28 Dec 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 28 Dec 2022:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
GOVERNANCE
1. What is the CAG audit report on Assam’s NRC?
C. GS 3 Related
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
SOCIAL JUSTICE
1. A retelling of the Indian migrant worker’s plight
HEALTH
1. Staying prepared
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Focus on Africa, the heart of the Global South
F. Prelims Facts
G. Tidbits
1. Odisha CID to probe death of Putin critic
2. Parliamentary panel pulls up govt. for failure to create Tourism Council
3. ‘Green hydrogen may get $2 bn incentive’
4. ‘Significant govt. control under data protection bill to hit data centre investments’
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: HEALTH

1. Staying prepared

Syllabus: GS-2, Issues related to health.

Mains: Rising COVID-19 cases and India’s preparedness.

Context: Surging COVID-19 cases in China.

Details:

• China abandoned its Zero-COVID strategy abruptly after three years of strict enforcement. This led to a massive jump in the daily number of cases. It was estimated by media, hospitals, and crematoria that approximately 250 million people were infected in 20 days in December 2022.
• It was observed that BF.7 appears to be the dominant variant in China. There is fear that the uncontrolled spread of the virus in China might cause newer variants with higher transmissibility. For example, the BF.7 sub-lineage with three additional immune escape mutations was already found in other variants infecting people arriving from China.
• It is suggested by experts that these mutations may increase transmissibility further but will not increase disease severity. 
• With the COVID cases rising in a few more countries, India has adopted proactive measures. 
• Approximately 90% of the adult population in India was already fully vaccinated by July 2022. Moreover, around one-fourth of adults were also boosted, and a large share of the population was also naturally infected. This reduces the chances of India facing the risk of large-scale deaths from existing variants. 
• As a large share of the population enjoys hybrid immunity (vaccination and natural infection), India should focus on the increase in hospitalizations, specifically ICU admissions instead of daily cases.

India’s response to rising cases:

• The Health Ministry has rightly urged States to ramp up genome sequencing (instead of testing) so that new variants are tracked. It should be noted that a virus evolves by accumulating mutations. 
• In order to minimize the risk of the spread of new variants, the government has introduced 2% random post-arrival sampling of international passengers and mandatory RT-PCR tests for arrivals from China and four other countries. 
• The states are also advised to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen and conduct a drill in health facilities to ensure operational readiness. 
• In terms of vaccines, India is self-sufficient with seven COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, apart from homologous boosters, a couple of vaccines have got approval as heterologous booster doses too. 
• On the antiviral front, a Hyderabad-based company has received WHO’s prequalification for a generic version of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral drug, Paxlovid.

Also read: 22 Dec 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

Nut Graf: The rising cases in China have once again raised the risk of yet another wave of the pandemic. The Indian government is proactively looking at the issue. However, it is advised to scale up the pace of its genome sequencing to trace any new variant of the virus.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Focus on Africa, the heart of the Global South

Syllabus: GS-2, Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India’s interests.

Mains: G20 Presidency and India-Africa relations.

Details:

• India is willing to be remembered as the voice of the Global South, during its G20 presidency. 
• It should be noted that the heart of Global South is Africa with the majority of the 54 countries being either developing or least developed. 
• It is thus important to grasp the mood and changes in Africa, especially in its external partnerships. 

Details about Washington Summit:

• The second U.S.-Africa summit was organized in Washington from 13 to 15 December 2022. The summit was attended by the leaders of 49 countries and the chair of the African Union (AU). 
• U.S. President Joe Biden discussed several aspects of political, security, and economic cooperation. Other deliberations were held on issues like the ways to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics, climate crisis, food security, and diasporic ties. 
• It was declared during the summit that African voices, leadership, and innovation are crucial to addressing the global challenge and realizing the vision of a free, open, prosperous, and secure world. 
• The U.S. President stressed that the US is “all in on Africa and all in with Africa”.
• Important decisions taken during the summit are: 
  • The U.S. declared its support for the AU to join the G20 as a permanent member. 
  • It was further highlighted by the U.S. that it “fully supports” reforming the UN Security Council (UNSC) to include permanent representation for Africa. 
  • It has also been promised that the president and the vice president of the U.S. would visit Africa shortly. It should be noted that no U.S. president visited Africa since 2015.
  • The U.S. has also announced new investments comprising:
    • $21 billion to the International Monetary Fund for providing the necessary funding to low-and middle-income countries
    • $10 million for a pilot programme to boost the security capacity in Africa 
  • The U.S. administration is planning to invest $55 billion in Africa over the next three years.
• It is analyzed that the first assurance would be implementable once both the U.S. and India overcome the likely resistance from the ASEAN and European Union. However, UNSC reform is still a distant future.

