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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 20th January 2022

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Eastern swamp deer Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Biodiversity; Environment  Context: The population of the vulnerable eastern swamp deer, which is extinct elsewhere in South Asia, has dipped in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. Key takeaways  The eastern swamp deer is endemic to Kaziranga and is not the primary prey of the park’s carnivores, primarily the tiger.  But its population is crucial for the ecological health of the tiger reserve. The encouraging sign is the animal has now moved to other areas such as Orang National Park and Laokhowa-Burachapori wildlife sanctuaries. About Swamp deer There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian Subcontinent.  The western swamp deer found in Nepal, Southern swamp deer/Hard Ground Barasingha, found in central and north India and Eastern swamp deer found in the Kaziranga (Assam) and Dudhwa National Parks (Uttar Pradesh). Protection Status of Swamp Deer: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable CITES: Appendix I Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I News Source: TH National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Part of: Prelims and GS-II Polity Context: The Union Cabinet has approved a three-year extension of the tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis that was set to end on March 31. National Commission For Safai Karamcharis The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) was constituted on 12th August 1994 as a statutory body by an Act of Parliament viz. ‘National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993’. The act “The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993” lapsed in February 2004. The Commission is acting as a Non-Statutory body of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment whose tenure is extended from time to time through Government Resolutions. News Source: TH Guru Ravidas Part of: Prelims and GS-I History Context Recently, the Election Commission has postponed Punjab elections 2022 by a week to February 20 in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti which falls on February 16. About Guru Ravidas Ravidas, also called Raidas, of the 15th or 16th century, was a mystic, poet, saint of North Indian Bhakti movement He founded the Ravidassia religion and compiled a new holy book, Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji. He was born in Varanasi into untouchable leather-working Chamar caste. He valued the worship of a formless God. Along with Kabir, he was one of the most noted disciples of Bhagat Ramanand. 41 verses of Bhakt Ravidas are incorporated into Sikh’s religious book, Adi Granth. He was vocal against the varna (caste) system  He imagined an egalitarian society called Begumpura, means “land without sorrow”  His disciples came to be known as Ravidas-panthis and followers came to be known as Ravidassias. He also mentioned ‘Sahaj’, a mystical state where there is a union of the truths of the many and the one. News Source: IE (News from PIB) India-Denmark Cooperation on Green Fuels Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations Context: India & Denmark agreed to initiate joint research and development on green fuels including green hydrogen, during the Joint S&T Committee meeting on 14th January 2022. Key takeaways  The Joint Committee discussed national strategic priorities and developments in Science, Technology, and Innovation of both countries. Special focus was on green solutions of the future - strategy for investments in green research, technology, and innovation at the virtual meeting. The committee emphasised on development of bilateral collaboration on mission-driven research, innovation, and technology development, as agreed by the two Prime Ministers while adopting the Green Strategic Partnership – Action Plan 2020-2025. News Source: PIB India-Israel Industrial R&D & Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations Context: Experts from India and Israel deliberated on widening the scope of India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) at its 8th Governing Body meeting. Key takeaways  They approved 3 joint R&D projects worth 5.5 million $ and suggested measures to create a broader India-Israel collaborative ecosystem. India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) fund is a cooperation between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Israel Innovation Authority, Government of Israel. Objective: To promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D projects between companies from India and Israel to address the challenges in the agreed ‘Focus Sectors’. Aim: To promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D between India & Israel, which would lead to the co-development and commercialization of innovative technologies benefiting both countries. Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA) is appointed to implement the I4F program in India, while Israel Innovation Authority is the implementing agency in Israel. News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-3: Indian Economy & challenges GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.  Towards Complete Capital Convertibility Context: The process of capital account convertibility is likely to receive a further push this year, as the government and RBI move towards allowing greater foreign participation in domestic bond markets. What is the capital account convertibility? The balance of payments account, which a statement of all transactions made between a country and the rest of the world world, consists of two accounts  Current account: deals mainly with import and export of goods and services Capital account: It is made up of cross-border movement of capital by way of investments and loans. Capital account convertibility (CAC) means the freedom to conduct investment transactions without any constraints. In other words, CAC means there is no restrictions on the amount of rupees an Indian resident can convert into foreign currency to enable to acquire any foreign asset.  Similarly, there should be no restraints on the NRI relative bringing in any amount of foreign currency to acquire an asset in India. How did the capital account convertibility evolve? In 1991 put India adopted the path of economic liberalisation (set in motion by the Narasimham Committee’s recommendations). Within five years, the country had moved to a market-determined exchange rate and full current account convertibility. Though this also marked the beginning of the process of liberalising the capital account, in the three decades since liberalisation began, progress on this aspect has remained gradual.  While the current position is a partially open capital account, non-residents essentially have complete freedom to engage in most investment and other capital transactions in India Capital account convertibility has mostly been in a single direction since 1991—with more flexibility around inflows rather than outflows. Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 further liberalised current account, and to some extent, capital account transactions, albeit maintaining strong control over the latter. Gradually, foreign investors have been allowed to participate in the domestic equity, debt and bond markets over the past two decades. As a result, foreign direct investment in India now is largely unrestricted, and its impact is stark: in the past five years, the flow of FDI has accounted for almost 50% of total FDI inflows since 1991. Foreign Portfolio investors (FPIs) have also been active in the equity, debt and G-sec markets. During 2021, FPIs invested $10.8 billion in initial public offerings (IPOs) of Indian firms—the highest ever amount According to latest data on India’s international investment position, direct overseas investments total around $200 billion, while portfolio investments are below $8 billion, after several years of moderate growth. To be fair, liberalisation of the capital account has been consistent through business cycles in the past three decades. This suggests that institutional capacity and political willingness to achieve capital account convertibility is strong. What are the challenges associated? The two Tarapore Committee Reports—1997 and 2006—laid out a path to full convertibility. However, both reports did set a number of preconditions for convertibility to be achieved. These include  gross fiscal deficit being less than 3.5% of GDP Inflation rate of 3-5% over three years Effective CRR being 3%  Gross NPAs of 5% or less.  India has yet to fully meet all of these criteria. Inflows and outflows of the foreign and domestic capital, which are prone to volatility, can lead to excessive appreciation/depreciation of their currency and impact the monetary and financial stability. The 2006 Tarapore committee’s report on fuller capital account convertibility released argued that even countries that had comfortable fiscal positions have experienced currency crises and rapid deterioration of the exchange rate. The report further points that an excessive appreciation of the exchange rate causes exporting industries to become unviable, and imports to become much more competitive, causing the current account deficit to worsen.  However, there has been an improvement in the economy. India’s foreign reserves today stand at $635 billion, the fourth largest in the world. How fuller convertibility would benefit India? Large foreign exchange reserves lead to high sterilisation costs. In 2018, SBI estimated the sterilisation coefficient at -0.93. If some control is brought over India’s sterilisation costs through an opening of the capital account, it is estimated this could free up almost 1% of GDP in sterilisation costs over time Sterilization is a form of monetary action in which a central bank seeks to limit the effect of inflows and outflows of capital on the money supply. Gurther liberalisation of the capital account is needed to power the next stage of India’s economic development. Way Forward Limiting sovereign debt to 60% of GDP (as recommended by the NK Singh panel) should be part of economic policy in a post COVID-19 world. RBI governors have been cautious time and again, calling for convertibility to be seen as a process, and not a single event. Thus, the process towards full convertibility will not be linear and India looks set to continue moving gradually RBI can bank on India’s current economic strengths and macro stability to further the cause of capital account convertibility in 2022.  