With as many as 41 candidates having already been declared elected unopposed, the contest is on for 16 seats in four states — Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected through single transferable votes via an open ballot. Members of a state’s Legislative Assembly vote in the Rajya Sabha elections in what is called proportional representation with the single transferable vote (STV) system. Each MLA’s vote is counted only once.
• The commission turned to Article 324 of the Constitution, which gives the panel unprecedented powers to hold free-and-fair polls in situations not covered by the Representation of People’s Act, the law governing the election process in India.

How can votes be rejected in an open ballot system?

• Open ballot voting applies in elections to Council of States only. Every political party which has MLAs can appoint an authorised agent to verify whom its members have voted for.
• In 2016, Randeep Surjewala’s vote was rejected after he showed it to another MLA instead of his party’s authorised agent. Surjewala was an MLA in the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana.

Can an authorised agent represent two parties simultaneously?

The spirit behind Rule 39AA of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 is that MLAs belonging to a political party shall show their ballot papers (after marking their vote) to the authorised agent of that party only and not to the authorised agent of other parties. As such, the same person cannot be appointed as the authorised agent of more than one party.

Can votes be rejected if a ballot paper is marked with another pen?

On the ballot paper, an MLA has to mark his or her choice of candidates by ranking them and they also have to use a special pen provided by the EC. If they use any other pen, or if their ballot papers remain incomplete, the vote would be regarded as invalid.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RHINO REINTRODUCTION A HIT IN ASSAM RESERVE

THE CONTEXT: According to the 14th Assam rhino estimation census, the one-horned rhinos of western Assam’s Manas National Park, bordering Bhutan, are expected to have a high life expectancy and significant growth in population.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Manas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tiger reserve, had about 100 resident rhinos prior to 1990, but a prolonged ethnopolitical conflict thereafter took a heavy toll with extremist groups known to have traded the horns of the herbivores for weapons.
• A rhino reintroduction programme under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was started in 2006. This entailed the translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary besides orphans hand-reared at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Kaziranga.

VALUE ADDITION:

INDIAN RHINO VISION 2020 (IRV 2020)

• Launched in 2005.
• The initiative is led by the Forest Department, Government of Assam, in partnership with WWF India, the International Rhino Foundation.
• The 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 Rhino is 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 endangered in IUCN Red List.
4. Sumatran Rhino: Recently gone extinct in Malaysia, but Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List.

70 ELEPHANTS DIED IN KARNATAKA IN 2021

THE CONTEXT: According to the forest officials, Karnataka, which harbours around 6,000 elephants in the wild as per the 2017 census, has lost 70 of them due to various reasons in 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• 15 were attributed to unnatural causes, including 10 due to electrocution. One elephant was killed in a train accident, another was shot, and one elephant died due to injuries caused by snares while the cause of death was not ascertained in one case. The remaining were classified as death due to natural causes.
• While the deaths due to natural causes are not reckoned to be worrying given the elephant population range in the State, the deaths due to electrocution alone underline the prevailing human-elephant conflict in the State.
• According to the officials, as far as 15 unnatural deaths are concerned 10 are due to electrocution, and even here one cannot infer that the elephants were targeted because the illegally powered fences installed by the farmers were meant to prevent wild boars though elephants do die in the process. But very few were intended to kill elephants.

Value Addition:

Elephants

There are three subspecies of Asian elephants – the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan. The Indian has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the continent.

• IUCN Red List of threatened species status- African elephants are listed as “vulnerable” and Asian elephants as “endangered”.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) status-  Appendix I. Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.

Conservation Efforts

Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

• Establishment of elephant reserves and adoption of the “World Elephant Day” (August 12) to help conserve and protect elephants in India and improve their welfare.
• ‘Gaj Yatra’ is a nationwide awareness campaign to celebrate elephants and highlight the necessity of securing elephant corridors.
• The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), had come out with a publication on the right of passage in 101 elephant corridors of the country in 2017, stressed the need for greater surveillance and protection of elephant corridors.
• The Monitoring the Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme launched in 2003 is an international collaboration that tracks trends in information related to the illegal killing of elephants from across Africa and Asia, to monitor the effectiveness of field conservation efforts.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

EXPLAINED: TESTOSTERONE DEFICIENCY AND THE SAFETY OF REPLACEMENT THERAPY

THE CONTEXT: According to the new study in Lancet, Health Longevity looks at the short- to medium-term safety of testosterone treatment. Analysis of data from more than 3,400 patients with hypogonadism from 17 clinical trials found little evidence that testosterone treatment increases the risk of cardiovascular events such as arrhythmia, heart attack, and stroke, in the short to medium term.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Hypogonadism is a condition caused by the deficiency of the male sex hormone, testosterone.
• Testosterone replacement therapy is the standard treatment for hypogonadism, which can cause sexual dysfunction, weakening of bones and muscles, and reduced quality of life. Risk factors include ageing (as testosterone levels decline with age), obesity and diabetes.
• Despite being widely used, the cardiovascular safety of testosterone treatment had so far remained unclear due to inconsistent findings. Most previous clinical studies relied on aggregate data, rather than individual participant data and have not published details of individual adverse events.
• According to the scientist, prescribing of testosterone for hypogonadism is increasing globally, but conflicting messages about its safety may have led to many patients not receiving the treatment. Ongoing studies should help to determine the longer-term safety of testosterone but, in the meantime, our results provide much-needed reassurance about its short-to-medium-term safety.

THE MISCELLANEOUS

IISC, BENGALURU TOP INDIAN UNIVERSITY

THE CONTEXT: According to the QS World University Rankings, 2023, The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc) is the new national leader in the which also shows that all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) improved their standing.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The latest edition of QS World University Rankings features 41 Indian universities, of which 12 improved their positions, 12 remained stable, 10 declined and seven are new entries.
• The IISc ranks 155th globally and is the global leader in the citations per faculty (CpF) indicator, which QS uses to evaluate the impact of the research produced by universities. It is the fastest-rising South Asian university among the top-200 universities in the QS rankings, having climbed 31 places year on year.
• The IIT Bombay, which was the top Indian university in the QS World University Rankings of the previous edition, is the second-best Indian institution this time and climbed five places globally to reach the 172 ranks.
• The third best Indian university is the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD), followed by IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur.
• The IISc is the world’s top research university, achieving a perfect score of 100/100 for CpF.
• The IIT in Guwahati and Roorkee and the University of Madras are also among the global top-50 research institutions. However, Indian universities struggle with teaching capacity and internationalisation. Thirty of India’s 41 ranked universities have suffered declines in the faculty-student ratio indicator with only four recording improvements.
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is the best-performing local institution for the proportion of international faculty ranking 411 globally and the Amity University is the national leader for the proportion of international students, ranking 542 globally.

                    THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 10TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Which of the following are critically endangered species of Rhino according to the IUCN Red Data Book?

1. Greater one-horned rhino
2. Sumatran Rhino
3. Javan Rhino

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 2 and 3 only
3. c) 1 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 9^TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Answer: D

Explanation:

• During each cropping season, the government announces minimum support prices for 23 crops. Simply put, the MSP for a crop is the price at which the government is supposed to procure/buy that crop from farmers if the market price falls below it.
• As such, MSPs provide a floor for market prices and ensure that farmers receive a certain “minimum” remuneration so that their costs of cultivation (and some profit) can be recovered.
• The MSPs serve one more policy purpose. Using them, the government incentivises the production of certain crops, thus ensuring that India does not run out of staple food grains.
• The MSPs are announced by the Union government and as such, it is the government’s decision. But the government largely bases its decision on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• MSPs have no statutory backing — a farmer cannot demand MSP as a matter of right

Q2. Answer: D

Explanation:

Crops covered by MSPs include:

1. 7 types of cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar, ragi and barley),
2. 5 types of pulses (chana, arhar/tur, urad, moong and masur),
3. 7 oilseeds (rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, safflower, nigerseed),
4. 4 commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra, raw jute)

A timely reminder: On Supreme Court’s GST verdict READ MORE

Act early, decisively: On the bid to change nature of places of worship READ MORE  

29 phones tested for Pegasus spyware: SC READ MORE

Fiscal federalism READ MORE

Justice at last READ MORE

DA fundamental right & legal, rules Calcutta HC READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. PM lauds Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav Abhiyan READ MORE
2. Biden Bans Imports of Russian Oil, Natural Gas READ MORE
3. Bangladesh, India, Nepal move ahead on motor vehicle agreement project READ MORE
4. The rules around guardianship of minors READ MORE
5. After 2-year gap, all international flights to resume from March 27 READ MORE
6. Indian women join UN peacekeeping missions READ MORE
7. Explained: What does RBI’s $5 billion dollar-rupee swap mean? READ MORE
8. Assam’s Manas National Park witnesses sharp rise in tiger, rhino population READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. If women are not empowered, the economy loses READ MORE
2. With Marital Rape and Love Jihad, the Govt Can’t Call Itself an Advocate for Women’s Empowerment READ MORE`

