30 Dec 2020: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 30 Dec 2020:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
GEOGRAPHY
1. INCOIS launches ‘Digital Ocean’
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. Policy roll-back may dent banks’ health
2. ‘India can build on rural push, federalism, consumer base’
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY
1. The broken bonds of democracy
CONSERVATION
1. The tragedy of conservation
HEALTH
1. Caution pays
F. Prelims Facts
1. Tribes of Western Ghats
G. Tidbits
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: GEOGRAPHY

1. INCOIS launches ‘Digital Ocean’

Context:

• The ‘Digital Ocean’ platform of Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information Services (INCOIS) was launched by the Union Minister for Science and Technology, Health & Family Welfare, and Earth Sciences.

Details:

• ‘Digital Ocean’ platform is developed by the Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information Services (INCOIS).
• The platform seeks to provide data for an expansive range of users like research institutions, operational agencies, strategic users, academic community, maritime industry, and the public.

Significance of the Digital Ocean platform

• Digital Ocean platform can be banked upon to provide oceanographic data that will enhance the understanding of the oceans.
• It is expected to improve and enhance ocean data acquisition and management as it possesses a set of applications that present heterogeneous oceanographic data with geospatial technology.
• The platform will be key to the sustainable management of our oceans and expanding India’s ‘Blue Economy’ initiatives.
  • The Blue Economy is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.”
• The platform will also pave way for an online interactive web-based environment for data integration, 3D and 4D data visualization, data analysis to assess the evolution of oceanographic features obtained from multiple sources like on-site monitoring devices, remote sensing and model data.

INCOIS

• The mission of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services is to provide ocean data, information and advisory services to society, industry, government and scientific community through sustained ocean observations, and constant improvements through systematic and focused research in information management and ocean modelling.
• The ocean information and advisory services include
  • Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories,
  • Ocean State Forecast (OSF),
  • High wave alerts,
  • Tsunami early warnings,
  • Storm surge and oil-spill advisories, among others,
  • State-of-the-art technologies and tools to get real-time information on oceanographic and marine meteorological data.

Nothing here for today!!!

Context:

• MNREGA, transfer payments helped spur demand, says former Reserve Bank of India Governor Subbarao.

Details:

• The COVID-19 and the lockdown that followed left a trail of economic devastation in most countries. India can potentially base its recovery on three positive aspects —
  • a push in the rural economy,
  • stronger federalism and
  • a huge consumption base.

A brief assessment

• He is of the opinion that the challenge ahead of the Central government is to ensure economic growth and that growth is inclusive, with lower-income households too enjoying the benefits.
• He also cited how the scaling up of MNREGA provided a lifeline and the frontloaded transfer payments to women, pensioners and farmers have helped revive demand in the economy.
• The FCI (Food Corporation of India) which is often criticized for its inefficiency in procurement and wastage during storage, conducted brisk procurement as a part of government’s extended food security guarantee programme, which helped augment farmers’ incomes.
• Mr Subbarao said India’s federalism has withstood the test of vigorous democracy though there were tensions between the Centre and the States on issues such as GST compensation.
• He underlined the importance of increasing the consumption and said that in a setting like this, any increase in income of the bottom half will quickly turn into consumption spurring output, in turn.
• He seemed to concur with economists who believed that the Indian economy was already in bad shape before the pandemic outbreak and the lockdown only made it worse.
• The much talked about ‘V’ shaped recovery in growth rate should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Conclusion

• The damage caused by the pandemic is there to be seen with contraction in growth for two successive quarters and also the fact that the Indian economy was already showing signs of slowdown prior to the coronavirus breakout. Thus India must try to build on rural push, federalism, the consumer base for a quicker recovery.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

Category: POLITY

1. The broken bonds of democracy

Context:

• The ruling of the Central Information Commission has brought into focus the shortcomings of the Electoral Bond Scheme which facilitates political funding.

Details:

• The CIC order upholding the State Bank of India’s claims of not having to release data for public disclosure under the Right To Information Act has exposed the opaqueness of the scheme.
• The CIC has effectively turned its back on those seeking transparency in political funding, leaving no choice but to appeal to the apex court.

Electoral Bond Scheme

• The Union budget in 2017 had a full section on reforms in political funding.
• The budget introduced the Electoral Bond Scheme to check rampant “under-the-table cash transactions”.
• The key motive behind EBS was to fight the infusion of black money. However, there were controversial features like anonymity for donors and the corresponding removal of 7.5% limits for corporate donations.
• This scheme has come under criticism from regional parties, civil society organisations, legal experts, etc.

An illegal scheme

• The scheme creates banking instruments for the donation of funds to political parties facilitated by the SBI.
• It hides the identity of the donors along with the amount of donation. In effect, the scheme is opaque, promotes arbitrariness and is therefore deemed illegal.
• The scheme helps in forming an unholy nexus between political parties and corporate donors.
• The scheme promotes and protects undisclosed quid pro quo arrangements between donors, who are likely to be corporates, and political parties.
• It is often said that the best practices of electoral democracy will revolve around transparency and accountability but this scheme endangers it.
• The Supreme Court in the case People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India (2003), held that the fundamental right of a voter to secure information about the candidates who are contesting the election was implicit under freedom of speech and expression.
• Therefore, the Electoral Bond Scheme is repugnant to the SC order in PUCL case.