Connecting the dots: Budget & Economic Recovery Challenges of Indian Economy AGRICULTURE/ ECONOMY GS-2: Indian Economy & Challenges GS-3: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices Farm reforms Context: Political signals over the decades have reinforced the informal social contract between State & Farmers An agricultural field has been kept strapped to the national aim of ‘food security’ for so long that many farmers tend to see their role as state-appointed, with inputs assured by governments that must in due course pay for the output of their farms. What is the Supreme Court observation on Poor credit discipline of farmers? In a lawsuit related to the dismissal of a daily-wage worker by Patiala Central Cooperative Bank the Supreme Court drew attention over an attitudinal problem in our farm sector. Farm loan waivers schemes drive banks to financial distress and possible collapse. No farmers were repaying the loans in anticipation of a loan waiver ahead of Punjab polls. What is the history and impact of farm loan waivers? Ahead of India’s 2009 general election farm-loan waiver was declared by the Congress-led Centre worth ₹60,000 crore. It was packaged as distress relief. Various states run parties were quick to adopt that ploy. Its lasting effect is visible in the handy tool of politics. Waivers leave loan books of banks in a mess whereby the lenders wait for the government to pay the needful  It also imposes fiscal costs to the government that are usually unaffordable. How it leads to poor credit discipline? Farm-loan waivers been used in election manifests to win votes. Overtime farmers view these as work bonuses they deserve. Farmers view loan waivers as an unstated pact with the state or as an informal social contract where these loans are mistaken for grants. In some states this serves as a tool for collective bargaining by tillers. This approach is not only bad for lenders but also creates wrong attitudes that obstruct farm reforms. Unless cultivators operate like business units rather than as state suppliers saving this sector from stagnancy will be difficult. What needs to done? Political parties need to avoid such pre-poll assurance of write offs. This will favour our economy for an even bigger reason. The loans should not be mistaken as grants. The prices set by freely-traded agricultural crops must play the reformist role of signalling scarcities and overflows. This will incentivize farmers to adapt their expenses and exertions to market reality. Insurers and future deals could cushion their risks. Reform-minded states should take up a model farm laws by the Centre. At the same time, the provisions must be designed to secure farmers from exploitation by private buyer cartels. Connecting the dots: Granting Industry Status to Agriculture Farm Laws Repeal (Down to Earth: Wildlife & Biodiversity) Jan 10: Red Sanders falls back in IUCN’s ‘endangered’ category - https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/red-sanders-falls-back-in-iucn-s-endangered-category-81053   TOPIC: GS-3: Biodiversity and Conservation Red Sanders falls back in IUCN’s ‘endangered’ category  In News: Red Sanders (Red Sandalwood) has fallen back into the ‘endangered’ category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.  Also scheduled in appendix II of CITES and Wildlife Protection Act The species, Pterocarpus santalinus, is an Indian endemic tree species, with a restricted geographical range in the Eastern Ghats. Found in Tropical Dry Deciduous forest in Andhra Pradesh; usually grow in the rocky, degraded and fallow lands with Red Soil and hot and dry climate. It was classified as ‘near threatened’ in 2018 and has now joined the ‘endangered’ list once again in 2021. Known for their rich hue and therapeutic properties, are high in demand across Asia, particularly in China and Japan, for use in cosmetics and medicinal products as well as for making furniture, woodcraft and musical instruments. Costs anything between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore in the international market. “Over the last three generations, the species has experienced a population decline of 50-80 per cent. It is assessed as Endangered” – Latest IUCN Assessment How did it fall in the endangered category? The species is dwindling in its natural habitat due to over-exploitation. The over-harvest of the species has left the population structure skewed, with trees of harvestable size and maturity being scarce and making up less than 5 per cent of the trees remaining in the wild. The harvest of the tree is also restricted at the state level, but despite this illegal trade continues. This is evidenced by the large volume of timber and Red Sanders products seized by authorities at all stages of the illegal supply. All this despite the physical deterrents and patrols in place in Andhra Pradesh, as well as international, national and state-level laws preventing the cutting and transport of species. The slow growth of the species and continued harvesting leaves no time for the species to recover naturally. Cattle grazing and invasive species also threaten the species. About IUCN Red List of Threatened Species It was established in 1964, by the IUCN and has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species. The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.  It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species.  It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions. It is used by government agencies, wildlife departments, conservation-related NGOs, natural resource planners, educational organisations, students, and the business community. The Index is available for five groups: birds, mammals, amphibians, corals and cycads. About CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is part of a multilateral treaty that includes plant, animals and birds under varying categories of threat of extinction and which will be jointly protected by members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). India is a signatory to CITES. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1 Which of the following is/are true regarding Guru Ravidas? He was one of the most noted disciples of Bhagat Ramanand. He has mentioned ‘Sahaj’, a mystical state where there is a union of the truths of the many and the one. Select the correct answer: Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2 National Commission for Safai Karamcharis works under which of the following Ministry? Ministry of Urban Affairs  Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment Ministry of Rural development Ministry of commerce Q.3 What is the IUCN status of Eastern swamp deer? Vulnerable  Extinct Critically endangered Least concern ANSWERS FOR 20th Jan 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 B 3 A Must Read On Swachh Bharat Success: Indian Express On 5G services and flight disruptions : The Hindu

हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 20th January 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें 'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें 'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करें अब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test - Click Here

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 20th January 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken, and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 19th January 2022

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022 Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Cybersecurity  Context: The World Economic Forum’s ‘Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022’ was released during its online Davos Agenda summit. Key takeaways from the report The accelerating pace of digitalisation, fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to a record-breaking year for cybercrime with ransomware attacks rising 151% in 2021, and an average of 270 cyberattacks per organisation being faced. Each successful cyber breach cost a company $3.6 million (almost Rs. 27 crore) last year. The global digital economy had surged during COVID-19 pandemic, but cybercrime also increased. News Source: TH India extends $500-mn credit to Sri Lanka Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations and GS-III Economy Context: India has extended a $500-million Line of Credit (LOC) to Sri Lanka for urgent fuel imports, just days after providing $900 million relief to Sri Lanka, which is facing one of its worst economic downturns. What is Line of Credit? It is a credit facility extended by a bank or any other financial institution to a government, business or an individual customer, that enables the customer to draw the maximum loan amount. The borrower can access funds from the line of credit at any time as long as they do not exceed the maximum amount (or credit limit) set in the agreement and meet any other requirements such as making timely minimum payments. News Source: TH Indonesia relocates capital due to rising sea levels Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations and GS-III Climate change Context Indonesia’s parliament has passed a law approving the relocation of its capital from slowly sinking Jakarta to a site 2,000 km away on the jungle-clad Borneo island that will be named “Nusantara”. The law was passed due to rising sea levels and severe congestion on densely populated Java island. About Sea Level Rise (SLR) SLR is an increase in the level of the world’s oceans due to the effects of climate change, especially global warming, It is induced by three primary factors: Thermal Expansion, Melting Glaciers and Loss of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets. Sea level is primarily measured using tide stations and satellite laser altimeters. Global sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has accelerated in recent decades. Image courtesy: Polgeonow News Source: TH INS Ranvir Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations Context: Three Navy personnel were killed and 11 injured in an explosion aboard the destroyer INS Ranvir at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai INS Ranvir is the fourth of the five Rajput-class destroyers built for the Indian Navy. Ranvir was commissioned on 28 October 1986. News Source: TH (News from PIB) North-East Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) Part of: Prelims and GS-III Economy Context: NECBDC sponsored a training programme on “Bamboo Shoot Processing and Preservation” which was conducted by the NECBDC. Key takeaways  North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) is under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Govt. of India. Formerly known as Cane and Bamboo Development Council (CBDC), NECBDC was incorporated with the objective of organizing the hitherto untapped bamboo sector of NE India. It is located in Byrnihat, Assam. About Bamboo shoots Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis.  They are used as vegetables in numerous Asian dishes and broths. News Source: PIB National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) Part of: Prelims and GS-II Polity and Governance Context: In order to promote inclusive good governance, strengthening of local institutions and effective implementation of government programmes, the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Government of India and National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRD & PR), Hyderabad signed MoU on 17th January 2022. Key takeaways  The main purpose: To focus on different collaborative activities by drawing upon the strengths of these two national institutions for bringing better good governance mechanisms into practice across all programmes and schemes. NCGG is an autonomous institute under the aegis of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India.  