CNA 12 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related SOCIAL ISSUES 1. Men in India take 82% of labor income, says report C. GS 3 Related ECONOMY 1. MSP is key to diversify crops: farmers SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. How the idea of vaccine protection changed in one year D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Will U.S. directives on 5G use impact flights? INTERNAL SECURITY 1. Which States in the N.E. are under AFSPA? F. Prelims Facts 1. Protecting wildlife: 2,054 cases registered in three years 2. NC undecided on attending delimitation panel meeting 3. Pinaka extended range rocket system tested: DRDO G. Tidbits 1. China brands U.S. democracy ‘weapon of mass destruction’ 2. Seven arrested in two cases of ‘moral policing’ in Karnataka H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
1. Men in India take 82% of labor income, says report
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Context: –
- The World Inequality Report 2022 released its findings.
Findings of World Inequality Report 2022:-
- In India, men capture 82% of labor income, while women earn just 18%.
- The female share of the total labor income is the national aggregate labor income earned by women relative to the total aggregate of labor income within a country.
- The female labor income share would be 50%.
- Female labor income in India of 18.3% is lower than the average for Asia.
- Among the neighbors that performed worse than India were Bhutan (17.5%), Bangladesh (16.9%), Pakistan (7.4%), and Afghanistan (4.2%); and those with a higher share were Nepal (23.2%), Sri Lanka (23.3%) and China (33.4%).
Source: The Hindu
Impact of Pandemic: –
- After the pandemic, there was a worsening of female labor participation rate.
- Eastern Europe has the highest female labor income shares, with the average female share near 41%.
- Moldova has the highest female labor income in the world at 45%.
Issue with unpaid Work: –
- Unpaid care work is likely to prevent women from participating in the labor market, and to prevent them from attaining high-paying positions.
- When paid and unpaid work are combined, women’s contribution to work increases substantially and thus makes the female labor income share appear even more unfair.
About World Inequality Report 2022: –
- World Inequality Lab, based in France, has released the World Inequality Report 2022.
- Lucas Chancel, co-director of the World Inequality Lab, authored it.
- Several specialists, notably French economist Thomas Piketty, are coordinating it.
C. GS 3 Related
1. MSP is key to diversify crops: farmers
Topic: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices;
Context: –
This article discusses the need for guaranteed MSP for crops in Punjab and Haryana.
Why Guaranteed MSP is necessary in Punjab and Haryana: –
- Guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP) for all crops may be the best way for Punjab and Haryana to diversify their crop portfolios.
- Because of the high levels of purchase, farmers in these two states already benefit from MSP rates for paddy and wheat.
- Input prices are also lower in areas with more water availability and less demand for fertilizers and pesticides than in Punjab.
- Punjab is experiencing fast groundwater depletion at a rate of up to 120 centimeters per year.
- Paddy and sugarcane consume half of the country’s water resources, owing to procurement regulations that skew profitability and distort cropping patterns.
- Maize, for example, takes one-fifth the irrigation water that rice does, but farmers are hesitant of switching to a crop where remunerative prices are not assured.
How Guaranteed MSP will ensure Crop Diversity in Punjab and Haryana?
- Crop diversification is unachievable in the absence of a fixed MSP.
- If all crops were procured, rather than just rice and wheat, the ordinary Punjab farmer would abandon paddy in favor of safflower, moong, or chana dal.
- According to Agriculture Ministry figures, Punjab and Haryana have accounted for more than half of the government’s acquisition of wheat and paddy during the previous five years.
- The government buys at MSP more than 85 percent of the wheat and paddy grown in Punjab and 75 percent of the paddy grown in Haryana.
- The assistance might also aid in resolving the issue of stubble burning, which has clouded the sky of northern India.
Conclusion: –
The agriculture-related subsidy should be turned into a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for farmers based on landholdings. Small and marginal farmers should benefit from DBT, whereas large farmers can afford to pay for these amenities. The economic diversification of crops is necessary for Punjab and Haryana to tackle this crisis.
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. How the idea of vaccine protection changed in one year
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Context: –
This article focuses on the development of vaccination and herd Immunity related aspects.
Herd immunity
- What is a Herd Immunity?
