CNA 10 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related SOCIAL ISSUES 1. New paper offers ways to curb suicides B. GS 2 Related POLITY 1. The Citizenship question in the Constituent Assembly INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. The ‘diplomatic’ Olympic boycott C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials GOVERNANCE 1. Children and schooling in the post-COVID-19 era SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 1. Does the Omicron variant make a case for booster doses? F. Prelims Facts 1. Bhima-Koregaon 2. Bird flu G. Tidbits 1. Algo trading H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
1. New paper offers ways to curb suicides
Topic: Population and associated issues
Mains: Suicide prevention strategies
Context
- The paper titled ‘the national suicide prevention strategy in India: context and considerations for urgent action’ was published.
Key stats
- The suicide rate among Indian girls and women continues to be twice the global rate, though it has dropped in the last decade or so.
- Suicide accounts for most deaths in the 15–39 years age group compared with other causes of death.
Suicide methods
- Hanging is the most common method of suicide, followed by pesticides poisoning, medicine overdose, and self-immolation.
Barriers to effective suicide prevention
- Absence of a national suicide prevention strategy
- Inappropriate media reporting
- Legal conflicts in the interpretation of suicide being punishable
- inadequate multisectoral engagement
Recommendation
- The paper calls for the constitution of a task force for suicide prevention research to create a road map.
- There is also a need for more robust and real-time data on suicides and attempted suicides.
B. GS 2 Related
1. The Citizenship question in the Constituent Assembly
Topic: Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings
Mains: Difference between Jus soli and Jus sanguinis; determination of Indian citizenship
Context
- The article discusses Constituent Assembly debates on Citizenship.
Determining Indian citizenship
- There were two principles the Constituent Assembly discussed on the basis of which citizenship was to be offered to people in India, one was Jus soli and the other was Jus sanguinis.
- Jus soli means “the law of the place of birth”.
- It is commonly referred to as birthright citizenship, which is the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship.
- Jus sanguinis means “the law according to blood”.
- It is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is not determined by place of birth but by having one or both parents who are citizens of the state.
Debates and Deliberations
Supporters of Jus Soli
- Some members during the discussion said that everyone born in the Union should be considered an Indian citizen – part of “We the people”, irrespective of religion.
- R.K.Sidhva from C.P. and Berar said that mention of some communities would alienate other communities and they may feel ignored.
- Jawaharlal Nehru said, “you cannot have rules for Hindus, for Muslims and for Christians only. It is absurd on the face of it”.
Critics of Jus Soli
- A few members suggested that no matter where people were born, people belonging to a particular race should get the citizenship.
- Dr P.S.Deshmukh from the Central Provinces and Berar proposed changes to the draft by suggesting to replace the “jus soli” principle with a religious appendage that “every person who is a Hindu or a Sikh by religion and is not a citizen of any other State, wherever he resides shall be entitled to be a citizen of India.”
- He received support from Thakur Das Bhargava from East Punjab who exclaimed “Hindus and Sikhs have no other home but India!”
- These views were further supported by Prof. Shibban Lal Saksena of the United Provinces.
- Dr P.S.Deshmukh from the Central Provinces and Berar proposed changes to the draft by suggesting to replace the “jus soli” principle with a religious appendage that “every person who is a Hindu or a Sikh by religion and is not a citizen of any other State, wherever he resides shall be entitled to be a citizen of India.”
Conclusion
- Thus we had BR Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and several others who made an effort to divorce the question of citizenship from the subject of religion.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. The ‘diplomatic’ Olympic boycott
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
Mains: Tensions between the U.S. and China; Global repercussions
Context
- The US has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
What does a ‘diplomatic boycott’ of the games mean?
- A complete boycott would mean that U.S. athletes and officials would not participate in the winter Olympics.
- However, a diplomatic boycott means no U.S. official will be present at the Winter Olympics in Beijing but athletes will still compete in the Games. It will not have an impact on the games.
Reasons given by the USA for the boycott
- It is aimed to highlight Chinese actions in Xinjiang which includes “genocide and crimes against humanity”.
- They have committed human rights violations against the ethnic minorities including mass detentions and forced use of contraception and sterilizations.
Support from other countries
- Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have also announced that their officials will not be present at the games. None, however, has said their athletes will not attend.
China’s reaction
- Chinese foreign ministry spokesman warned the Games were “not a stage for political posturing and manipulation” and said China will take resolute countermeasures.
