August 27th, 2021, CNA:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related C. GS 3 Related ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 1. Punjab govt. to give incentives to industries for using stubble 2. Sambhar Lake needs faster restoration, says expert study INTERNAL SECURITY 1. JeM planning attacks, say reports D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Finding India’s voice on Afghanistan POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. Covering the gaps in the game of data ECONOMY 1. Risks and rewards ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 1. The clean-up crew we need F. Prelims Facts 1. ‘Strong buffers will help banks tackle asset risks’ G. Tidbits 1. Indian firm to build a bridge in the Maldives H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
C. GS 3 Related
Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. Punjab govt. to give incentives to industries for using stubble
Context:
- The state government has come up with a slew of incentives to promote alternate uses of paddy straw.
Background:
Stubble burning:
- Farmers in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana have been indulging in stubble burning as an agricultural practice over the years. However, its increasing influence in the air pollution observed during the winter months in the Northern plains region in general and the National Capital Region of Delhi, in particular, has resulted in enhanced focus on the practice of stubble burning.
- Stubble burning is mainly observed during the October to November season. Read more on stubble burning in the link.
Reasons for increasing reliance on stubble burning practice:
- Stubble burning has become a quick, cheap and efficient way to prepare soil bed for wheat, the next crop.
Unsuitability as an animal fodder:
- Unlike other crop residues, paddy residue (except for basmati variety) are harder to chew, has low calorific value and high silica content, all of which make it unsuitable for use as animal fodder.
Short gap between the two crop seasons:
- Another major factor is that Punjab and Haryana both enacted laws to protect their rapidly shrinking groundwater level by forcing farmers to delay sowing and transplantation of paddy from May to June. The delayed sowing led to delayed harvesting and left very little time to ready soil bed for sowing wheat, forcing farmers to burn paddy residue in the field as burning offers a cheaper and quicker method to get rid of the residue as compared to the manual clearing of the field.
Mechanized harvesting:
- There has been increased cultivation of paddy in the region and mechanised harvesting leaves taller and massive crop residue as against manual harvesting, which cuts crop close to the ground and leaves much less residue.
- Paddy is cultivated in 31.49 lakh hectare area (2020) in Punjab, resulting in the generation of about 20 million tons of paddy straw.
- This results in a larger amount of crop residue which would require a longer amount of time to decay. The farmers cannot afford to wait for such periods and need to clear the field of the crop residue for the next crop season.
Details:
- In an effort to check the stubble burning menace during the paddy season, the Punjab government has come up with a series of incentives for industries.
Fiscal:
- The government would permit certain categories of industries like sugar mills, pulp and paper mills among others to install paddy-straw-fired boilers to claim fiscal incentives. A cumulative amount of ₹25 crore would be provided as fiscal incentives to the first 50 existing industries on a ‘first come first serve’ basis.
Non-Fiscal:
- The government would ensure industries availability of ‘Panchayat’ land for storage of paddy straw with a lease agreement of up to 33 years.
- Also, balers would be made available on priority in areas where paddy straw is used as fuel in boilers.
Significance:
- The new incentives announced by the Punjab state government would help in tackling the challenge of managing crop residue during the harvest season of Kharif crops. This would invariably help control the menace of stubble burning.
- This would, apart from tackling the air pollution problem in and around Delhi and avoid its major health effects, will also help in conserving the fertility of the soil and saving the beneficial micro-organisms which would in other ways be killed by the fires.
Other recommendations to tackle stubble burning:
- Promotion of short-duration crops, like basmati which has a maturity period of 85-90 days, instead of 110-120 days for non-basmati ones.
- Diversifying cropping pattern to move away from the traditional paddy-wheat combination.
- Composting of stubble. Example: The liquid decomposer solution developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) at Pusa.
- Adoption of various techniques and equipment to avoid stubble burning like direct seeding of wheat without removing paddy stubble by using Happy Seeders and cutting and mixing paddy stubble with soil using Rotavators and Mulchers.
- Encourage alternate use of paddy stubble like its use in making paper and packing materials, generating energy (or using in cement plant) and making composts.
2. Sambhar Lake needs faster restoration, says expert study
Context:
- The study undertaken by the Central University of Rajasthan’s School of Earth Sciences on the ecology of the Sambhar lake.
Sambhar Lake:
- The world-famous Sambhar Salt Lake is located in the state of Rajasthan about 80 km southwest of Jaipur.
- The Sambhar Lake is the country’s largest inland saline water body.