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A case for reforming Lokpal and Lokayukta READ MORE
2. Making Legal Aid Effective for Women Prisoners READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Clear signals: India and China must take on boardglobal currents that could reshape ties READ MORE
2. Russia-Ukraine War: India’s balancing act READ MORE
3. Ukraine crisis tilting balance of global power READ MORE
4. Time for United Nations to reform itself to new challenges READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Global stagflation risk: India will have to cut fuel taxes or risk both faster inflation and slower growth READ MORE
2. The macroeconomic framework that can guide our policy choices READ MORE
3. Dealing with a weaker rupee READ MORE
4. How the Russia-Ukraine Crisis Could Affect Food Prices in India READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Degradation, loss of coral reefs can affect 4.5 million people in southeast Asia: IPCC report READ MORE  
2. Reaching ‘net zero’ by leveraging finance READ MORE
3. 175 Countries Resolve to ‘End Plastic Pollution’. What Does It Mean for India? READ MORE

SECURITY

1. As prospects of arms control wane, the rise of nuclear risks READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Going beyond the limitations of gender READ MORE
2. Culture and Behaviour READ MORE
3. Human touch: As in other spheres, doctors are thinking about the need for humanising medicine READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Due to an unimaginative legislation followed by the executive’s apathy and judicial insensitivity the Lokpal-Lokayukta System in India has touched a new low’. Discuss, what should be done to revive the this institution?
2. Discuss how the higher representation of women in political decision-making positions can help increase women’s autonomy in their families and economy?
3. Conflicts like the present Ukraine crisis the UN needs to speed up its reform process to make it more effective. In the light of the statement, analyse the reforms required to make UN an influential international body.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• India’s policymakers face a tough choice: bear the cost of lower revenue by cutting fuel taxes or risk both faster inflation and slower growth.
• As India and China continue to seek a much-needed modus vivendi to restore ties from the lowest point in decades and ensure peace on the border, they will also need to have a broader conversation about global currents that are reshaping their bilateral relations.
• Only by creating a level playing field can we see the true potential of women as well as that of the nation.
• Every woman in our country deserves equal access to opportunities. It is only when we level up the playing field, do we see the true potential of our Bhartiya naari.
• Given that economic uncertainty coupled with higher inflation will act as a drag on private consumption, governments must ensure revenue spending is not contractionary in inflation-adjusted terms.
• If we are to do any justice to the Constitutional mandate of equality before law, and the right to legal representation, we must put in place a mechanism to provide competent and effective legal aid to all those who cannot afford it, particularly to those languishing in jail.
• Heatwaves in the waters are reducing monsoonal rains over central India, while the rapid warming of the ocean’s northern portions is intensifying cyclones.
• Lokpal should be a body of persons from different walks of life who have impeccable integrity and who are held in high esteem by the public.
• Higher representation of women in political decision-making positions can help increase women’s autonomy in their families and economy.
• Given China’s close ties with Russia, India may have to play its cards deftly in the geopolitical sweepstakes.

50-WORD TALK

• For ideals or rupees, Indians have sacrificed their lives across the world—so it’s unsurprising some are volunteering to fight for Ukraine. Indians serve the French and United States armies. They fought in two World Wars, Spain and even Lebanon. Battlefields are cruel but meritocratic, and open to global talent!
• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blaming “some forces” – read Washington – for stoking tensions between India and China is a bit absurd. The facts speak for themselves and it’s time Beijing ends this diplomatic deception. Military talks this week is a good opportunity to display sincerity and begin repairing the relationship.

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.

1. THE POSTAL BALLOT FOR MEDIA PERSONS:EC

THE CONTEXT: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a list of those persons working in
essential services who can cast vote in upcoming assembly elections through postal ballot in five
states.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The ECI has allowed media persons authorised by it to exercise their franchise using the
  postal ballot facility for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur
  and Goa.
• The poll body has permitted persons employed in Information and Public Relation
  Department, Health and Family Welfare (Emergency Ambulance Services), Post
  Department, Traffic Department, Railways, Electricity Department, Civil Aviation
  Department, Metro Rail Corporation of Uttar Pradesh, Doordarshan, All India Radio, and
  Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to cast their vote via postal ballot.

What is postal voting?

• A restricted set of voters can exercise postal voting. Through this facility, a voter can
  cast her vote remotely by recording her preference on the ballot paper and sending it back
  to the election officer before counting.

Who else can avail this facility?

• Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed
  police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside
  India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post.
• The exception to the above-mentioned category of voters is provided under Section 60 of
  the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

THE SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

2. INDIA’S ECONOMIC SYSTEM RIGGED IN FAVOUR OF THE SUPER-RICH:

OXFAM REPORT

THE CONTEXT: The report points out that in India, during the pandemic the wealth of billionaires
increased from Rs 23.14 lakh crore to Rs 53.16 lakh crore. At the same time, more than 4.6 crore
Indians are estimated to have fallen into extreme poverty in 2020.

THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:

• The report was published ahead of the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda. According
  to the Global Oxfam Davos report 2022, while 84% of households in India suffered a
  decline in their income in a year marked by the tremendous loss of life and livelihoods, the
  number of Indian billionaires grew from 102 to 142.
• The report states that just a 1% wealth tax on 98 wealthiest billionaire families in India can
  finance Ayushman Bharat, the government of India's national public health insurance fund,
  for more than seven years. It added that the collective wealth of India's 100 wealthiest
  people hit a record high of INR 57.3 lakh crore (USD 775 billion) in 2021.

CONTINUING DEPENDENCE ON INDIRECT TAXES

• In 2000 the percentage of indirect taxation in the total tax revenue was 63.69%. Due to
  Covid pandemic, the dependent on the indirect taxes —especially the tax levied on the sale
  and manufacture of goods and services that ordinary Indians depend upon.
• Also, the indirect tax as a share of the Union government revenue has been increasing when
  there is a decline in the proportion of corporate tax for the same in the last four years.
  The additional tax imposed on fuel has risen 33% in the first six months of 2020-21 as
  compared to the previous year and is 79% more than pre-Covid levels.
• It is important to note, wealth tax for the super-rich was abolished in 2016. Corporatetaxes were lowered from 30% to 22% to attract investment last year, which has resulted in a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which has contributed to the increase in India's fiscal deficit.
• These trends show that the poor, marginalised, and the middle class paid high taxes despite going through the raging pandemic while the rich made more money without paying their fair share.

LACK OF FUNDS FOR PUBLIC SERVICES

• The India Supplement highlighted the de-prioritisation of education and health in the Union
  government budget when these two services were needed the most. Allocation towards
  health in 2021-22 saw a decline of 10% from the previous year in the Union budget, while
  the allocation towards education in 2021-22 saw an increase of only 10% from the
  previous year.
• As a percentage of GDP, health spending has remained abysmally low at 1.2 to 1.6% and
  increased only by 0.09% over the last 22 years. As a percentage of GDP, education spending
  has remained low at 3% and increased only 0.07% over the last 18 years.
• With 93 percent of the nation's workforce comprising of informal employment, there has
  been little success in bringing them under the ambit of formal employment, which would
  give them various benefits like paid leaves, health insurance, paid maternity leaves and
  pension”.

PRIVATISATION OF BASIC SERVICES

• The India supplement shows that the high cost of private healthcare affects marginalised
  communities, mainly due to its high costs and further widens inequalities. Data from the
  National Sample Survey (NSS) 2017-18 shows that Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) in
  private hospitals is almost six times that in public hospitals for inpatient care and two or
  three times higher for outpatient care. The average OOPE in India is at 62.67%, while the
  global average is at 18.12%.

WAY FORWARD

• Oxfam India said that India needs to track policy impact better by improving mechanisms
  for its measurement. “There is an immediate requirement to start disaggregating more
  public statistics by income and introduce a regular collection of data on income and wealth
  inequality while ensuring that this data is made freely available in the public domain".
• It also highlighted the importance of generating revenue to invest in education and
  healthcare. The report pointed out that a temporary 1% surcharge on the wealthiest 10%
  of the population could help raise an additional Rs 8.7 lakh crore, utilising the education
  and health budget.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. THE GLOBAL COALITION PUSHES FOR MORATORIUM ON SOLAR

GEOENGINEERING

THE CONTEXT: An international “coalition” of scientists and governance scholars launched an
initiative that calls for a moratorium on the study and development of a controversial climate-
change mitigation strategy known as solar geoengineering.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The scholars are calling for an ‘International Non-Use Agreement on Solar
  Geoengineering’. It is particularly opposed to the idea of spraying aerosols in the
  stratosphere to scatter some sunlight into space because, the technology is “ungovernable
  in a fair, democratic and effective manner”.
  The group of experts proposed an international non-use agreement on solar geoengineering that
  called upon governments and the United Nations to make the following commitments:

1.  To prohibit national funding agencies from supporting the development of technologies for
   solar geoengineering.
2. To ban outdoor experiments of solar geoengineering technologies.
3. To not grant patent rights for technologies for solar geoengineering.
4. To not deploy technologies for solar geoengineering if developed by third parties
5. To object to future institutionalisation of planetary solar geoengineering as a policy option in relevant international institutions, including assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

WHAT IS SOLAR GEO ENGINEERING?