- “Herd immunity” assures that even if a small number of individuals are unvaccinated, they are protected against a certain infectious illness.
- Herd immunity is the resistance to the transmission of a contagious illness within a community that occurs when a sufficiently large enough proportion of the population is immune to the disease, typically by vaccination.
- Vaccination and Herd Immunity: –
- Herd immunity occurs when a substantial proportion of the population is infected or vaccinated, causing viral spread to be greatly slowed or stopped.
- The pandemic’s ultimate objective was to achieve herd immunity.
- It was portrayed as though we could vaccine our way out of the epidemic and return to normalcy.
- The approximately 90% efficiency of both mRNA vaccines against symptomatic sickness made the objective of stopping the epidemic appear simple and straightforward.
- Major Issues: –
- Besides substantial challenges with vaccine availability in most countries, vaccination hesitancy and approvals initially confined to adults meant that obtaining this necessary proportion was required for achieving herd immunity.
- The efficacy of mRNA vaccines to keep people from becoming sick remained unknown, posing a challenge to attaining herd immunity.
Waning immunity
- Based on vaccine research, Pfizer began voicing concerns about decreasing protection despite complete immunization.
- However, the steeply diminishing protection referred to by Pfizer was based on neutralizing antibodies, which protect vaccinated patients from new illnesses.
- Even while the Delta variation produced more breakthrough infections in patients who had been completely vaccinated, the vaccines were very effective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Will U.S. directives on 5G use impact flights?
Topic: Science and Technology – developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Mains: 5G Directives issued by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Implications on India.
Context: –
In 2021, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued two directives to create a framework and gather more information about the potential effects of 5G on crucial aviation safety equipment.
Background: –
- The FAA released a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin in 2021 that contained “early information regarding probable interference from 5G C-band wireless signals.”
- These efforts are crucial as American wireless communications providers prepare to transmit in the “C-band.”
- This will be in addition to the existing 5G frequencies.
What is the Significance of the FAA directives?
- The directives apply to two types of air transportation: transport and commuter aircraft and helicopters.
- 5G poses a “threat of probable radar altimeter interference,” according to the directives.
- The directions will also necessitate highlighting in flight/flight operation manuals limiting flying activities when such interference is encountered.
- Some aircraft operations may be restricted from utilizing certain landing and navigation systems in areas where new 5G cellular networks may cause interference.
- Smaller planes and helicopters may face significant constraints. Flights may be canceled, delayed, or diverted as a result of these factors.
- The FAA has also asked for particular data on the locations of 5G towers, as well as their power supply and angles, in order to assess how they may interfere with aircraft approaches.
- This might result in “more customized alerts that are less disruptive,” according to researchers.
- The radio altimeter is a critical instrument in contemporary commercial aircraft for accurate approaches and landings.
- Other systems that rely on radio altimeter inputs include forecast windshear, ground proximity warning systems, traffic collision avoidance systems, and auto landing.
What is the aircraft equipment that can be affected?
- The radio altimeter is a critical instrument in contemporary commercial aircraft for accurate approaches and landings.
- Other systems that rely on radio altimeter inputs include forecast windshear, ground proximity warning systems, traffic collision avoidance systems, and auto landing.
- Any disruption to internal radio altimeter measurements caused by 5G or other technology transmitting in nearby frequency bands might have severe consequences on critical systems during approach/landing.
- The problem can be exacerbated because the radio altimeter is required for any form of precision approach, which is nearly always employed at big airports nowadays.
What are the takeaways from the directives?
- Instrument landing system approaches (ILS), required navigation performance (RNP), autonomous landing operations, and certain usage of advanced flight vision systems and other flight control systems are all prohibited operations.
- In 5G-affected locations, the FAA’s separate directive for helicopters also forbids autonomous flying that involves the use of radio altimeter data.
- There is a warning about potential interference from both 5G base station transmissions and passenger portable phones. This is the most dangerous risk since the majority of passengers do not turn off their cell phones.
- The danger is confined to “particular situations” for big commercial aircraft, but it can have “severe” implications in some instances, such as when aircraft undertake low-visibility instrument approaches.
What about the implications for India?