For information on UNSC reforms, read here: United Nations Security Council Reforms

China Challenge:

• China became the largest trading partner and the fourth largest investor in the African continent, ahead of the U.S., due to its consistent diplomacy and extensive economic engagement. 
• The U.S.-Africa trade stood at $44.9 billion in 2021, whereas China-Africa trade exchanges were somewhere near $254 billion. Moreover, the U.S. investment stock in Sub-Saharan Africa was $30.31 billion in contrast to China’s total investment of $43.4 billion in 2020.
• The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was set up in October 2000. 
  • The FOCAC is composed of ministers/leaders from both Africa and China who meet once in three years. The Chinese president participates either in person or digitally. 
  • China has established a full-fledged inter-ministerial mechanism to ensure the timely implementation of FOCAC decisions. 
  • The last meeting of the forum was held in Dakar in 2021, where support was extended for the Chinese agenda of the One-China Principle, the Global Development Initiative, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the vision of “a community with a shared future.”
  • Moreover, for years, the Chinese foreign minister begins his annual series of foreign visits by travelling to Africa. 
• Just before the Washington summit, the U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary highlighted that the U.S. had fallen behind China in terms of trade with Africa. 
• African leaders have reiterated multiple times that they don’t want to choose and are willing to work with the U.S., China, and all other partners.

Also read: India’s G20 Presidency: Sansad TV Perspective

India-Africa Relations:

• India has worked hard in the last two decades to strengthen its political and economic partnership with Africa at the continental, regional and bilateral levels. 
• A special momentum was created by organizing high-level exchanges and forging cooperation initiatives during the period of 2015-19.
• However several factors like COVID-19, the economic downturn, the war in Ukraine, and the border conflict with China have resulted in a slowdown. 
• The G20 presidency is a unique opportunity for India to ensure that the AU becomes a permanent member of this grouping and to reflect Africa’s Agenda 2063 for development. 
• Additionally, India and the U.S. should collaborate in Africa. 
• The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit should also be organized in early 2024 as the third summit was held long back in 2015.

For more on India-Africa relations, read here: India’s Relations with Africa

Nut Graf: The African continent plays the most crucial role in the Global South. The United States and China are already cooperating with African countries through several initiatives, and India should also use the opportunity of the G20 presidency to set its mark on the continent.

2. Parliamentary panel pulls up govt. for failure to create Tourism Council

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has urged the government to set up a National Tourism Council on the lines of the GST Council to make recommendations directly to the Union and the State governments.
• The Committee also asked about the steps taken by the Tourism Ministry with respect to its earlier recommendation of adding tourism to the Concurrent List under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
  • According to the Committee, the inclusion of tourism in the Concurrent List will help address the challenges posed by the pandemic to the tourism sector since tourism is a multi-sectoral activity.
• The Committee also questioned why a few States have not yet accorded industry status to hospitality projects.
  • At present, only eight States namely Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have accorded industry status to hospitality projects.
• The Committee further raised concerns over the progress achieved in projects such as the “Development at Hazratbal” in Jammu and Kashmir and “Infrastructure Development at Puri, Shree Jagannath Dham – Ramachandi – Prachi River front at Deuli under Mega Circuit” in Odisha which were sanctioned before 2017-18.

3. ‘Green hydrogen may get $2 bn incentive’

• In order to cut emissions and become a major export player, India is planning a $2-billion incentive programme for the green hydrogen industry.
• The key aim of the incentive programme would be to reduce the production cost of green hydrogen by over 20% in the next five years.
• Hydrogen which can be used as a fuel is produced by splitting water with an electrical process called electrolysis and if the electrolysers used in the process are fueled by renewable energy, the product is called green hydrogen as the fuel produced would be free of greenhouse emissions.
• At present, it costs around ₹300-400/kg to produce green hydrogen in India.

