05 Dec 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 05 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Sri Lanka’s Malaiyaha Tamils in dire Straits: expert
2. India, Russia set to ink AK-203 rifle deal worth ₹5,000 crore
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. SC condemns red tape in sexual harassment cases
C. GS 3 Related
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. What is the debate on the Dam Safety Bill?
2. When can an individual get statutory bail?
3. How is hallmarking being implemented?
F. Prelims Facts
1. Culture mapping of 80 villages kicks off
2. Parliament an embodiment of people’s will, says President
3. An innovation that can better protect power grids
4. Study finds mechanism of blood clots after giving Oxford vaccine
G. Tidbits
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

2. India, Russia set to ink AK-203 rifle deal worth ₹5,000 crore

Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Prelims: AK-203, CATSAA

Mains: Determinants of India-Russia Relations

Context:

• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has given its final approval for a deal with Russia to manufacture AK-203 assault rifles in India.

Significance of the Deal for India:

• The defence agreement with Russia will significantly increase India’s defence industrial self-sufficiency.
• The AK-203 rifles will replace the INSAS rifles that have been in use for almost three decades, resulting in increased efficiency.
• They will improve the Indian Army’s operational efficacy in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

Determinants of India-Russia Relations in light of Russian President’s Visit in India: –

1. Criticism of QUAD : Russia criticizes India’s Quad effort with the United States, Australia, and Japan, as well as the concept of the “Indo-Pacific.”
2. Concerns over “Indo-Pacific”:
   1. The “Asia-Pacific” was seen by Russia as more “inclusive” than the “Indo-Pacific,” while the “Indo-Pacific” was seen as an unequal partnership.
   2. India, on the other hand, sees both the Asia-Pacific and the Indo-Pacific frameworks as being intended for “issue-based cooperation.”
3. CAATSA Sanctions:
   1. Despite the fact that the delivery of S-400 missile defence systems has raised India’s prospects of being sanctioned under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), the country has maintained that its defence procurement strategy is governed by “strategic autonomy.”

Know more about India-Russia Relations in the linked article.
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. SC condemns red tape in sexual harassment cases

Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential

Prelims: Sexual Harassment at the workplace Law

Mains: Different Aspects and Challenges of Sexual harassment at the Workplace

Context:

• In a recent judgement, the Supreme Court pointed out the power dynamics and condemns red tape in sexual harassment cases.

Supreme Court observation on sexual harassment at the workplace: –

• The right against sexual harassment at workplace is part of the fundamental right to a dignified life.
• When it comes to sexual harassment charges, the courts should not be “hyper-technical.”
• When a subordinate aggrieved of sexual harassment consider reporting sexual misconduct of their superior, there are several deterrents that has to be considered.
• The decision noted a growing tendency of invalidating sexual misconduct investigations based on “hyper-technical interpretations of the applicable service standards.”

Know more about Sexual Harassment At Work Place in the linked article.

2. When can an individual get statutory bail?

Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Prelims: Statutory Bail.

Mains:  Critical Evaluation of Statutory bail; Statutory bail as a fundamental Right.

Context: –

The National Investigative Agency (NIA) has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court’s order granting bail to lawyer-activists.

Background: 

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn a Bombay High Court ruling awarding Sudha Bharadwaj bail.
• The court has ordered the NIA Court to determine on the conditions of her release in its bail order. 
• In the same instance, she was allowed ‘default bail,’ while eight others were refused the benefit. 
• Even though statutory bail is typically regarded “an indefeasible right,” the case underscores the complexities inherent in a court evaluating the conditions in which it is granted or rejected. 

What is Statutory bail?

• Default bail, also known as statutory bail, is a right to bail that emerges when police fail to complete an investigation into a person in court custody within a certain time limit.
• When the police are unable to finish an investigation within 24 hours, they must present the suspect in court and seek orders for either police or judicial detention, according to Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
• This clause refers to the total amount of time a person can be held in custody before a charge sheet is filed.
• The police have 60 days to finish their investigation and file a final report with the court for most offences.
• The period allowed is 90 days if the offence carries a death sentence, life imprisonment, or a sentence of at least 10 years in prison.
• A magistrate cannot extend a person’s judicial remand beyond the 60- or 90-day limit.
• If the investigation is not completed at the end of this time, the court will release the person “if he is willing to and does supply bail.”

Know more about bail in the linked article.

Right To Seek Default Bail As A Fundamental Right:-

• The Supreme Court has clarified that the right to seek default bail under Section 167(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code stems from Article 21 of the Constitution.
• It is a basic right, not only a legislative right. 
• It has been determined that it is an inalienable component of the right to personal liberty protected by Article 21 of the Constitution.

