CNA 21 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related POLITY 1. Lok Sabha passes Bill to link electoral rolls with Aadhaar INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Yameen leads ‘India Out’ campaign in Maldives C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials SOCIAL JUSTICE 1. For Afghan women, it’s the great regression POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. The Sustained attack on federalism F. Prelims Facts 1. BIMSTEC working on joint disaster relief plans 2. ‘Oil firms notify mills for 366 cr. litres of ethanol’ G. Tidbits 1. Open letter from girls seeks right to decide when to marry 2. Heroin worth ₹400 crore seized from Pak. Boat H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
1. Lok Sabha passes Bill to link electoral rolls with Aadhaar
Topic: Salient Features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Prelims: Representation of People’s Act – provisions
Mains: Measures to improve the electoral process in India and strengthening electoral participation
Context:
- The Election Law (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha.
Provisions:
Linking of Aadhar and electoral ID:
- The amendment will allow for the linking of the electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem.
- The Bill will allow electoral registration officers to ask for Aadhaar numbers of new applicants wanting to register as voters and will also allow them to ask for the Aadhaar number from persons already included in the electoral roll.
- The linking of the electoral roll with a person’s Aadhaar would be voluntary.
- No application shall be denied and no entries in the electoral roll shall be deleted for the inability of an individual to provide the Aadhaar number. Also, those who cannot provide their Aadhaar numbers will be allowed to present other documents to establish identity.
- The move will help curb the menace of multiple enrolments of the same person in different places and hence will help purify the electoral rolls.
Additional qualifying dates:
- The new amendment will allow four “qualifying” dates for eligible people to register as voters instead of one date currently available.
- Currently, January 1st of every year is the only qualifying date. People turning 18 on or before January 1 can only register as voters in that particular year whereas those turning 18 after that are having to wait for a year to register as voters.
- Henceforth January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 will be the four qualifying dates.
- This move will help increase the electoral participation among the youth and is thus a welcome step for strengthening and deepening democracy in India.
Provision for service voters:
- The new amendment will replace the word “wife” with “spouse” in the provisions relating to service voters.
- This will make the provision “gender-neutral” and will help address the discrimination against male spouses of women armed services employees.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Yameen leads ‘India Out’ campaign in Maldives
Topic: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora
Prelims: Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) harbour development project
Mains: India – Maldives bilateral relations – Challenges and Potential
Context:
- The ‘India Out’ campaign in the Maldives has intensified, with ex-President Abdulla Yameen now leading it.
- Notably, India-Maldives ties deteriorated considerably when the Yameen administration was in power from 2013 to 2018. Mr. Yameen’s perceived China tilt at the time was a major source of concern for India.
Government’s response:
- The Government of Maldives has stated that it is profoundly concerned by attempts to spread hatred towards India, which it feels will not only hurt the bilateral ties but will also affect the safety and security of the citizens of the two countries.
- It has termed the campaign as being based on misguided and unsubstantiated information and being limited to a small group of individuals and political personalities. Opposing the claims of the campaign resisting India’s military presence in the Maldives, the current Maldivian government has denied any Indian military presence in the island nation.
- While acknowledging the consistent support offered by India to the Maldivian people, the government has termed India as one of the closest bilateral partners of the Maldives and its ally and trusted neighbour.
- The new government has signed the Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) harbour development defence deal with India, in February 2021. This project has been termed vital for the “effective functioning” of the Maldivian Coast Guard.
- India has undertaken many developmental works in the archipelago and has also offered concessional lines of credit for various infrastructural projects in the Maldives.
- The new government in the Maldives has declared an “India first” foreign policy and has openly expressed the opinion of India being the single most important country for the Maldives.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
1. For Afghan women, it’s the great regression
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Mains: Challenges faced by Afghan women in Taliban-led Afghanistan.
Context: This article discusses the issues faced by women and girls in Afghanistan.
What is happening to women and girls in Afghanistan?
- The recent transfer of power from the former Afghan government to the Taliban has created a great deal of anxiety in Afghanistan.
- Women and girls in Afghanistan continue to experience pervasive discrimination and violations of their human rights.
- The country scores among the worst on the Gender Inequality Index, and women’s literacy rates are among the lowest in the world.
- Violence against women and girls is rampant, and the majority of them do not attend school.
Challenges Faced by Afghan women
- The diktat
- The diktat is an example of how the Taliban, in the guise of upholding Islamic law, has begun to erode Afghan women’s rights.
- The Taliban imposed new norms of conduct on Afghan women, limiting their movement and robbing them of their autonomy.
- They required women to wear clothing that totally covered their hair, torso, and most of their face.
- They also required men to accompany ladies when they left their homes.