- India was aware of the ramifications of 5G technology in the country, but there had been no official communication on the matter thus far.
- According to an analyst, 5G might be put out in India in the 3.2 GHz-3.6 GHz range, which may not interfere with aviation operations.
- In India, the DGCA should prohibit 5G towers from being built within a 15 nautical mile radius of any airfield having precision approaches such as ILS.
Way forward: –
- There has to be a lot more study done to fully understand the ramifications of 5G on radio altimeters and other aviation systems.
- Expensive defensive countermeasures for mitigation operations may be required.
- Wireless carriers might potentially operate in select frequencies inside the C-band, creating a buffer between 5G communications and aviation frequencies.
- With heavily built-up areas in many upcoming cities or near airports, interference to navigation signals might be disastrous.
1. Which States in the N.E. are under AFSPA?
Topic: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security; Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
Mains: Critical Evaluation of AFSPA in India.
Context: –
The killing of 14 civilians in Nagaland has led to fresh calls for repealing The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
Origin of AFSPA: –
- In May 1958, the President issued the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Ordinance. This was later repealed by Parliamentary legislation.
- Originally called as the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958, it was later renamed Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
- This legislation allows an area to be proclaimed a ‘disturbed area,’ putting into effect the protection it provides to the armed forces for the use of force in the notified region.
Which parts of the country come under AFSPA?
- The AFSPA has been in effect in most of the Northeastern states for decades. The notice is renewed on a regular basis, usually for six months at a time.
- As of today, the whole states of Assam and Nagaland are classified as ‘disturbed zones.’
- Manipur: – The State administration has declared a one-year state of emergency across Manipur, with the exception of the Imphal metropolitan area, beginning in 2020.
- Arunachal Pradesh: – The ‘disturbed area’ notice in Arunachal Pradesh is limited to the districts of Tirap, Changlang, and Longding, as well as the territories under the Namsai and Mahadevpur police stations, which border Assam.
- Tripura: – After being in effect since February 1997, the AFSPA was repealed in Tripura in 2015.
- Meghalaya: – Meghalaya was subject to AFSPA for 27 years till it was repealed in 2018.
- Assam: – The Act was applied over a 20-kilometer stretch of border with Assam.
- Jammu and Kashmir : – Jammu and Kashmir has its own J&K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, enacted in 1990.
What are the Provisions of the Act?
- The Act authorizes the Governor of any State, the Administrator of a Union Territory, or the Central Government to declare a portion or the entire state or union territory to be a “disturbed region.”
- In such a notified region, any officer of the armed forces may fire upon or use force against any individual, even if it results in death, in order to maintain public order.
- This must be done after providing enough notice, and the target must be a person who is in violation of any statute or order forbidding the assembly of five or more people while carrying weapons, firearms, or ammunition.
- The Act authorizes the arrest and search of any properties in a notified region without a warrant, as well as the seizure of any confined person or any illegally kept weaponry and ammunition.
- The armed forces may also demolish any hideaway, arms depot, fortified place, or shelter from which armed attacks are launched, or from which arms training is conducted.
- Without the prior permission of the Central Government, no one can be punished or subjected to legal procedures for actions committed under the Act.
Why do many demand its repeal?
- Detractors and human rights groups, as well as various elements of civil society, say that the Act fosters impunity and is responsible for numerous instances of abuses and atrocities perpetrated by the military forces while under its protection.
- Irom Chanu Sharmila, a Manipur activist, became a symbol of the fight against AFSPA after she went on an indefinite fast in 2000, seeking its repeal.
- In 2005, a five-member committee constituted by the government and chaired by former Supreme Court judge B. P. Jeevan Reddy recommended that AFSPA be abolished. It advised that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act be revised to address terrorism.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Protecting wildlife: 2,054 cases registered in three years
Context: –
Recent Central Government statistics observed an increase in registered cases of killing or illegal trafficking of wild animals in India.
Important Operations Against illegal trade: –
- Operation Save Kurma: – The operation was carried out to curb the expanding illegal trade of live turtles and their components from the country to foreign destinations. The effort also attempted to draw the attention of law enforcement to such unlawful trade.