- Sambhar Lake is a wetland of ‘international importance’ under the Ramsar Convention.
- The lake is known for being a habitat for a large number of migratory species during the winter season. It includes species like flamingoes, pelicans and waterfowls among others.
Details:
- The study notes a reduction in the wetland area of the lake. The lake has been shrinking with the degradation of soil and water quality. This is said to be contributing to a decline in the population of migratory birds to the lake.
- The study notes an increase in settlement, vegetation cover, salt pan encroachments and barren land around the lake.
Threats:
Mining menace:
- Almost 30% of Sambhar Lake’s area has been lost to mining and other activities, including the illegal salt pan encroachments. This has been leading to a shrinking wetland.
- Sambhar is being choked by illegal salt extraction. The proliferating salt pans and illegal borewells have been causing a massive degradation of the lake ecosystem.
Drying up of the seasonal rivers:
- Sambhar Lake is totally dependent on the seasonal rivers that flow into it during the monsoon. But now this water is being sucked away before it reaches the lake, causing it to dry up.
- The lake receives water from about six rivers, namely Samaod, Khari, Mantha, Khandela, Medtha, and Roopangarh.
- The farmers in the upper catchment area of the lake have built surface embankments across the rivers, obstructing their downstream flow into the lake. They have sunk tubewells along the rivers and laid pipelines to transport water to their fields, choking the rivers and ultimately threatening the wetland ecosystem.
Concerns:
Environmental impact:
- The degradation of the wetland ecosystem will have a marked impact on the migratory birds and biodiversity of the region.
- In 2019, more than 20,000 migratory birds foraging in the Sambhar marshlands had died due to avian botulism.
- The environmental impact does not augur well for the human settlements in the region in terms of food and water security.
Economic impact:
- The degradation of the ecosystem threatens the livelihoods of local people who have always lived in harmony with the lake and its ecology.
- The salt brine-based industry is estimated to be around $300 million.
Conclusion:
- There is a need for urgent action to restore the lake’s ecosystem for protecting the birds and biodiversity as well as the salt production.
1. JeM planning attacks, say reports
Context:
- Security threat to India in the light of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Details:
Anti-India terror organizations:
- As per the intelligence gathered by Indian security agencies, nearly 100 members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have rejoined the banned terror outfit after being released from Afghan prisons by the Taliban.
- JeM was proscribed by the United Nations Security Council on October 17, 2001, for its deep links with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, in terms of financing, supplying weapons, planning and facilitating terror attacks by them.
- The recent developments in Afghanistan seem to have emboldened the outfit and it is planning to carry out fresh attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.
Destabilization of Pakistan:
- There is the threat of the rise of the Taliban leading to destabilisation in Pakistan and this could possibly lead to the acquisition of nuclear weapons by terror organizations.
China-Taliban ties:
- China is seeking to fill the power vacuum left by the withdrawal of the U.S. from Afghanistan by increasing its ties to the Taliban. The evolving axis between China, Pakistan and Taliban controlled Afghanistan carries geopolitical and strategic consequences that will reverberate for decades and this does not augur well for India’s security interests.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Finding India’s voice on Afghanistan
The article talks about the need for India to leverage its unique strengths and remain engaged with Afghanistan.
Context:
- In the chaos that has followed the Taliban takeover of Kabul, India has been relatively silent.
- At the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council, India has expressed its worries about terrorism, human rights and refugees, but has not mentioned the Taliban itself even once.
- In India, the Government appears to be silent, as thousands of Afghans are fighting for visas.
- The focus is on the task of bringing a few hundred Indian nationals back from Afghanistan.
India’s Role in Afghanistan in the Past:
- In the last 20 years, India had been at the forefront of discussions in Afghanistan and on Afghanistan.
- India’s role had strengthened in three areas:
- Infrastructure building and development assistance, encompassing all 34 provinces of the country;
- Building democracy, helping script the Constitution and hold elections;
- Educational investment, allowing thousands of young Afghans to study, be trained as professionals and soldiers, and become skilled in India.
- India was the first country that Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership with.
- India is the only country that undertook ambitious projects such as the Afghan Parliament, the Zaranj-Delaram Highway, and the Chabahar port project in Iran for transit trade, and by far the one country that polled consistently highly among countries that Afghan people trusted.
India’s Role in Afghanistan in the Recent Past:
- No other power from the west to the east has considered India’s interests while charting its course on Afghanistan.
- India was cut out of several quadrilateral arrangements:
- the main negotiations held by the “Troika plus” of the United States-Russia-China-Pakistan that pushed for an inclusive government including the Taliban.