Impact on U.S.-China relations
- The spat over the Winter Olympics is the latest clash between the U.S. and China, adding to a long list of differences on trade, Taiwan, human rights and the South China Sea.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
1. Children and schooling in the post-COVID-19 era
Topic: Issues related to the development and management of the social sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Prelim: UNESCO Report ‘No Teacher, No Class’; R. Ramanujam Committee
Mains: The need for a recovery plan for schooling post-COVID 19.
Context:
The UNESCO Report titled ‘No Teacher, No Class’ prepared along with scholars from Tata Institute of Social Science focuses on the need for reforms in education in India. This report with the recently constituted R. Ramanujam Committee focuses on education in the post-COVID-19 era.
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of many schools and reduced the learning potential of many students. The social and economic costs of COVID-19 had led to the reduction in school-goers and also in the shutting down of many private schools.
Globally as of July 2020, about 1.725 billion students have been impacted by school closures.
Areas of Concern
- There has been a shift to the digital mode of education in the post-COVID-19 era, even at the primary stage of education. However, the severe income inequalities and rural-urban digital divide have led to many students being disadvantaged now.
- As per a recent report by Vipla Foundation, the students have been facing extreme stress leading to severe mental health issues including domestic violence, over-dependence on digital media, video games, etc.
- The Ramanujam Committee has identified the problem of addictive behaviour among students, during the past two years.
- The COVID-19 induced lockdown had led to the dissociation of students from the social and physical circles, and this tendency has further led to severe dependency factors among students.
- There is a foundational issue of lack of digital infrastructure and digital literacy in India. This is against the objective of the National Education Policy, which strives to ensure education for all irrespective of their socio-economic background.
- According to Mission Antyodaya’s nationwide survey of villages, only 47% of households receive electricity for more than 12 hours a day. Additionally, only 24% of Indians own a smartphone, and only 11% of households own computers. On the whole, a scarce 24% of India’s population has access to internet facilities.
Recovery Path
- The involvement of parents is highly required in the learning and education of the children. Further mental hygiene is to be ensured with the support of child psychologists.
- Taking help of ‘shift-schools’ in counterbalancing the effects of COVID-19. With mounting concerns of schools turning into COVID hotspots, schools have had to break classes down into smaller batches and have students on school premises in shifts. This could very well become a norm for the foreseeable future, or at least till the pandemic wanes. ‘Shift-schools’ would mean smaller class strengths, personalised attention to students and a broader scope for students to make the most of their classes.
- To make a sustainable recovery, private schools should be strengthened by the government. There should also be measures to provide better employment opportunities and autonomy to the teachers in their work.
Various Digital Education Initiatives
- DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing): e-Learning
- E-Pathshala
- SWAYAM Prabha
Way Forward
A multi-pronged approach is needed to ensure that every child receives the Right to Education. For starters, learners will need to be incentivised to enrol and not drop out in a bid to support their financially strained families. Secondly, public school teachers will need to be brought up to speed with the latest in ed-tech and be given enough training and support. Lastly, learners will need to be equipped with devices and steady internet connectivity to access online classes and other learning aids.
Category: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1. Does the Omicron variant make a case for booster doses?
Topic: Developments in Science and Technology
Mains: Importance of COVID-19 Vaccine Booster
Context:
- There is a rising conversation around the need for a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine due to the emergence of the new variant. The Health Minister of India has highlighted that the booster dose for the Covid-19 Vaccine is not on the Indian government’s agenda, rather the priority is to get all adults vaccinated.
Facts:
- As of 30th November 2021, India has administered over 1.24 billion overall, including 1st and 2nd doses.
- Uttar Pradesh has administered the most number of doses.
- 80% of the adult population of India has been administered with at least one dose.
- 36.4% or 300 million of the population is fully vaccinated.
- At our peak, we administered 25 million doses in a day, a world record.
What is a booster dose?
In medical terms, a booster dose is an extra administration of a vaccine after an earlier primary dose. Shots of the same formulation or dose of different formulations or quantities may be used. Some countries like the USA are administering booster shots to certain sections of the population.
Purpose of booster dose–
Some experts state that the purpose of booster dose is to increase protection at the community level. By being fully vaccinated we are protected against severe illness and hospitalization. Expectation from booster dose is to increase protection against infection and transmission. Some others differ as they consider the purpose to be the same as vaccination programs i.e protection against hospitalization and death.