How does the provision vary for special laws?

• Only ordinary criminal law applies to the 60- or 90-day term.
• Special enactments give the police more leeway in closing up the investigation. The duration is 180 days under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
• The default limit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is 90 days.
• These rules demonstrate that a time extension is not automatic and needs a court authorization.
• Regardless of the nature of the offence, default or statutory bail is a legal option. 
• The charge sheet must be prepared within a certain amount of time after the accused is remanded for the first time.

Conclusion:

• The right to statutory bail must be invoked by the individual in detention, which is a condition for its grant. 
• There is no automatic bail if the charge sheet is not filed within the time limit and there is no application for bail under Section 167(2) of CrPc. 
• The right to bail in the event of an investigative agency’s failure is often regarded as an “indefeasible right,” although it should be used at the proper time.

3. How is hallmarking being implemented?

Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Prelims: Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID)

Mains:  Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID)- Benefits and concerns for the Gold Industry in India.

Context: – 

The Government of India has made hallmarking of gold jewellery mandatory which is being implemented by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in a phased manner.

Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID): – 

• The Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) code is a six-digit alphanumeric code. 
• It is given to each item of jewellery during the hallmarking process and is unique to that piece.
• The unique number is physically imprinted on jewellery at the Assaying & Hallmarking (A&H) centre.
• The hallmark is made up of three symbols that provide information about the item of jewellery.
• The BIS logo is the first symbol; the purity and fineness sign is the second; and the HUID is the third symbol.
• For 14-, 18-, and 22-carat gold jewellery  hallmarking and HUID are mandatory.

Need of the HUID:-

• Each item of jewellery is given a unique HUID number, allowing for traceability. 
• It is crucial to the legitimacy of hallmarking and to the resolution of adulteration accusations.
• Its goal is to build consumer trust by bringing openness to the jewellery industry.
• Registration of jewellers is an automated procedure with no human intervention in HUID-based hallmarking.
• In addition to its role in authentication, it also aids in the detection of trade malpractice.

Benefits for the consumer:-

• The HUID concept exemplifies the type of global leadership that India possesses and must demonstrate in gold-related reforms.
• The goal of requiring gold hallmarking is to safeguard the interests of consumers.
• Consumers can get ‘third-party assurance’ on the quality of gold jewellery by having it hallmarked.
• Jewellers are given certificates of registration to sell hallmarked jewellery under the system.

Concerns around the process: –

• Infrastructural challenges are also a growing issue. This process of hallmarking also affects trade support.
• As traceability of hallmarking integrity and financial tracking of purchases have been ated.

Conclusion: –

The HUID system has the potential to be implemented internationally to improve gold confidence at the retail level and eliminate a significant barrier to gold purchases.

This is a digitally backed project that will increase openness in the ecosystem and provide a win-win solution for both customers and the Indian gold industry.

2. Parliament an embodiment of people’s will, says President

Context:

• The President of India inaugurated the centennial year celebration of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Significance of Public Accounts Committee (PAC):-

• The PAC is one of the most powerful financial committees of Parliament.
• There is a need for harmonising the expenditure on freebies under welfare obligations of the Governments with developmental needs.
• The PAC needs to reinvent itself to more effectively ensure financial discipline in the context of the Union Government’s budgetary expenditure.

Know more about the Public Accounts Committee in the linked article.

3. An innovation that can better protect power grids

Context:

• Researchers from IIT Kanpur have come up with an innovation that can help protect power grids against sudden current surges.

Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL):

• SFCL makes use of a superconductor, which permits current to flow without dissipation under normal conditions since it has zero resistance to current flow in the superconducting state.
• It protects the grid from huge current surges and the resulting fires.
• It may also predict when current surges will occur and alert the system.

4. Study finds mechanism of blood clots after giving Oxford vaccine

Context:

• A multi-institutional study has revealed the mechanism responsible for blood clots arising from thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS)

• Thrombocytopenia syndrome causes low platelet count.
  • Platelets are blood cells that prevent blood loss when arteries are injured.
• A low number of platelets can cause no symptoms or increase the risk of bleeding or, in rare situations, clotting.
• Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) happens in extremely rare cases because of ultra-rare side-effects from vaccines.

Q1 Which amongst the following is the string puppet native to the state of Rajasthan?

Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to the ICON mission:

Q3. With respect to Antarctic Fur Seals, which of the following statements is/are correct?

Q4. Colony collapse disorder an abnormal phenomenon is associated with

Q5. It is possible to produce algae based biofuels, but what is/are the likely limitation(s) 
of  developing countries in promoting this industry?

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 05 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here