Its head office is at New Delhi and branch office at Mussoorie. NCGG traces its origin to the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR).  NIAR was set up in 1995 by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), the Government of India's apex training Institute for higher civil services. News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-3: Indian Economy & challenges GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.  Budget & Economic Recovery Context: The last two quarters have seen a substantive recovery in the Indian economy. Corporate profitability of our largest firms has hit a new record this year. GST collections now has an average monthly collection of Rs 1.2 trillion in the second and third quarters.  The budget deficit is expected to be well under what we forecasted last year. What are the major concerns in reviving growth? The informal economy was particularly badly hit by Covid and its associated lockdowns.  Small enterprises, retail, hospitality, and construction were all adversely impacted Agricultural employment has risen in the last year-and-a-half, while manufacturing and services employment has fallen — this is the opposite of development. Both earnings and employment fell for those at the bottom of the urban employment pyramid What can the upcoming budget do to aid economic recovery process? Create good jobs for the unskilled: The way it can do so directly is through accelerating spending on infrastructure. A credible time-bound implementation plan is what is required in the budget. Promote labour-intensive manufacturing which can employ millions of the unskilled and less-educated youth.  Foxconn’s largest factory in China, making iPhones among other products, reportedly employs 4,00,000 people. Samsung employs 1,00,000 people in its largest phone assembly plant in Vietnam. Enhance Female Labour Force participation: A large garment factory in Bangladesh employs 30,000-50,000 people — 10 times what we find in India. As 80 per cent of those employed in garment factories are women, Bangladesh has twice the female labour force participation ratio of India.  Continue with Labour Reforms: In June and September 2020, the government passed four labour laws but have been left dormant since then. The budget should announce a time frame for implementation, notification by the Union government and then by the states. Investments in skilling: Under 5% of India’s workforce is formally skilled, compared to 96% in South Korea, 75% in Germany and 52% in the US. Budget must specify how National Skills Development Corporation will be empowered to function to achieve the goals of skilling. Investments in Education: With schools closed for the last year-and-a-half in most states, education outcomes have fallen further. School education is a state subject, so the Union budget can at best incentivise states to do the right things for ex: linking the flow of additional funds to learning outcomes. Economic inclusion: Government policies for economic inclusion must go beyond social inclusion. These include measures like reducing tariffs to benefit millions of consumers instead of thousands of firms. Industrial policies that help all firms such as the ease of doing business, instead of incentivising a selected few. Connecting the dots: Union Budget Gist 2021-22 Participatory Budgeting INTERNATIONAL/ ECONOMY GS-2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.  GS-3: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices India Challenges WTO verdict on sugar Context: India has filed an appeal with the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) disputing a verdict by the WTO’s dispute settlement panel on sugar subsidies.  The WTO’s dispute settlement panel had ruled that India, by subsidising sugar producers, was breaking rules framed under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which govern international trade. India is the second-largest sugar producer in the world after Brazil and it is estimated that more than 5 crore people depend on the cultivation of sugarcane alone for their livelihood. What is the dispute? In 2019, Australia, Brazil, and Guatemala complained against India at the WTO arguing that subsidies offered by the Indian government to sugar producers were against the rules governing international trade.  They argued that these subsidies, which include both domestic subsidies as well as export subsidies, exceed the limits imposed by WTO trade rules.  According to WTO rules, subsidies cannot exceed 10% of the total value of sugar production.  These countries believe that subsidies offered by India have led to increased production of sugar and caused the price of sugar to drop significantly in the global market.  After two years, the WTO ruled in December that India’s sugar policy was favouring domestic producers through subsidies to the detriment of foreign producers.  The panel recommended that India withdraws its alleged prohibited subsidies under the Production Assistance, the Buffer Stock, and the Marketing and Transportation Schemes within 120 days from the adoption of this report.  What is India’s stand? India has stated that the WTO’s dispute panel ruling has made certain “erroneous” findings about domestic schemes to support sugarcane producers and exports and the findings of the panel are completely “unacceptable” to it. India has argued at the WTO that it does not offer direct subsidies to sugarcane farmers and thus doesn’t break any international trade rule.  This argument, however, has not convinced other countries who point out that, among other things, the Centre and the State governments in India mandate the minimum price (the Fair and Remunerative Price, or FRP) at which sugar mills can buy sugarcane from farmers.  The high procurement price (High FRP) for sugarcane set by the Government is believed to have led to increased supply that in turn has caused sugar prices to drop.  To help the sugar sector, the Centre has even mandated the compulsory blending of ethanol derived from sugarcane with fuels such as petrol and diesel.  Further, the Centre also regularly sanctions funds to encourage sugar mills to export sugar depending on sugar prices in the global market. In the budget last year, the Centre allocated a total of ₹3,500 crore to fund the export of 6 million tonnes of sugar. What lies ahead? The WTO Appellate Body’s decision will be considered final on the dispute.  In case India refuses to comply with the decision, it might have to face retaliatory action from other countries. This could be in the form of additional tariffs on Indian exports and other stringent measures.  Such retaliatory measures may benefit producers in these countries but affect consumers who have enjoyed lower sugar prices due to subsidies offered by India.  It should be noted that the WTO was founded to prevent exactly such tit-for-tat tariffs that shrink international trade. Incidentally, the appellate body of the WTO is not functioning because of differences among member countries to appoint members, and disputes are already pending with it. The U.S. had blocked the appointment of members. Connecting the dots: Reforms in Sugar Industry Why Sugar Industry needed export subsidy MSP in age of Surplus: Sugarcane Pricing and Milk Pricing (ORF: India Matters) Jan 6: Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India: An overview - https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/uniform-civil-code-ucc-in-india-an-overview/   TOPIC: GS-1: Indian Society (Communalism, Secularism, Regionalism) GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India: An overview Context: As per the recent Allahabad High Court judgement that states that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a necessity and mandatorily required, there is a need to understand the phenomenon of the UCC in India.  Article 44 of the Constitution declares that the state shall endeavour to secure the citizens a uniform civil code. This article finds a place under Part IV of the Constitution that deals with Directive Principles of State Policy, which are not enforceable in any court, but the principles therein laid down are nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the State to apply these principles in law-making.  The significance attached to the directive principles was recognised in the Minerva Mills versus Union of India case, where the Supreme Court held that the fundamental rights must be harmonised with the directive principles and such harmony is one of the basic features of the Constitution. The idea of Uniform Civil Code Historically, the idea of UCC was influenced by similar codes drafted in European countries during the 19th century and early 20th century, and in particular the French code of 1804 that had eradicated all forms of customary or statutory laws prevailing at that time and replaced it with a uniform code.  However, the First War of Indian Independence in 1857 sent a strong signal to the British to not alter the social fabric of India and respect the personal codes governing aspects of marriage, divorce, maintenance, adoption, and succession. Post-Independence, against the backdrop of Partition, which resulted in communal disharmony and resistance to remove personal laws resulted in accommodating the UCC as a directive principle as discussed above.  Although, the writers of the Constitution attempted to bring a Hindu Code Bill in the Parliament that included progressive measures like women’s equal rights of inheritance, unfortunately, it could not see the light of the day.  It was only on 5th September 2005, when the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 received assent from the President of India that the discriminatory provisions regarding property rights in the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 were removed. Is UCC – the need of the hour? The Supreme Court has emphasised the importance of having a UCC in several cases - starting from the Shah Bano Begum case to the recent Shayara Bano versus Union of India case that questioned the legitimacy of the practice of talaq-e-bidat (triple talaq) and declared it unconstitutional. Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum and others case: The Supreme Court dealt with the issue of maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after Shah Bano’s husband pronounced talaq against her. While ruling on the case, Chief Justice YV Chandrachud observed that the Parliament should outline the contours of a common civil code as it is an instrument that facilitates national harmony and equality before law. Despite this, the government did not address the issue and brought forth the Muslim Women’s Protection of Rights on Divorce Act in 1986. Silence until… The case of Sarla Mudgal, President, Kalyani, and others versus Union of India and others, where the Supreme Court urged the government to secure a Uniform Civil Code based on the model of the Hindu code to protect the abused and achieving national solidarity.  