- Operation Turtshield: – Operation “Operation Turtshield” is a Central programme taken up to tackle the illegal trade of live turtles.
- Operation Softgold: – This is an operation to draw the attention of the country’s law enforcement officials to the illicit wildlife trafficking in Tibetan antelope (Shahtoosh) species.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- It is a multidisciplinary statutory body which reports to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Its tasks include combatting the country’s organized wildlife crime.
- It is obliged under the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 to gather intelligence relating to organized wildlife crime operations.
2. NC undecided on attending delimitation panel meeting
Context
- This article discusses the issue with the delimitation exercise for Jammu and Kashmir.
Reference:
3. Pinaka extended range rocket system tested: DRDO
Context: –
- Successful tests of the Pinaka Extended Range (ER) multi-barrel rocket launcher system were conducted by DRDO.
Reference:
Pinaka Multi-barrel Rocket launcher (MBRL) System
G. Tidbits
1. China brands U.S. democracy ‘weapon of mass destruction’
- Following the United States-organized Summit for Democracy, which attempted to strengthen like-minded friends in the face of authoritarian regimes, China branded US democracy a “weapon of mass destruction.”
- China was left out of the two-day virtual summit and reacted strongly by accusing the US of inflaming Cold War-era ideological differences.
2. Seven arrested in two cases of ‘moral policing’ in Karnataka
- Seven persons have been arrested in two “moral policing” cases reported in Karnataka.
- The phrase “moral police” refers to vigilante organizations in India that impose a moral code.
Reference:
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Which of the following statements with regards to the Pinaka missile system is not correct:
- The DRDO has teamed up with the France Military Industries to develop the Trajectory Correction System on Pinaka.
- The Pinaka is a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher.
- It is completely automatic and uses microprocessor-based positioning and fire control
- Each battery of Pinaka consists of six launcher vehicles and each launcher vehicle has twelve rockets.
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:-
The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is the principal organization of the Government of India’s Ministry of Defense. The Defense Science Organization was founded in 1958 by the amalgamation of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Indian Ordnance Factories. The DRDO has teamed up with Israel and not France Military Industries to develop the Trajectory Correction System on Pinaka.
Hence Option A is correct.
Q2. Consider the following statements with regards to the Buxa Tiger Reserve:
- It is located in the state of Assam.
- Its northern boundary runs along the international border with Bhutan.
- The Buxa Tiger Reserve has been identified for the tiger augmentation programme by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Choose the correct statements:
- 1 & 2 only
- 2 & 3 only
- 1 & 3 only
- All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation: –
- Buxa Tiger Reserve (B.T.R.) is located in the Alipurduar Sub-division of West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri District. Located in the Buxa Hills in Bhutan’s southern hilly region. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
- Its northern border is parallel to Bhutan’s international border. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority has designated the Buxa Tiger Reserve for the tiger augmentation programme. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
Q3. The well-renowned Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam is dedicated to
- Lord Shiva
- Lord Krishna
- Lord Vishnu
- Goddess Laxmi
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation: –
- Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, is one of the country’s most prominent Vaishnava temples, devoted to Ranganatha, a reclining form of the Hindu god, Bhagwan (God or Lord) Vishnu.
- Hence Option C is correct.
Q4. The Chakma-Hajong community are the usual inhabitants of which of the following states in India?
- Assam
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Arunachal Pradesh
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation: –
- Chakmas and Hajongs originated from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in former East Pakistan. They fled their homeland after the Kaptai dam project drowned it in the 1960s. The bulk of them were transferred to the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now Arunachal Pradesh.
- Hence Option D is correct.
Q5. The word 'Denisovan' is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to
- fossils of a kind of dinosaurs
- an early human species
- a cave system found in North-East India
- a geological period in the history of Indian subcontinent
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation: –
Scientists sifting through the genomes of people scattered across the islands of south-east Asia have found echoes of ancient pairings with not just one, but three separate populations of the archaic hominins known as Denisovans. First discovered in 2010, the Denisovans are a relatively recent addition to the human family tree.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
Essay (1000-1200)
- Can Terrorism Ever be Justified?
- Technology: A Boon or a Bane?
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 12 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here
Comments