Syllabus

•     Prelims: Polity

Context: Recently, the central government promulgated an Ordinance that undid the unanimous verdict of a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has legislative and executive power over administrative services in the National Capital, excluding matters relating to public order, police and land.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance 2023:

• The President promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 that took away the power of the Delhi government over services.
• Instead, the lieutenant governor (LG), an official appointed by the central government was given the final say on the question of transfers and postings of bureaucrats in the Delhi government.
• The ordinance established a statutory body, the National Capital Civil Services Authority, to decide on issues concerning the transfer and posting of bureaucrats.
• The authority comprises the chief minister (CM), the chief secretary, and the principal home secretary of the government of the national capital territory of Delhi, which means that the decision of the elected CM can be vetoed or overruled by two senior unelected bureaucrats.
• The 2023 ordinance was promulgated in the wake of the unanimous judgment passed by the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on May 11, holding that the democratically elected government of Delhi, rather than the LG, should exercise control over services in Delhi.
• Thus, other than the constitutionally mandated exceptions of land, police, and public order, the five-judge bench held that the elected Delhi government had final legislative and co-extensive executive power over issues of transfer and posting of the bureaucrats.
• The rationale behind the court’s judgment was that an elected government must be able to control and hold to account the civil service officers posted in its services, since they “play a decisive role in the implementation of government policy.”

 Promulgation of Ordinance;

• Article 123 of the Constitution grants the President of India to promulgate Ordinances.
• President can promulgate ordinance at any time when both Houses of Parliament are not in session (recess of Parliament) , the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him/her to take immediate action, he/she may promulgate such Ordinances as the circumstances appear to him/her to require.
• These ordinances have the same force and effect as an Act of Parliament but are in the nature of temporary laws.
• The ordinance can only be promulgated on those subjects on which Parliament is empowered to legislate, that is, the Union list or Concurrent list.
• An ordinance is subject to the same constitutional limitations as an Act of Parliament. Hence, an ordinance cannot abridge or take away any of the fundamental rights.
• Every ordinance issued must be laid before both the Houses of Parliament within six weeks from the reassembly of Parliament and it ceases to exist if it is not approved within six weeks of reassembly.
• Whenever a Bill seeking to replace an ordinance is introduced in the House, a statement explaining the circumstances that had necessitated immediate legislation through ordinance route should also be placed before the House.
• After the ordinance has been passed, it is required to be approved by the parliament within six weeks of reassembling. The same will cease to operate if disapproved by either House.
• The 44th Constitutional Amendment has reiterated that the satisfaction of the President to promulgate ordinance could be challenged in case an ‘immediate action’ was not required. Thus, it is subject to Judicial Review.
• The President may withdraw an ordinance at any time. However, he exercises his power with the consent of the Council of Ministers headed by the President.
• The Ordinances may have retrospective effect and may modify or repeal any act of parliament or other ordinances.
• Article 213 deals with the broadly analogous powers of the Governor to promulgate/ withdraw an Ordinance when the state legislature is not in session.
• An Ordinance is valid for six weeks, or 42 days, from the date on which the next session starts. If the two Houses start their sessions on different dates, the later date will be considered, say the explanations in Articles 123 and 213.

Repromulgation of Ordinance;

• To re-promulgate Ordinance simply means to effectively extend the life of an Ordinance.
• An Ordinance ‘ceases to operate’ 6 weeks after the two Houses reassemble, except if it is converted into an Act by then. Re-promulgation sidesteps this limitation.
• In 2017, (Krishna Kumar Singh and Another v. State of Bihar) a seven-judge Bench of the court, which included present Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, reiterated that legislation should normally be done by the legislature, and the Governor’s power to issue an Ordinance is in the nature of an emergency power.
• The court clarified that there might be circumstances permitting the re-promulgation of an Ordinance — however, it said, repeated re-promulgations without bringing the Ordinance to the legislature would usurp the legislature’s function, and will be unconstitutional.
• In Dr D C Wadhwa and Ors v. State of Bihar and Ors (1986) case, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court headed by then CJI P N Bhagwati held that “an Ordinance promulgated by the Governor to meet an emergent situation shall cease to be in operation at the expiration of six weeks from the reassembly of the Legislature.”
• If the government wishes for the Ordinance to continue in force beyond the six-week period, it “has to go before the Legislature”, which is the constitutional authority entrusted with law-making functions.