In a similar vein, the cases of Lily Thomas versus Union of India and ABC v. The State (NCT of Delhi) was dealt with. While in the former, the Supreme Court emphasised the significance of UCC in terms of succession, and in the latter, it held that a single mother of the Christian religion was eligible to apply for sole guardianship of her child without the assent of the natural father under the Guardian and Wards Act, 1890 that had not recognised the right of Christian single mothers. In this context, the court pointed out the inconvenience caused in absence of a uniform civil code. Conclusion While different minorities have been opposing UCC to uphold their individual rights and upholding their right to religion; the majority wants it to maintain homogeneity. The solution lies in debate, deliberation, taking different stakeholders into consideration, it should be completely depoliticized process-keeping the national interest at the core, it should be more of bottom-up than a top-down approach.  As the current government brings measures like  increasing the age of girl child to 21 for marriage which is a laudable step to ensure gender equality, it needs to think how to ensure the overall development of the society including women by bringing in a UCC and how to balance the aims of Article 51 A (f) and Article 51 A(e) of the Constitution that deals with the aspects of valuing and preserving the rich heritage of composite culture and renouncing practices that are derogatory to the dignity of women respectively. Can you answer the following questions? How did the concept of UCC come into being? What were the steps taken in the post-Independence period to bring the UCC about?  What lies behind the current government’s failure to implement it, and what is the possible way forward? (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1 Which of the following is/are true regarding Line of Credit? It is a credit facility extended by a bank or any other financial institution to a government, business or an individual customer, that enables the customer to draw the maximum loan amount. The borrower can access funds from the line of credit at any time as long as they do not exceed the credit limit set in the agreement  Select the correct answer: Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2 Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022 is released by which of the following? International Monetary Fund  World Bank World Economic Forum  World Trade Organisation  Q.3 Which of the following is/are the primary factors for Sea Levels Rise? Thermal Expansion Melting Glaciers  Loss of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets All of the above ANSWERS FOR 19th Jan 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 C 3 D Must Read On war in Yemen: The Hindu On Inflation conundrum: The Hindu

हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 19th January 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें 'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें 'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करें अब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test - Click Here

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 19th January 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken, and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 18th January 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें 'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें 'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करें अब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test - Click Here

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 18th January 2022

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Economy Context: The Supreme Court has upheld a National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) decision to wind up Devas (Digitally Enhanced Video and Audio Services), once regarded as a move to revolutionise digital media and broadcasting services via satellite. However, it ended up as a case of fraud and corruption under CBI investigation. What is NCLT? Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was enacted in 2016 for reorganization and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time bound manner for maximization of the value of assets of such persons. The adjudicating authority is National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for companies and LLPs and Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) for individuals and partnership firms. It is a quasi-judicial body in India that adjudicates issues relating to companies in India. Established on 1st June, 2016 (Companies Act, 2013). Formed based on the recommendations of the Justice Eradi Committee. It deals with matters mainly related to companies law and the insolvency law. Term of members: Appointments will be for five years from the date of assumption of charge or till attaining the age of 65 or until further orders. News Source: TH Philippines approves $374-million BrahMos contract Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations and GS-III Defence and Security  Context: In the first export order for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, the Philippines has approved a $374.96 mn contract for the purchase of a shore-based anti-ship variant of the missile from India. Key takeaways  It includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers as well as the necessary Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package. The coastal defence regiment of the Philippine Marines will be the primary employer. There is interest for acquiring BrahMos missiles from several countries and negotiations are in advanced stages with Indonesia and Thailand.  About BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile  BrahMos, deployed by the Navy on its warships first in 2005, has the capability to hit sea-based targets beyond radar horizon. Capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface- and sea-based targets The missiles, fired at a speed of 2.8 Mach or nearly three times the speed of sound, significantly increase the capability of the ships in engaging long-range targets. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. It is the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile currently in operation. BrahMos missiles are designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Mashinostroyenia of Russia News Source: TH China-Iran Agreement Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations Context China would begin implementing a strategic agreement with Iran, strengthening economic and political cooperation between the two countries as China condemned USA’s sanctions on Iran. Key takeaways  China and Iran signed the agreement with the wide-ranging partnership set to span areas including energy, security, infrastructure and communications. China is Iran’s leading trade partner and was one of the biggest buyers of the country’s oil before then-U.S. president Donald Trump reimposed sweeping unilateral sanctions in 2018. China has officially stopped importing oil from Iran, but analysts say Iranian crude is continuing to enter the country disguised as imports from other countries. Vienna talks The agreement is also significant because talks continue in Vienna over a potential deal to halt Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. A 2015 deal — agreed by Iran, the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany — offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2018, reimposing biting sanctions and prompting Iran to begin rolling back on its commitments. News Source: TH (News from PIB) Padma awardee Shanti Devi Known as the voice of the poor and underprivileged Known for the eradication of Yaws, a chronic bacterial infection She served the poor for nearly six decades, dedicating her life to the education and upliftment of tribal girls in the Maoist-hit Rayagada region. Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-1: Indian Culture A descendant of the Maharaj family of Kathak dancers Was from Lucknow's Kalka-Bindadin Gharana One of the youngest artistes to be awarded a Sangeet Natak Akademy (28). Conferred with a Padma Vibhushan Won the National Film Award in 2012 About Kathak dance form The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers.  The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means "story", and Kathakar which means "the one who tells a story", or "to do with stories". Only classical dance of India having links with Muslim culture, it represents a unique synthesis of Hindu and Muslim genius in art. The nineteenth century saw the golden age of Kathak under the patronage of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh. He established the Lucknow gharana with its strong accent on bhava, the expression of moods and emotions.  The Jaipur gharana known for its layakari or rhythmic virtuosity and the Benaras gharana are other prominent schools of Kathak dance.  Raslila: The Vaishnavite cult which swept North India in the 15th century. And the resultant bhakti movement contributed to a whole new range of lyrics and musical forms. The Radha-Krishna theme proved immensely popular along with the works of Mirabai, Surdas, Nandadas and Krishnadas. Recognized by UNESCO under Intangible Cultural Heritage of India News Source: PIB Dark matter Part of: Prelims and GS 3: Sci and Tech; Space In News: Motion of some stars holds clue of dark matter shape in barred galaxies Scientists investigating how the shape of dark matter halo affects the motion of stars in stellar bars (found at the centre of some galaxies) have found that out-of-plane bending events of the bar explain the shape of dark matter halos in barred galaxies.  Out of plane bending of the bar in barred galaxies (central bar-shaped structure composed of stars) is a rare violent bar thickening mechanism known as buckling. The trillions of galaxies in our Universe have different shapes and sizes, which are determined by the motion of their stars.  Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a disk galaxy made up of stars moving in circular orbits around the center in a flattened disk, with a dense collection of the stars at the center called the bulge. These bulges can have shapes ranging from nearly spherical to as flat as the galaxy disk.   Milky Way has a flat boxy or peanut-shaped bulge in its center. Such bulges are formed due to thickening of the stellar bars in galaxies.  One of the interesting and violent thickening mechanism is buckling, where bar bends out of the plane of the galaxy disk.   Many recent numerical and observational studies suggest that dark matter halos are spherical, prolate (a sphere squashed from the sides), or oblate (a sphere squashed from the top and bottom)   in shape.  