Learn more about green hydrogen – Sansad TV Perspective: Green Hydrogen

4. ‘Significant govt. control under data protection bill to hit data centre investments’

• According to the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the significant controls and exemptions provided to the government under the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022 would make it harder for companies to invest in data centres and data processing activities in India.
  • ITI is a global technology industry body founded in 1916 with its headquarters in Washington, DC. 
• The government released a draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill 2022 in November 2022 and had invited comments.
• ITI, whose members include global technology majors like Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Samsung, etc. has said that the draft Bill provides extended controls to the executive arm of government and delegates much of the detailed rule-making authority to separate processes which are yet to be defined.
• However, the Minister of State for Electronics and IT had said that the exemptions for the government would be provided only in some special circumstances such as for maintaining public order.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Who among the following advocated the introduction of Roman Script for the Hindi 
Language while delivering the Presidential address at a session of the Indian 
National Congress? (Level - Difficult)

1. Mahatma Gandhi
2. Subhash Chandra Bose
3. Abul Kalam Azad
4. George Yule

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in the Haripura session of 1938, proposed the use of the Roman script for Indian languages.

Q2. Consider the following statements: (Level - Medium)

1. Nipah Virus is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus.
2. Pigs can also act as intermediate hosts of the Nipah Virus.
3. The Nipah Virus can survive in the Indian Flying Fox’s body without causing disease.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, The Nipah virus is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus.
• Statement 2 is correct, Nipah Virus is an airborne transmission infection and can affect those who come in direct contact with contaminated bodies such as pigs or bats carrying the virus.
  • Nipah virus host species include flying foxes and pigs. Domestic pigs can also act as intermediate hosts.
• Statement 3 is correct, Fruit bats also known as flying foxes belong to the Pteropodidae Family – Pteropus genus.
  • They’re found in South East Asia.
  • The Nipah Virus can survive in the bat’s body without causing disease and antibodies were found in the Indian Flying Fox during the Bangladesh outbreak. 

Q3. “Naegleria fowleri” recently seen in News: (Level - Difficult)

1. Is a brain-eating amoeba.
2. Is a shrub found along the Western Ghats which blooms only once in 12 years.
3. Is a bioluminescent alga.
4. Are composite organisms made up of symbiotic algae and fungi that can be found in abundance in the Western Ghats, the Eastern and Western Himalayas.

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as a “brain-eating amoeba” is an amoeba (single-celled living organism) that lives in soil and warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs.
• Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. 
• The amoeba then travels up the nose to the brain and affects the brain tissues causing an infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

Q4. Consider the following statements: (Level - Medium)

1. Under Article 82, the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census.
2. In case of a difference of opinion among members of the Delimitation Commission, the opinion of the Chief Election Commissioner prevails.
3. 42nd Amendment Act laid down that there would be no delimitation till after the 2001 census.

How many of the given statements is/are correct?

1. One statement only
2. Two statements only
3. All three statements
4. None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, According to Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census.
• Statement 2 is incorrect, In case of a difference of opinion among the members of the Delimitation Commission, the opinion of the majority shall prevail.
• Statement 3 is correct, The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 had put a ban on any further delimitation of the constituencies after the 2001 census.
  • Further, in 2001, the 84th Constitutional Amendment, 2001 extended the freeze on the number of constituencies by another 25 years i.e. till 2026.

Q5. Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds 
and diamond mines of India? (Level - Difficult) PYQ-2018

1. Francois Bernier
2. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
3. Jean de Thevenot
4. Abbe Barthelemy Carre

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689) was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveller. 
• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was the first European to describe the diamonds and diamond mines in India.
• In a book written by Valentine Ball, “Travels in India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier”, he clearly states that Tavernier identified the diamond mining sites in India.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. The Government of India has to revisit its migratory policies by engaging all stakeholders. Discuss. (10 marks, 150 words) [GS-2, IR]
2. For India to be remembered as the voice of the Global South through the G20 presidency, it needs to understand the mood and changes in Africa. Elaborate. (10 marks, 150 words) [GS-2, IR]

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 28 Dec 2022:- Download PDF Here