The CIC ruling

• The CIC while adjudicating an appeal ruled that the State Bank of India (SBI) was under no legal compulsion to reveal any details about donors and donees relating to electoral bonds under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
• In doing so, CIC has relied on two grounds provided under Section 8 of the RTI Act, which exempts disclosure of information:
  1. that the information sought has been held in fiduciary capacity and
  2. that there was no public interest involved in the application.
• Both these grounds can be challenged, an exemption provided under Section 8 should be read only in a very narrow sense.
• Section 8(2) directs that when public interest takes precedence over any harm to protected interests, the information sought for may be accessed. Therefore, there are legally valid grounds to override the CIC ruling.
• The public interest with regards to the EBS is very objective, taking the earlier order of CIC as a precedent which deemed political parties to be public authorities under the RTI Act.
• The funds received by parties from donors would naturally be of interest to voters in order to understand their financing and functioning.
• Donations by corporate entities would also be of interest to their shareholders and potential shareholders. Therefore, the failure of the CIC in appreciating the present issue as one of high public importance and resorting to technical objections defeats the objects of the RTI Act itself.

The final arbiter

• The CIC order has effectively barred any requests for information under the Electoral Bond Scheme, leaving one with no other option but to seek the Supreme Court.
• There is no other recourse but for the Supreme Court to determine the law with regard to the scheme and the interpretation of the CIC.
• The Election Commission too has argued for this in its counter-affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in 2017, and argued the case for declaration of donation received by political parties and also details about expenditure. ECI also stated that public disclosure of the information is quintessential for better transparency and accountability in the election process.

Conclusion

• Periodic free and fair elections are the life-breath of a democratic system, any attempts to conceal information from the glare of public eyes cannot be justified.
• Political funding is intertwined with corruption, thus for better governance, it is essential that the electoral bond scheme is reformed to allow public scrutiny.
• An unsettled law is as dangerous as bad law. The Court must conclusively settle the questions around the constitutionality of electoral bonds.

Category: CONSERVATION

1. The tragedy of conservation

Context:

• In an attempt to protect and preserve the natural habitats in the Western Ghats, the local indigenous people have been alienated and have been left fearing for their future.

Details:

• The call for increased conservation of the Western Ghats has meant that the rights of the tribal people and other forest dwellers have been impeded.
• The ground level data show that the rights of people under the Forest Rights Act 2006 have been not recognized.
• The model of conservation followed that pits the rights of the indigenous people against the conservation needs is a deeply flawed model that will not yield results on expected lines.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site tag

• The UNESCO in 2012 accorded World Heritage Site status to 39 areas covering national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and reserved forests in the Western Ghats, with ten sites being in Karnataka alone.
• The indigenous people have been facing an existential crisis ever since the Ministry of Environment and Forests actively began identifying the potential heritage sites.
• The cause for worry was justifiable since they had inhabited the land for decades together and had become an organic part of the habitat.
• The restrictions on movement following the declaration of these territories as ecologically sensitive areas aggrieved them further.

Forest Rights Act, 2006

• The Forest Rights Act of 2006 in India and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in 2007 by the United Nations had given the people residing in the Western Ghats a reason to feel secure after their rights were recognized by the letter of law.
• But the announcement of the UNESCO World Heritage Site changed the equation, suddenly they were seen as intruders in their own land.
• The indigenous people of the Western Ghats, including the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, constitute 44.2% of the tribal population of 6.95% of Karnataka.
• The Western Ghats are also home to a sizeable population of communities like Gowlis, Kunbis, Halakki Vakkala, Kare Vakkala, Kunbi, and Kulvadi Marathi.
• In the context of the Forest Rights Act, they are treated as ‘other traditional forest dwellers’ since they have been living there for at least three generations before December 13, 2005, and depend on the forest or forest land for their livelihood needs.
• They derive their livelihood by collecting ‘minor forest produce’ such as cinnamon and kokum from the forest.

A dismal record

• The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.
• Karnataka’s track record implementing the provisions of the Act has been abysmal on comparing with the Forest Rights Act of other states.
• According to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, as of April 30, 2018, the State had recognised only 5.7% of the total claims made, with an astonishing 70% of the claims disposed of.
• The government’s approach in settling the claims made by the tribals versus the claims made by other traditional forest dwellers was not consistent.
• As per the claims made by the Karnataka state government, the tribal applications constituted 17.5% of the claims and nearly all of them were settled, while other claims were rejected as they were not backed by valid evidence. This means that claims made by other traditional forest dwellers were treated as inconsequential.