Importance: Shape of dark matter halos is important for understanding halo spin, which is an area of research being studied by many galaxy simulation groups over the world. Dark Matter Dark matter forms the skeleton on which galaxies form, evolve, and merge. About 85% of the universe is dark matter Dark matter is not antimatter, because we do not see the unique gamma rays that are produced when antimatter annihilates with matter. Dark matter attracts and holds galaxies together; dark matter exerts its influence on individual galaxies as well as the universe at large. Dark matter is called dark because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not absorb, reflect or emit electromagnetic radiation, and is therefore difficult to detect. Primary evidence for dark matter comes from calculations showing that many galaxies would fly apart, or that they would not have formed or would not move as they do, if they did not contain a large amount of unseen matter. Professor Stephen Hawking: Proposed the theory that primordial black holes are a source of dark matter News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-3: Indian Economy & challenges GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.  Inequality Kills Report by Oxfam Context: Inequality Kills: The unparalleled action needed to combat unprecedented inequality in the wake of COVID-19” is a report released in January 2022 by Oxfam, a U.K.-based consortium of 21 charitable organisations that have a global presence The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened economic inequalities across the world.  The pandemic has brought into light that peoples’ life chances are directly linked to their access to wealth and healthcare, their positions of power in society, their racial and caste identities, and their geographic locations. What is the “Inequality Kills” report? Vaccine apartheid: The report argues that unequal access to vaccines between countries (Vaccine Apartheid) and the lack of universal vaccination programs in many countries as a cause of the emergence of multiple new strains of the coronavirus that has led to the continuation of the pandemic.  Heightened Inequality: The report points out that 160 million people were rendered poor during the pandemic, while the ten richest people doubled their fortunes since the start of the pandemic. Govt stimulus increased Billionaires Wealth: It also demonstrates how emergency government expenditure (estimated at $16 trillion) that was meant to keep economies afloat during this crisis, inflated stock prices. This resulted in billionaires’ collective wealth increasing by $5 trillion during the pandemic (Oxfam calls this process as “the billionaire variant”) Inequality Kills: The central argument of the report is that inequality is a death sentence for people that are marginalised by social and economic structures and removed from political decision making. The report argues for sustained and immediate action to end the pandemic, address global inequality and initiate concerted measures to tackle the climate emergency.  Why does the report say that inequality kills? Inequality is institutionalised violence against poorer people. The report categorically states, “Extreme inequality is a form of ‘economic violence’—where structural and systemic policy and political choices that are skewed in favor of the richest and most powerful people result in direct harm to the vast majority of ordinary people worldwide.”  Weakens Social Fabric: The report identifies higher inequality with more crime and violence and less social trust.  Disproportionate Social Impact: The brunt of inequality and the violence it begets is borne, for instance, by women across the world, Dalits in India, Blacks & Native Americans in USA and indigenous groups in many countries.  Widened Gender Inequality: Women who were already unequal before the pandemic are now more unequal because of increased economic inequality. Lockdowns led to an increase in violence against women worldwide.  13 million women have not returned to the workforce and 20 million girls are at risk of losing access to education.  The gender equality has suffered a huge set back which will take at least 135 years to correct.  Climate crisis exaggerated by inequality between countries: Extreme neoliberal models of economic growth have led to a skewed system of carbon-intensive production, that favours richer countries while shifting the risk onto poorer countries.  Wealthiest 1% of humanity are responsible for twice as many emissions as the poorest 50%”.  Hunger deaths: The report shows how poverty, caused by rising inequality, also leads to hunger and deaths due to hunger. For instance, 369 million children have reportedly lost access to school meals during the pandemic. For millions of these children this was their most nutritious meal of the day. How does the report propose to rectify global inequality? The “Inequality Kills” report proposes far-reaching changes to structures of government, economy and policy-making to fight inequality.  It urgently asks for “vaccine recipes” to be made open-source so that every qualified vaccine manufacturer can manufacture them. In doing so the report asks for monopolies over vaccines held by pharmaceutical giants and anchored in place through the World Trade Organisation, to end.  The report then asks for governments to “claw” back the wealth from billionaires by administering solidarity taxes higher than 90% especially on the billionaires that have profited during and because of the pandemic.  In addition to this, the report asks for permanent cancellation of tax havens, progressive taxation on corporations and an end to tax dodging by corporations.  The report then suggests that all of this regained wealth be redirected towards building income safety nets, universalising healthcare for everyone, investing in green technologies and democratising them, and, investing in protecting women from violence.  Finally, the report advocates for redistributing power along with wealth by strengthening workers’ unions, boosting political representation of marginalised groups, and asserting human rights. Connecting the dots: World Inequality Report Global Minimum Corporate Tax Global Tax Reforms INTERNATIONAL/ SECURITY GS-2: India and its neighborhood- relations. India-Nepal relations needs a reset Context: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at Haldwani, Uttarakhand  where he stated that road construction was ongoing at Lipulekh and even further, top authorities at Nepal have asked their Prime Minister to note PM Modi’s comments and demand a response.  The Indian embassy in Nepal has conveyed that India’s position on the India- Nepal border remains consistent and unambiguous.  Why has the relationship between India and Nepal taken a turn for the worse?  The immediate provocation is the long-standing territorial issue surrounding Kalapani, a patch of land near the India-Nepal border, close to the Lipulekh Pass on the India-China border,  Lipulekh Pass is one of the approved points for border trade and the route for the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra in Tibet.  However, the underlying reasons are far more complex where Nepali political class by raising the banner of Nepali nationalism paints India as a hegemon, that creates distrust between the neighbours. Image courtesy: TKP Kalapani and the maps India inherited the boundary with Nepal, established between Nepal and the East India Company in the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816.  Kali river constituted the boundary, and the territory to its east was Nepal. The dispute relates to the origin of Kali.  Near Garbyang village in Dharchula Tehsil of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, there is a confluence of different streams coming from north-east from Kalapani and north-west from Limpiyadhura.  The early British survey maps identified the north-west stream, Kuti Yangti, from Limpiyadhura as the origin, but after 1857 changed the alignment to Lipu Gad, and in 1879 to Pankha Gad, the north-east streams, thus defining the origin as just below Kalapani.  Nepal accepted the change and India inherited this boundary in 1947. The Maoist revolution in China in 1949, followed by the takeover of Tibet, created deep misgivings in Nepal, and India was ‘invited’ to set up 18 border posts along the Nepal-Tibet border.  By 1969, India had withdrawn its border posts from Nepali territory. The base camp for Lipulekh remained at Kalapani, less than 10 km west of Lipulekh.  In their respective maps, both India and Nepal showed Kalapani as the origin of Kali river and as part of their territory.  After 1979, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police has manned the Lipulekh Pass. In actual practice, life for the locals (Byansis) remained unchanged given the open border and free movement of people and goods. After the 1996 Treaty of Mahakali (Kali river is also called Mahakali/Sarada further downstream) that envisaged the Pancheshwar multipurpose hydel project, the issue of the origin of Kali river was first raised in 1997.  The matter was referred to the Joint Technical Level Boundary Committee that had been set up in 1981 to re-identify and replace the old and damaged boundary pillars along the India-Nepal border.  The Committee clarified 98% of the boundary, leaving behind the unresolved issues of Kalapani and Susta (in the Terai) when it was dissolved in 2008.  It was subsequently agreed that the matter would be discussed at the Foreign Secretary level.  The Survey of India issued a new political map (eighth edition) on November 2, 2019, to reflect the change in the status of Jammu and Kashmir as two Union Territories. Nepal registered a protest though the map in no way had changed the boundary between India and Nepal.  However, on November 8, the ninth edition was issued. The delineation remained identical but the name Kali river had been deleted. Predictably, this led to stronger protests, with Nepal invoking Foreign Secretary-level talks to resolve issues.  Nepali nationalism By April 2020, Mr. Oli’s domestic political situation was weakening. Under the Nepali Constitution, a new Prime Minister enjoys a guaranteed two-year period during which a no-confidence motion is not permitted.  This safe period ended in February unleashing simmering resentment against Mr. Oli’s governance style and performance. His inept handling of the COVID-19 pandemic added to the growing resentment.  The re-eruption of the Kalapani controversy, when India inaugurated newly built 80-km road in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragath district leading up to Lipu Lekh pass. This provided Mr. Oli with a political lifeline.  A subsequent comment by the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Naravane, on May 15 that “Nepal may have raised the issue at the behest of someone else” was insensitive, given that the Indian COAS is also an honorary general of the Nepal Army and vice-versa, highlighting the traditional ties between the two armies. Mr. Oli had won the election in 2017 by flaunting his Nepali nationalism card, the flip side of which is anti-Indianism. This is not a new phenomenon but has become more pronounced in recent years.  A new map of Nepal based on the older British survey reflecting Kali river originating from Limpiyadhura in the north-west of Garbyang was adopted by parliament and notified on May 20. The new alignment adds 335 sq km to Nepali territory, territory that has never been reflected in a Nepali map for nearly 170 years. This brief account illustrates the complexity underlying India-Nepal issues that cannot be solved by rhetoric or unilateral map-making exercises.  