- the alternative grouping of Russia-Iran-China-Pakistan that formed a “regional arc” (countries that have retained their embassies in Kabul).
- the connectivity quadrilaterals formed by the U.S. and China, respectively, with Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan, that depend heavily on Taliban protection and Pakistani port access.
- Neither India’s traditional strategic and defence partner Russia, nor its fastest-growing global strategic partner, the United States, thought it important to include India in the details of their negotiations with the Taliban leadership.
Way Forward:
- It is time to accept that India is in need of a new diplomatic strategy.
- It is necessary for the Indian government to publicly decry an outcome that has clearly worked against India’s interests now.
- India needs to begin by rallying the United Nations, to exert considerable influence in its own interest, and that of the Afghan republic.
- At the UNSC, India must assert its distaste of a Taliban-run Afghanistan that seeks to reverse the gains of the past two decades.
- India must take a leading role in the debate over who will be nominated to the Afghan seat at the UN.
- As Chairman of the Taliban Sanctions Committee (or the 1988 Sanctions Committee), India must use its muscle to ensure terrorists such as Sirajuddin Haqqani and other members of the Haqqani group responsible for brutal suicide bombings on Indian embassies and consulates must not be given any exemptions: on travel, recourse to funds or arms.
- The government must determine the nature of its engagement with the new regime in Afghanistan.
- The question would be whether India should convert its secretive back-channel talks with the Taliban and with Pakistan in the past few months into something more substantive.
- A more broad-based and consultative process of engaging all political parties would be required.
- While not directly dealing with the Taliban, India must ensure stronger communication with those who are dealing directly, including leaders, such as former Afghanistan President and former High Council for National Reconciliation chief Abdullah Abdullah, who have lived in India and retain close links, to ensure its interests.
Conclusion:
India now faces a threat umbrella to its north, including Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism, Afghanistan’s new regime and China’s aggression at the Line of Actual Control. Regardless of the horrific developments in Afghanistan, domestic political considerations in India and geopolitical sensitivities, the government must consider all its options in remaining engaged with Afghanistan for its future.
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Covering the gaps in the game of data
The article talks about the role of data in policymaking and the need for states to build their own quality databases, the importance of decentralisation in fulfilling the statistical/data vacuum in India.
Importance of Data:
- Publishing accurate data and facts about various social, political and economic indications of the country is important for the effective working of a democracy. It is also an example of good governance.
- It holds the government accountable for its actions while giving a clear picture of ground realities, which in turn will help in policymaking.
- Right to Information is very crucial for any democracy and inadequacy of data hampers the very idea of democracy.
Data Politics:
- The inclination towards evidence-based policymaking or evidence-based budgeting by governments points to the gathering of large, granular level data about citizens by States.
- Data-based policymaking or budgeting is meant to facilitate the use of evidence to inform programmatic funding decisions. The goal is to further invest in what works to improve outcomes for citizens.
- Data-based decisions can redress inter and intra-district inequalities through targeted resource allocations.
- States collect enormous amounts of administrative data. However, these administrative data are often not validated.
- However, data-based governance needs the existence of reliable, rigorous and validated data with or without demonstrated impact or outcomes.
- If governance decisions are to be data-centric, there is a need to ensure a good, robust and reliable database.
Issue:
- The government has no data on many important issues.
- For instance, the government does not have data on the deaths of migrant workers during the lockdown or the deaths due to lack of oxygen during the second wave of Covid-19.
- On the economic loss caused due to Internet shutdowns, in which India has the world record for the most by any democracy, the Government had no information.
- Similar data ambiguities exist at the state government levels too.
- We live in a data-driven world. While on the one hand, there is a move towards data-based governance and decision-making, on the other, there are concerns about the statistical vacuum due to a number of national statistical bases getting eroded either through delays or data suppression.
Way Forward:
- While there is a critical need to link the databases of various departments, it is not easy as territorial jurisdictions and household-level identifiers are likely to vary from department to department.
- There is a need to bring some mechanism to homogenise these various data sets with a single identifier.
- More importantly, there is a need to validate these data sets through urban local bodies and rural local bodies.
- Accurate collection, measurement and interpretation of data are critical for data-based decision making to be successful.
- However, this is filled with challenges for as much as data is used, it also gets misused, abused or even manipulated.
Conclusion:
There is a need for decentralised systems of data collection processes, with States building their own databases. This requires States to invest heavily in both human and technical infrastructure with built-in quality control measures.
