21 Dec 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

E. Editorials

Category: POLITY

1. A security breach that must lead to sweeping change

Syllabus: Parliament and State Legislatures—Structure, Functioning, Conduct of Business

Mains: Recent security breach in Parliament and the way forward 

Context: The recent security breach on December 13 involved intruders entering Lok Sabha, revealing security gaps.

Current Security Procedure in Parliament:

• Description of Security Measures: Spike barriers, bollards, drop gates, scanners, RFID devices, anti-explosive checks, and increased manpower.
• Layers of Security Personnel: Central police forces, Parliament Duty Group, Delhi police in inner precincts.
• Screening Process: Door frame and handheld metal detectors, personal frisking.
• Identified Gap: Inability to detect non-metallic items like plastic or rubber, specifically in shoes.

The Importance of Technology:

• Need for advanced technology like backscatter scanners, and millimeter wave scanners to detect non-metallic threats.
• Lack of implementation of cutting-edge technology is seen in other global security setups like airports.
• There is a need to emphasize the role of innovative technology in bolstering security, especially against evolving threats.

The Issue of Responsibility:

• Key Personnel Positions: Vacancies in critical posts like Joint Secretary, Security, and Chiefs of the Central Reserve Police Force and Central Industrial Security Force.
• Inquiry Responsibility: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief was tasked with the investigation.
• Lack of Technological Guidance: Questioning whether the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suggested or initiated the introduction of advanced technology.

Committee to Find Solution:

• Leadership Vacuum: Vacant posts in critical security positions.
• Proposal: Secretary of Security, in the Cabinet Secretariat to supervise Parliament security.
• Committee Formation: Need to form a committee with five MPs from different parties to oversee security arrangements.
• Role of Committee: Regular monitoring, induction of specialists, and coordination with security forces.

Way Forward:

• Cooperation from MPs: Emphasizes the need for MPs to cooperate with enhanced security measures.
• Accountability: Need for a Director General to oversee security with full responsibility and accountability.
• Continuous Upgradation: Stresses the importance of constant monitoring and upgrading of security infrastructure to adapt to evolving threats.
• Lessons from Incidents: There is a need for a proactive approach to safeguarding democracy’s core institutions.

Nut Graf: The recent breach in Parliament security highlights lapses despite heightened measures. It underscores the necessity for advanced technology and shared responsibility, and proposes a committee-led approach to revamp and vigilantly update security protocols for safeguarding democracy.

F. Prelims Facts

1. LS passes Bills to replace British-era criminal laws

Syllabus: GS 2- Polity

Prelims: About Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.

Introduction

• The Lok Sabha has passed three amended Bills that aim to modernise criminal laws, replacing colonial-era statutes. 
• This criminal law reform introduces significant changes, bringing terrorism offenses under general criminal law, abolishing sedition, and proposing capital punishment for mob lynching.

Key Reforms Proposed

• Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita Bill (BNSS): Replaces the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSS): Replaces the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill (BNSSS): Replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.

Highlights of the Reforms

• Incorporation of Terrorism as a Separate Category: The BNSS introduces a definition of terrorism within general criminal law for the first time, emphasising its significance and addressing loopholes that allow terrorists to escape punishment under existing laws.
• Abolition of Sedition: The new laws replace sedition (rajdroha) with the offence against the nation (deshdroha), eliminating a colonial-era provision that has been criticised for suppressing dissent.
• Capital Punishment for Mob Lynching: The proposed reforms include stringent measures against mob lynching, making it punishable by death, signalling a strong stance against this growing menace.

Exclusion of Doctors from Criminal Prosecution

• An amendment to the BNSS excludes doctors from criminal prosecution for death due to medical negligence.
• Hit-and-run accidents are proposed to be punishable by ten years of imprisonment.

G. Tidbits

1. Lok Sabha passes Telecom Bill 2023 to replace 138-year-old Telegraph Act

• Lok Sabha passed the Telecom Bill, 2023, replacing the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act.
• It aims to reform and simplify telecom regulations, ease infrastructure creation, and address bottlenecks.
• It allows the government temporary control of telecom services for national security and non-auction allocation of satellite spectrum.
• Provides right of way for laying telecom infrastructure in public and private areas.
• The new bill grants government authority to protect users, require consent for specific messages and create a ‘do not disturb’ register.
• It requires central government authorization for establishing and operating telecom networks, providing services, or possessing radio equipment.
• Allows interception of telecommunications on specified grounds, including state security and public order.
• Telecom services can be suspended in cases of public emergencies or for public safety reasons.