According to scientists, the solar geoengineering, also known as solar radiation management or
modification, is a set of technologies to lower global temperatures by artificially intervening in the
climate systems.

WHY IT IS CONTROVERSIAL?

• Solar geoengineering is controversial because it’s impossible to contain its consequences in
  one geographical region and, by extension, to know their full extent.
• For example, if the US government decides to spray large quantities of aerosols into the
  stratosphere over its west coast, and scatter sunlight, there will be implications for the
  American mainland, for temperature and wind patterns over the Pacific Ocean, for marine
  life (and the livelihoods of people that depend on them), and could cascade into longer-
  term effects over South America, Oceania and Asia as well.
• The experts have also expressed concerns that the availability of solar geoengineering technologies in the future could disincentivise the efforts and commitments being made towards achieving carbon neutrality in the world.

4. ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY LOSS LIMITS PLANTS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

THE CONTEXT: According to a new study, the plant worldwide has a 60 per cent lower chance of
adapting to climate change due to the declining numbers of birds and mammals.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the study, more than half of the plant species depend on animals and plants
  for seed-dispersing. But the number of mammals, birds, fish, plants and insects has dropped
  to an average of 68 per cent from 1970 to 2016, the Living Planet Report 2020 revealed.
• With declining animal biodiversity, fewer seeds will reach new grounds. Consequently,
  plants might lose their ability to migrate to a newer and more suitable environment.
• The scientists used computer models to draw comparisons between seed dispersal in the
  real world and a simulated world with no extinctions and range shrinkage of birds and
  mammals.
• They found that seed dispersal function globally has “declined sharply” from its natural level, with 60 per cent fewer seeds travelling far enough to keep pace with climate change.
• The seed-dispersal losses were especially severe in temperate regions across North America, Europe, South America and Australia.

Effects on India

• India is home to over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals.
• Over the last five decades, India has lost 12 per cent of its wild mammals, 19 per cent
  amphibians and 3 per cent birds.
• In northeast India, seed dispensers such as elephants and bats are heavily hunted. This loss
  limits the movement of seeds in the region.
• The rest of the country, on the other hand, has a higher density of elephants, horn bills and
  other fruit-eating animals. But the region is witnessing fragmentation and habitat
  degradation, which impact seed dispersal.
• India has smaller patches of forests. This means animals are likely to drop off seeds on the
  rooftops. “Livestock grazing in forest areas impacts seed dispersal. Invasion is another major
  issue.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 18 TH JANUARY 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Kathak:
1. It is a classical dance form of India originated in Southern India.
2. Its foundations are rooted in Natya Shastra, an ancient Sanskrit text written by Bharata
Muni.
3. The exponents of Kathak convey stories through rhythmic foot movements, hand gestures,
facial appearances and eye work.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 3 only

ANSWER FOR 17 TH JANUARY 2022.

Answer: D)
Explanation:

• Vitamin D works more as a hormone and is involved in a host of biochemical reactions. It is
  key to maintaining metabolic functions, immune system, bone health and plays a crucial
  role in depression, mood swings, anxiety, and sleep quality.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. THE REGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES

THE CONTEXT: The Election Commission of India reduced the notice period from 30 days to seven
days for registration of political parties under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act,
1951, in view of the ongoing third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Election Commission had announced the poll schedule for Assembly elections in five
  states — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.
• A party seeking registration under the section 29A of the Representation of the People’s
  Act with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of
  30 days following the date of its formation as per guidelines prescribed by the Commission
  in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution of India.

Why registering with the EC is important?

• It is not mandatory to register with the Election Commission but registering as a political
  party with the EC has its advantage in terms of intending to avail itself of the provisions of
  the Representation of the People Act, 1951, (relating to registration of political parties).
• The candidates set up by a political party registered with the EC will get preference in the
  matter of allotment of free symbols vis-à-vis purely independent candidates.
• More importantly, these registered political parties, over course of time, can get recognition
  as a ‘state party’ or a ‘national party’ subject to the fulfilment of the conditions prescribed
  by the Commission in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
• As per the rules, if a party is recognised as a ‘state party’, it is entitled for exclusive
  allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it in the state in which it is so
  recognised, and if a party is recognised as a ‘national party’ it is entitled for exclusive
  allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it throughout India.
• Recognised ‘state’ and ‘national’ parties need only one proposer for filing the nomination
  and are also entitled for two sets of electoral rolls free of cost and broadcast/telecast
  facilities over state-owned Akashvani/Doordarshan during the general elections.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2. INDIA-CHINA TRADE GROWS TO RECORD $125 BILLION IN 2021

THE CONTEXT: According to the official data, two-way trade between India and China in 2021 stood
at $125.66 billion, up 43.3% from 2020 when bilateral trade was worth $87.6 billion.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Regardless of the disputes and military standoffs, bilateral trade between India and China
  reached a new high of over $125 billion in 2021, surpassing the $100 billion mark in a year,
  while India's trade deficit grew to over $69 billion.
• For more than a decade, India has expressed its alarm over China's rising trade deficit,
  urging Beijing to open its markets to Indian IT and pharmaceutical companies.
• The border stand off between India and China armies began on May 5 last year after a
  violent confrontation in the Pangong lake areas, and both sides have gradually increased
  their deployment by pouring in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the mountainous sector.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. AQUACULTURE TURNED KOLLERU LAKE

THE CONTEXT: Local farmers residing nearby area’s of kolleru lake, practicing Aquaculture in large scale
leads to local carp and shrimp industry expanded, the fish ponds to harvest them have been built farther
into the lake, and the water has been severely degraded.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Commercial fishing came to Andhra Pradesh in 1975, when the state allowed Kolleru Lake’s
  shoreline and shallows to be converted to fish farms. In the ensuing decades, the
  international demand for fish and shrimp products rapidly expanded, and farmers
  increasingly transitioned from rice to aquaculture with the help of government subsidies.
• In the process, the aquaculture industry encroached farther and farther into the lake.
  Around the same time, in 1999, the region was named a sanctuary under India’s Wildlife
  Protection Act. And in 2002, the Kolleru wetland was named a Ramsar site, a designation
  given to wetlands considered to be of international importance.
• The rapid development is a double-edged sword in Andhra Pradesh, India’s top seafood
  exporter. Local communities overwhelmingly support aquaculture’s expansion, but they
  also lament the loss of the lake as a source of food and drinking water.
• Scientists point not just to the pollution, but also to the dramatic declines in native fishes
  and migratory birds. The ecological imbalance will only get worse, they say, if the region’s
  aquaculture is allowed to expand.

About Kolleru Lake and Aquaculture :

• Kolleru is a largest freshwater lake and is located in Andhra Pradesh.
• It has been a bed for several migratory birds and has been acting as the flood balancing
  reservoir between two river deltas, Krishna and Godavari. Aquaculture, also known as
  aquafarming, is a practice of rearing aquatic creatures for commercial food purposes.
• Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production industry in the world, according to the
  UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, and India ranks second globally in aquaculture fish
  production, contributing more than 8 percent of the world’s farm-raised fish.

THE DEFENCE AND SECURITY

4. THE BRAHMOS ORDER FROM PHILIPPINES

THE CONTEXT: The BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile system jointly made by India and Russia,
has been selected by the Philippines under a $374.96 million deal, making it the first export order
for the missile.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In recent years the Philippines has repeatedly accused China of violating its EEZ by sending
  hundreds of militia boats into its waters.
• The new anti-ship system aims to deter foreign vessels from encroaching on the country’s
  200-nautical-mile (370km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand
  are other South-East Asian countries that have shown interest in the system.
• India has already deployed a sizeable number of the BrahMos missiles in several strategic
  locations along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

About the Missile:

• BrahMos Missile is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile. It can be launched
  from land, aircraft, submarine or ships. It is one of the fastest supersonic cruise missiles
  worldwide. The missile is a joint venture between the Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and
  India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Both the organisation has together formed BrahMos Aerospace. It is based on Russian P-
  800 Oniks cruise missile. The name BrahMos has been taken from the names of two rivers,
  River Brahmaputra of India and River Moskva of Russia.

Characteristics of BrahMos

• BrahMos is the fastest anti-ship cruise missile of the world, currently in operation. Its land-
  launched and ship-launched versions are already there in service. In 2012, air-launched
  variant of BrahMos appeared and entered the service in 2019.
• Presently, a hypersonic version of the Missile called BrahMos-II, is under development. It has the speed of Mach 7–8. Missile is likely to be ready for testing by 2024.

Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)

India became a member of MTCR in 2016. With this partnership, India and Russia are planning to
develop a new generation of Brahmos missiles with a range of 800 km-plus. It has the ability to hit
protected targets with pinpoint accuracy.

THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT

5. THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION AND TSUNAMI HIT TONGA AND THE PACIFIC

THE CONTEXT: An underwater volcano near Tonga has erupted for the third time in January 2021
potentially threatening the ability of surveillance flights to assess the damage to the Pacific island
nation.
THE EXPLANATION:
According to Australia's meteorological service eruption was likely the biggest recorded anywhere
on the planet in more than 30 years, according to experts. Dramatic images from space captured
the eruption in real time, as a huge plume of ash, gas and steam was spewed up to 20 kilometers
(12.4 miles) into the atmosphere — and tsunami waves were sent crashing across the Pacific.
Where is Tonga's Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano?

• Tonga is a Polynesian country of more than 170 South Pacific islands and home to about
  100,000 people. It's a remote archipelago that lies about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of
  Fiji and 2,380 kilometers (1,500 miles) from New Zealand.
• The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of
  Tonga's Fonuafo'ou island, sits underwater between two small islands at about 2,000
  meters (6,500 feet) high from the sea floor, with about 100 meters (328 feet) visible above
  sea level.

Where did the tsunami hit?

• The eruption caused a tsunami on Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu, with waves recorded
  at 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) near Nuku’alofa city flowing onto coastal roads and flooding
  properties.
• Tsunami warnings went into effect across Pacific Island nations including Fiji, Samoa and
  Vanuatu. Footage from the ground in Fiji shows people fleeing to higher ground in the
  capital, Suva, as large waves hit the coast.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 17 TH JANUARY 2022

Q1. Vitamin-D plays vital role in which of the following?
1. Metabolic functions
2. Bone health
3. Immune system
4. Mental health

Select the correct answer using code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 2, 3 and 4 only
d) All of them

ANSWER FOR 14 TH JANUARY 2022.

Answer: b)
Explanation:
1. Nuakhai – Odisha
2. Wangala – Garo, Meghalaya
3. Bihu – Assam
4. Onam – Kerala

THE CONTEXT: The two reports – Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (GMPI), 2021 and the All India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS), 2019 revealed the high incidence of poverty among the Scheduled Tribe (ST), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Other Backward Class (OBC) segments. In this article, we will look at caste from an economic perspective and see how poverty and wealth both have a caste bias.

FINDINGS OF THE REPORTS

GLOBAL MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDEX (GMPI), 2021:

1. Five of the six people living in multidimensional poverty in India are from disadvantaged tribes and castes.
2. Poverty levels were highest among the STs(50.6%), followed by SCs (33.3%) and OBCs (27.2%).
3. The poverty level among the other castes (those apart from the SCs, STs, and OBCs) was the lowest at 15.6%.
4. Poverty levels among the STs were more than thrice that of the other advantaged communities, while the poverty of SCs and OBCs was almost double their levels.

ALL INDIA DEBT AND INVESTMENT SURVEY (AIDIS) 2019:

1. In the rural areas :
   1. The ST and SC households were the most disadvantaged. Their average assets of around 9 lakh each were just a little more than half the average assets of 16 lakh for the rural households as a whole.
   2. The average assets of STand SC households were only around one-third of the average assets of other households. This group includes all communities other than STs, SCs, and OBCs.
   3. The average household assets held by the OBCs in rural areas were around `16 lakh, which was similar to the average assets of the rural households in general but less than two-thirds of the average household wealth of the others.
2. In Urban Areas :
   1. The average household wealth of SC was 13 lakh, which was about half that of the 27 lakh averaged by the urban households in general and around two-thirds of the average household assets of 40 lakh.
   2. The average assets of 19 lakh held by the ST households and 21 lakh held by the OBC households in urban areas were around three-fourths of the average assets of the total urban population and just about half of the other social groups.

REASON BEHIND THE ECONOMIC DEPRIVATIONS BASED ON CASTE

1. Market Discrimination: As per a study by Thorat and Katherine in 2009, they showed empirical evidence of market discrimination of the scheduled castes in employment, wages, the purchase of input, and the sale of output by farmers and entrepreneurs.
2. Non-market discrimination: The same study highlighted discrimination in non-market institutions in education, health services, and food from the schools, primary health Centres, and fair price shops.
3. Control of Wealth: In 2013, almost 45% of the only 7% of coue country wealthy’s wealth was owned by high castes, which exceeded their population share of 21%. SC owner.

Convergence between upper and lower castes in education and jobs

1. For centuries, the lower castes have remained locked in unskilled, low-paying occupations in the traditional economy.
2. Affirmative action by the state has led to convergence between upper and lower castes in education and jobs.
3. Particular castes found particular niches in the urban labour market, and once networks in the city were established, they supported the movement of fresh migrants from the hinterland, often over the course of many generations. By this, they empowered their castes.
4. Harish Damodaran’s fascinating book on Indian entrepreneurs documents the movement of castes from agriculture and administrative occupations into business in recent decades.

THE WAY FORWARD

1. Policy Innovation: Policies need to be updated and adapted to the realities of the caste in India. They need to cater to the discriminations in the system and thus make it mandatory for all bodies to have a mix of all caste and classes.
2. Fighting Non-market discriminations: There are non-market discriminations in the education and health sector. These need to be eliminated with a strong legal hand so as to ensure the creation of an egalitarian society.
3. Regulatory Body: A body needs to be created so as to keep a check on economic deprivations based on caste. Any such discrimination needs to be punished under SC&ST Act.

THE CONCLUSION: The recent studies have shown both the continuation of the caste system in India, even in the economic aspect, while other studies have shown convergence between upper and lower castes in education and jobs. This shows that while convergence has started, caste-based discrimination still holds ground in the Indian economic arena. Strong policy interventions are needed to counter it for the creation of an egalitarian society.

THE CONTEXT: The 26th Conference of parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or CoP 26 was held in Glasgow, Scotland. At the summit, Prime Minister announced that India will aim to attain a net-zero emission target. What exactly is net-zero and why is it important? What has been India’s stance on it so far, and what does the new announcement by Prime Minister mean? In this article, we discuss everything from scratch from what is COP and its background and its targets.

 THE COP 26 OUTCOMES

The Glasgow meeting was the 26th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or COP26. These meetings are held every year to construct a global response to climate change. Each of these meetings produces a set of decisions that are given different names. In the current case, this has been called the Glasgow Climate Pact. The main task for COP26 was to finalize the rules and procedures for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Most of these rules had been finalized by 2018, but a few provisions, like the one relating to the creation of new carbon markets, had remained unresolved. However, due to clear evidence of worsening of the climate crisis in the six years since the Paris Agreement was finalized, host country United Kingdom was keen to ensure that Glasgow, instead of becoming merely a “procedural” COP, was a turning point in enhancing climate actions. The effort was to push for an agreement that could put the world on a 1.5-degree Celsius pathway, instead of the 2 degree Celsius trajectory which is the main objective of the Paris Agreement.

To sum it up, COP 26 results in

• GLOBAL METHANE PLEDGE: Announced by US and EU to reduce the emissions of methane.
• The UK COP26 Presidency released the ‘Climate Delivery Plan’, outlining an agenda and a timetable for developed countries to deliver $100 billion worth of monetary help to low-income countries to manage the climate crisis.
• Initiative on Disaster Resilient infrastructure for small island countries.
• Many countries updated their NDC’s like India.

WHAT WAS ACHIEVED?

Mitigation: The Glasgow agreement has emphasised that stronger action in the current decade was most critical to achieving the 1.5-degree target.

Accordingly, it has:

• Asked countries to strengthen their 2030 climate action plans, or NDCs (nationally-determined contributions), by next year.
• Established a work program to urgently scale-up mitigation ambition and implementation.
• Decided to convene an annual meeting of ministers to raise the ambition of 2030 climate actions.
• Requested the UN Secretary-General to convene a meeting of world leaders in 2023 to scale up the ambition of climate action.
• Asked countries to make efforts to reduce the usage of coal as a source of fuel, and abolish “inefficient” subsidies on fossil fuels.
• Has called for a phase-down of coal, and phase-out of fossil fuels. This is the first time that coal has been explicitly mentioned in any COP decision. It also led to big fracas at the end, with a group of countries led by India and China forcing an amendment to the word “phase-out” in relation to coal changed to “phase-down”.
• But even this was not liking to the developing countries who then got it changed to “phase down unabated coal power and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies while providing targeted support to the poorest and the most vulnerable in line with national circumstance”. Despite the dilution, the inclusion of language on the reduction of coal power is being seen as a significant move forward.

Adaptation: Most of the countries, especially the smaller and poorer ones, and the small island states, consider adaptation to be the most important component of climate action. These countries, due to their lower capacities, are already facing the worst impacts of climate change, and require immediate money, technology, and capacity building for their adaptation activities. As such, the Glasgow Climate Pact has:

• Asked the developed countries to at least double the money being provided for adaptation by 2025 from the 2019 levels. In 2019, about $15 billion was made available for adaptation that was less than 20 percent of the total climate finance flows. Developing countries have been demanding that at least half of all climate finance should be directed towards adaptation efforts.
• Created a two-year work program to define a global goal on adaptation. The Paris Agreement has a global goal on mitigation — reducing greenhouse gas emissions deep enough to keep the temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial times. A similar global goal on adaptation has been missing, primarily because of the difficulty in defining such a target. Unlike mitigation efforts that bring global benefits, the benefits from adaptation are local or regional.
• There are no uniform global criteria against which adaptation targets can be set and measured. However, this has been a long-pending demand of developing countries and the Paris Agreement also asks for defining such a goal.