Way Forward: Rewriting the fundamentals India has often spoken of the “neighbourhood first” policy.  For too long India has invoked a “special relationship”, based on shared culture, language and religion, to anchor its ties with Nepal. Today, this term carries a negative connotation — that of a paternalistic India that is often insensitive and, worse still, a bully.  India-Nepal relationship took a nosedive in 2015 when India first got blamed for interfering in the Constitution-drafting in Nepal and then for an “unofficial blockade” that generated widespread resentment against the country.  It reinforced the notion that Nepali nationalism and anti-Indianism were two sides of the same coin that Mr. Oli exploited successfully.  In Nepali thinking, the China card has provided them the leverage to practise their version of non-alignment.  In the past, China maintained a link with the Palace and its concerns were primarily related to keeping tabs on the Tibetan refugee community. Today’s China is pursuing a more assertive foreign policy and considers Nepal an important element in its growing South Asian footprint. India remained content that its interests were safeguarded by quiet diplomacy even when Nepali leaders publicly adopted anti-Indian postures. Long ignored by India, it has spawned distortions in Nepali history textbooks and led to long-term negative consequences. The urgent need today is to pause the rhetoric on territorial nationalism and lay the groundwork for a quiet dialogue where both sides need to display sensitivity as they explore the terms of a reset of the “special relationship”.  Can you answer this question? What are the major irritants in Indo-Nepal relations? What are their fallouts? Examine. (Down to Earth: Governance) Jan 6: Raising marital age of women: Smashing patriarchy or further regression? - https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/raising-marital-age-of-women-smashing-patriarchy-or-further-regression--81009  TOPIC: GS-1: Society (Women’s Issues) GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Raising marital age of women: Smashing patriarchy or further regression? In News: The Union government has decided to raise the marital age of women to 21 years from 18 years. By amending the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 and other personal law, the legal age of marriage of women will be raised rom 18 to 21 years. Cited health implications for women with regard to the age of motherhood, maternal mortality rate (MMR), malnutrition and other allied concerns Based on recommendations of the NITI Aayog task force headed by Jaya Jaitly set up in June, 2021.  The task force was set up to re-examine the age of marriage and its correlation to health and social indices such as infant mortality, maternal mortality, and nutrition levels among mothers and children. Other Key Recommendations  The government to look into increasing access to schools and colleges for girls, including their transportation to these institutes from far-flung areas.  Skill and business training has also been recommended, as has sex education in schools. These deliveries must come first, as, unless they are implemented and women are empowered, the law will not be as effective. An awareness campaign to be undertaken on a massive scale on the increase in age of marriage, and to encourage social acceptance of the new legislation, which they have said would be far more effective than coercive measures. What is the minimum age of marriage? Personal laws that govern marriage and other personal practices for communities prescribe certain criteria for marriage, including age of the bride and groom.  For example, Section 5(iii) of The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets a minimum age of 18 for the bride and 21 for the groom. This is the same for Christians under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 and the Special Marriage Act. For Muslims, the criterion is attaining puberty, which is assumed when the bride or groom turns 15. Note: The minimum age of marriage was prescribed for the first time by the law known as the Sarda Act, 1929. It was later renamed as the Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA), 1929. Why is there a minimum age? To outlaw child marriages and prevent the abuse of minors. This is done through special legislation such as the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.  Under the Child Marriage Prevention Act, any marriage below the prescribed age is illegal and the perpetrators of a forced child marriage can be punished. Against the decision Child and women’s rights activists, as well as population and family planning experts have not been in favour of increasing the age of marriage for women on the basis that such legislation would push a large portion of the population into illegal marriages. They have contended that even with the legal age of marriage for women being kept at 18 years, child marriages continue in India and a decrease in such marriages has not been because of the existing law but because of increase in girl’s education and employment opportunities. The claims or arguments provided by the officials in favour of this law lack statistical evidence from the past as well as the present. For instance, the age of Indian women was increased to 18 years from 16 years in 1978, with the sole objective of providing them better access to health and education. That goal has not been achieved even after four decades. Some 23 per cent of women marry before they turn 18 (National Family Health Survey-5, 2019–21). This highlights the failure of the government in achieving its goal of providing better opportunities for girls in backward and poverty-stricken areas, along with better healthcare facilities. Despite the Child Marriage Prohibition Act, India ranks 14th-highest in rate of prevalence of child marriage.  The country ranks 140 out of 153 countries in terms of the gender gap index, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021. Experts noted that 70% of early marriages take place in deprived communities such as SCs and STs, and said the law will simply push these marriages underground instead of preventing them.  Rural women will be affected more than urban women. According to NFHS 4, the median age at first marriage (age 25-49) for urban women (19.8) is 1.7 years more than that for rural women (18.1). Elephant in the Room: Just one of the 31-member parliamentary panel examining the law to raise the marital age is a woman. This itself is enough to highlight how decision-making powers are still in the hands of the men in our country and there are miles to go in order to achieve gender equality in its true form. How marriage age and women’s health are linked? Preventing early marriage can reduce the maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality ratio, according to Dipa Sinha, professor of economics at Ambedkar University.  At present, the maternal mortality ratio — the number of maternal deaths for every 100,000 children born — is 145.  India’s infant mortality ratio shows that 30 of every 1,000 children born in a year die before the age of one. Both these indicators in India are the highest among the BRICS economies. Young mothers are more susceptible to anaemia. More than half the women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in India are anaemic. The prevalence of anaemia among women has consistently been high over the last 20 years. The Way Forward Legislation, education and government action must be used together to help families keep teenage girls in school.  Need to promote gender equity from all aspects: To truly empower them while respecting their reproductive rights, the government must invest far more in addressing issues of equity — measures that will enable the disadvantaged to complete their education, provide career counselling and encourage skilling and job placement, address safety issues of women in public places including public transportation, and change the perceptions of parents who are ultimately those who make marriage related decisions for a majority of women.  Reduce the judgment: We need rigorous and genuine efforts to uplift the social status of women and provide a comfortable space where they can live freely, without the fear of being judged or being under constant scrutiny.   Increased access and accessibility to Education at all levels: Empowerment of women through education should be a priority irrespective of the law. Main causes need to be dealt with first: Limited access to education and economic prospects, and security concerns are the known reasons for early marriage. If the main causes of early marriage are not addressed, a law will not be enough to delay marriage among girls. Can you answer the following questions? Is it right to increase the age of marriage of women to 21? Comment. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1 Which of the following is/are true regarding National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)? It is a quasi-judicial body in India that adjudicates issues relating to companies in India. It is formed based on the recommendations of the Justice Eradi Committee. Select the correct answer: Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2 Kathak is a classical dance form of which of the following state of India? Karnataka Uttar Pradesh Gujarat Rajasthan  Q.3 Vienna talks is associated with which of the following? Iran’s nuclear programme Climate change issues of Vienna Disaster management of Austria Russia-Ukraine hostile relations ANSWERS FOR 18th Jan 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 B 3 A Must Read On geopolitical prospects in 2022: The Hindu On India’s livestock sector: The Hindu On India-Japan relationship: Indian Express

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 18th January 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken, and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th January 2022