SOURCE: The Hindu

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. The President of India can summon a session of the Parliament at such place as he/she thinks fit.
2. The Constitution of India provides for three sessions of the Parliament in a year, but it is not mandatory to conduct all three sessions.
3. There is no minimum number of days that the Parliament is required to meet in a year.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 2 and 3 only

Syllabus

•     Prelims: International Organization

Context: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya delivered the keynote address at a side event session on “Heal in India & Heal by India” at the 76^th World Health Assembly, in Geneva.

About World Health Assembly;

• The World Health Assembly is the main decision-making body of WHO.
• Article 19 of the WHO Constitution provides the World Health Assembly with the authority to adopt conventions or agreements on any matter within WHO’s competence.
• The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
• The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The sole instrument established under Article 19 till date is the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which has made a significant and rapid contribution to protecting people from tobacco since its entry into force in

About the 76^th World Health Assembly;

• The Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 21–30 May 2023.
• The theme of this year’s Health Assembly- WHO at 75: Saving lives, driving health for all.
• In 76th World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization is pushing for nations to sign a global pandemic treaty to improve the world’s collective response to future pandemics.
• Pandemic Treaty is a legally binding agreement to be adopted by the World Health Organization’s 194 member countries.
• Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics are underway at the World Health Organization (WHO), with a target date of May 2024.
• It seeks to shore up the world’s defences against new pathogens following the COVID 19 pandemic that has killed nearly 7 million people.

MUST READ: WHO (UPSC Prelims – WHO)

SOURCE: PIB

Syllabus

•      Prelims: Science and Technology

Context : India’s Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh has said the country is working on new technologies to help make the transition to clean energy using Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) which can be factory-built.

About Small Modular Reactors (SMRs);

• Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW (e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.
• SMRs, which can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity, are:
• Small– physically a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear power reactor.
• Modular – making it possible for systems and components to be factory-assembled and transported as a unit to a location for installation.
• Reactors – harnessing nuclear fission to generate heat to produce energy.

Advantages of Small modular reactors (SMRs);

·       Many of the benefits of SMRs are inherently linked to the nature of their design – small and modular.

·       Given their smaller size, SMRs can be sited on locations not suitable for larger nuclear power plants.

·       SMRs offer savings in cost and construction time, and they can be deployed incrementally to match increasing energy demand.

·       In areas lacking sufficient lines of transmission and grid capacity, SMRs can be installed into an existing grid or remotely off-grid, as a function of its smaller electrical output, providing low-carbon power for industry and the population.

·       SMRs have reduced fuel requirements. Power plants based on SMRs require less frequent refuelling, every 3 to 7 years, in comparison to between 1 and 2 years for conventional plants.

·       Some SMRs are designed to operate for up to 30 years without refuelling.

MUST READ: India’s nuclear energy

SOURCE: Economic Times

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

Q1.  In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA Safeguards” while others are not? (2020)

1. Some use Uranium and others use thorium.
2. Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies.
3. Some are operated by foreign enterprises and others are operated by domestic enterprises.
4. Some are State- owned and others are privately-owned.

Syllabus

•       Prelims: Economy

Context: Recently, the Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIB) approached Cyberabad police stating that hackers from Russia encrypted their data through ransomware attack and demanded bitcoins to undo the damage.

About the Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIB);

• TheInsurance Information Bureau of India (IIB), an independent body that maintains a repository of insurance-related information in the country.
• Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) was promoted by IRDA as a single platform to meet the needs of the insurance industry, in 2009.
• IIB is backed by a directive of IRDA, which in turn derives authority to obtain data from the insurers, as enunciated in Section 14 (2) (1) (e) of the IRDA Act, 1999.
• The [then] Honorable Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, formally inaugurated IIB in July 2010.
• IIB was registered as an independent nonprofit earning society on 21 November 2012 under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act 2001.
• IIB was mandated to be market neutral and provide independent and non-judgmental analysis to all stakeholders.
• The Bureau operates through its Insurance Domain Verticals Life, Health, Motor, Property/Fire/Engineering with dedicated support from IT and Analytics Verticals.
• The Bureau provides a bundle of services related to motor insurance to multiple stakeholders such as public, police, transport departments and insurers through its service package titled V- Seva.
• The services are call centre-, SMS- and web-based and provide information regarding insurance status of the vehicle, stolen vehicles, ownership of recovered vehicles, accident record etc.
• IIB also spearheads the Mortality and Morbidity Investigation Centre (MMIC) Operations with the support of Actuarial Oversight Committee and Operational Oversight Committee – Members have been nominated from the Life Insurance Industry.
• IIB handles the Central Index Server, which acts as a nodal point between different Insurance Repositories, and helps in de-duplication of demat accounts at the stage of creation of a new account.
• The Central Index Server also acts as an exchange for transmission/routing of information pertaining to transactions on each policy between an insurer and the insurance repository.
• The Bureau also maintains a Registry of all Hospitals in the network of Insurance (ROHINI). A portal on “Health Portability” for use of the Insurers is also under production stage.
• The Bureau has also been entrusted by IRDAI, the responsibility of building a repository of all Insurance Sales Persons. De-duplication is also facilitated to ensure that the Applicant is not engaged with any other insurer or insurer intermediary.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI);

• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), is a statutory body formed under an Act of Parliament, i.e., Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 (IRDAI Act 1999) for overall supervision and development of the Insurance sector in India.
• The powers and functions of the Authority are laid down in the IRDAI Act, 1999 and Insurance Act, 1938.
• The key objectives of the IRDAI include promotion of competition to enhance customer satisfaction through increased consumer choice and fair premiums, while ensuring the financial security of the Insurance market.
• Entities regulated by IRDAI:
• Life Insurance Companies – Both public and private sector Companies
• General Insurance Companies– Both public and private sector Companies. Among them, there are some standalone Health Insurance Companies that offer health Insurance policies.
• Re-Insurance Companies
• Agency Channel
• Intermediaries 

MUST READ:  Cyber Attacks (UPSC Mains – Cyber Attacks)

SOURCE:  Times of India

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

Q1. In India, under cyber insurance for individuals, which of the following benefits are generally covered, in addition to payment for the loss of funds and other benefits? (2020)

1. Cost of restoration of the computer system in case of malware disrupting access to one’s computer.
2. Cost of a new computer if some miscreant willfully damages it, if proved so.
3. Cost of hiring a specialized consultant to minimize the loss in case of cyber extortion.
4. Cost of defence in the Court of Law if any third party files a suit.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 4 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. The terms ‘WannaCry, Petya and EternalBlue’ sometimes mentioned in the news recently are related to

1. Exoplanets
2. Cryptocurrency
3. Cyber attacks
4. Mini satellites

Syllabus

•    Prelims – Defence Technology

Context: Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuratna reaches India after major refit in Russia.

About INS Sindhuratna;

• INS Sindhuratna (S59) (Jewel of the Sea) is a Sindhughosh-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy.
• Eight of the Navy’s diesel-electric submarines are Kilo class or Sindhughosh class from Russia, sourced between 1984 and 2000 and INS Sindhuratna is among the oldest Kilo-class submarines in the fleet.
• It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 1988.

Sindhughosh-class submarines;

• Sindhughosh-class submarines are Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines in active service with the Indian Navy.
• The Kilo Class is the NATO designation for a naval diesel-electric submarine made in Russia.
• The Kilo Class submarines are mainly intended for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters.
• The Kilo-class submarines have a displacement of 2,300 tonnes, a maximum diving depth of 300 metres and a top speed of 18 knots. They are able to operate solo for 45 days with a crew of over 50.

MUST READ: Project 75I

SOURCE: The Hindu

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q1. Which one of the following is the best description of ‘INS Astradharini’, that was in the news recently? (2016)

1. Amphibious warfare ship.
2. Nuclear-powered submarine.
3. Torpedo launch and recovery vessel.
4. Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Syllabus

•    Prelims – Governance

Context: The Union Minister for Ministry of Commerce and Industry inaugurated the two-day National Workshop on National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA).