Finance: Every climate action has financial implications. It is now estimated that trillions of dollars are required every year to fund all the actions necessary to achieve the climate targets. But money has been in short supply.

• Developed countries are under an obligation, due to their historical responsibility in emitting greenhouse gases, to provide finance and technology to the developing nations to help them deal with climate change. In 2009, developed countries had promised to mobilize at least $100 billion every year from 2020.
• This promise was reaffirmed during the Paris Agreement, which also asked the developed countries to scale up this amount from 2025. The 2020 deadline has long passed but the $100 billion promise has not been fulfilled. The developed nations have now said that they will arrange this amount by 2023.

WHAT DOES THE GLASGOW AGREEMENT SAY?

A deal aimed at staving off dangerous climate change has been struck at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The pact has:

1. Expressed “deep regrets” over the failure of the developed countries to deliver on their $100 billion promise. It has asked them to arrange this money urgently and every year till 2025.
2. Initiated discussions on setting the new target for climate finance, beyond $100 billion for the post-2025 period.
3. Ask the developed countries to provide transparent information about the money they plan to provide.

INDIA’S NET ZERO PLEDGE

• India is the world’s fourth-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the US and the EU.
• But its huge population means its emissions per capita are much lower than other major world economies.
• India emitted 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per head of population in 2019, compared with 15.5 tonnes for the US and 12.5 tonnes for Russia that year.

Prime Minister adds the country constitutes 17 percent of the global population and its contribution to the emission has remained only five percent. Talking about climate finance, PM said, all climate finance promises have been empty ones so far and developed countries must ensure one trillion dollar climate finance at the earliest. The idea of One Sun, One World, One Grid was mooted by Prime Minister at the Glasgow Summit and followed by a launch thereof. The initiative calls for the setting up of a global grid that would be able to transmit solar power that is clean energy anywhere and anytime. It will reduce the storage needs, make solar projects viable and reduce carbon footprints and the energy cost.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE NET-ZERO?

• Net-zero is when a country’s carbon emissions are offset by taking out equivalent carbon from the atmosphere so that emissions in balance are zero.
• Think about it like a bath – turn on the taps and you add more water, pull out the plug and water flows out. The amount of water in the bath depends on both the input from the taps and the output via the plughole. To keep the amount of water in the bath at the same level, you need to make sure that the input and output are balanced.
• This state is also referred to as carbon neutral; although zero emissions and zero carbon are slightly different, as they usually mean that no emissions were produced in the first place.

WHY DO SOME ANALYSTS SEE NET-ZERO AS CONTROVERSIAL?

• China has announced plans for carbon neutrality by 2060, while the US and EU aim to hit net zero by 2050.
• Although a global coalition has coalesced around the concept, an increasingly vocal group views it as a distraction, helpful only to score political points.
• Carbon neutrality looks to nascent technology to suck out CO2 from the atmosphere.
• Youth movements and some scientists call this procrastination since it enables the fossil fuel industry to continue expanding. Many fossil fuel companies support net-zero goals.

ANALYSIS OF INDIA’S DECISION OF ‘NET ZERO BY 2070’

Pros: 

• Impact of Global Warming & climate change on India i.e India is more vulnerable to extreme weather events like changing rainfall pattern which results into cyclones, flash floods and disasters, impact on agricultural sector etc. Hence it is the interest of India to reduce the emission to contribute towards that direction.
• India always promotes soft power historically, despite of developing country India stated that we will contribute.
• Leader of underdeveloped and small island nations like Mauritius, hence the moral obligation to do so.
• The target of 2070 comes after the target given by other countries such as the US and other European countries by 2050, China by 2060. To some extent, the 2070 target is achievable and pragmatic.

Cons: 

• India is still a developing nation, where it requires huge energy.
• High Population
• Increased poverty
• CBDR principles
• Do not have clean technology
• Difficult to reduce the coal dependency immediately, as of now more than 50 percent of energy production is from coal.
• The major problem lies in the finance/resources to invest in renewable energy technology
• Overall emissions- very less when compared to developed nations.

 India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to UNFCCC:

1. To reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 33%-35% by 2030 below 2005 levels.
2. To achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030, with the help of the transfer of technology and low-cost international finance, including from Green Climate Fund.

To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through other forest and tree cover by 2030.

HOW ARE OTHER BIG COUNTRIES PURSUING NET-ZERO?

As the largest emitter of GHGs, China told the U.N. in 2020 that it would move to net-zero by 2060. Its pledge to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality three decades later is among the most high-profile commitments.

• As the second biggest emitter with large historical emissions returned to the Paris Agreement under President Joe Biden with an ambitious 2050 net-zero plan.
• The European Union (E.U.) member-states have committed themselves to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030 over 1990 levels.
• In July, the E.U. published a climate law that binds the bloc to its 2030 emissions target and carbon neutrality by 2050.

WHAT ARE INDIA’S CORE DEMANDS?

India has said it is “open to all options” provided it gets assurances that commitments in previous COPs such as developing countries getting compensated to the tune of $100 billion annually, the carbon-credit markets be reinvigorated and the countries historically responsible for the climate crisis be compensated by way of “Loss and Damages,” and clean development technologies be made available in ways that its industries can painlessly adapt to.

Loss and Damage: The frequency of climate disasters has been rising rapidly, and many of these cause largescale devastation. The worst affected are the poor and small countries and the island states. There is no institutional mechanism to compensate these nations for the losses or provide them help in the form of relief and rehabilitation. The loss and damage provision in the Paris Agreement seeks to address that.

What is Climate Justice?

Climate justice is a term used for framing global warming as an ethical and political issue, rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature.

1. Climate Litigations
2. Protests
3. Dedicated Judicial/Quasi-Judicial
4. Political Cooperation. (CBDR)

INDIA’S MEASURES

• India is working to reduce its emissions, aligned with the goal of less than two °C global temperature rise, seen in its headline pledge to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 33%-35% by 2030 over the 2005 level. But it has not favored a binding commitment towards carbon neutrality.
• It is also not aligned with the more ambitious goal of a 1.5°C temperature rise. Among the contentious issues it faces is heavy reliance on coal. According to the International Energy Agency’s India Energy Outlook 2021, coal accounts for close to 70% of electricity generation.
• Cutting greenhouse gases that heat the atmosphere and contribute to climate change involves shifting power production away from coal, greater adoption of renewables, and transforming mobility through electric vehicles. Some praise India for its renewables target: scaling up power from renewables such as solar and wind to 450 GW by 2030.
• Some politicians support a net-zero target as it can put India on a green development trajectory, attracting investment in innovative technologies.
• The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMM) intends to allow hybrid and electric vehicles to become the first choice for the purchasers so that these vehicles can replace the conventional vehicles and thus reduce liquid fuel consumption in the country from the automobile sector.
• Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, 2019: The objective of the scheme is to create an ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and to boost Research and Development in the 2G Ethanol sector. The 2018 Biofuel Policy has the objective of reaching 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel-blending by the year 2030.
• GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme, 2018: It focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost, biogas, and bio-CNG, thus keeping villages clean and increasing the income of rural households. It was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).

THE WAY FORWARD

What India must do to follow through on COP26 commitments

There must be transparent, credible action that would allow India to demonstrate genuine climate leadership for the rest of the developing world, and secure a better, greener future for its citizens. To meet the challenge at hand, we see three guiding principles that could help bring this week’s bold pledges to life.

• First, India must combine emissions reductions with climate adaptation, embedding environmental justice for people and nature. Justice will involve strengthening a suite of social protection programs, especially for those facing growing rural distress, and investing in disaster preparedness as extreme weather becomes more common. Inspired by civic movements of the 20th century, India can build climate vocabularies and actions for citizens so they can be agents of change and protect those who speak up for environmental justice.
• Second, corporate India has a vital role to play in complementing government policy. Much like how the independence movement galvanized home-grown industry around a shared vision, India Inc’s 21st-century objective must be to foster innovative, inclusive green development. Swadeshi practices weren’t limited to the big players alone — today, MSMEs must accelerate their decarbonization trajectories, too.
• Third, to deliver decarbonization and development, India will need data and democratic deliberation. Building state capacity can help the country move from reactive decision-making to proactive planning and execution. But India will also require the analytical horsepower to craft and implement evidence-based policies.

 A Low-Carbon Development Commission supported by the overarching framework of climate law, as proposed by the Centre for Policy Research, could play this role. Beyond stakeholder engagement, this would also foster coordinated climate governance across India’s institutional arrangement, which is currently scattered across a range of often siloed ministries, agencies, and bodies.