Case against Booster dose–
- There are not many studies that prove the effectiveness of the vaccine against infection and transmission.
- Also, evidence shows that protection against severe illness and hospitalization does not decrease with time.
- Also, India already has a vaccination campaign that is still incomplete. So, focusing on it is wiser.
- The new variant Omicron is said to be mild as of now.
- It may compromise the availability of doses for primary vaccination at the global level.
Case for Booster dose-
- The emergence of Omicron shows that corona is here to stay and makes a case for vaccination as well as a booster.
- Public health experts are starting to see reduced protection, especially among certain populations, against mild and moderate disease.
- It would be good to have a booster dose for identified categories, particularly vulnerable people.
Way forward
The question of booster dose requires more thinking. It demands an assessment of which population is more susceptible to severe disease, the duration between primary vaccination and booster doses as well as whether booster dose should be a homologous or heterologous booster dose.
2. Bird flu
Reference:
G. Tidbits
1. Algo trading
- Algo trading refers to any order that is generated using automated execution logic.
- The algo trading system automatically monitors the live stock prices and initiates an order when the given criteria are met.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Zero Hour:
- It is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.
- It is an informal device available to the members of the Parliament to raise matters without any prior notice.
- The idea was imported from Japan.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Zero Hour is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure. Thus, it is an informal device available to MPs to raise matters without any notice 10 days in advance.
- Zero Hour is the time when Members of Parliament (MPs) can raise Issues of Urgent Public Importance. For raising matters during the Zero Hour, MPs must give the notice before 10 am to the Speaker/Chairman on the day of the sitting. The notice must state the subject they wish to raise in the House. However, Speaker, Lok Sabha/Chairman, Rajya Sabha may allow or decline a member to raise a matter of importance.
- Zero Hour was not taken from Japan, but it remains an Indian innovation. It has been in existence since 1962.
- Read more on the Zero Hour in the link.
Q2. With respect to State Legislative Council, which of the following statements is/are incorrect?
- An Indian citizen who is at least 25 years of age can become a member of the Legislative Council.
- The Chairman of Council is nominated by the Governor.
- Currently, seven states in India have a legislative council.
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- To become a member of a State Legislative Council (MLC), a person must be a citizen of India, at least 30 years old, mentally sound, not an insolvent, and must be enrolled on the voters’ list of the state for which he or she is contesting an election.
- The members of the State Legislative Council elect the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the State Legislative Council. It is not nominated by the Governor.
- As of 2021, 6 out of 28 states have a State Legislative Council. These are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The latest state to have a council is Telangana.
Q3. Which of the following are the Point sources of water pollution?
- Oil refineries
- Paper and pulp mills
- Agriculture Run off
- Sewage treatment plants
Options:
- 1, 2 and 3 only
- 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2 and 4 only
- 1, 2, 3 and 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Point source water pollution refers to contaminants that enter a waterway from a single, identifiable source, such as a pipe or ditch. Examples of sources in this category include discharges from a sewage treatment plant, a factory, oil refinery, or a city storm drain.
Q4. With respect to Payments Bank, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- Payments banks can issue Debit cards and not credit cards.
- They are given a provision to lend to small businesses.
- They are not allowed to accept time deposits/fixed deposits (FDs).
Options:
- 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 3 only
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Payments bank is a new form of bank created under the purview of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Payments banks can accept a limited deposit of ₹100,000 per customer and may be increased further. These banks cannot lend loans and issue credit cards but they can offer services such as net banking, ATM cards, debit banks and Mobile Banking.
- A time deposit is an interest-bearing bank account that has a date of maturity, such as a certificate of deposit (CD). The payment banks cannot accept time deposits.
Q5. Which one of the following objectives is not embodied in the Preamble to the Constitution of India?
- Liberty of thought
- Economic liberty
- Liberty of expression
- Liberty of belief
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
Economic Liberty is not explicitly provided for in the Preamble to the Constitution. The short text hereunder:
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Urgent steps must be taken to offset the study loss that children faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Suggest such measures that must be taken by the authorities at the earliest to bring students to their grade level. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-2, Governance]
- In light of the recent reports highlighting a high rate of suicide amongst females in India, suggest measures to curb the rising cases of suicides in the country. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-1, Society]
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CNA 10 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here
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