10 Aug 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Govt. delaying Collegium recommendations, says SC
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. PM sets out framework for maritime security
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. IPCC report forecasts a future of severe weather
ECONOMY
1. Rs. 11,000 crore for self-sufficiency in edible oil production: PM
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. A circular economy for plastic
SOCIAL ISSUES
1. Misinformation through a feminist lens
F. Prelims Facts
1. Tribals in Rajasthan seek more panchayats in scheduled areas
G. Tidbits
1. ‘India mulls sharp cuts in EV levies after Tesla push’
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

C. GS 3 Related

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. IPCC report forecasts a future of severe weather

Context:

• “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis”- Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Details:

• The report notes with concern about earth heading towards a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times by the 2030s itself. The report predicts that based on existing climate action commitments by countries, the world is on track for global temperature warming by at least 2.7°C by 2100.
  • The 2015 Paris Climate agreement had sought to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels by the turn of the century and endeavouring to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The report unequivocally attributes climate change to unsustainable human activities.
• The report points to the dwindling of Arctic Sea ice, permafrost thaw, shrinking of glaciers as physical evidence of the ongoing global warming.

Concerns:

• The report warns that this degree of global warming will give rise to some irreversible effects and will only accelerate sea-level rise and worsen extremes such as heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms.
• A high degree of global warming will accelerate climate change and this would have a severe impact on lives, livelihoods and natural habitats.

Observations and forecasts relevant to India:

Rainfall pattern:

• Global warming is likely to lead to an increase in annual mean precipitation over India, with more severe rain expected over southern India in the coming decades. Models also indicate a lengthening of the monsoon over India by the end of the 21st century.
• The interannual variability of the summer monsoon is likely to increase. The monsoon extremes are likely to increase over India and South Asia and the frequency of short intense rainy days are expected to rise.

For more related information, refer to the following article:

UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 28th July 2021

• This increases the threat of flooding in India.

Sea level rise:

• The Indian Ocean is warming at a higher rate than other oceans. The warming of the ocean would lead to a rise in sea levels. Relative sea-level around Asia increased faster than the global average.
• The sea-level rise would give rise to challenges such as more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-level areas, coastal area loss and shoreline retreat.
  • With a long coastline of about 7,517-km, India would face significant threats from the rising seas. Across the port cities of Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Surat and Visakhapatnam, 28.6 million people would be exposed to coastal flooding if sea levels rise by 50 cm.

Impact on mountainous region:

• The report predicts that the glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region will keep shrinking and the snow cover will retreat to higher altitudes.
  • Notably, the Karakoram glaciers had either slightly gained mass or were in an approximately balanced state.
• Glacier run-off in the high mountains will increase up to the mid-21^st century and subsequently run-off may decrease due to the loss of glacier storage.
• Extreme precipitation is projected to increase in major mountainous regions with potential cascading consequences of floods, landslides and glacial lake outbursts.

Heat extremes:

• Heatwaves and humid heat stress will become more intense and frequent during the 21^st century.

Cyclones:

• Tropical cyclones will grow stronger and wetter due to global warming.

For more related information on this issue, refer to the following article:

UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 19th May 2021

• This will pose a major challenge to India given its vulnerability to cyclones along both the Bay of Bengal coastline and the Arabian sea coastline.

India’s stand on the issue of climate action:

• India is currently the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, but per capita emissions are much lower.
• India has been supportive of climate action. India has been taking a lot of measures to reduce GHG emissions.
• India has been vocal about climate action based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities. India’s argument has been that developed countries have used up far more than their fair share of the global carbon budget and hence reaching net-zero alone is not enough, as it is the cumulative emissions up to net-zero that determine the temperature that is reached. On these lines, India has not yet committed to a net-zero emission timeline.
• India’s nationally determined contribution is to reduce not absolute emissions but the emission intensity of our economy.

Recommendations:

• Every country, government, business and individual must embrace the responsibility to keep the goal of 1.5 degrees celsius.
• The report recommended deep emission cuts and has asked countries to strive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
• The latest scientific assessment must influence discussions at the Conference of Parties (COP26) meeting in Glasgow scheduled later this year and give rise to more climate action from all stakeholders.

For more related information, refer to the following article:

UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 25th July 2021

Recommendations:

• Developed countries with legacy emissions need to effect deep emission cuts. Developing nations should also commit themselves to steeper emissions cuts based on the promise of support from developed countries.
• The developing countries should be supported adequately in their climate action endeavours in the form of easy access to low carbon technologies through technology transfer and adequate funding for mitigation and adaptation.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

F. Prelims Facts

1. Tribals in Rajasthan seek more panchayats in scheduled areas

Fifth Schedule areas:

• The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration and control of Scheduled Areas as well as of Scheduled Tribes residing in any State other than the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• At present, 10 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana have Fifth Schedule Areas.
• Tribal habitations in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir have not been brought under the Fifth or Sixth Schedule.
• As per Article 244(1) of the Indian Constitution, Scheduled Areas means such areas as the President may by order declare to be Scheduled Areas.