The wrong approach

• An approach that seeks to edge out the indigenous people from their own backyard for the sake of conservation, is a flawed approach.
• As per the Forest Rights Act, only those lands are recognised where people prove their occupation not later than December 13, 2005. An important observation made here is that the combined stretch of land claimed by tribals and other forest dwellers is comparatively smaller than what has been acquired and allocated for building dams, mining, laying railway lines and roads, power plants, etc.
• The government records also reveal that 43 lakh hectares of forestland were encroached both legally and illegally until 1980 when the Forest Conservation Act came into force. Sadly, there is no significant conservation even after this landmark law.
• The Global Environment Outlook Report 5 released by UNEP states that there is a declining trend in biodiversity across the globe even as ‘protected areas’ have been expanding. People living in nature’s surroundings are integral and organic to conservation as they relate with it in a more integrated and spiritual way.
• The decades of traditional knowledge acquired by the indigenous people regarding the forests they live in, the animals that inhabit the region have proved to be extremely beneficial in the conservation of biodiversity across the world.
• Invariably, an approach adopted to isolate the indigenous people from their natural habitats to protect biodiversity is the root cause of conflict between them and conservationists. The latter think that resources have to be controlled and managed. However, this theory is fast proving unproductive.

The way forward

• There cannot be a trade-off between the conservation status of the Western Ghats and the rights of the people.
• International experiences suggest that preserving biodiversity requires the legal empowerment of the people living in those areas.
• The Forest Rights Act is capable of balancing the interests of the local people along with the mandate of conservation.
• To make the FRA achieve its objectives, the government has to engage in building trust between its agencies in the area and the people who depend on these forests by treating them as rightful equal citizens like everyone else in the country.

Category: HEALTH

1. Caution pays

Context:

• Home Ministry’s guidelines on “Surveillance, Containment and Caution” have been extended till January 31.

Details

• The reduction in infection rate, and improving recovery rate along with the vaccination programme to be rolled out has led to some relief amongst the people.
• The Centre’s surveillance guidelines should be taken seriously even as vaccination rolls out.

Reason for optimism

• India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) is currently at 1.45% and is currently one of the lowest in the world.
• The case fatality rate, also called case fatality risk or case fatality ratio, in epidemiology is the proportion of people who die from a specified disease among all individuals diagnosed with the disease over a certain period of time.
• India has done well when compared to other countries like Mexico, China, Indonesia, Italy, etc.
• India’s recovery rate is on an upward trajectory. India has the highest recovered patients in the world.
• The recovery rate presently stands at 95.46% and the cumulative positivity rate has decreased to 6.25%.

Need for caution

• The gradual lifting of restrictions and unlocking of the economy has meant that normal life has resumed in substantial measure.
• But, at the same time, critical activities such as on-campus education remain mostly suspended and many senior citizens are unable to access periodic health checks.
• The evidences are suggestive of infections spreading in commercial centres and at workplaces, therefore, there is a long way to go before the pandemic recedes.
• A large section of the population has been able to shelter from the coronavirus, particularly the elderly and people with morbidities, any let-up by relaxing the vigil will be detrimental to their health and well-being.
• The news of the new strain emanating from the United Kingdom has aggravated fear and anxiety, it underscores the point that easing off on testing, tracking and containment could prove dangerous.
• This mutant is likely to have initially travelled to several locations before it was detected, and there is a likelihood that its footprint may cover third countries from which India continues to operate bubble flights.

Supreme Court observation

• The Court wanted an increased deployment of police personnel at places where people are likely to gather, such as food courts, eateries, vegetable markets, and bus and train stations to ensure that the guidelines are adhered to.
• The apex court also cautioned as to how reckless behaviour of some by ignoring social distancing norms or use of masks and other protocols will endanger the lives of others.
• The Court ordered the government under Article 21, to ensure that it invests adequately in its hospitals and those of the local administration, acknowledging the right to health and affordable treatment for all.
• After the court took the matter into its hands, it is expected that states may be asked to individually report their compliance when the Bench takes the issue again.
• Even with a steadily expanding base of vaccinated individuals, surveillance and caution are essential.
• Governments should seize the opportunity presented by the pandemic and set up a public health backbone in all States, in cities and rural areas, to do the monitoring. This will have the twin advantage of rapidly advancing universal health coverage through health and wellness centres.

Conclusion:

• Covid-19 restrictions on various activities have to be strictly followed by people, while there has been a steady decline in active cases in India, there is a need for surveillance, containment and caution due to a surge globally and the emergence of a new variant of the virus in the UK.

Q1. Which of the following countries share a land border with Bangladesh?

1. India
2. Myanmar
3. China

Choose the correct answer:

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. All of the above

Q2.Consider the following statements with respect to Western Ghats:

1. Western Ghats is spread across 7 states.
2. Western Ghats is one of the biodiversity hotspots of India.
3. Western Ghats is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Which of the above statements are true?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. All of the above

Q3.Consider the following statements with respect to Central Information Commission (CIC):

1. Central Information Commission is an executive body.
2. Chief Information Commissioner is not eligible for reappointment.

Which of the above statements is/are true?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q4.Global Environment Outlook is released by

1. UNESCO
2. UNEP
3. World Bank
4. NITI Aayog