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Guidelines for Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Economy Context: Centre has promulgated revised consolidated Guidelines and Standards for Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles. Key takeaways  These guidelines include provisions for individual owners of Electric Vehicles as well as Public Charging Stations. Owners may charge their Electric Vehicles at their residence and offices using their existing electricity connections. Any individual or entity is free to set up public charging stations without the requirement of a license. These can be set up provided that such stations meet the technical, safety and performance standards and protocols laid down by Ministry of Power, Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Central Electricity Authority from time to time. The guidelines provide not only the prevailing international charging standards available in the market but also the new Indian charging standards. In order to make charging stations financially viable, a revenue sharing model has been put in place for land used. FAME scheme It was launched in 2015  It forms a part of National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020.  It aims to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same  News Source: AIR Global Risks Report 2022 Part of: Prelims and GS-III Environment  Context: The 17th edition of Global Risks Report was released by the World Economic Forum recently. About the Global Risks Report The report tracks global risk perceptions among risk experts and world leaders in business, government, and civil society.  It examines risks across five categories: economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal, and technological. Key takeaways from the current report The world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis remains the biggest long-term threat facing humanity. It has ranked ‘climate action failure’ as the number one risk, with potentially the most severe impact over the next decade. Developing economies (except China) will have fallen 5.5% below their pre-pandemic expected GDP growth by 2024, while advanced economies will have surpassed it by 0.9%. It is likely that any transition that achieves the net-zero goal by 2050 will be disorderly due to the insufficient nature of current commitments. Digital inequality and cybersecurity failure also feature among the critical short- and medium-term threats. Do you know? Following are the reports released by WEF: Global Risks Report Fostering Effective Energy Transition Global Social Mobility Report  The Global Gender Gap Report  News Source: WEF Baricitinib and Sotrovimab drugs recommended by WHO Part of: Prelims and GS-II Health and GS-III Sci and tech Context The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended two drugs, baricitinib and sotrovimab, for treatment of Covid-19. About Baricitinib Baricitinib is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It is an oral drug It has now been “strongly recommended” for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids. It is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors that suppress the overstimulation of the immune system. About Sotrovimab It is an investigational monoclonal antibody for use in treating conditions caused by coronavirus. The WHO has conditionally recommended its use for treating mild or moderate Covid-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalisation. News Source: IE Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano Part of: Prelims and GS-I Geography  Context The Pacific country of Tonga experienced a large volcanic eruption recently followed by a tsunami that flooded parts of the capital, Nuku'alofa. There is no information on property damage or casualties till yet. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano sent shockwaves across the South Pacific. About volcanoes A volcano is an opening in the earth’s crust through which gases, molten rocks materials (lava), ash, steam etc. are emitted outward in the course of an eruption.  Volcanic activity is an example of endogenic process. Depending upon the explosive nature of the volcano, different landforms can be formed such as a plateau or a mountain. News Source: AIR (News from PIB) Thiruvalluvar Day: 15th January Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar, was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher.  Best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economical matters, and love.  Statue at Kanyakumari 10th century stone idol of Goat Head Yogini  Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-1: Indian Culture In News: A 10th century stone idol of Goat Head Yogini that had been illegally removed from a temple in Lokhari village in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh is being returned to India from UK. The sculpture is of a goat headed Yogini that originally belonged to a group of stone deities in sandstone and installed in Lokhari temple A similar sculpture of the buffalo-headed Vrishanana Yogini, apparently stolen from the same temple at Lokhari village had been recovered and repatriated by Embassy of India, Paris in 2013. Yoginis are a group of powerful females divinities associated with the Tantrik mode of worship. They are worshipped as a group, often 64 and are believed to possess infinite powers. News Source: PIB Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-3: Indian Economy In News: The scheme received an encouraging response from local as well as global investors as bids received is 2.6 times the manufacturing capacity to be awarded i.e. 50 Gwh – a total of 10 bids with capacity ~ 130 Gwh. Key takeaways  Aim: To achieve a manufacturing capacity of 50 GigaWatt Hour of ACC and five Giga Watt Hour of Niche ACC with an outlay of 18,100 crore. ACCs are the new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.  Envisages an investment which will boost domestic manufacturing & also facilitate battery storage demand creation for both electric vehicles and stationary storage along with development of a complete domestic supply chain & Foreign Direct Investment in the country It will also give a big push to electric mobility, benefiting three-wheelers, four-wheelers and heavy vehicles. Expected to result in saving to the nation on account of reduction in import of crude-oil to a significant extent and increase the share of renewable energy at the national grid level. India is currently importing Battery Storage Equipment The scheme will be helpful in making the country self-reliant (Atmanirbhar), enabling India to leapfrog from traditional fossil fuel-based automobile transportation system to environmentally cleaner, sustainable, advanced and more efficient Electric Vehicles (EV) based system. News Source: PIB Purple Revolution or Aroma Mission in India Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-2: Government policies and intervention In News: The Aroma Mission, also popularly referred as “Lavender or Purple Revolution”, has started from J&K and transformed the lives of farmers who are able to grow lavender, make lucrative profit and improve their lives. Aroma Mission The Aroma Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the aroma sector through desired interventions in the areas of agriculture, processing and product development for fuelling the growth of aroma industry and rural employment. Objectives:  To promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils. To enable Indian farmers and the aroma industry to become global leaders. To provide benefits to the farmers in achieving higher profits, utilization of waste lands and protection of their crops from wild and grazing animals. Provided employment to women farmers Nodal Agencies: CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow. Aromatic Plants include  Lavender Damask rose Mushk bala, etc. Projects include Lavender oil which sells for at least Rs. 10,000 per litre Lavender water, which separates from lavender oil, is used to make incense sticks. Hydrosol, which is formed after distillation from the flowers, is used to make soaps and room fresheners. Coverage: The project assured benefits to the growers of Vidarbha, Bundelkhand, Gujarat, Marathwada, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other states where farmers are exposed to frequent episodes of weather extremes and account for maximum suicides. Outcomes: Bring about 5500 ha of additional area under captive cultivation aromatic cash crops particularly targeting rain-fed /degraded land across the country Provide technical and infrastructural support for distillation and values-addition to farmers/growers all over the country Enabling effective buy-back mechanisms to assure remunerative prices to the farmers/growers Value-addition to essential oils and aroma ingredients for their integration in global trade and economy’ Update:  During Phase-I CSIR helped cultivation on 6000 hectares of land and covered 46 Aspirational districts across the country. More than 44,000 persons have been trained and several crores of farmers' revenue generated.  In the second Phase of Aroma Mission, it is proposed to engage over 45,000 skilled human resources with the aim of benefitting more than 75,000 farming families across the country. News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.  GS-3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.  Predatory Pricing by New Age Companies Context: Recently, people in the small town of Talode in Nandurbar district in Maharashtra could not buy Colgate toothpaste from their only local store.  It was because distributors in Nandurbar district had decided to boycott Colgate’s products and not supply them to the kirana stores in Talode. Why did distributors decided to boycott Colgate’s products? Nearly half-a-million of India’s distributors pick up goods from consumer companies such as Colgate and deliver them to 13 million small local stores located in 7,00,000 villages and towns across the country through a web of millions of traders and other intermediaries. A vast majority of these distributors and traders are small family businesses that have developed relationships with their local stores over many decades. All consumer goods distributors in Maharashtra were protesting against Colgate’s alleged unfair treatment of traditional distributors vis-à-vis B2B technology companies such as Reliance’s JioMart, Udaan and others. How are B2B technology companies causing disruption? The kirana store generally sells a 100g tube of Colgate toothpaste to the consumer for ₹55, the maximum retail price (MRP). The distributor sells Colgate toothpaste to the kirana store for ₹45 and the manufacturer, Colgate, sells it to the distributor for ₹40.  New age technology B2B companies have developed technologies to connect directly to the kirana stores through a mobile phone app, bypassing the intermediaries. These B2B companies supply Colgate toothpaste to the local store for ₹35, lower than the ₹45 charged by the distributor. These technology companies bear a 15%-20% loss on every Colgate toothpaste they sell to the local store.  They deliberately offer their product at a price lower than what it costs them (Predatory Pricing), to lure local stores away from the traditional distributors.  Further, these technology companies offer extensive credit terms and working capital to the local stores.  In other words, these technology companies rely not just on their mobile phone app innovation but also steep price discounting and cheaper financing to win customers. Udaan has suffered total losses of more than ₹5,000 crore in just five years and JioMart reports even greater losses.  How is that these technology companies are able to absorb losses? Indian companies are able to absorb such heavy losses because they have access to copious amounts of money.  These companies are flush with funds from foreign venture capital firms, which in turn are largely funded by American pension funds and university endowments.  Evidently, these companies use the money to not only build new technologies but also to undercut competitors and steal market share.  They are able to sustain huge losses for several years until they destroy incumbents and gain dominant market share. After which, they will presumably raise their prices to turn profitable.  