Criteria:

• The criteria followed for declaring an area as Scheduled Area are:
  • Preponderance of tribal population;
  • Compactness and reasonable size of the area;
  • Under-developed nature of the area; and
  • Marked disparity in economic standard of the people.

Special Provisions for Fifth Schedule Areas:

• The Governor of each State having Scheduled Areas shall annually, or whenever so required by the President, make a report to the President regarding the administration of Scheduled Areas in that State.
• The Union Government shall have executive powers to give directions to the States as to the administration of the Scheduled Areas.
• The Constitution provides for the establishment of a Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) in any State having Scheduled Areas. The TAC would consist of not more than twenty members of whom, three-fourths shall be the representatives of the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly of the State. The TAC shall advise on such matters pertaining to the welfare and the advancement of the STs in the State as may be referred to them by the Governor.
• The Governor may direct that any particular Act of Parliament or of the Legislature of the State shall or shall not apply to a Scheduled Area or any part thereof in the State, subject to such exceptions and modifications, as specified.
• The Governor may make regulations like –
  • prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by or among members of the Scheduled Tribes in such area;
  • regulate the allotment of land to members of the STs in such area;
  • regulate the carrying on of business as money-lender by persons who lend money to members of the STs in such area.

Context:

• On the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, tribal outfits in Rajasthan have demanded the inclusion of over 165 village panchayats of seven districts in the scheduled areas under the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP).
• The demand is based on the fact that the population of Scheduled Tribes in these panchayats had crossed 50%, making them eligible to be declared as scheduled areas.
• This they claim would facilitate the control of local communities over minor minerals and minor forest produce as well as development activities in the region while also ensuring statutory protection of the tribal population.

G. Tidbits

1. ‘India mulls sharp cuts in EV levies after Tesla push’

• As per senior government officials, India is considering reducing import duties on electric cars based on the value of the imported EVs.
• The slashing of import duties would be done balancing the concerns of the domestic players and it would be dependent upon global EV companies providing some benefit to the domestic economy in the form of commitments to take up local manufacturing in the times to come.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. The grouping “extended troika” is seen in news in which of the following contexts?

1. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.
2. Afghanistan peace process.
3. The Israeli–Palestinian peace process.
4. Abraham Accords.

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Extended troika consisting of Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan is scheduled to meet soon in Doha on the Afghanistan peace process.

Q2. Consider the following statements:

1. The territorial sea extends seaward up to 12 nautical miles from its baselines and includes not only the surface but also the airspace.
2. Only civilian foreign ships are allowed innocent passage through the territorial waters.
3. The U.S. has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• As per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the sovereignty of a coastal State extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea.
• The territorial sea extends seaward up to 12 nautical miles from its baselines and includes not only the surface but also the airspace over the territorial sea as well as to its bed and subsoil.
• As per the UNCLOS, all ships, including warships, regardless of cargo, armament or means of propulsion, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
• Foreign ships exercising the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea shall comply with all such laws and regulations and all generally accepted international regulations relating to the prevention of collisions at sea and in a manner not prejudicial to its peace, good order, or security.
• The U.S. has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Q3. Marburg virus belongs to which of the following categories?

1. Coronaviruses
2. Togaviruses
3. Paramyxoviruses
4. Filoviruses

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• Marburg virus is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the Filoviridae family of viruses.
• Marburg virus causes Marburg virus disease in humans and other primates, a form of viral hemorrhagic fever.

Q4. Consider the following statements with respect to ISHAAN UDAY Scheme:

1. It is a scheme launched for the financial turnaround of the Power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) owned by the North-Eastern states.
2. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission has taken special interest with regard to the promotion of higher education in the NER.
• For improving the GER, promoting higher education and encouraging children belonging to the economically weaker sections of the NE region, the UGC has launched the “Ishaan Uday” Special Scholarship Scheme for North Eastern Region.
• Only first-year undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Q5. Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora 
in Commerce (TRAFFIC):

1. TRAFFIC is a bureau under United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2. The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

Which of the above statements is/are correct? [UPSC 2017]

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• TRAFFIC is a leading NGO working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• Established in 1976 by IUCN and WWF to respond to the growing threats posed by unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, TRAFFIC plays a leading role as a global wildlife trade specialist.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. The IPCC’s new findings provide powerful evidence and potential indicators of climate change that are inevitable and irreversible. Discuss the strategies for mitigation of climate change. (15 Marks, 250 Words)[GS-3, Environment and Ecology]
2. Sexism and misinformation intimidate women from taking vocal stands and are antithetical to a progressive society. Elaborate. (10 Marks, 150 Words)[GS-1, Social issues]