Category: ECONOMY
Context:
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs recently launched the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) for Central ministries and public sector entities.
Read more on this topic covered in Aug 24th, 2021 CNA.
Details:
- The Government estimates the infrastructure assets — airports, coal mines, highway stretches, even urban tracts, stadia and hotels — to fetch around ₹5.96-lakh crore through structured leasing and securitisation transactions.
Image source: PIB
- This, in turn, could help fund the National Infrastructure Pipeline with new projects worth ₹100-lakh crore.
- It is different from the new public sector disinvestment policy in a way that NMP does not include the change of ownership.
- These assets or the land therein will not be sold but private players will be asked to pay for operation and management rights and expected to modernise assets that are either languishing or are simply under-utilised.
Challenges:
- India’s institutional capacity for the NMP would have been more mature if the Government had implemented its 2014 Budget promise to set up an apex body to devise new PPP models.
- While the Government is yet to complete a single PSU sale as a part of its strategic disinvestment plan, the monetisation deals also face the risks of adverse audit paras (questioning by audit authorities) about valuations and processes.
- Post-transaction troubles in outright sales can be of a limited nature. But, with proposed concession periods running up to 60 years for some assets, NMP deals could pose issues in the long-term if they are not structured with end-user interests in mind, balancing the profit and utility motives.
- Just like disinvestment deals during a downturn could crowd out new investments and risk the tag of fire sales, revenue projections for PPP assets could be deflated now leading to lower bids followed by super-normal gains for the operator in the future.
Way Forward:
- An infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) structure has already been used by the PowerGrid Corporation to raise funds against its transmission lines network and could be used for highways, gas pipelines and railway tracks, including the Dedicated Freight Corridor.
- For ports, mining, railway stations, concession agreements laying out the contours for a PPP are proposed.
- The sharing of risk and rewards between the public and private partners needs to be weighed carefully for each sector.
- Checks and balances are needed for actual infrastructure usage versus projections at the time of bidding.
- Getting into the details is critical for this grand plan.
Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
The article talks about the role of Vultures in the control of disease outbreaks in addition to keeping the environment free of carcasses.
Concern:
- India lost more than 95% of its vulture population through the 1990s and by the mid-2000s.
- Today, the country requires urgent conservation efforts to save vultures from becoming extinct.
Vultures:
- Vultures belong to the Accipitridae family whose members include eagles, hawks and kites.
- They have an average lifespan of 10-30 years in the wild.
- Vultures are slow breeders and so the survival of every individual is very crucial.
- Vultures don’t have a voice box. They communicate via grunts and hisses.
- Their powerful bills and long slender necks are designed to help them tear off the meat chunks from inside the carcass.
- Unlike other raptors, vultures have weak legs and claws.
- Vultures have a highly acidic stomach that helps them digest rotting carcasses and kill disease-causing bacteria.
Importance of Vultures in an Ecosystem:
- Vultures are very important scavengers in the ecosystem. They are often misunderstood as a source of diseases.
- Although they feast on the decaying flesh of dead animals almost exclusively, they are sometimes capable of preying on extremely sick, wounded, or infirm creatures if there is no food around.
- Removing vultures from the ecosystem leads to inefficient clearing of carcasses and contaminates water systems.
- If dead animals are left to rot for long durations, it may give rise to disease-causing pathogens. The animals that consume such flesh become further carriers of disease.
- Very few animals/birds can ingest rotting carcasses. Vultures are such birds. Thus, they play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
Reasons for Decline in Vulture Population:
- India has nine species of vultures. Many are critically endangered.
- The main reason for the decline in the vulture population is the use of the drug, diclofenac.
- Diclofenac, which relieves cattle of pain, is toxic to vultures even in small doses and causes kidney failure and death.
- Myths about the medicinal healing powers of vultures’ body parts have led to the hunting of vultures.
- Quarrying and blasting of stones where vultures nest have also caused their decline.
- Studies show that while the vulture population has declined, the wild dog population has increased. The health hazards associated with wild dogs are well known.
Steps to increase numbers:
- India banned diclofenac for veterinary use in 2006.
- Five States are to get vulture breeding centres under the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation for 2020-2025, approved in 2020.
- Setting up rescue centres for treating vultures is a part of the Plan.
- Vulture ‘restaurants’ are also a way of preserving the population.
- In these ‘restaurants’, diclofenac-free carcasses of cattle are dumped in designated areas where vultures gather to feed.