- Restrictions on jobs
- The Taliban have set limitations on even female municipal government officials, forbidding women from returning to work; men are expected to fill the resulting gaps.
- As a result, the new Taliban administration has exclusively male officials who are now in charge of all decisions, even those affecting women.
- Restrictions on Education
- The Taliban’s Ministry of Education issued an order for male students and teachers in Classes 6 to 12 to report to their schools, with no mention of schoolgirls.
- According to a recent BBC report, a top Taliban leader has affirmed that girls would continue to be barred from attending secondary school.
- Taking away girls’ access to education completely poses a serious risk of forcing them into poverty and backwardness.
- Special decree
- The Taliban released a special decree on women’s rights, including restrictions for Afghan women’s marriage and property.
- The decree has some ambiguity with respect to the rights of “adult women” and makes no mention of the common problem of child marriage.
- It also does not define how the Islamist organisation intends to put women rights into action.
- Gender-based violence
- According to studies, approximately 87% of Afghan women have experienced at least one type of violence, whether physical, sexual, or psychological, and nearly 62 percent have experienced numerous forms.
- Women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan do not have access to shelters or basic services such as medical treatment, psychological counselling, or pro bono legal representation.
- Under the Taliban, inmates who have been convicted of crimes linked to gender-based violence are being freed from prison, putting survivors’ lives in jeopardy.
Recommendations:
Conclusion:
Afghanistan needs a broad-based representative government that includes women. The future Afghan government must be multi-ethnic, representative, and committed to human rights, particularly those of women and girls. Afghan women should be able to select their roles in the future.
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. The Sustained attack on federalism
Topic: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Mains: Fiscal federalism in India; Challenges and Recommendations
Context: This article underlines the concerns with fiscal federalism in India.
Background:
- The Union government has taken a number of initiatives that challenged the ideas of federalism, particularly fiscal federalism.
- They are:
- Increasing monetary share of the States in Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS),
- The terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission,
- Imposition of demonetisation without adequate consultation with the States, institutionalization of the Goods and Services Tax (GST),
- Outsourcing of the statutory functions under the Smart Cities Mission,
- Delay in the transfer of GST compensation,
- ‘One Nation One Ration’.
- The establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation, as well as the Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines on cooperatives, are seen by the states as attempts to strangle a sector already reeling from the devastation of demonetisation.
- Following this, measures such as the suspension and transfer of Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) money to the Consolidated Fund of India were made.
What is Fiscal federalism?
- Fiscal federalism refers to the financial relationships between the federal government system and various levels of government in India.
- It is the study of how government spending and earnings are distributed across several vertical tiers of government administration.
Issues Under the Current Fiscal Federalism Structure
- Horizontal Imbalances: Finance commissions have essentially evolved into a tool for pressuring states to implement fiscal reforms as part of economic liberalization. It has caused an unfortunate surge in horizontal imbalances because of the differing levels of attainment by the states, resulting from the differential growth rates and their developmental status in terms of the state of social or infrastructure capital.
- Vertical Imbalances: Vertical imbalances are created as a result of fiscal asymmetry in taxing powers conferred in various levels of government in proportion to their expenditure duties as defined by the Indian Constitution. These disparities are compounded in the case of third tiers, which include elected local authorities and panchayats.
- Pandemic and Federalism: Union’s repressive measures, along with the pandemic-induced economic shock, have exacerbated state governments’ budgetary plight.
- Tax collection: Increasing the non-divisible pool of revenues in the form of a cess in the gasoline tax and establishing the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Fund Cess has resulted in a scenario in which the Union continues to gain solely from tax collection.
- GST: Throughout the epidemic, the Union government regularly breached the GST regime’s reimbursement commitments to the states. Delays in paying the states’ dues exacerbated the effects of the economic recession.
Recommendations
- In a cooperative federalist framework, it is critical to have provisions for further devolution to state governments in order to economically empower them to fulfil the aims of the New India-2022 national development programme.
- In reality, rather than using a top-down strategy, all levels should be economically empowered to accomplish state-specific fiscal deficit objectives.
- Central Government legislation relating to states should include additional provisions for cost-sharing to assist them in carrying out their responsibilities.
- States should seek the establishment of a formal institutional structure to require and promote dialogue between the Union and the States in the areas of legislation covered by the Concurrent List, as suggested by the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution.
- State governments may also consider deploying human resources to assist them in formulating replies to the Union’s consultations, particularly with an emphasis on the federalism issue.
- Chief Ministers should endeavour to establish regular venues for discussion of this topic.
Conclusion:
Federal flexibility will be critical in defining the future of our democracy. The Union government should devote resources to enable efficient engagement with states as part of the legislative process. It is vital that the Union creates a structure in which individuals and states are considered as partners rather than as subjects.
F. Prelims Facts
1. BIMSTEC working on joint disaster relief plans
- The inaugural event of PANEX-21, a disaster management exercise of the multilateral grouping Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was held recently.
- PANEX 21, is aimed to undertake a review the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mechanism.
2. ‘Oil firms notify mills for 366 cr. litres of ethanol’
- As per data provided by the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) the ethanol supply in 2020-21 was able to achieve an average blending of 8.1% as against the government target of 10% ethanol blending by 2021-22.
G. Tidbits
1. Open letter from girls seeks right to decide when to marry
- Amid the government’s proposal to raise the age of marriage for women to 21, 2500 people who are part of the Young Voices National Movement has demanded that girls have complete freedom to choose if, when, who and how to marry.
- Instead, they ask the government to focus on the root causes leading to early marriage among girls.
- Social norms and practices, poverty, economic pressures, lack of suitable opportunities for education or training for girls, the continued violence against women and girls, the pressures of increasing living costs and migration are some of the core factors leading to early marriage in girls.
- The girls have requested the elected representatives to pursue policies that ensure gender equality in the domain of economic participation, equal wages and safe workplaces and also take strong measures to arrest violence against women.
2. Heroin worth ₹400 crore seized from Pak. Boat
- In yet another major drug haul, 77 kg of heroin was seized from a Pakistani fishing boat off the Gujarat coast in a joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Which of the given statements with respect to Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is/are correct?
- The beneficiaries of the programme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
- It is a centrally sponsored scheme under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- It aims to provide pre-school non-formal education to children between the age group of 3-6 years.
Options:
- 1, 2 and 3
- 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- None of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation
- The Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) Scheme, which provides children with supplemental nourishment, vaccination, and pre-school education, is a popular government flagship initiative.
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme aims to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age group 0-6 years. Hence Statement 1 is Correct.
- ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by state governments and union territories. Hence Statement 2 is Correct.
- Its purpose is to give non-formal pre-school education to children aged 3-6 years. Hence Statement 3 is Correct.
Q2. The Aral Sea is situated between which of these 2 countries?
- Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
- Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation
- The Aral Sea separates Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan to the north and Uzbekistan from Kazakhstan to the south.
- It was previously Central Asia’s largest saltwater lake and the world’s fourth-largest body of inland water.
- Hence Option B is Correct.
Image Source: Worldatlas
Q3. PANEX-21 is being held among the member countries of which of the following organisations?
- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- BRICS nations
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation
- PANEX-21 is a multi-agency exercise of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries.
- It is an exercise in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
- Subject area experts and delegates from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand will attend the exercise.
- Hence Option A is Correct.
Q4. The KAPILA Campaign was launched by the government of India to:
- Ensure Universal Availability of COVID-19 Vaccines, especially to vulnerable and low-income countries.
- Increase awareness regarding the protection and exploitation of Intellectual Property (IP) and provide funding support to promote the filing of IP in Higher Education Institutions.
- Prevent and stop the growing incidence of cyber violence and sexual abuse faced by women in India.
- Ensure integrated water resource management helping to conserve water, minimize wastage and ensure more equitable distribution.
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation
- The government has established a campaign called the Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness Campaign (KAPILA) to raise awareness about intellectual property protection and exploitation (IP).
- It also gives financial assistance to encourage the filing of Intellectual Property (IP) at Higher Education Institutions.
- In addition, a KAPILA site has been established for this purpose.
- Hence Option B is Correct.
Q5. Consider the following statements: [UPSC 2017]
- In tropical regions, Zika virus disease is transmitted by the same mosquito that transmits dengue.
- Sexual transmission of Zika virus disease is possible.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation
- Zika virus disease is spread in tropical places by the same mosquito (Aedes species mosquito) that transmits dengue. Chikungunya viruses are also disseminated by mosquitos of the Aedes species. Hence Statement 1 is Correct.
- Zika is spread by bites, but it may also be caught through sexual infection. Hence Statement 2 is Correct.
- Even if the infected individual is asymptomatic at the time, sexual transmission of Zika virus illness is feasible.
- In 1947, it was discovered in the Zika Forest of Uganda. There is presently no particular therapy or vaccination available to treat Zika.
- Hence Option C is Correct.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- “India has ignored the Central Asian economies for far too long.” Do you agree with this assessment? In which sectors can India forge better relations with these nations? (250 words; 15 marks) GS II (International Relations)
- The concept of federalism in India has evolved in different ways over the years. Discuss. (250 words; 15 marks) GS II (Polity)
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 21 Dec 2021:- Download PDF Here
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