It is similar to what India experienced in the telecom sector with Jio. The flip side is that India’s millions of distributors and intermediaries have no access to such finance.  What are the challenges due to such predatory pricing? The issue is about illegal predatory pricing and abuse of pricing power by startups and big corporates through preferential access to easy foreign money. While consumers may benefit from lower prices, should the livelihoods of millions of distributors, traders and their families suffer because they do not have equal access to easy money as these technology companies. By some estimates, there are more than 20 million families (100 million people) in India whose livelihoods depend on intermediary roles in the consumer goods supply chain. The distributor, trader and the kirana store owner generally belong to the same local community. Surely, there will be social ramifications within that community for some of these families lose their livelihood. The conventional economic notion that lower prices, regardless of the means adopted, are a sole and worthy pursuit is under severe challenge. Social media companies such as Facebook give away their products for free and e-commerce companies such as Amazon sell at lower prices, benefiting consumers enormously, but also causing immense social strife and disharmony. Even erstwhile champions of free capital flows are now cautious about their social implications. The new Chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission in America, is seeking to frame new rules to check such anti-competitive behaviour. Connecting the dots: COVID-19 and FDI Policy New Social Media Code  Dominance of Big tech Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code EDUCATION/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources  GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Desh ke Mentor programme & NCPCR  Context: A controversy recently broke out after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recommended that the Delhi government suspend its flagship ‘Desh ke Mentor’ programme till “the time when all the loopholes pertaining to the safety of the children are overhauled”. What is the Desh ke Mentor programme? The programme was launched in October 2021 and is aimed at connecting students in classes IX to XII with voluntary mentors.  People between the ages of 18 and 35 can sign up to be mentors through an app created by a team at the Delhi Technological University and will be connected with students based on mutual interests.  The mentorship entails regular phone calls for a minimum of two months, which can optionally be carried on for another four months.  The idea is for the young mentors to guide students through higher education and career options, preparation for higher education entrance exams, and dealing with the pressure of it all.  According to Delhi government, 44,000 people have signed up as mentors so far and have been working with 1.76 lakh children. How is a person selected to be a mentor? The registration process takes place on the Desh ke Mentor app.  The volunteer has to fill in information about themselves such as their date of birth, education qualification, profession, organisation they work with and so on. However, it is optional for them to upload any proof of identity.  On the app, the candidate has to accept an undertaking which states, that they have never been charged for (or involved in) any activities relating to the violation of the rights of children. Following this, they have to complete a brief ‘psychometry test’ which involves candidates having to rate how much they agree or disagree to certain statements. Once the registration is complete, the mentor is connected to a set of children of the same gender as themselves whose interests align with theirs.  Students have to take parental consent before becoming a part of the programme. What are the concerns raised by the NCPCR regarding this process? There are five primary points on which the NCPCR has raised concerns with regard to the programme: It has stated that assigning children to a mentor of the same gender as them does not necessarily assure their safety from abuse. It has also expressed concern over the lack of police verification of the mentors. On the psychometric test it has asked if the test is analyzed/checked/scrutinized by professional practising experts. It has also questioned whether the Psychometric Test can identify paedophiles or potential paedophiles. It has also stated that limiting interactions to phone calls also does not ensure the safety of children since child related crime can be initiated through phone calls as well. It has stated that while taking the consent of parents is an essential pre-requisite, the responsibility and accountability of preventing children from such situation lies with the Department. The consent of parents cannot be used as a cushion in case of any untoward incident. What is NCPCR? National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development. The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group. Composition: This commission has a chairperson and six members of which at least two should be women. All of them are appointed by Central Government for three years. The maximum age to serve in commission is 65 years for Chairman and 60 years for members. Under the RTE Act, 2009, the NCPCR can: Inquire into complaints about violation of the law. Summon an individual and demand evidence. Seek a magisterial enquiry. File a writ petition in the High Court or Supreme Court. Approach the government concerned for prosecution of the offender. Recommend interim relief to those affected. Conclusion Juvenile Justice Amendment Act, 2021 New National Education Policy, 2020 (ORF: India Matters) Jan 4: Trickle-down Wage: Analysing Indian inequality from a gender lens  - https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/trickle-down-wage-analysing-indian-inequality-from-a-gender-lens/  TOPIC: GS-1: Society (Women’s Issues) GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Trickle-down Wage: Analysing Indian inequality from a gender lens  In News: The pandemic has exposed and fed off the profound socio-economic inequalities of the existing world. Gender-based discrimination, being an important dimension of socio-economic inequality has had adverse economic outcomes for women in these unprecedented times.  Women are 10 percent more likely to be living in extreme poverty in India by 2021 in comparison to men cites the UN Women Report of 2020.  The pandemic has disrupted an already skewed ratio in educational opportunities, access to finance, wage disparities, and other social constraints for them demographically. Gender inequalities and shares in labour income Gender inequality is one of the oldest and most pervasive forms of inequality in the world and as a result, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far from gender neutral. India’s numbers here stand at a grim 18 percent and are amongst the lowest in Asia’s average at 27 percent, ahead of only Pakistan and Afghanistan, both of which fall under 10 percent.  World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report of 2021 places India amongst countries with the largest Gender Gaps in Economic participation and opportunity due to an observed declining trend from 27 percent in 2010 to 22 percent in 2020 in Female Labour Force Participation.  Azim Premji’s State of Working India Report 2021- During the lockdown and months after, while 61 percent of men remained employed and only 7 percent lost employment, only 19 percent women remained employed and a vast 47 percent suffered a permanent job loss. The imposition of lockdowns, has affected the feminised sectors, such as the care economy and the gig economy, much more severely than the sectors in which men are over represented.  The Global Gender Gap Report 2021 describes the concept of ‘Labour Market scarring’ in which temporary limitation of in-person work has caused permanent and long-lasting effects on women’s chances at decent employment in future. According to the Inequality Report 2022,  While women represent about 50 percent of the population, they earn only about one-third of the labour income for it.  Those who do step into the workforce are often offered work in the informal sector, which categorically provides no protection of labour laws, or social benefits like pension, paid sick leave, maternity leave.  Informal sector rarely provides any resilience against market fluctuations; this makes them more vulnerable and keeps them in poverty and altogether wary of potentially entering the workforce.  While men moved to the informal workforce during lack of better opportunities, women quit the workforce altogether due to increased burden of the household and an acute lack of safety nets. Gaps and the road to recovery  Through various practices, be it discriminatory policies and social structures, lack of access to lucrative jobs and labour market or the double bind of performing both paid and unpaid labour, women have only been earning a third of the labour they have promise for.  Without adequate focus on policy change, India faces a threat of leaving behind a half of its population in this road to recovery, not to mention bear the brunt of inequalities even further.  We need to revisit the labour distribution in our country and rethink formal and informal structures at a policy level.  There is a need to enhance the social security mechanisms for informal workers with a special focus on women.  Upskilling women for ‘hard professions’ and adopting a ‘care lens’ is hence essential for defeminising care work and would contribute to redistributing it equally amongst family members irrespective of their gender.  It is also important to create gender sensitive fiscal policies and educate the masses about the criticality of rising inequalities and formulate a framework of labour laws to sustain in the neoliberal world. Can you answer the following questions? As women bear the brunt of the rising income inequality, the need for a positive policy change has become even more pronounced. Discuss. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1 Which of the following is/are true regarding Thiruvalluvar? He was a celebrated Malayalam poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economical matters, and love. Select the correct answer: Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2 Global Risks Report is released by which of the following? World Health Organisation United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change World Economic Forum  World Trade Organisation  Q.3 The FAME scheme is related to which of the following? Student Scholarships and Fellowships Electric Vehicles Encouragement to traditional Indian sports Health Sector ANSWERS FOR 17th Jan 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 B 2 C 3 B Must Read On countering hate in digital world: Indian Express On taxing cryptocurrency transactions: The Hindu On Urban development: The Hindu

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