These measures have slowly started making a positive impact, but there is still a long way to go. It is important to spread awareness about the importance of vultures in our ecosystem. Awareness and action must go hand in hand.
F. Prelims Facts
1. ‘Strong buffers will help banks tackle asset risks’
Emergency credit linked guarantee scheme (ECLGS):
- This scheme was launched by the Government of India as a special scheme in view of the COVID-19 crisis.
- It provides 100% guarantee coverage to banks and NBFCs to enable them to extend emergency credit facilities to business enterprises/MSMEs to meet their additional term loan/additional working capital requirements.
Context:
- Moody’s Investors Services said a report on Indian banks has noted the effectiveness of government initiative, emergency credit linked guarantee scheme (ECLGS) in providing liquidity for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
G. Tidbits
1. Indian firm to build a bridge in the Maldives
- The contract for the largest-ever infrastructure project in the Maldives, Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) was signed between the Maldivian government and Indian construction giant AFCONS.
- The Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) will consist of a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link between Male and the nearby islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.
- The project is funded by a grant of $100 million and a line of credit of $400 million from India.
- The project is being described as an enduring tribute to the strong Maldives-India partnership.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Right to privacy includes which of the following rights?
- Right to be left alone
- Right to be forgotten
- Freedom of Silence
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- The right to be left alone and the right to be forgotten are components of the right to privacy.
- The right to silence/freedom of silence is a legal principle that guarantees any individual the right to refuse to answer questions from law enforcement officers or court officials. This can be the right to avoid self-incrimination or the right to remain silent when questioned. Art 20(3) of the Indian Constitution provides the right against self-incrimination. It gives the accused the right to remain silent even during interrogation.
Q2. With reference to Sambhar Lake, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- It is India’s largest inland salt lake in Rajasthan.
- It is surrounded by the Aravali hills on all sides.
- Sambhar has been designated as a Ramsar site.
Options:
- 1 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- The world-famous Sambhar Salt Lake is located in the state of Rajasthan about 80 km southwest of Jaipur.
- The Sambhar Lake is the country’s largest inland saline water body.
- It is surrounded by the Aravali hills on all sides.
- Sambhar Lake is a wetland of ‘international importance’ under the Ramsar Convention.
- The lake is known for being a habitat for a large number of migratory species during the winter season. It includes species like flamingoes, pelicans and waterfowls among others.
Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to Universal Postal Union:
- It is a United Nations specialized agency.
- It was established by the Treaty of Rome.
- It is the oldest international organization worldwide.
- Its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2, 3 and 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- The Universal Postal Union is a United Nations specialized agency and the postal sector’s primary forum for international cooperation.
- It was established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874.
- UPU’s headquarters is located in Bern, Switzerland.
- The International Telecommunication Union (founded in 1865) is the first and oldest international organization—being established employing a treaty, and creating a permanent secretariat, with global membership.
Q4. Which of the following statements is/are right about Drone Rules 2021?
- The total number of forms that were to be filled has been reduced.
- The government has done away with the need for a security clearance prior to the issuance of a registration or licence.
- Foreign ownership has been discontinued.
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- With a view to provide an impetus to the drone industry in India, the government has tried to simplify provisions related to drone manufacturing and operation in India. The recently published Drone Rules, 2021 introduces the following changes with the aim of facilitating a business-friendly regulatory regime.
- The total number of forms that were to be filled has been reduced.
- The need for a security clearance prior to issuance of a registration or licence has been done away with.
- Foreign ownership of Indian drone related firms has been allowed.
Q5. What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858)?
- To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States.
- To place the Indian administration under the British Crown.
- To regulate East India Company’s trade with India.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- On November 1, 1858, Lord Canning announced Queen Victoria’s proclamation to “the Princes, Chiefs and Peoples of India,” which unveiled the future policy of the British Rule in India.
- It announced that the queen had assumed the government of India and henceforth the Indian administration would be under the British crown.
- In the wake of the Indian rebellion of 1857, the British government effectively abolished the East India Company in 1858.
- It announced perpetual support for “native princes” and promised no further intention to annex Indian States. It also claimed non-intervention in matters of religious belief or worship within British India.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Discuss the rationale behind the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). Also analyse, whether the asset monetisation push needs careful calibration to evade future hazards. (15 marks, 250 words)[GS-3, Economy]
- Does the first-past-the-post system lead to political polarisation? Critically evaluate. (15 marks, 250 words) [GS-2, Polity]
Read the previous CNA here.
August 27th, 2021, CNA:- Download PDF Here
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