About National e-Vidhan Application;

• “National eVidhan Application (NeVA)”, a Mission Mode Project for Digital Legislatures to make the functioning of all Legislative Houses in the country paperless.
• It has been developed on the theme of ‘One Nation – One Application’.
• NeVA is transforming all State Legislatures into ‘DIGITAL HOUSES’.
• It enables the legislatures to transact entire Government business on digital platform including information exchange with the State Government Departments in digital mode.
• The aim of the project is to bring all the legislatures of the country together, in one platform.
• Thereby creating a massive data depository without having the complexity of multiple applications.
• NeVA is a workflow system deployed on NIC Cloud, MeghRaj.
• It helps the Chair of the House to conduct the proceedings of the House smoothly and in a paperless manner.
• NeVA is a device neutral and member centric application created to equip them to handle diverse House Business smartly by putting entire information regarding
• member contact details
• rules of procedure
• list of business
• notices, bulletins and bills
• starred/unstarred questions and answers
• papers laid,
• Committee reports etc.
• NeVA will completely eliminate the process of sending out a notice/request for collection of data.
• The application hosts a secure page for each Member of the House for submitting questions & other notices.
• mNeVA is a user-friendly Mobile App of NeVA which is available on Android as well as on iOS.
• mNeVA has made information on the conduct of business in Legislatures accessible anytime, anywhere to everyone. 

MUST READ:  National E-governance Plan (NeGP) (UPSC Mains).

SOURCE: PIB.

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q.1. Which one of the following is a purpose of ‘UDAY’, a scheme of the Government? (2016)

1. Providing technical and financial assistance to start-up entrepreneurs in the field of renewable sources of energy.
2. Providing electricity to every household in the country by 2018.
3. Replacing the coal-based power plants with natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind and tidal power plants over a period of time.
4. Providing for financial turnaround and revival of power distribution companies.

Q.2. Consider the following:

1. Aarogya Setu.
2. CoWIN
3. DigiLocker
4. DIKSHA

Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms? (2022)

1. 1 and 2 only.
2. 2, 3 and 4 only.
3. 1, 3 and 4 only.
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Q3. Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of “Digital India” Plan of the Government of India? (2018)

1. Formation of India’s own Internet companies like China did.
2. Establish a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within our national geographical boundaries.
3. Connect many of our villages to the Internet and bring Wi-Fi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centres.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 and 2 only.
2. 3 only.
3. 2 and 3 only.
4. 1, 2 and 3.

Syllabus

• Prelims -Geography

Context:  Border Roads Organisation rescued over 70 people stranded at Baralacha La Pass.

About Baralacha La Pass;

• Bara-lacha la, also known as Bara-lacha Pass is a high mountain pass in Zanskar range.
• It is at an elevation of 4.890m (16,043ft) above the sea level, located in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, in India.
• It connects Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh, situated along the Leh–Manali Highway.
• The two headwaters of the Chenab River, Chandra and Bhaga, originate near the Baralacha Pass.
• The Bhaga River originates from Surya taal lake, which is situated a few of kilometres from the pass.
• The Chandra River originates from glacier in this region. The native name of Chenab, “Chandrabhaga”, represents the union of Chandra and Bhaga rivers downstream.

MUST READ: Atal Tunnel (UPSC Prelims)

SOURCE: The Print

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q1. Consider the following pairs: (2014)

            Hills                                    Region

1. Cardamom Hills.             Coromandel Coast.
2. Kaimur Hills.                    Konkan Coast.
3. Mahadeo Hills.                Central India.
4. Mikir Hills.                     North-East India.

Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?

1. 1 and 2.
2. 2 and 3.
3. 3 and 4.
4. 2 and 4.

Q2. Siachen Glacier is situated to the (2020)

1. East of Aksai Chin.
2. East of Leh.
3. North of Gilgit.
4. North of Nubra Valley.

Syllabus

• Prelims – International Events of Importance

Context: The 49th G7 summit was held from 19 to 21 May 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan.

About G7;

Image Source: BBC

• G7 stands for “Group of Seven” industrialized nations.
• This intergovernmental organisation was formed in
• The bloc meets annually to discuss issues of common interest like global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
• Headquarters: The G-7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.
• G-7 countries include United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.
• Members share common values like democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, free markets, and respect for international law.
• Origin: The G7 draws its roots from a meeting between the current G7 members, excluding Canada that took place in 1975. At the time, the global economy was in a state of recession due to the OPEC oil embargo. As the energy crisis was escalating, US decided that it would be beneficial for the large players on the world stage to coordinate with each other on macroeconomic initiatives.
• Nature of working: While G7 initially focused on international economic policy, in the 1980s, the G7 extended its mandate to include issues related to foreign policy and security as well. In recent years, G7 leaders have met to formulate common responses to challenges encompassing counterterrorism, development, education, health, human rights and climate change.