THE CONCLUSION: The COP26 represents a bold step, but the devil is in the details. Following through on these commitments with transparent, credible action would allow India to demonstrate genuine climate leadership for the rest of the developing world, and secure a better, greener future for its citizens. On balance, COP26 took many steps forward. But for the miracle of 1.5-degree C to come true, policies, research, and funding must drive rapid adoption of available climate technologies and make new technologies like clean hydrogen, flexible solar films, high-density storage batteries, and carbon capture and usage a reality. Every commitment, policy, and action in this direction is a ray of hope.

ADD TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE

THE WORLD SHOULD SHUT NEARLY 3,000 COAL PLANTS TO KEEP ON CLIMATE TRACK

According to research by climate think tank TransitionZero, the world will need to shut down nearly 3,000 coal-fired power plants before 2030 if it is to have a chance of keeping temperature rises within 1.5 Celsius.

• TransitionZero said there are currently more than 2,000 GW of coal-fired power in operation across the world, and that needs to be slashed by nearly half, requiring the closure of nearly one unit per day from now until the end of the decade.
• The need to close nearly 1,000 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity would put the onus on China – the world’s biggest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas and owner of around half of the world’s coal-fuelled plants – to accelerate its shift towards cleaner electricity.
• China has reduced the share of coal in its total energy mix from 72.4% in 2005 to 56.8% last year, but absolute consumption volume has continued to rise.

THE BACKGROUND

About the UNFCCC:

UNFCCC is an acronym for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed in 1992 in New York. It came into force on 21st March 1994 for the reduction of Greenhouse gases from the atmosphere to reduce Global warming.   It has been ratified by 197 countries and is called to have a near-universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. The countries that have ratified the convention are called the UNFCCC conference of parties (COP).

• The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The UNFCCC was established to work towards “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.”

It laid out a list of responsibilities for the member states which included:

• Formulating measures to mitigate climate change
• Cooperating in preparing for adaptation to the impact of climate change
• Promoting education, training, and public awareness related to climate change

What is the COP?

The Conference of Parties or COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.

HISTORY OF IMPORTANT COP’S AND ITS OUTCOMES

COP 1, Berlin, 1995: At the first conference, the signatories agree to meet annually to maintain control over global warming and see the need to reduce emissions of polluting gases.

COP 3, Kyoto. 1997: The Kyoto Protocol is adopted with the commitment to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in industrialized countries. Lays the foundation of the carbon market.

Quick Facts:

• India ratified Kyoto Protocol in 2002.
• The Kyoto Protocol came into force in February 2005.
• There are currently 192 Parties.
• The USA never ratified Kyoto Protocol.
• Canada withdrew in 2012.

• Goal: Fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to “a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”
• Kyoto protocol aimed to cut emissions of greenhouse gases across the developed world by about 5 per cent by 2012 compared with 1990 levels.
• The Protocol is based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

Kyoto Protocol is the only global treaty with binding limits on GHG emissions.

The Kyoto Protocol emission target gases include

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂),
• Methane (CH₄),
• Nitrous oxide (N₂O),
• Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆),
• Groups of hydrofluorocarbons (HCFs) and
• Groups of Perfluorocarbons (PFCs).

Two commitments Periods:

1. 2008-2012
2. 2013-2020.

The Kyoto Flexible Market Protocol mechanisms include:

1. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
2. Emission Trading
3. Joint Implementation (JI)

COP 13, Bali, 2007: The Bali Roadmap sets a timetable for negotiations for a new international agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol and include all countries, not only the developed ones.

COP 15, Copenhagen, 2009: The objective of keeping global warming below 2 ºC is validated and developed countries commit to financing developing countries in the long term.

COP16, Cancun, 2010: The Cancun Agreements, which formalizes the commitments set out in Copenhagen, is written and the Green Climate Fund is created mainly for climate actions in developing countries.

COP17, Durban, 2011: This time, all countries agree to start reducing emissions, including the US, and emerging countries (Brazil, China, India, and South Africa). It was decided to negotiate a global agreement that would come into force in 2020.

COP18, Doha, 2012: It is decided to extend the Kyoto Protocol until 2020. Countries like the US, China, Russia, and Canada did not support the extension.

COP20, Lima, 2014: For the first time, all countries agree to develop and share their commitment to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Apart from no agreements were reached.

COP21, Paris, 2015: Results in Paris Agreement came into force in 2016. The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate to be signed in 2015 and implemented by 2020.

Signatories: 195 as of 2019; 180+ countries have ratified; India signed and ratified in 2016.

Outcomes:

• The expected key result was an agreement to set a goal of limiting global warming to “well below 2 °C” Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
• The agreement calls for zero net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century.
• In the adopted version of the Paris Agreement, the parties will also “pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C.”
• The 1.5 °C goals will require zero-emissions sometime between 2030 and 2050, according to some scientists.
• The developed countries reaffirmed the commitment to mobilize $100 billion a year in climate finance by 2020 and agreed to continue mobilizing finance at the level of $100 billion a year until 2025.
• In 2017, the United States announced that the U.S. would cease all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.
• In accordance with Article 28 of the Paris Agreement, the earliest possible effective withdrawal date by the United States cannot be before November 2020. Thus, The U.S. will remain a signatory till November 2020.

Kyoto Protocol VS Paris Agreement

Kyoto Protocol:

1. Categorization of Countries
2. Binding emission norms on developed countries.
3. Principle of CBDR implemented.

Paris Agreement:

1. No categorization
2. No binding emission rather Voluntary norms (NDC’s).
3. Diluted the CBDR.

NOTE: In Paris Agreement, India and France launched the “International Solar Alliance”.

COP22, Marrakesh, 2016: Against all expectations, the Paris Agreement came into force a few days before the Summit, after being ratified by most nations. The result of the negotiations at this meeting was encapsulated in three documents: the Marrakesh Action Proclamation, a strong political message supporting the Paris Agreement at a time when the change in the White House was generating uncertainty; the Marrakesh Partnership to strengthen climate collaboration for the period up to 2020, and the first meeting of the CMA, the decision-making body for the Paris Agreement.

COP23, Bonn, 2017: At this Climate Summit, progress was made on the Rulebook to detail how the Paris Agreement will work in practice (Paris Rulebook), with the aim of concluding it in 2018. Facilitative Dialogues, known as the Talanoa Dialogue, were also created, a process allowing countries to share experiences and good practices to achieve the Agreement objectives. The Talanoa Dialogue Platform was launched to promote the participation and dialogue of local and indigenous communities. A Gender Action Plan was adopted to ensure the role of women in decision-making related to climate change.

COP24, Katowice, 2018: Little over two months before the Summit began, the IPCC published its report analyzing the impacts of a 1.5°C global temperature increase, which focused debate on a need for greater urgency in reducing polluting emissions. Nevertheless, although this was mentioned, it was not considered to be a guide for action in the texts agreed. Meanwhile, the Talanoa Dialogue ended, the next step being to review the 2020 climate plans to align them with the set objective of limiting global warming. Finally, one of the most important articles of the negotiation was left unresolved: Article 6 permitting the development of carbon markets.

COP25, Madrid, Spain 2019: It is worrisome that COP25, which was meant to prepare the way for implementation of the Paris Agreement post-2020, did not make much progress. Nevertheless, states should take the period prior to COP26 as an opportunity to renew their commitments and appropriately plan for climate action. COP26 is expected to initiate the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

AAU (Assigned amount unit): A Kyoto Protocol unit equal to 1 metric ton of CO2 equivalent. Each Annex I Party issues AAUs up to the level of its assigned amount, established pursuant to the Kyoto Protocol. Assigned amount units may be exchanged through emissions trading.

Abatement: Abatement is the word that is used to denote the result of decreased Greenhouse Gases emissions. This can also be taken as an activity to lessen the effects of the Greenhouse Effect.

Adaptation Fund: The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programs in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable and are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Fund is to be financed with a share of proceeds from clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities and receive funds from other sources. It is operated by the Adaptation Fund Board.

Albedo: A measure of the reflectivity of a surface ranging from 0 to 1; albedo is calculated by taking the ratio of reflected radiation to incoming radiation, such that a surface that reflects 100% of the light hitting it has an albedo of 1 and a surface that absorbs 100% of the light hitting it has an albedo of 0

Black carbon (BC): Operationally defined aerosol species based on measurement of light absorption and chemical reactivity and/or thermal stability. It is sometimes referred to as soot. BC is mostly formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass but it also occurs naturally. It stays in the atmosphere only for days or weeks. It is the most strongly light-absorbing component of particulate matter (PM) and has a warming effect by absorbing heat into the atmosphere and reducing the albedo when deposited on snow or ice.

Blue carbon: It is the carbon captured by living organisms in coastal (e.g., mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses) and marine ecosystems, and stored in biomass and sediments

Biocarbon: It is the carbon that trees, plants and healthy soils naturally absorb and store. Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This helps to reduce CO₂ pollution that is changing our climate

Bio-Carbon Fund: The Bio-Carbon Fund provides carbon finance for projects that sequester or conserve greenhouse gases in forests, agro- and other ecosystems. Through its focus on bio-carbon, or ‘sinks’, it delivers carbon finance to many developing countries that otherwise have few opportunities to participate in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), or to countries with economies in transition through Joint Implementation (JI). The Bio-Carbon Fund tests and demonstrates how Land use, Land-use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) activities can generate high-quality Ecological Resilience (ERs) with environmental and livelihood benefits that can be measured, monitored, and certified and stand the test of time.