2. Volcano in Iceland erupts after being preceded by thousands of earthquakes

• Volcano erupts in southwestern Iceland after weeks of rumbling.
• The eruption occurred 4 km from Grindavik, evacuated in November due to earthquakes.
• Iceland, sitting above a volcanic hotspot, experiences about 20 hours of darkness a day in December.
• Iceland averages eruptions every four to five years; Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010 was disruptive.
• The current eruption is not expected to release ash as it doesn’t lie under water or ice.
• A volcanic range in Reykjanes Peninsula has erupted thrice since 2021, after being dormant for 800 years.

3. Sahitya Akademi announces awards; Requiem in Raga Janki best English work

• Sahitya Akademi awards for 2023 were announced for various languages.
• Neelum Saran Gour was awarded in English for “Requiem in Raga Janki,” and Sanjeev in Hindi for “Mujhe Pahachaano.”
• The jury recommended awards in 24 languages.
• Notable awards: Rajasekaran (Devibharathi) awarded for “Neervazhi Padooum,” T. Patanjali Sastry for “Rameshwaram Kaakulu Marikonni Kathalu,” and E.V. Ramakrishnan for “Malayala Novelinte Deshakalangal.”
• Lakshmisha Tolpadi was awarded for the collection of essays “Mahabharatha Anusandhanada Bharathayatre” in Kannada.
• Swapnamay Chakrabarti was honoured for the novel “Jaler Upar Pani” in Bengali.
• Sahitya Akademi, founded on March 12, 1954, promotes literature in Indian languages under the Union Culture Ministry.

 

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. ______________ strait leads to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, forming the shortest, 
albeit narrow, route to the Mediterranean Sea and beyond from the Arab Peninsula, 
North-East Africa, and the Arabian Sea.

Fill in the above blank.

1. Bab-el-Mandeb 
2. Dardenelles
3. Sunda
4. Hormuz

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• The Bab-el-Mandeb serves as a crucial connection between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, facilitating transit through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. A significant portion of petroleum and natural gas exports from the Persian Gulf, which traverses the Suez Canal, traverse both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.

Q2. Consider the following statements with regards to the issue of 
Public Stockholding at the WTO: 

1. Public distribution programmes of developing countries are included under trade-distorting Amber Box measures that attract reduction commitments of WTO. 
2. WTO members cannot export food grains from public stockholdings. 
3. The ‘peace clause’ at the Nairobi WTO conference said that no country would be legally barred from food security programmes even if the subsidy breached the limits specified in the WTO Agreement on Agriculture.

How many of these statements is/are correct?

1. Any one
2. Any two
3. Any three
4. None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b
Explanation:

• The public distribution programs of developing countries are classified under trade-distorting measures in the “Amber Box” category, which attracts reduction commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements.
• The Amber Box includes domestic support measures considered to distort trade and production.
• WTO members cannot export food grains from public stockholdings as they are subsidized grains.
• The peace clause allows developing countries to implement food security programs exceeding agreed limits without facing legal action through 2017 and beyond until a permanent solution is reached.

Q3. Consider the following statements with regards to the sports awards in India:

1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting award given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.
2. Arjuna Award is given for good performance over a period of the previous four years and showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
3. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is given to coaches for doing outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabling sportspersons to excel in international events.

How many of these statements is/are correct?

1. Any 1
2. Any 2
3. All 3
4. None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b
Explanation:

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports awards the ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’ for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over the period of the previous four years.
• The ‘Arjuna Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games’ is given for good performance over a period of the previous four years and for showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is given to corporate entities and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

Q4. Consider the following statements:

1. At present 23 nuclear power reactors are installed in India.
2. The installed nuclear power capacity in India has more than tripled from 2013-14 to the present. 
3. The Government has accorded in-principle approval to set up a 6 x 1208 MW nuclear power plant in cooperation with France at Kovvada in Srikakulam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

How many of these statements is/are correct?

1. Any one
2. Any two
3. All three
4. None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• At present 23 nuclear power reactors are installed in India.
• The annual electricity generation from nuclear power plants has increased from 35334 Million Units in 2013-14 to 46982 Million Units in 2022-23. The installed nuclear power capacity in 2013-14 has also increased from 4780 MW to 7480 MW at present.
• The Government has accorded in-principle approval to set up a 6 x 1208 MW nuclear power plant in cooperation with the USA at Kovvada in Srikakulam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Q5. Under the Indian Constitution, concentration of wealth violates

1. The Right to Equality
2. The Directive Principles of State Policy
3. The Right to Freedom
4. The Concept of Welfare

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Article 39 (b) says – The State shall direct its policy towards securing that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good.
• Article 39 (c) says – The state shall direct its policy towards ensuring that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.
• These come under the Directive Principles of State Policy.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Discuss the outcomes of COP 28. Discuss the reasons for India to not engage with some of the key declarations. (250 words, 15 marks) (GS III – Environment and Ecology)​
2. “The breach of parliamentary security produces multiple questions that need urgent answers.” Comment. (250 words, 15 marks) (GS II – Polity)​

Read previous CNA articles here.​​