MUST READ: G7 (UPSC Mains)

SOURCE:  The Indian Express

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q1. In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20? (2020)

1. Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey.
2. Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand.
3. Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
4. Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

Q2. Which of the following is NOT a member of Gulf Cooperation Council? (2016)

1. Iran
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Oman
4. Kuwait

Syllabus

• GS 3: Environment and Conservation; Climate Change
• GS 1: Women and Climate change

Context: Climate change affects everyone, but its harshest consequences are felt by the most vulnerable i.e., women, children, and people from the sections of society who have almost no say in the decision-making process.

• In times of crisis, women are often left behind and face increased health and safety risks due to inadequate infrastructure and the unequal burden of domestic care.
• An intersectional lens that looks at the barriers and challenges faced by vulnerable populations is needed as we design adaptation and mitigation strategies to deal with the crisis.

“When there are more women in boardrooms and in high-level positions in institutions, you get decisions that are wiser… there is a tendency for women to be more collaborative… (Women) have the first duty of care of our newborn children and hence, biologically, we’re geared towards that stewardship. But it is just plain stupid, frankly, not to use 50 per cent of human potential.”

• The Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres

[Christiana Figueres successfully steered the global diplomatic effort that culminated in the 2015 Paris Agreement that made most of the world’s governments commit to limiting global temperature rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius]

Let us talk about Why Women Should Get to sit at the Decision-making Table:

1. Lack of Access: Women rely heavily on natural resources, yet face major obstacles in accessing them.

• In low and middle-income countries especially, women work harder to secure food, fodder, and water during extreme weather events, often leading to girls dropping out of school to support their mothers.
• If women in developing countries had the same access to resources as men, they could increase agricultural yields.
  • However, due to legal and cultural constraints, less than 20 per cent of landholders are women
  • With even fewer in North Africa and West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Women are also less likely to survive during crises due to long-standing inequalities vis-a-vis information-access and mobility creating a vicious cycle of vulnerability to future disasters.

1. Health Concerns: Climate disasters worsen women’s health by limiting access to healthcare and increasing risks related to maternal and child health.

• Emergent research reveals that women are more likely to experience deaths from heatwaves in France, China, and India, and from tropical cyclones in Bangladesh and the Philippines.
• According to the UN, 60 per cent of the world’s hungry and malnourished are women.
• The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that climate change could lead to an additional 1.2 million stunted children by 2050.
• Girls are expected to be disproportionately affected due to gender disparities in access to food, health care, and education.
• Extreme heat increases the incidences of stillbirth
• The rampant spread of vector-borne diseases worsens maternal and neonatal outcomes.
• Therefore, to ensure effective and equitable solutions to climate change, it’s essential to recognize the disproportionate impact on women and provide them with a seat at the decision-making table.

1. Women as Farmers have proved their excellence repeatedly:

• Women farmers play an important role in the protection of environment and biodiversity as well as in taking care of the health and nutrition needs of their families.
• Therefore, it is important for women’s voices to be included, and those from indigenous communities who have practical experience of living in harmony with nature.
• However, women are not in decision-making positions as they have limited land-owning rights and almost no financial resources.

1. The challenge of excluding women from Wildlife Conservation: The connections between gender and wildlife use are diverse and depend on particular economic, cultural and ethnic contexts. However, women may not participate in conservation activities either because they are excluded from doing so by vested interests or because they do not feel empowered to speak out in their cultural contexts. This lack of understanding is highly problematic for conservation projects.

In addition, women’s productive and reproductive unpaid work and their participation in decision-making have a direct impact in wildlife use by:

• Making male labour available to hunt or fish at times when seasonal demand for labour in agriculture peaks
• Reducing monetary cost of family reproduction, generating alternative sources of income, and supporting food production, all of which might reduce pressure on wildlife.

Women’s particular roles and responsibilities within the household, community, and society lead women to develop unique knowledge related to biodiversity, shaped by their specific needs and priorities. They are thereby in a unique position to bring different perspectives and new solutions to addressing biodiversity concerns.

1. Women and Leadership Position: Unfortunately, women continue to face barriers that impede their advancement into leadership positions. However, when women are involved in decision-making, it positively affects the environment.

• Countries with higher female representation in parliament are more likely to endorse international environmental agreements, and have more stringent climate policies.
• At workplaces too, women’s leadership has shown a positive correlation with greater transparency regarding environmental footprints and disclosure of emissions.