Carbon market: A popular (but misleading) term for a trading system through which countries may buy or sell units of greenhouse-gas emissions in an effort to meet their national limits on emissions, either under the Kyoto Protocol or under other agreements, such as that among member states of the European Union. The term comes from the fact that carbon dioxide is the predominant greenhouse gas, and other gases are measured in units called “carbon-dioxide equivalents.”

Carbon Finance: Carbon finance is a new branch of environmental finance. Carbon finance explores the financial implications of living in a carbon-constrained world, a world in which emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) carry a price. The general term is applied to investments in GHG emission reduction projects and the creation (origination) of financial instruments that are tradable on the carbon market.

Carbon budget: This term refers to three concepts in the literature:

1. An assessment of carbon cycle sources and sinks on a global level, through the synthesis of evidence for fossil fuel and cement emissions, land-use change emissions, ocean and land CO2 sinks, and the resulting atmospheric CO2 growth rate. This is referred to as the global carbon budget;
2. The estimated cumulative amount of global carbon dioxide emissions that that is estimated to limit global surface temperature to a given level above a reference period, taking into account global surface temperature contributions of other GHGs and climate forcers;
3. The distribution of the carbon budget is defined under the regional, national, or sub-national level based on considerations of equity, costs, or efficiency.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR): Anthropogenic activities remove CO2 from the atmosphere and durably store it in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products. It includes existing and potential anthropogenic enhancement of biological or geochemical sinks and direct air capture and storage but excludes natural CO2 uptake not directly caused by human activities.

Carbon Rights: A carbon right is a new and unique form of land interest that confers upon the holder a right to the intangible benefit of carbon sequestration on a piece of forested land.

Carbon Offset: (Also known as Carbon Credits) A mechanism for individuals and businesses to neutralize rather than actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing the right to claim someone else’s reductions as their own is known as a carbon offset.

Carbon Stock: The quantity of carbon held within a pool is known as carbon stock. It is measured in metric tons of CO2.

Carbon Pools: A reservoir of carbon that has the potential to accumulate (or lose) carbon over time is known as a carbon pool. In Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU), this encompasses aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, litter, deadwood, and soil organic carbon.

Emission intensity: It is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted for every unit of GDP. Importantly, it counts emissions beyond those related to energy (such as emissions from agriculture) and greenhouse gases beyond carbon dioxide (such as methane).

Carbon price:  The price for avoided or released carbon dioxide (CO2) or CO2-equivalent emissions. This may refer to the rate of a carbon tax, or the price of emission permits. In many models that are used to assess the economic costs of mitigation, carbon prices are used as a proxy to represent the level of effort in mitigation policies.

Carbon Trade: Carbon trading is an exchange of credits between nations designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Carbon trading is also referred to as carbon emissions trading. Carbon emissions trading accounts for most emissions trading.

Carbon leakage: A term used to refer to the problem whereby industry relocates to countries where emission regimes are weaker, or non-existent.

Carbon Sink: A carbon pool that is increasing in size is known as a carbon sink. A carbon pool can be a sink for atmospheric carbon if during a given time interval more carbon is flowing into it than out of it.

Carbon sequestration: It is the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean. Carbon sequestration occurs both naturally and as a result of anthropogenic activities and typically refers to the storage of carbon

Carbon tax: It is a tax levied on firms that produce carbon dioxide (CO2) through their operations. It is used as an incentive to reduce the economy-wide usage of high-carbon fuels and to protect the environment from the harmful effects of excessive carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon Footprint: A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. … To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop under 2 tons by 2050.

Carbon cycle:  The term used to describe the flow of carbon (in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon in biomass, and carbon dissolved in the ocean as carbonate and bicarbonate) through the atmosphere, hydrosphere, terrestrial and marine biosphere, and lithosphere. The reference unit for the global carbon cycle is GtCO2 or GtC (Gigatonne of carbon = 1 GtC = 1015 grams of carbon. Which corresponds to 3.667 GtCO2).

Cleantech: It is any technology that aims to reduce or limit environmental impacts. These technologies are developed by a broad array of companies, including new ‘start up’ businesses, that operate across different aspects of the economy. Examples of cleantech include electric vehicles and wave-power turbines, to materials that make buildings more energy-efficient.

Climate neutrality: Concept of a state in which human activities result in no net effect on the climate system. Achieving such a state would require a balancing of residual emissions with emission (carbon dioxide) removal as well as accounting for regional or local biogeophysical effects of human activities that, for example, affect surface albedo or local climate.

Climate target: A climate target refers to a temperature limit, concentration level, or emissions reduction goal used towards the aim of avoiding dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. For example, national climate targets may aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a certain amount over a given time horizon, for example, those under the Kyoto Protocol.

Climate sensitivity:  Climate sensitivity refers to the change in the annual global mean surface temperature in response to a change in the atmospheric CO2 concentration or another radiative forcing.

Climate variability: Climate variability refers to variations in the mean state and other statistics (such as standard deviations, the occurrence of extremes, etc.) of the climate on all spatial and temporal scales beyond that of individual weather events. Variability may be due to natural internal processes within the climate system (internal variability), or to variations in natural or anthropogenic external forcing (external variability).

Environmental democracy: It is based on the idea that land and natural resource decisions adequately and equitably address citizens’ interests. Rather than setting a standard for what determines a good outcome, environmental democracy sets a standard for how decisions should be made.

Enhanced weathering:  Enhancing the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through the dissolution of silicate and carbonate rocks by grinding these minerals to small particles and actively applying them to soils, coasts, or oceans.

Carrying Capacity: The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment.

Certified emission reductions (CER): A Kyoto Protocol unit equal to 1 metric tonne of CO2 equivalent. CERs are issued for emission reductions from CDM project activities. Two special types of CERs called temporary certified emission reduction (tCERs) and long-term certified emission reductions (lCERs) are issued for emission removals from afforestation and reforestation CDM projects.

Climate Governance: It is the diplomacy, mechanisms, and response measures “aimed at steering social systems towards preventing, mitigating or adapting to the risks posed by climate change.”

Decarbonization: The process by which countries, individuals, or other entities aim to achieve zero fossil carbon existence. Typically refers to a reduction of the carbon emissions associated with electricity, industry, and transport.

Emissions trading: A market-based instrument aiming at meeting a mitigation objective in an efficient way. A cap on GHG emissions is divided into tradeable emission permits that are allocated by a combination of auctioning and handing out free allowances to entities within the jurisdiction of the trading scheme. Entities need to surrender emission permits equal to the number of their emissions (e.g., tonnes of CO2). An entity may sell excess permits to entities that can avoid the same amount of emissions in a cheaper way. Trading schemes may occur at the intra-company, domestic, or international level (e.g., the flexibility mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol and the EU-ETS) and may apply to carbon dioxide (CO2), other greenhouse gases (GHGs), or other substances.

Emission Trading Scheme (ETS): A scheme set up to allow the trading of emissions permits between businesses and/or countries as part of a cap-and-trade approach to limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The best-developed example is the EU’s trading scheme, launched in 2005.

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility: The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) which became operational in June 2008, is a global partnership focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+)

Fugitive fuel emissions: Greenhouse-gas emissions as by-products or waste or loss in the process of fuel production, storage, or transport, such as methane given off during oil and gas drilling and refining, or leakage of natural gas from pipelines.

Green bonds: Green bonds raise capital for projects that have environmental benefits. They require the borrower to report on how the funds raised have been used. They’re not to be confused with sustainability bonds, which fund a combination of green and social projects, such as affordable housing.

“Green Carbon“: Green carbon is carbon removed by photosynthesis and stored in the plants and soil of natural ecosystems and is a vital part of the global carbon cycle. Many plants and most crops, have short lives and release much of their carbon at the end of each season, but forest biomass accumulates carbon over decades and centuries. Furthermore, forests can accumulate large amounts of CO2 in relatively short periods, typically several decades. Afforestation and reforestation are measures that can be taken to enhance biological carbon sequestration.

Geological sequestration: The injection of carbon dioxide into underground geological formations. When CO2 is injected into declining oil fields it can help to recover more of the oil.

Global Environment Facility (GEF): The GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities. The Parties to the Convention assigned operation of the financial mechanism to the GEF on an ongoing basis, subject to review every four years. The financial mechanism is accountable to the COP.

Global average temperature: The mean surface temperature of the Earth was measured from three main sources: satellites, monthly readings from a network of over 3,000 surface temperature observation stations and sea surface temperature measurements taken mainly from the fleet of merchant ships, naval ships, and data buoys.

 Global energy budget: The balance between the Earth’s incoming and outgoing energy. The current global climate system must adjust to rising greenhouse gas levels and, in the very long term, the Earth must get rid of energy at the same rate at which it receives energy from the sun.

 Global dimming: An observed widespread reduction in sunlight at the surface of the Earth, which varies significantly between regions. The most likely cause of global dimming is an interaction between sunlight and microscopic aerosol particles from human activities. In some regions, such as Europe, global dimming no longer occurs, thanks to clean air regulations.

Internal Climate Variability: Variability may result from natural internal processes within the climate system is known as internal climate variability.

Joint Liaison Group (JLG): Group of representatives of UNFCCC, CBD, and UNCCD Secretariats set up to explore common activities to confront problems related to climate change, biodiversity, and desertification.

JUSSCANNZ: An acronym representing non-EU industrialized countries that occasionally meet to discuss various issues related to climate change. The members are Japan, the United States, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand. Iceland, Mexico, and the Republic of Korea may also attend JUSSCANZ meetings.

Net negative emissions:  A situation of net negative emissions is achieved when, as a result of human activities, more greenhouse gases are removed from the atmosphere than are emitted into it. Where multiple greenhouse gases are involved, the quantification of negative emissions depends on the climate metric chosen to compare emissions of different gases (such as global warming potential, global temperature change potential, and others, as well as the chosen time horizon).

Ocean acidification (OA): Ocean acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period, typically decades or longer, which is caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, but can also be caused by other chemical additions or subtractions from the ocean. Anthropogenic ocean acidification refers to the component of pH reduction that is caused by human activity (IPCC, 2011, p. 37).

Ocean fertilization:  Deliberate increase of nutrient supply to the near-surface ocean in order to enhance biological production through which additional carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is sequestered. This can be achieved by the addition of micro-nutrients or macro-nutrients. Ocean fertilization is regulated by the London Protocol.

Temperature overshoot The temporary exceedance of a specified level of global warmings, such as 1.5°C. Overshoot implies a peak followed by a decline in global warming, achieved through anthropogenic removal of CO2 exceeding remaining CO2 emissions globally.

“Spill-over effects” (also referred to as “rebound effects” or “take-back effects”): Reverberations in developing countries caused by actions taken by developed countries to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. For example, emissions reductions in developed countries could lower demand for oil and thus international oil prices, leading to more use of oil and greater emissions in developing nations, partially off-setting the original cuts. Current estimates are that full-scale implementation of the Kyoto Protocol may cause 5 to 20 percent of emissions reductions in industrialized countries to “leak” into developing countries.

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UPSC Prelims-2021

General Studies Paper-I

Question Paper
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Answer Key & Explanation
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General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)

Question Paper
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Answer Key & Explanation
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(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

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6. CM to inaugurate Capital’s first smog tower READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Arms and the women: On gender parity in the Army READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Collegium clears 9 names: Calendar of judicial vacancies a must to check pendency READ MORE
2. Enforcing the right to education: All minorities, whether based on religion or language, have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Domestic Violence as the Shadow Pandemic: INDIRA JAISING takes a look at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on domestic violence. READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. The Abraham Accords as India’s West Asia bridge: The signing of the Accords has helped remove strategic obstacles for New Delhi and aided defence cooperation READ MORE
2. India, Pak should together engage Taliban READ MORE
3. What the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan means for America’s influence in West Asia READ MORE
4. Why the Afghanistan Crisis Underscores the Need for a Refugee Law READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. What India’s informal sector needs right now READ MORE
2. In a competitive marketplace, protecting India’s gig workers READ MORE
3. Building on inclusion READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. COP15: After Delays, UN Biodiversity Agreement Expected Next Year READ MORE  
2. Deficient rainfall leads to low storage in water reservoirs of north, central India READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Idea of Self-reliance in Science and Tech has Lost Focus READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The hard problem of consciousness READ MORE

Questions for MAIN exam

1. Discuss the role that Abraham Accords deal can play for India to secure its interests in West Asia region.
2. ‘The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is the best available tool for speedy and transparent dispute resolution but it should be enriched with more judicial powers to achieve the desired results’. Justify the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Authority does not come from the loudest voice, but the wisest.
• Highlighting the glaring absence of legislation to govern the grant of asylum to refugees, and the moral imperative on India to support refugees that will be fleeing the political crisis in neighboring Afghanistan.
• India’s future looks grim unless it again embraces self-reliance in S&T, strengthens its PSUs and increases public investment in research and education in general.
• The Collegium needs to prepare a calendar of judicial vacancies and recommend names three months in advance so as to ensure that litigants don’t suffer due to insufficient judicial strength. Else, pendency would become unmanageable.
• Bringing the informal sector to the forefront of policy decisions can lead to a significant payoff for the entire economy for years to come.
• Iran, as part of India’s ‘West Asia’ construct, will also play a significant part in India’s outreach in the months to come as the crisis in Afghanistan deepens.
• India’s strategic play in West Asia will be reflective of its economic growth, and by association, an increasingly important place in the global order.
• India has many strategic infrastructure investments in Afghanistanas well. India has to balance its approach in the region and find new regional allies who can influence the Taliban in a way beneficial to Indian interests.

50-WORD TALK

• Whether Indian embassy/consulates in Afghanistan should’ve stayed open is a fake debate. India can’t have its diplomats accredited to a regime it doesn’t recognise. Of course Taliban would want India to stay as it’ll be de facto recognition. Nobody’s dumb, and Indian missions have lost lives to targeted Taliban attacks.
• Modi government’s National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm is a pragmatic idea. There’s no reason why a resourceful country like India can’t produce its own palm oil and should depend on expensive imports. While farmers need encouragement to start growing palm, the sunset clause for incentives/MSP should be strictly enforced.
• The Supreme Court collegium has done well to end the 22-month logjam over filling up its vacancies and also pick a judge who could be India’s first woman chief justice. The onus is now on the government to approve this quickly. Nine vacancies in the SC are nine too many.
• The court-monitored CBI probe into West Bengal post-poll violence rightly signals the importance being finally given to the culture of political violence in the state. CM Mamata Banerjee is choosing to call this a transgression of the state’s right. The probe must stay scrupulously clear of any partisan power play.

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.

CONTEXT: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for continuation of the revised Samagra Shiksha Scheme for a period of five years i.e., from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a total financial outlay of Rs.2,94,283.04 crore. The scheme covers 1.16 million schools, over 156 million students and 5.7 million Teachers of Govt. and Aided schools (from pre-primary to senior secondary level).

                                                                                 ABOUT SAMAGRA SHIKSHA SCHEME

• The Samagra Shiksha scheme is an integrated scheme for school education covering the entire gamut from pre-school to class XII.
• The scheme treats school education as a continuum and is in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal for Education (SDG-4).
• The scheme not only provides support for the implementation of the RTE Act but has also been aligned with the recommendations of NEP 2020 to ensure that all children have access to quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment which should take care of their diverse background, multilingual needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the learning process.
• The major interventions, across all levels of school education, proposed under the scheme are: (i) Universal Access including Infrastructure Development and Retention; (ii) Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, (iii) Gender and Equity; (iv) Inclusive Education; (v) Quality and Innovation; (vi) Financial support for Teacher Salary; (vii) Digital initiatives; (viii) RTE Entitlements including uniforms, textbooks etc.; (ix) Support for ECCE; (x) Vocational Education;(xi) Sports and Physical Education; (xii) Strengthening of Teacher Education and Training; (xiii) Monitoring; (xiv) Programme Management; and (xv) National Component.
• The Scheme is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme through a single State Implementation Society (SIS) at the State level. At the National level, there is a Governing Council/Body headed by the Minister of Education and a Project Approval Board (PAB) headed by Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy.

Reference: PIB 

THE CONTEXT: Intel has collaborated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to launch the ‘AI For All’ initiative, aimed at creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for people in India.

Analysis:

• Based on Intel’s ‘AI For Citizens’ programme, ‘AI For All’ is a 4-hour, self-paced learning programme that demystifies AI in an inclusive manner.
• The programme aims to introduce AI to one million citizens in its first year.
• The AI For All initiative based on Intel’s AI For Citizens program aims to make India AI-ready by building awareness and appreciation of AI among everyone.

ABOUT AI FOR ALL

• The four-hour open content resource, which is available in 11 vernacular languages, is divided into two sections – AI Awareness (1.5 hours) and AI Appreciation (2.5 hours).
• The segment on AI Awareness provides an elementary understanding of AI, misconceptions around AI, and its application potential.
• The AI Appreciation segment helps learners understand the key domains of AI, its impact across industries, and gets them started on building personal learning plans.
• At the end of each stage, participants will be given personalised digital badges that can be shared on social media.
• Intel is collaborating with governments and communities globally to build a digital-first mindset and expand access to the AI skills needed for current and future jobs.
• In India, the AI For All initiative is part of Intel’s corporate social responsibility efforts towards democratising AI for all,
• National Education Policy 2020 acknowledges the importance of AI and emphasises on preparing everyone for an AI-driven economy.

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