Successful Cases-in-Point

Women have played a major role in the conservation of agrobiodiversity.

• The Equator initiative award was won by Komala Pujari in 2003, a tribal woman from Odisha, for conserving local land races of paddy and getting farmers in Jeypore in Koraput district to shift to natural farming methods.

The Way Forward: It is not just about Gender Equality anymore!

A gender-intentional response to the climate crisis will result in sustainable economic growth, taking care of climate spillovers. However, elevating women leaders is not just about gender equality.

What is it exactly then?

• It is about deploying our full resources to an urgent crisis.
• In addition, we must also invest in infrastructure that is sensitive to gender concerns to cope with the climate crisis.
• At the workplace particularly, women’s leadership has shown a positive correlation with increased transparency regarding environmental footprints and the disclosure of emissions.
• One-fifth of major corporations have pledged to go net-zero by 2050 but do not proactively include women at the board level.

Measures are necessary to increase the representation of women in decision-making roles related to biodiversity and environmental governance at all levels.

• We need to mitigate both cultural and logistical barriers to allow women to voice their needs, knowledge, priorities, and solutions in relation to sustainable development – at the same level as men.
  • We need to spread awareness among women and girls of proposed biodiversity-related actions that affect them.
  • We must build their knowledge about their rights and about their options for contributing to shaping those actions.
• Equal rights and access to ownership and control over land are also critically important for women across the world, as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (targets 1.4, 2.3, 5.a).
• Provide more learning opportunities for girls to support their future participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related jobs.
  • The IPCC reports call for a faster shift to renewable energy, which can only happen with women’s skills, participation, and leadership in the energy transition.
  • This will require handholding support apart from creating an education system that provides opportunities to willing women to choose careers in STEM fields.
  • An education regime encouraging women in STEM will help in creating a sizeable number of women leaders, managers, engineers, and technical workforce in green jobs associated with renewable energy solutions.
• Among the actions with the most significant potential for reducing land-use emissions are reduced deforestation and forest degradation, a shift to plant-based diets, and reduced food and agricultural waste.
  • Some of the solutions with the most significant potential for CO2 removal are afforestation and sequestration of soil carbon in croplands and grasslands.
  • These are all actions where women play a critical role, including influencing shifting diets and participating in community-led nature-based solutions such as afforestation or mangrove restoration.
  • Women’s involvement in nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation offers a cost-effective way of protecting, sustainably managing, and restoring ecosystems.
  • With women leading these efforts, we stand a chance to address societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty and inequality.
• To support these actions, we need to scale up climate financing for women.
  • Women have less access to financial resources to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
  • For example, restrictions on women’s land ownership mean that many women do not have access to productive land to farm.
  • A lack of financial capital and access to technologies means they cannot quickly diversify their livelihoods.
  • If women are disproportionately affected by climate change, then resources need to prioritize strengthening their resilience.
• We also have to ignite the full engagement and support of men and boys to enable empowered participation of women and girls in biodiversity conservation. It is critical that men and boys understand and support measures for women’s empowerment, to ensure that these measures will be accepted in the community.

Climate experts say we are at the tipping point, but through women’s leadership in climate action, we might be able to tip the scales in our favor. An inclusive approach would also contribute to addressing the root causes of inequalities, through creating awareness and promoting long-term beneficial action.

SOURCE: Indian Express

Q1. With reference to ordinance making power of president, consider the following statements:

1. Ordinances have the same force and effect as an Act of Parliament.
2. The ordinance can only be promulgated on those subjects on which Parliament is empowered to legislate.
3. Every ordinance issued must be laid before both the Houses of Parliament within six months from the reassembly of Parliament.
4. The Ordinances may have retrospective effect and may modify or repeal any act of parliament or other ordinances.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1and 2 only
2. 1,2 and 4 only
3. 2,3 and 4 only
4. 1,2,3 and 4

Q2. With reference to World Health Assembly, Consider the following statements:

1. The World Health Assembly is the main decision-making body of WHO.
2. World Health Assembly has the authority to adopt conventions or agreements on any matter within WHO’s competence.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Q3. In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G7?

1. Canada, Italy, Germany and France.
2. Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand.
3. China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea.
4. Russia, China, Japan and United States

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’ 25th May 2023 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – c

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – d